I want to go look around.
I haven’t really spent any time over there by myself. I want to wander through and daydream a little. So I grab a tape measure out of the drawer, toss on a light zip-up hoodie and my sneakers, and set off across the street with my phone in my hand.
I’m not going to lie. I was hoping we’d find a secret room with a bunch of old stuff hidden inside. I mean, that could still happen. Brooks and the guys have been tearing everything apart as they have time, but it’s not easy, and they have to be careful because the house is so old. We don’t know what kind of stuff could be hidden in the walls. I don’t want anyone breathing in something they shouldn’t.
We’re into November, and the days are gettingmuchshorter, which means that it’s already headed toward dusk, but I have about an hour of light left, which is just the right amount of time.
Brooks put a new lock on the front door with a keypad, so after I entered the code, I pushed inside and closed the door behind me, not locking it.
“Wow.” My voice echoes through the house. All of the walls down here are pretty much down to the studs. I can see through to the kitchen, which really doesn’t look like a kitchen anymore.
In fact, we could do literallyanythingdown here. I wonder if we could open up the living room to the kitchen and create an open-concept space? I’d still want my library separate, though.
I plant my hands on my hips and gaze around, pondering it.
“Maybe these are load-bearing walls, though,” I say out loud. “And we can’t take them down to make it open. I’ll have to ask Brooks.”
Walking into the kitchen, I feel my eyebrows climb in surprise.
“It’s so big in here.” The dark cabinets and wallpaper made it seem so small, but now that it’s empty, I can see that it’s much more spacious than I thought. Immediately, I open the Notes app on my phone and take some measurements.
I want an island in the middle the size of California,withouta sink in it. I want all that counter space for baking. And I need the sink to be under the window, so I can stare out into the backyard while I do dishes.
There’s enough room for a nice-sized butler’s pantry, so I put that on the list. Then I open Pinterest to create a new vision board for the kitchen and pantry, pinning some ideas for that.
“I really need to consult with Ava. She’d have some great ideas in here.”
My new best friend is an interior decorator and is actually working with Billie and Connor on the new condos up at theski resort. Those condos aresuperexpensive, and the uber rich expect them to be gorgeous inside. That’s where Ava comes in. I haven’t been up to see her handiwork yet, but I know she’s killing it.
She’ll help me with decorating this house.
Brooks said we have about four thousand square feet to work with in here, and that seems like a lot of space. There are two guest bedrooms on the first floor, but without sheetrock, I can’t really make heads or tails of them, so I’ll wait to daydream in there until I’m with my husband.
One of those rooms will be our office. The other will be a guest room. I don’t know who might come stay with us, but it’s nice to have the extra space, just in case.
I step outside and take in the backyard. I’ll absolutely put a covered pergola over the concrete patio, similar to the one we have at the other house. I also want a water fountain.
No fish, though. I’d probably kill them.
With a smirk, I go back inside and head up the stairs, which have been reinforced. Probably a good idea.
My phone pings with a text from Brooks.
Brooks: Hi, beautiful. Running about thirty minutes behind here. I’ll call you when I’m on my way home.
When I reach the top of the steps, I fire off a response.
Me: No worries at all, but thanks for letting me know. I’ll see you soon! xo
In addition to it being later in the day, the clouds are low and heavy today, so it seems darker upstairs. They haven’t started tearing out walls up here yet.
Starting in the primary suite and bathroom, I grin when I see the bed that Brooks and I spent our wedding night on. The linens, candles, and rose petals have all been cleared away, but the bed remains. The bathroom is still a hot mess.
I’ll be glad to get all of the destruction out of here and start brand new. Opening the app again, I start a board for primary suites and pin some ideas for bathrooms and closets. I don’t need a huge closet like Billie. I am not a fashionista, and that’s just fine with me, but we’ll want something functional and nice.
Finally, I walk down the hall and spend some time in each of the smaller bedrooms.
Pulling my lip through my teeth, I ignore the creaking down below.
