December 22nd #2
“It’s a resort,” Buck says. “Good thing you brought me and Apollo here. Y’all are going to need our help with planning this place.”
“All right,” Tripp says. “Officially, the office is closed till after the holidays, but unofficially, you’re welcome to come in anytime you want. Start making dream lists.”
“I think we start with the lists we used for the Lodge,” Jadyn says. “We just won’t have the constraints we had before.”
“You didn’t mention it, but will there be basement facilities for the staff, or will they be above ground?” Apollo asks.
“I was thinking two to three lower floors, but we’ll have to see how the space all pans out,” she replies.
“Ainsley,” Tripp says, “why don’t you show Buck and Apollo around? Put Buck in the big office next to Hayes. And, Apollo, you can choose any open space.”
“Thank you,” Apollo says.
“All right,” Jadyn says, “I need to get home and decorate gingerbread cookies.”
“We need to head out too,” Van says, nodding at Tripp and Hayes. “Got a meeting with some possible investors on the restaurants.” He looks at his watch. “Soon.”
As Tripp walks by me to leave, he chuckles and goes, “I’m going to have to see if I can get the three-for-one special on work cars around here.”
Which causes me to laugh.
Everyone says goodbye, and then it’s just me, Buck, and Apollo.
After I’ve given them the tour and Apollo has chosen an office on the other side of mine, Buck gets a call from his wife.
“Oh boy, I’m in trouble now,” he says. “I gotta hightail it outta here and go see a house. My bride is in love. Apollo, can you keep yourself out of trouble?”
“I think so, sir,” he says.
“Good man,” Buck replies, slapping him on the back as he walks out the door.
“Do you have plans for today?” I ask Apollo.
“It was a very last-minute trip. As in Buck called me at around midnight, told me to pack a bag and meet him at the airport early this morning. And here we are.”
“Are you staying at a hotel then?”
“Yeah, it’s just a few blocks from here.”
“Do you have a timeline for when you’ll be moving here?”
“Buck said I’m welcome to stay in a hotel for as long as it takes me to find a place to live. I thought I might buy a place, but after seeing those plans today, I think I’ll wait and either rent or buy there. It would make the commute to work quite easy.”
“And if all that actually happens, it’s going to be gorgeous.”
“Who would ever think of building a park like that out in the middle of what is probably a cornfield?”
I raise my hand. “Well, I didn’t plan it. But I did mention Central Park and how it’s the expensive view in a very commercial area.”
“So, he decided to build his own. That’s classic Tripp,” he says with a laugh.
“It is. So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”
“I’d love to just hang out here, look over the plans, try to absorb all the possibilities, start working on my list.”
“That’s my plan for today too,” I tell him. “Wanna order in an early lunch?”
“That sounds great.”
Apollo and I eat and work, and then he heads to his hotel.
I take a little time to straighten up the sample room.
I don’t mess much with what’s on the table, other than to make it a little more orderly.
As I’m getting ready to leave, I get a text from my mom, telling me to come straight to the main house when I get home.
I park in the garage and come in through the laundry room.
“Oh, there you are!” Mom says when I enter the kitchen. She and Sammy are sitting at the bar, an empty bottle of rosé between them as they sip on glasses of wine. “We are dying to see the finished product!”
It takes me a moment to figure out what they’re talking about. The nursery. I remember that the furniture was supposed to be delivered today. Which means they probably want to put the crib together, well, together.
Today has been so exhilarating, but I’m suddenly feeling exhausted. And in dire need of some food.
“Would you mind if I ate something first?” I ask.
She runs in the pantry, grabs a croissant, and hands it to me. “We’ll have dinner the second we get back, I promise. It won’t take too long,” Mom says. “Hang on. Damon and everyone are on standby.”
And before I can ask what she means by that, Damon’s face is in front of her on a video call.
“All right!” Mom says excitedly. “Let’s go.”
I follow her and Sammy out to the cottage and into the second bedroom. It used to be set up with a queen bed for guests, but now …
The walls have been painted a gorgeous pale pink.
