Chapter Thirty-One
Jamie took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
He held his phone after disconnecting the call with Adrian.
Money is not an issue. How can that even be?
I’ve never had enough money to do whatever I wanted.
He remembered his grandfather counting every penny that was ever spent.
He always managed the diner’s books, and I could hear him talking with his mamaw about costs and trimming where they could.
So how can there be so much money? Because he never spent any.
He’d answered his own question. “And I’m going to be careful on expenses, but.
..” He looked around the kitchen. “It’s an investment to keep the dinner going for another fifty years. ”
“Hey, Jamie,” Joesph popped his head around the back door. “Come look at this paint color.”
Salzy stood there, paintbrush in hand. He’d painted a good portion of the riser, banister, and balustrades.
“Wow,” was all Jamie could say. “That’s... the color the inside tables and chairs used to look like.”
“I thought that was what it had been.” Joesph looked at Jamie and back at the stairs. “Do you like it?”
“I think so.” Jamie moved to one side. “It’s a little startling at first. It’s definitely bold.”
“That’s typical mid-century modern, for sure. It was very fashionable.”
“And the rest will be white?” Jamie stepped forward, looking closer.
“Yes, but I’ll do the typical grey for the treads. I don’t think you’d want them white, and it won’t be all that noticeable. Maybe add some sand for slip resistance?”
Jamie nodded. “What do you think?” he asked Salzy.
“It’s bright, but I like it. I can see how the diner used to look.” He smiled brightly. “I think Ms. Mattie would be thrilled.”
“Okay, do it then.” Jamie smiled back at the two men.
“For now, I think we can just do the front of the diner in ultra-white. You can worry about doing the rest of the building later,” Joesph said as he scribbled in his notebook.
Jamie looked at Joesph. “No. Let’s just get it done. Hire professionals and do the whole building and the garage. Fix whatever needs fixing and just get it done.”
“And there’s the Jamie Throneaux I know.” Joesph smiled.
“I’m going upstairs to pull up some information on kitchen equipment. I’ll pick out what I want and what we need and get that ordered.” He took a breath. “Also, I want to get that old tile out of the kitchen. Plan on doing terracotta.”
Joesph was writing it all down in the small notebook that he kept with him.
“Also, I want to build a deck between my upstairs apartment and the garage apartment. I would like part of it covered and a concrete pad underneath to park our cars.”
“Hot tub,” Salzy sang out.
Jamie frowned at him. “Okay, price out a hot tub. And a decent multipurpose barbecue. One that also has a smoker. No, scratch that. I’ll pick out a decent smoker and a grill myself.”
Joesph was standing there, his pencil hovering over the small pad. “Mind telling me what brought all this on?”
“I do mind.” Jamie snorted, almost laughing. “Now, the two of you get to work. Salzy, can you go and get that dumpster bag ordered? Might as well get two.”
“I want you to arrange for the new tile in the kitchen. I want the kitchen painted white, too. Make sure it’s enamel so it can be scrubbed.
Find someone to come and get all the old kitchen equipment.
That crap is old and not at all efficient.
Going to start from scratch. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right the first time. ”
Salzy closed up the nearly empty can of paint and wrapped the paintbrush in a rag. “I’m on it. You tell me what you need, Joe.”
Joesph whipped his head around. “My name is Joesph. Not Joe. Not Joey.” He lowered his gaze at Salzy. “Comprenez-vous?”
Salzy’s eyebrows shot up. “Yep. Got it... Joesph.”
“He will answer to Joesphine, however,” Jamie said and jumped back from Joesph just in time to miss being slugged.
“I’m going to skin you alive... you... you mongrel!” Joesph started towards Jamie, but he bounded up the stairs, taking two at a time.
“Gotta catch me first,” Jamie yelled over his shoulder.
Jamie made sure to lock the screen door to the apartment behind himself. He could hear Joesph huffing at the bottom of the steps. He got his laptop and a notebook from his backpack.
“Now then, new kitchen equipment.” If you going to do it, do it right the first time. Jamie could hear his grandmother’s voice in his head. “Yep. Do it and do it right.” Do you really need to spend that much? Jamie heard his Papaw. Yes, I do, Solan. His grandmother would reply, hands on hips.
