He sure was playing this game well.
Maybe he was planning to start dating for real when I left.
Maybe I’d awakened something in my best friend.
Because he’d definitely awakened something in me.
It was staging day at the Chadwicks’ amazing home. When I worked for J&J Interiors, we had a team in place for move-in days. I didn’t have that here, as this was a temporary situation. But this house was done and ready to be furnished, and everything I’d ordered and kept in storage was being delivered today, and boxes were already stacked in the living room for items that had recently arrived.
I would be fine on my own, minus moving the furniture. But the movers would be bringing in all the furniture and setting the items where I wanted them. The only issue would be if I didn’t like where they’d put something and later needed it moved.
But I was hopeful that my vision of where everything would go was solid. I was thrilled that the Chadwicks had agreed to be surprised, and Emilia and Bridger would be flying here tomorrow afternoon to see it.
Today would be a very busy day. I didn’t ask Cutler for help, because the man had four large projects going at the moment, sohe had his hands full. I knew he had to be on-site today to meet the owners at a commercial project he’d just taken on. I also knew that he’d drop everything to help me, but he shouldn’t have to.
I did, however, call Tatum and ask her to meet me here after work to help unpack the boxes and décor. She only worked half days at the senior living center on Saturdays, so she was happy to come help. She’d turned down the offer of money, after we’d argued profusely, but she’d agreed to let me feed her while she was here.
Just having a second set of hands would make a big difference. This was a large home.
I’d started unpacking boxes over the last week and I’d been setting things on the counter in the kitchen, and today I would hyperfocus and get it all done.
This morning was deliveries, so I made sure to get the area rugs put down before the furniture arrived.
There was a fifty-fifty chance the rug placement wouldn’t be quite right, but hopefully it would be close enough that I could shift things on my own if I needed to.
I’d arrived here early this morning, and I’d already gone through a bunch of the décor I’d ordered. I didn’t know for sure where each piece would go, but I knew that they would work somewhere. I loved the flexibility in design. A stack of vintage books or a gorgeous vessel could go in a kitchen or a living room or even a bedroom. So I always found a bunch of those types of pieces to have on hand. Candles and antique vases were staples as well. Picture frames and lamps and floral arrangements brought in a ton of character.
I always loaded up on those items, all in the correct color palette, and then I’d find them a home once the furniture was all in place. I’d started to place items on the built-in bookshelves that I’d had built and painted in a sage green color. I couldn’twait for Emilia to see them, because most of the décor and furniture was going to be a surprise to her.
I walked through the home one last time before the chaos started. The wallpaper was absolutely stunning. William was a bit theatrical, but he was very talented and precise, and I appreciated it. Carl had done an amazing job painting, and he’d stayed late last night to get the trim work done.
The walls were a soft off-white and the trim was a crisp white, so the contrast brought some visual elements to the space. We’d added some really gorgeous wood accent walls throughout the home, with wainscotting in the dining room and hallways, and feature walls in all the guest suites.
I stopped in the primary closet and smiled as I tipped my head back to admire the dusty rose and cream floral wallpaper on the ceiling, along with the three antique gold pendant lights. I’d had a lot of fun choosing the light fixtures for this home, and they all looked so great together.
The doorbell rang, and I jogged downstairs.
It was game time. This was my favorite part of my job. Seeing a space completely come together.
Seeing your vision come to life.
The delivery guys showed up with the couches and tables, and bedroom furniture for each room. I’d gone with a lot of natural oak and some antique black and antique white pieces, with pops of color in the accent furniture and décor. There were beautiful reading chairs and end tables, and I’d already had the curtain rods hung. I couldn’t wait to get the curtain panels up.
Everything was going as smoothly as I could have hoped, and I was thrilled. Several art pieces and mirrors that I’d ordered were heavier than I’d realized, and I wasn’t quite sure if Tatum and I were going to be able to hang those on our own, but I was determined to figure it out.
By the time all the furniture had been delivered, Tatum showed up, along with the sandwiches I’d had delivered from the Cozy Griddle. A guy in town named Sammy had started a delivery service, and he was a life saver. There were no apps for the service—you just texted him and asked him to go pick it up, and you paid him cash. He’d even picked up a big box of cookies from Blue Sky Bay-kery that I wanted to put out on the island for Emilia and Bridger tomorrow.
This was what I loved about small towns.
“Ummm…wow,” Tatum said as she gaped at the space filled with décor and several boxes stacked against the wall that still hadn’t been opened. She nodded at a trio of nine-foot faux potted trees that we’d have to somehow move throughout the house until we found the right space for them. “I didn’t expect there to be this much stuff.”
“Yep. It’s a big house and it’s staging day,” I said, handing her a bag with her sandwich and some chips. I unscrewed the top from a water bottle on the counter and took a gulp. I’d been hustling all morning, and even though the fall weather had arrived, I’d worked up a sweat. I pulled the elastic off my wrist and tied my long hair in a messy bun on top of my head. “You don’t have to stay the whole time at all. You can help for a few hours and then take off.”
“No way. I’m excited to do this with you.”
I opened my sandwich and took a bite before setting it down and moving to open a large box that had just been delivered.
“I take it we don’t sit down and eat?” she chuckled, her long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.