The mural I loved is hung on the wall behind the already-put-together gold crib.
The changing table and bookcases we picked out are on the opposite wall.
And over the changing table is a trio of fluttering gold-wired butterflies.
A comfortable pastel rocking chair sits in the corner. It’s adorable.
And real. Tears flood my eyes.
In a few months, she’ll be here.
“I can’t believe it’s painted. Put together. I thought I was going to have to do that myself,” I sputter out.
“It’s beautiful,” Damon says. “Perfect for our little princess.”
Mom hugs me. “I envisioned it, but seeing it? It’s like I’m really having a grandbaby. Like it makes it all true. Real.”
“It does,” Sammy says. “It’s beautiful.”
“I love it!” I hear Jennifer’s voice call out.
“Couldn’t agree more,” Damon’s mom says.
“Thank you so much for this,” I tell them.
“And me and Haley are flying up with the crew tomorrow to set up the one in Lincoln!” Dani says.
“This is amazing,” Damon says. “We really appreciate you all.”
“All right,” my mom says, “we need to get Ainsley some dinner! Talk to you soon!”
Then she hangs up.
I sort of wanted to talk to Damon more, but she’s correct. Food is my priority right now.
During dinner, I give Mom and Sammy a recap of the project and slip in the fact that Apollo is in town. Although I’d love to invite him over for a drink or something, I’m too tired.
After we’ve eaten some incredibly good white chicken enchiladas with rice, salsa, guacamole, and chips, I bid Mom and Sammy good night and go back to the cottage to call Damon.
I take my phone into the nursery, sit in the rocking chair, and stare around in wonder, noticing a few more details.
The first being that the lampshade on the standing lamp next to the chair has an adorable pom-pom trim.
There’s a sign on the opposite wall that spells out Summer in a pretty cursive font.
And a painting of pastel butterflies flying over a meadow.
Wait.
I video call Damon quickly.
“Is that our meadow?” I ask the second he answers, pointing the phone at the artwork.
“It is. I sent Mom the photos I took of it over the summer, and she had artwork commissioned.”
“How did she do this in one day? Seriously?”
“When I got back to school, the day after we shared the news we were expecting, she called me and asked about Summer’s name. The meaning behind it. I told her, sent her the pictures of our picnic spot. She wanted to do something special for the nursery.”
“That’s incredible. It’s so perfect,” I tell him.
“We’re so perfect,” he says dreamily. “I’m so excited to have the bedroom in my condo done. It makes it all really real.”
“It does. I looked up a list of all the things you need to have for when the baby comes home. I’m going to work on that after the holidays.”
Damon chuckles. “Have you opened any of the drawers? The closet?”
“No, I just … why?” I say, but then I pull open the closet door. Find adorable little hangers, filled with baby clothes of varying sizes, each section marked like you’d find in a store, ranging from newborn to twelve months.
“Our families are very excited about the new addition to the family. I hope it’s okay that they’re going a little overboard,” he says.
I flip through some of the little pajamas and dresses, showing them to Damon. “Aren’t they so sweet?”
“They are,” he says.
“And to answer your question, I love that they care so much.”
“Good. How has Summer been doing today?”
“She kicked me so hard in the bladder that I thought I was going to pee my pants. Thankfully, I did not,” I say with a laugh. “And of course, the second she hears your voice, she starts doing flips. How was practice today?”
“It was actually really good. Things seem to be clicking. I’m still at the stadium because, tonight, we’re doing a team event. It’s supposed to be a surprise, but I overheard that they brought in a bunch of ping-pong and air hockey tables and that we’re going to have a tournament.”
“That will be fun. Although is competing against each other good for team bonding?” I wonder.
“Who knows?” he says with a laugh. “As long as no one gets hurt, we’ll be good.”
“Okay, well, have fun. I’m going to take a bath and go to sleep early.”
“Your night sounds more fun, especially if I were there.”
“Very true.”