Chapter 3 #2
A parade of delivery trucks showed up on the third day with furniture and supplies.
As they brought in the pieces, I was pleased with how it all looked.
For the main entertaining space, I’d opted for a large dining table that could seat sixteen with all the leaves in play and a large sectional sofa that left plenty of room for the dance socials.
I also chose some casual furniture for the meeting space in the guest wing.
The previous owner had left a variety of brand-new beds and dressers in the rooms, as well as white linens, which I appreciated.
I might update them eventually, but they’d do for now.
For my personal use, I picked up a comfy, buttery-soft fabric sofa with a matching ottoman and end tables for the living area outside my bedroom on the third floor.
I had a home-entertainment specialist coming out the next day to install TVs and speakers throughout the house and guest wing, but I wanted to have my own private place.
If my plans were successful, the guest wing at Maison De Reve would be booked most of the time, and the rooms inside the main house would be used as needed.
When my duties as host ended for the day, I wanted to be able to relax knowing Maison De Reve would be full of happy people.
Workers installed cabinets for the art supplies in the large room I’d chosen for my office, and an office-supply place delivered a desk and a good chair.
I’d ordered folding tables and chairs for the guest wing before I moved, and those showed up in the melee as well.
I planned to offer activities both on the main floor of my house as well as in the meeting area in the guest wing.
The ballroom socials would be held in my great room, as it was the largest space, and the laminate floors would be the perfect surface.
When the weather was nice, we could spread out onto the massive stone patio behind the house that looked out over the lake.
I was practically floating as the delivery men worked at assembling the furniture and filling up the space.
Watching it all come together made me giddy.
The buzz of activity didn’t stress me out, although Mom opted to head back home.
She said she had some appointments the next day, and she’d be back by dinnertime.
“Francis? You here?”
I practically tackled Derek when he arrived late that afternoon, and I hugged the stuffing out of him.
“This place looks amazing! I can’t believe how quickly all this stuff arrived!”
“You know Mom. She sweet-talked the furniture delivery folks, and I’d already scheduled the other deliveries and the cabinet guys.
Somehow they’ve all managed to work without running into each other.
” I clapped my hands and rubbed the palms together.
“What do you think? Is it inviting? Does it make you want to bust out a paint brush? Cook some delicious food? Dance the night away?”
“For sure the dancing part. I’m coming for the first ballroom social. I hope you’ve invited some eligible bachelors.”
“Speaking of,” I said, poking him in the shoulder. “You didn’t tell me that Kendall lives right next door.”
Derek’s expression turned confused. He looked out the wall of windows toward Kendall’s place and then slapped himself on the forehead.
“That’s right! I knew his place was next to the lake, but I didn’t… Dawg. He’s got a bunch of—”
“Reptiles. Yeah. One of them broke through the fence and stalked me and Mom the day we got here. Okay, maybe not stalked,” I added, when his eyes bugged out.
“A massive tortoise named John Wayne. Kendall came after him and, well, he knows I’m here.
” I shrugged. “I told him I’d cook for him when he was off shift, but he hasn’t texted me yet. ”
Derek’s face lit up with a mischievous grin.
“How convenient that he’s right next door.
In that case, I won’t stay too long, unless you need help with anything?
I just wanted to pop in and see everything.
” His gaze traveled to the window again, and we watched as two sets of headlights turned down the drive toward Kendall’s house. “Well, now. It appears he’s off shift.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And he’s got company.
” I sighed. Maybe I’d spooked Kendall with my forwardness.
Maybe he’d found someone since Pride. Maybe I’d have to be satisfied being friends with my neighbor.
Disappointing, but this move, this life change, was about Francis.
About me finally exploring my artistic side while creating a safe place for others to do the same.
Derek’s phone buzzed. His eyes bugged out, and he cleared his throat.
“Oh, hey, uh… I gotta run. Unless you need me to stay? Or pick up anything? Tonight? Tomorrow, I’m going to pick up Mom so she and Auntie Pretzel can go spend a few days at the spa in Colusa.
I don’t have anything scheduled, so I can help out while they’re partying on my dime. ”
“On our dime.” I laughed and started pulling out what I needed to make shrimp fried rice. “I want to spoil the two of them as much as they’ll let me. Yeah, if you want, come on over. The A/V stuff is all getting set up tomorrow. We can test it out, have a movie marathon like the old days.”
Derek pushed on my shoulder and grinned.
“What?”
He did it again. When he went in for a third shove, I stepped back, and he threw his arms around me.
“I’m just so freaking happy to have you back.”
I laughed along with him, patting his shoulder.
I wasn’t back, not totally yet, but maybe I was emerging.
I didn’t know if I’d ever be the same Francis.
I kinda didn’t want to be. The New Francis was a bit more hopeful, humble, and he was going to take better care of himself.
“Yeah, yeah. You just missed me entertaining you with my trials and travails.”
His phone buzzed again, and this time when he looked at it, he gasped, and his cheeks turned red.
“Who is blowing up your phone, Cousin?”
He held the screen against his chest. “Um. So. Ah,” he laughed nervously. “It’s Arnie. And Rog. They just finished their shift. They’re helping Kendall with something real quick, and then they, uh… Yeah.”
“Derek! Are you going to be the filling in that fire boy sandwich again?”
Derek shrugged, and his bashful grin lightened my mood even more.
“I don’t know what I’m doing. They’ve called a few times since Pride, said they wanted to take me out. Together. I’ve never gone out with two guys at the same time before.”
“Have you gone home with two guys before?” I asked.
Derek and I went out together a lot in the Before Times, and other than a couple of short-term boyfriends who were not good enough for him, he’d been pretty shy when hit on.
I worried he might be getting in over his head.
But then, who was I to give advice on that type of thing after what I’d been through?
He shook his head. “It’s weird, right? Like, I’m not used to guys like them paying attention to me, much less simultaneously.”