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He answered on the first ring. “Don’t tell me you got suspended from school or kicked off the soccer team.”
“Neither. I just bought a house.” She gave him the address.
“See you in a few,” he replied.
She called her mom to give her the news. It dawned on her that she’d called Gilmour first. Huh.
“Mom! I did it. I just agreed to buy a house. It needs some work, but it’s in a nice neighborhood. Lots of trees, and a yard where you and I can go crazy!”
“Sweetheart! That’s wonderful. It didn’t take you very long.”
“I know. But when something feels right, you’ve got to go with it.” Melanie was truly overjoyed. She felt her life was finally shifting into a rhythm she could move with comfortably. A slow, easy samba. “I’m going to have to get the kitchen done and some other things like a floor, Sheetrock. You know, the essentials.” Melanie chuckled.
“I thought you said some work.”
“Some work here. Some work there. But it’s all manageable.”
“How long do you think all of this is going to take?” her mother asked. “I have plans for your room,” she ribbed.
“Ha ha. You’re a regular Carol Burnett,” Melanie tossed back to her. “It will depend on how long the bank takes, and then the cabinets will be about four weeks. Probably six, maybe eight weeks before I can move in.”
“Oh, honey, I am very happy for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She heard a car coming down the street. She waved at Gilmour. “I gotta go. We’ll talk later.” She didn’t want to tell her mother she’d called him first.
He pulled into the driveway and parked behind Melanie’s car.
“So this is it, eh?” He gave her a big smile.
“Yep. It’s a fixer-upper, but I can do it in stages. Most of the work will be in the kitchen, but I’m not ordering custom cabinets. There are so many standard designs to choose from—I’m not going to pay stupid money for them.”
Gilmour laughed. “I don’t ever recall seeing you so excited about something. Not even your kumbaya with that Mr. Walker dude.”
“Come.” She dragged him to the deck outside the French doors. “Imagine what trouble my mom and I can get into with this space?”
Gilmour looked around. “Stockade fence?”
“Yes, and it’s in good condition.”
“Excellent. It’ll make a great yard for Cosmo and Kramer.”
“Who?” Melanie was puzzled.
“The two K-nines from the Air Force.”
“The dogs that were on the mission in Belgium?”
“Yes. Them.”
“What do they have to do with my backyard?”
“They need a home. This is perfect for them.”
“Whoa. Wait. You want me to adopt two German shepherds?”
“Yes.” He stared at her.
“You’re really serious, aren’t you?” Melanie placed her hands on her hips.
