Page 75 of Salvaged Heart
“I got a phone call the other day.” He was talking again, and it took me a moment to register the words that were being said. “A family who lives a few roads over saw the pictures the realtor posted. They loved the work we did. They are renovating their place, a three-bed, two-bath right on the water, and wanted meto take a look. Draw up some plans. Submit an official bid on the contract.”
“Beck, that’s fantastic. You’re going to do it, right?” If he got the job, he would be moving back. I wouldn’t have to stay here alone.
“Yeah, I think I will…” He trailed off as we stepped onto the back porch and headed toward the lake. “Do this with me?”
I tugged him to a stop, looking up at him with confusion. I didn’t understand the question.
“Your plans were amazing, Anders. Just look at how this place turned out.”
“That was all you,” I reminded him. I might have helped, but without his blood, sweat, tears, and expertise, there was no way the manor would have turned out so good.
“I don’t have an eye for design like you do. I can fix stuff and paint walls, sure. I can handle logistics. But you're the one who breathed life into this place. If it weren’t for those drawings, this place would have felt cold and empty. It’s because of you that it feels like a home.”
“What are you asking?”
“Go into business with me. You handle the interior design stuff, and you should probably handle any math, too,” He chuckled. “I’ll handle everything else.”
“Are you serious right now?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I want a life with you, Anders. I don’t just want to wake up and fall asleep with you. I want to build something together. Something that’s ours. This could be it.”
I looked at him then, taking in the side of his face as he took one last look at the house. His eyes sparkled with excitement and hope. I saw it then, clear as day, something I had never let myself imagine before.
I saw my future.
Our future.
The life we would create together.
And it looked like nothing I could have ever dreamed would be mine. It looked like the bluest eyes and the brightest of smiles. It looked like sunrises and sunsets and a million things in between. There would be joy and laughter, and sometimes sadness, too, but as long as he was holding me, the worst of it could no longer touch me.
“Think about it at least.”
I pressed my hand into his cheek, grinning as he leaned into my palm and kissed the tip of my thumb. There was nothing to think about. It was the easiest decision I’d ever had to make.
“I’m in.”
EPILOGUE
David Duo Reimagines Lakeview Drive Mansion
by Amanda Barnette
Lake Norman Tribune
9067 Lakeview Drive is officially off the market. Built in 1965, the sprawling 8,000-square-foot property has been for sale for over five years. Mark Thompson from Lake Norman Reality cited the extensive renovation it would require as a major turn-off to potential buyers.
However, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. After the most recent price drop, the lake-side mansion was finally snatched up by design duo Beckham and Anderson David, owners of David’s Restorations of Lake Norman.
The pair have been highly sought after in the area, having been responsible for the luxury renovations of several lake community homes. Their first project ten years ago, on thefive-bedroom, four-bath farmhouse on Arbor Ct, fetched an impressive ten million after an all-out bidding war drove the selling price almost two million dollars over asking.
Since then, contractor and namesake Beckham David (33), alongside his interior designer husband of eight years, Anderson David (36), has boasted a long waitlist with some clients willing to wait years for David’s team to work on their projects. The pair work exclusively on homes over fifty years old, stating they are passionate about breathing new life back into properties that might otherwise be demolished.
However, last year, the pair announced they would be stepping back from their business and switching focus to a new project near and dear to their hearts. The purchase of 9067 Lakeview Drive is the first step in what will become a several-year endeavor culminating in the grand opening of a new inpatient rehabilitation facility specializing in victims of opiate abuse.
Chief Operation Officer Kara McAllister announced in a recent press release that the facility will be able to house up to twenty in-home patients at a time and offer outpatient treatments and therapy to the local community.
The project will be largely funded by charitable donations, the most significant and most curious of which comes from Benson, Samuel, and Moon for a cool twenty million dollars. The connection between the Nashville-based accounting firm and the illustrious design duoremains unknown. However, permits filed through the Cornelius Planning Department prior to the homes’ purchase named the project “Jonah’s Place” after firm partner Thomas Benson’s son, who died at age nineteen from an accidental overdose.
Anderson David has spoken publicly in recent years about his struggles with these highly regulated substances. He has also been a long-time advocate for several local organizations that support LGBTQIA2s+ teenagers facing becoming unhoused. Proud husband, Beckham, took the time in an unrelated interview with this magazine a few weeks ago to dote on his business partner, stating, “Anders is the strongest human I know. His everyday commitment to his sobriety and giving back to the community is my single greatest source of inspiration. Each day I get to spend with him is a blessing, one I would have lost if it wasn’t for the dedication of the countless organizations that specialize in assisting those battling addiction.”
David’s Restoration of Lake Norman will oversee the entire renovation of the lakeside estate, with an additional team expected from Knoxville-based construction business David Construction & Co., owned by Beckham’s father.
This project’s announcement comes on the heels of startling new statistics from the CDC, estimating that over one hundred thousand Americans died from drug overdose last year. This number is up twenty-five percent from the year prior.
Needless to say, the Lake Norman community is excited to see the changes made to this historic property, which will serve North Carolinians and beyond for many years to come.
