Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
O nce Natalie and her father returned from his session and he was situated with one of his books, Natalie went to her room. She logged onto her computer, back to where she left off. She wanted to resume investigating the bee guy.
She searched under Garrett Webster. That’s when she hit pay dirt. There were a number of articles about his bee farm, lectures, and seminars he gave, and a video demonstration, similar to what she saw that afternoon.
She couldn’t imagine why none of it was included on the website. Her first instinct was to recreate the site for them. What was the worst that could happen? They could tell her, “Thanks, but mind your own business,” or they could be overjoyed. She wasn’t going to second-guess herself this time, but she would also tread lightly. Natalie decided to engage in another conversation with Georgia the following Saturday. Natalie planned to bring her laptop and show Georgia her ideas. And she would offer it for free. Perhaps that was it: they didn’t think they could afford a redesign? Or they suffered from technophobia—Natalie’s word for people who feared technology. Another favorite term was the ever-popular “techno-challenged,” a category many people fell into. But it wasn’t really a fault or deficiency. Natalie knew how quickly technology changes, and unless you are involved in that fast-as-lightning industry, there is nothing to be ashamed of if you can’t keep up. She would often tell clients, “That’s why there are people like me. To get you through it. It’s not unlike a vehicle. If you are a mechanic, then changing the oil isn’t a problem. But if you’re me, it’s a problem. I don’t know a crankshaft from a cylinder head.”
She skimmed a few of the articles that featured Garrett and his explanation of the importance of bees and pollination. He talked about how precipitation, temperature, pesticides, and deforestation were having a huge impact on the pollinators. She read that the number of pollinators decreased sixty percent in the last fifteen years, something Garrett stressed during the demonstration. She thought about his demeanor. It was to the point but not preachy. He wasn’t trying to lay a guilt trip on anyone. His goal was to enlighten people, not badger them. She laughed out loud, thinking about the expression You can catch more bees with honey . Garrett Webster learned a lot from his vocation.
Natalie felt a surge of excitement and enthusiastically drew up notes for the proposed website. She was deep in thought when her mother called from the hallway, “Natalie, dinner will be ready shortly.”
Natalie blinked. She was so engrossed in her new project that she hadn’t noticed the sun had gone down. “Mr. Meowzer, you haven’t asked for your dinner.”
At the word dinner , the kitty licked his lips.
“You really do understand English.” She laughed. She gave him a pat on the head and answered her mother. “Be down in a minute.” She opened a pouch for her furball, filled his bowl, and quickly moved to the main floor.
“Mom. I am so sorry. You should have asked me to help.”
“Don’t be silly, dear. I know you were working.”
“I was doing some research. They have a new band they want me to take on.” Natalie was telling only half of the story. It was true she had a new project for her job, but she left out her personal project. At least for now. She was familiar with The Sledgehammers and knew she could create their site in a short time. She turned to her mother. “I’ll set the table.”
Robert rolled his walker into the dining area. “Maybe two more weeks with this gadget, but I must confess, I’m a little nervous.”
“About what, Dad?”
“It gives me the confidence I need to do what I have to do.”
“And you will be able to do what you have to do without it soon. How many weeks with the cane?” Natalie asked.
“It depends. They would like me to be independent by Independence Day,” he said, and snickered.
“That’s a good goal. You’ll simply have to be more mindful of your movements,” Sally reminded him.
“I guess that means no bowling,” he said, making a frowning face.
“When did you start bowling?” Natalie furrowed her brow.
“I haven’t.” He chuckled. “I couldn’t bowl before, and I’m not going to bowl after.”
Natalie laughed along with him. “What about golf?”
“If I do my homework, I should be able to play in twelve weeks.”
“Driving? Not that I am looking to give up my part-time job.”
“Hopefully, the week after next. As soon as I can ditch this.” He patted the walker. “But I have to take a little test with the doctor. He’s going to have me drive in the parking lot before he gives me the ‘all-clear.’ ”
Natalie became a little apprehensive. “So, you won’t need me?”
“Of course we need you!” her mother quickly said, putting her arm around her daughter.
“You can still drive me around.” Her father smiled. “But I’ll sit in the back seat like a proper passenger with a chauffeur.” He dragged out the r with a slight French accent.
Once everyone was seated at the table, said grace, and passed the platters of roasted chicken, potatoes, and vegetables, Natalie brought up the subject of the garage.
“Dad was telling me that you’ve been thinking about converting the garage into a rental of some type.”
Sally looked up from her plate. “Yes, we’ve talked about it, but when I think about it, I get overwhelmed at the amount of work that’s involved.”
“What if I do most of it? I’ll drag everything out, and we can have a yard sale or donate what you don’t want.”
“That’s a very good idea,” Robert said.
“Then once the place is cleared out, we can do an assessment. We can inspect the building and see if there are any big issues. If not, then I can draw up some sketches. I have a computer program for it.”
“You’re making this sound easy,” her mother said.
“It doesn’t have to be difficult if we plan it right,” Robert chimed in. He was all for it and was glad he planted the seed in Natalie’s head.
“Should we turn it into an apartment?” her mother asked.
Natalie took a deep breath. Was she ready to commit? Not yet. Maybe in another day or two. She wanted to run the idea past Diana. Natalie wondered if she would miss Jacksonville. Could she have a fulfilling life in Sumter County? If so, what would it be? Could she find it in Sumter County? In one way, it was a big move. But in another way, it wasn’t. She began to think more about what she was moving to , instead of moving from .
“Do you have a budget you’re considering?” Natalie questioned.
“I figure if we put in a full bathroom, an open kitchen with an island, a staircase to a loft space, it will probably run somewhere around twenty thousand,” her father said, indicating he had spent more time on this than he had let on. “The building is twenty-four by thirty, so it’s seven-hundred-twenty square feet. If we use the upper floor as a loft, then that could possibly add another two, hundred square feet.”
Natalie’s eyes were sparkling. “That would make a very cool studio. But I think there should be a shower upstairs and a half bath downstairs.”
“You just added another five thousand to the project.” Her father chuckled.
“What if I chip in?” Natalie offered.
Both her parents did a double take.
“Really?” said her father.
“Seriously?” said her mother.
“Why not? It’s an investment,” Natalie offered.
“You mean you don’t want to spend that money jet-setting?” her father kidded.
“You mean traveling to the Greek Islands? The French Riviera? Boring,” Natalie mocked in return.
“I think if Natalie wants to invest in this project, we should let her.” Sally was convinced it was an excellent idea.
“Alright! We have a deal. I shall begin to go through it this week. Anything that is too big for me to move, I will put on a list, and we can have those items removed professionally.”
“Big items?” her father asked.
Natalie recalled what she observed recently. “There’s an old generator, a commercial-grade ice chest, and ride-on lawn mower.”
“You still have that lawn mower?” her mother asked her husband with surprise.
“Yes. I was going to get it fixed, but now that we have Lester tending the lawn, well, I never got around to it.”
Sally rolled her eyes and muttered, “Why do men have such a hard time getting rid of things they never use?”
“I’m sorry. Did you say something?” Robert poked at her.
“Yes. You need to get rid of that stuff. You don’t even know what’s in there,” Sally huffed.
“Neither do you,” he taunted with a smile.
“Alright, you two. Knock it off or no dessert,” Natalie ribbed.
Robert held up his hands. “I give up. Natalie, this is all on you. You do whatever you think is necessary. Just consult with me before you toss anything.”
Sally gave him a raised eyebrow and stink-eye stare.
“What I meant to say was you do whatever your mother wants,” he said, and guffawed.