“Oh, I know you’re right on that for sure.”
They rang the bell of the large but not overly huge colonial and Pat answered. “Come in, come in. We’re so glad you’re here.”
Both Rex and Ashley slipped disposable booties over their shoes upon entering the house. “Thank you for that,” Pat said, “Kimberly hates scratches on the floor.”
“We explained that we and our crew have to keep our work boots on. OSHA laws,” Ashley said.
“Oh, yes, we don’t want anyone hurt,” Pat answered.
They followed her to the kitchen and the professor was sipping tea. “Let’s just get started right away. Pat and I have a bit more packing to accomplish before we depart.”
All four went to the double-wide, spiral staircase of the colonial build in 1846 in the Jeffersonian style, which meant there was a large matching room at the entrance on each side of the staircase. One room they used to receive guests, which apparently happened frequently. The other, they wanted converted into a floor to ceiling library. It was a dining room. “We never have sit-down meals large enough to need a dining room. It’s always just canapés. A dining room is such a waste,” Professor Harris had explained on their first visit to the grand house. Upstairs they wanted both bathrooms modernized but with claw footed bathtubs large enough to comfortably fit two people and showers, plus modern granite countertops in each. The rest of the upstairs needed the woodwork to be stripped to its original and stained. Over the years, various owners had painted the molding different colors. After the walkthrough, the ladies excused themselves, and Ashley and Rex got to work starting with the library, which would be least intrusive to the women as they packed.
During the day, Ashley took a mini survey of the crew about dog ownership. Everyone but Bert owned a dog. He had owned one for most of his life, but didn’t any longer.
“Why not?” Ashley asked.
“Because humans outlive the damned things. I got sick of outliving my best friends. It nearly tore my heart out every time one of those Susies died.”
“What do you mean Susies?”
“Every dog I ever owned was a female and named Susie after my little sister who died when she fell through the ice when out ice skating one day—”
“Jesus, Bert, that’s awful,” Rex said.
“Tell me about it. I was ten. Never really got over it.”
Bert was sixty-two years young and the most dependable, hardworking laborer G & J Renovations had on their crew. He knew his stuff from years of working as a carpenter, showed up on time, had some patience with the younger crew members, and didn’t do drugs or stay out all night drinking. He simply went home to his wife of forty years every night and showed up every day to do it all over again. Ashley hoped he’d never retire.
When they stopped for lunch, Ashley took Rex aside and asked him if it would be okay for her to leave early on Friday and take the weekend off to surprise Brody. “Sure, you don’t have to ask. You own half this company. You’re the boss, too. You two never take time. He’ll love it.”
“I hope so; he didn’t seem to want me to come. Kept saying I’d be bored. Even if I was bored, I’d love just sitting on the beach and soaking up the sun, then relaxing in his arms at night. I could go for a weekend of that.”
“Go for it. Enjoy. We’ve got two months for this gig. We’ll knock it out for sure. I’m sure glad the professor will be gone. Don’t want her grading us every step of the way.”
“I hear you there,” she said and laughed. Rex and Ashley had been friends since elementary school. They were like brother and sister. He was married to her best friend, Liz. The three had been inseparable since kindergarten, but there was always a special spark between Elizabeth and Rex and even back then Ashley knew they were destined to be together. They had three kids now—ages one, three, and five—so Liz stayed home from her job as a dental hygienist because she had her hands full with their needs and daycare was too expensive. Once a week, the two ladies made a point of leaving Rex with the kids while they went out to do something fun and get Liz out of the house, so she wouldn’t go stir crazy.
On the drive home, Ashley decided not to tell Brody about her plan for the weekend. A little spark, a surprise was a good thing for a marriage once in a while, she decided.
So, that night when they chatted, she didn’t tell Brody she’d ordered the tickets and was anxious to spend some time in the sun with him when he told her it was 80 degrees and gorgeous at The Palms Hotel & Spa where he was staying.
“You lucky devil,” was all she said.
Chapter Four
Ruth Schmitt was walking her Schnauzer, Plaid, when Ashley drove off to work the next morning, so she decided to stop and include her in on the dog survey.
“Hi, Ruth, Brody and I are considering getting a dog. Are we crazy? Or are you glad you have Plaid?”
She opened the car door, bent down, and gave Plaid’s head a rub.
“Are you kidding me? I don’t know what I’d do without this cutie. Douglas hardly gives me the time of day. Plaid’s the best thing in my life. Having him around makes me get out walking, which is great for my figure. I’ve lost ten pounds since we got him. But do you think old Dougie would care? No. He’s too busy with work. He’s off on another trip. Seems so glamorous. He’s says it’s like a glorified bus trip now on the airlines. But I’d be willing to bear that if he’d take me with him. He never does.”
“Brody’s off on a business trip this week too. I’m going to surprise him with a weekend visit.”
“Maybe I should do that one of these days. You go, girl!” Plaid started pulling on the leash. “Gotta go, Plaid says this is walk time, not stand and chat time. He’s a slave driver. Have a great day.”
“You too,” Ashley said, laughed, and waved at her neighbor, who everyone loved for her upbeat attitude.
The week went without a hitch, except Barry showed up late and hungover twice. Ashley gave him a warning. G & J Renovations paid well, employed very talented craftsmen, and expected them to act as professionals. If it happened again, Barry knew he’d lose his job, benefits, and a great paycheck. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She liked the kid, but he was just twenty-four—still a kid in so many ways.
Friday snuck up on her quickly because she’d been busy with long hours on the Harris home, chats with Brody at night, and early to bed. But she was ready and had her car packed for the airport when she went to work that morning. She took a bath in the old Harris tub knowing that it would be replaced within a week anyway. She even planned ahead and brought towels from home so as not to upset the professor by using any of hers. Then she said goodbye to the crew and headed to the airport dressed in her sexiest white slacks, white strappy sandals, and a pale turquoise crop top that set off her blue eyes just right. Over it, she slipped on a white jacket to chase away the New England chill, but she knew she’d be shedding that as soon as they landed at Miami International Airport.
Totally wired up for the trip, she couldn’t sleep, so she dug into a romance by Erin Lee called Escaping Colorado, about two strangers on the run from the law who meet and form a complicated relationship. It kept her mesmerized, and she was surprised when the captain said they’d be landing in thirty minutes.