With a few clicks, he reached for a thumb drive. He copied everything over to it so he could have it printed out. Jamie put everything into his courier bag and closed his eyes for a moment.
“Right,” he said to the empty apartment. “A shower and then shopping.”
* * * * *
“Wow, don’t you look nice,” Salzy said when Jamie walked into the kitchen of the diner.
“Thanks.”
“I’m off to Hanson’s. Is there anything you need?” Salzy had the keys to the old
Ford truck.
“No, I can’t think of anything. Did Joesph give you a list of what he needed?” Jamie asked, his own keys in his hand.
“Yep.” Salzy thumbed over his shoulder to the dining room. “He’s on the phone now. I think he’s found someone to do all the tile work, and he was working on a painter. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to doing that painting. Not as hot as it’s getting.”
“Yeah, I can’t say I blame you.”
“Where are you off to?” Salzy asked before downing his glass of water.
“I need to get some things printed for Joesph and then I’m going to go clothes shopping. I don’t have hardly anything here, and I have no idea when I can get back to Atlanta to pack up my stuff.”
“Maybe by the end of the week? I can follow you up with the truck.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I don’t have that much, and to be honest, what furniture I do have is mostly junk.”
“You should put an ad up on Craigslist and either sell it or list it as free, and they pick it up. That way you don’t have to worry about it.”
“You’re just full of good ideas today.” Jamie grinned. “Might need to keep you around.”
Salzy frowned. “Haven’t we already talked about that?”
“Yeah, just making sure you heard me.”
“Hey, if you’re getting a hot tub and a grill, you’ll find it hard to get rid of me!”
Jamie laughed along with Salzy. “Okay, days a wasting, so I’d better get a move on. You too.” He clapped Salzy on the shoulder as he passed him, going towards the dining room. “Tell Terry I said hey.”
“Will do.” Salzy started whistling as he pushed through the screen door; it slammed behind him. “Sorry... sorta.”
“Hey,” Jamie said after Joesph disconnected the call he was on. “I’m going to run out and get some things printed regarding the kitchen equipment for you, and then I’ll be back.”
“I’ve got a few painters that are coming to give us quotes this afternoon. I gave a list to Salzy but didn’t put paint on it. I’ll see what the quotes are. If we can get the paint cheaper at the hardware store, I’ll get it there.”
“Smart. I’ll have all the specs and such for the equipment I’ve ordered. Got that all taken care of.”
“That’s good news. I will need the measurements.” Joesph looked at where the counter had been. “I need to find a decent carpenter.”
“Call Terry at Hanson’s hardware.” Jamie leaned over and wrote down the number from his phone. “I have no doubt she’ll know just about every good tradie around here.”
“Good idea. I should have asked her about painters.”
“You can still ask her. Also, ask her about the painters you’ve lined up. I got the impression that she’s just like her great-grandfather. She won’t put up with much crap.”
Joesph wrote her name down next to the number. “Is she the one that Sal has a thing for?”
“The one and the same,” Jamie said, grinning. “He has it bad, too.”
“Um... what are you going to do after you bring those documents back?”
“I had planned on going and doing some shopping. I’m tired of washing out underwear every night.”
“Yeah, that’s not attractive at all. I don’t want to have to move your nasty drawers when I want to take a shower.”
“They’re not nasty if they were just washed,” Jamie huffed.
“Please, get some decent underwear,” Joesph pleaded. “It breaks my soul to see those old man jockeys.”
“I don’t see where it’s any of your business, and I’m the only one who’s going to see them.”
“You never know,” Joesph sang, a lascivious expression on his face.
Jamie shook his head. “You’re impossible.”
“Oh!” Joesph gave a shake. “Um... what time do you think you’ll be back?”
“In time to cook us some dinner. Why?”
“Well... Mike is coming to give me some details about that beam, is all. I didn’t want... you know...”
“Hey, I don’t know the guy all that well and as far as I’m concerned, he’s just another customer. I don’t care one way or another if he’s here or not.”
Joesph nodded, not saying anything further.
“Okay, then.” Jamie tossed his keys. “I’m outta here. I should be back within an hour with those kitchen specs.”