Chapter 21
Myles
Whitney walks into the house and gives me a smile that I’m not sure I’ve seen before! Clem is smirking as he enters behind her, and I know something is coming, but I’m not sure if it’s good or bad.
“Myles, Lee, I want to take Oren with me on Friday while I visit my old boss. We’ll leave the night before and stay at the Welcome Inn near the town I used to live,” she’s looking at me as she speaks, so I know Maylee knows where she’s talking about.
“After Friday I aim to take Oren to some places that I want to revisit, and know he’ll enjoy.
He is my nephew, and I have aunt rights… ”
Running out of steam, I side-eye Maylee, who is smiling at Whitney, and it’s easy for all of us to see she’s enjoying Whitney squirming.
“Well…” I begin, but Maylee cuts me off from saying more.
“Where do you want to take him? When are you coming back? Are you flying, or going on a road trip? You are not going near your ex, are you?” Maylee sounds like a drill instructor, and I watch as Clem places his hand over his mouth to hide the smile he has going on.
“Geez, Lee, you know me better than anyone before Clem. I’m not answering all those questions. You trust me with him, or you don’t?” Whitney gives Maylee a frown, sticks her tongue out and then shouts, “OREN! We’re going on vacation.”
“You little shit…” Maylee murmurs right before she launches herself at Whitney and wrestles her into the living room.
Both Clem and I stand and watch because we know they are not going to hurt each other.
Oren appears from upstairs and runs over to the fighting pair then jumps onto Whitney’s back.
All the fun turns to Oren, and it’s not long before he’s on the floor being tickled to death by his two favorite people.
Standing next to Clem, I nod with satisfaction. “Looks good, Clem.”
“Yeah, it does. I’m more than happy with the bi-fold doors. They look smart, and they are solid, with plenty of locks, keeping security as a priority. That’ll help the insurance on the place, too,” Clem responds.
“It looks up-to-date and cared about. I didn’t think just having the front done would make such a difference…but it has.”
Clem chuckles, “Yeah, it has. We never wanted to take the time to do this before, but with Cassian, Dan and his boys renovating the inside it’s coming together quickly.”
“Are you going with Whitney?”
“No, she’s taking Oren on a mini-vacation. Just the two of them. She loves that boy so much. I can’t wait for us to have our own kids,” Clem says with want in his voice. “I want four…”
Laughing at that, I shake my head. “Does Whitney know you want a brood of kids?”
“She knows I want a minimum of two, and I don’t give a care what they are. As long as Whitney and they are okay, then I’ll be okay.”
I slap his shoulder. “Maylee and I are waiting to see what happens. She’s come off the pill, so time will tell. Oren is always talking about having a brother or sister and having cousins.”
“He’s a great kid, Myles. You know we did a good job with him.”
“We did, bro’, we did,” I reply with respect in my voice. Without Clem, I would have struggled with Oren’s upbringing. I will always be grateful to have a brother like Clem.
“I’ll bet you a dollar Whitney gets knocked up before Maylee…” Clem chuckles.
“You’re on…” I reply, rubbing my hands and thinking about all the sweet times ahead that are needed to win this bet.
Looking around at the house, I see it needs freshening up. The walls are dull, and the wallpaper looks dated. Turning to Maylee I wrap my hands around her waist while she’s rinsing dishes in the sink.
“Do you think we should decorate, muffin? The place looks tired.”
“I thought with Oren being away Friday through to Sunday I would clear everything out of his room and paint the walls. Put up some pictures and make it look less babyish,” Maylee murmurs.
“Leave it with me to move all the furniture. Clem can help too, with Whitney not being here. We can get it done in two days.”
“Okay, you organize the decorating part and I’ll go get all new for the room.” Rubbing her hands together and looking excited, I’m wondering if I’ve done the right thing!
Walking into Oren’s bedroom, I strip the bed and start removing the mattress. Clem walks into the room and gives me a nod. We don’t waste time removing everything from the room.
“Dan said to leave the garage to him and his boys this weekend. They’ve finished the apartment. They did it in no time at all, but with Cassian helping too, the four of them plowed through it,” Clem informs me.
“Cool, that means we can do this during the day and not just in the evening as I was planning.”
“Dan has the plans for the downstairs area of the building. He’s good with another office as we are keeping Cassian on with us.
He’s going to take over all the computer stuff.
Making sure bookings are right, and he’s been checking what other places are charging, and is charging more for the work he’s booking in,” Clem replies, sounding impressed.
“I reckon if he can up revenue to cover his salary and extra then he's worth every dime he’s getting,” I respond as I look around the empty room.
Two hours later, we have the paint Maylee purchased, and we are working as quickly as we can. Maylee has warned us to work without making a mess or we’d be in trouble.
We took the drape pole down, and Maylee has purchased a set of wooden shutters for the windows. The company she purchased from told her that if they don’t fit the window, they will come out for a small fee and fit them, charging extra, of course, if they have to custom fit them.
Sunday after lunch and we stand back and feel fully satisfied, smug even.
The room looks so different that you wouldn’t imagine it could be the same room.
The walls are a pale blue, with white shutters on the window, and Maylee replaced all the bedding.
She changed the bed to an iron-framed one.
But the red and white bedding makes the room pop.
Against the blue walls, the bed looks fantastic.
She has placed pictures on the walls of airplanes, past and present. A world map, too. But the furniture for his clothing, and even for books and toys make the room cozy, functional and personal to Oren. He’s going to love this room.
“It looks great don’t you think?” Clem asks.
I grin as I reply, “Yeah, it does. Thanks for helping, Clem. I couldn’t have got it done in time otherwise.”
“Hey, I’ll need your help at some stage I’m sure. Remember, we’ll both have kids, and it’s gonna be fun.”
“Yeah, dirty diapers, burping up, farting…” Clem slaps my back as he walks away, laughing at, I’m sure, the memories of Oren as a baby.
“We need to empty the attic too, Myles. I stored stuff up there. Most can be gotten rid of, I’m thinking,” Clem throws out as he disappears.
Something else for us to sort out then! I sigh knowing there is always going to be something that we need to do, organize, or get rid of.
Maylee steps in front of me with the sweetest of smiles. “Do you want your reward now for doing all that work in Oren’s room?” She asks, and I give her a nod, but thinking what is she talking about?
Grabbing my t-shirt front, Maylee leads me to our bedroom, and slams the door behind us. Ah, reward time, now I understand, and I’m going to enjoy this.