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“Looks like you passed the scary auntie test.” Chance laughs softly at the vision of his son exploring my face.
Squeeze.Poke.
I pull my face back, grinning. “I didn’t doubt it for a moment,” I reply, lying through my teeth.
I always worry CJ won’t remember me, but I FaceTime with Aubrey frequently, which helps in between physical face-to-face meetups.
“So let’s talk—”
“CJ, Daddy’s starting my interrogation already, thinking he’s subtle.”Poke-squeeze.I nuzzle the little boy’s neck and get rewarded with baby giggles.
Chance sighs. He knows me well to take a hint. “Auntie Philly, you have tonight, but tomorrow, I want details of your adventures.” His voice has taken on a practiced lightness in front of his son.
Yep. The cat is gonna spring from the bag. My cousin wantsallthe details.
“I hear you, cuz.” He knows me well. He’s not going to cage me down and demand answers now; he trusts that I will spill the beans tomorrow, keeping tonight’s mood light. Now is the time for cuddles with CJ and bedtime, then dinner with family. I don’t doubt that I won’t be far behind the little guy because I want to be fresh tomorrow for a day of hard work. There’s still a lot to get done before opening day.
Chance squeezes my leg. “I’ve ordered dinner if you feel like eating something.” Yay to not cooking.
My stomach grumbles loudly.
“I think I have a rumbly tummy.” I blow a raspberry on CJ’s chubby hand. He releases an adorable montage of giggles, so I blow another on his other hand.
“How about we get you and my kid out of this chilly night air and inside. Do you think you can make it into the Hobbit house without keeling over?” My cousin’s trying to act casual, but I know he’s got a lot of questions piling up in that brain of his, and he’s going to be busting to hold onto them until tomorrow.
“Really,Chance. Hobbit house?” Following his lead by keeping tonight lighthearted, I laugh at his nickname for the tiny house I’ve set them up in for their extended weekend stay.
“I think your daddy is making fun of my business before I have even opened the doors,” I singsong the words. CJ just giggles like I said the funniest thing. I give him a noisy peck on his soft cheek, and in return, he gives me a cherubic smile and makes a few noises while pinching my cheeks. “Your daddy is silly. It’s not a Hobbit house. It’s an Airbnb tiny house,” I say in a voice that adults usually reserve when talking to infants and because CJ turns me to mush. He is a mini-Chance, and that’s not a bad thing. The little man is going to break hearts when he’s a teenager.
“Come on, Auntie Philly, you gotta admit this tiny house you accommodated us in is freakily cabin-in-the-woods meets Viking fantasy with antler door handles on the outside, then you get the whole wow-factor inside.”
I look up at Chance. “I mean, sure, from the outside, it looks fairytale meets backwoods, with the shingles. But how good is all that reclaimed wood interior?” Vaulted ceilings, exposed rafters. Copper and timber for the kitchen and bathroom sink. The home is only thirty feet long and nine feet wide, hence being a tiny house. They are perfectly fun-sized for Airbnb accommodation.
I started documenting on Instagram many months ago the tiny house builds, and the response has been crazy positive. My followers have all been waiting patiently alongside me to get to opening day at the Fainting Goat Ranch as much as I have. I am thrilled four weeks got straight up booked for a minimum of four days each week.
“When you asked me to design your countertops with specific measurements from reclaimed materials, I had no idea they would be going inside this Hobbit house.” Chance puts a hand to his heart. “You make me proud. You’ve got a good eye for design, mate. I can’t wait to look inside the other three tiny houses; if this one is anything to go on, I am sure to be amazed.” He waggles his finger at me. “You’ve been keepinghugesecrets, cousin.”
Although we stay in touch, we aren’t in each other’s back pocket, so it was easy to keep my business venture a secret from even my cousin and his wife until I had enough to show them. I had to give them something, so I told them I was renovating my dad’s first property he ever owned in Temecula—even though there are many things I want to do to my residence to make it my dream home, like add on a top floor and make the house larger.
They thought I was still living in San Diego and commuting to Temecula on my days off while they were busy being new parents. I chose to visit them on their home turf in Hermosa Beach, keeping my secrets for as long as possible.
All I have done to Dad’s house is a fresh coat of paint, put down polished floorboards, and update the tired bathrooms and kitchen. The furniture is all new. I paid local businesses to take the weight of the house renovations to work on the interior of my tiny houses.
I let Chance and Aubrey know of my new business venture only two months ago, keeping my Instagram page from them because I wanted to surprise them with my progress and achievements face-to-face. I am so damn protective of the Fainting Goat Ranch because it is something that is all mine.
I wanted this project to be my conception from start to finish. I love my cousin, but he would have offered his male advice if he had known what I was planning.
I did put in some extra orders with my cousin for some custom-made lighting fixtures, which I think by now he would have noticed in this tiny house, and I commissioned several recycled art pieces for the property. Chance is so freakin’ talented.
Chance offered to landscape for me, so I took him up on it because I wouldn’t know where to start with the climate and what works well, and I know he and his team will win awards one of these days. I am paying him, but ya know, mate’s rates. Aubrey told me not to argue when I argued that I would spend the going rate. Chance wanted to do it, so I let it go. But I will be promoting his business and his art on my social media and handing out his business cards. His landscaping business is in high demand, so this is the earliest he was free to come over. We also use it as an excuse for a pre-Christmas get-together.
“Let’s get you inside. Aubrey should be out of the shower and dressed by now.” He puts his hands over CJ’s ears. “We spent some time putting Pixy and the five pygmy goats who I have dubbed the Mini-Myotonic goats, aka Mini-Ms, in the barn and getting Pearl acquainted with everybody.”
They had five pygmy goats delivered today while I was in San Diego. Aubrey contacted a seller through the animal shelter where she works and organized it for me. I’m excited to meet them all in the morning and, of course, see Pixy again and give Pearl some love. My cream cow is a Charolais Brahman cross known as a Charbray breed who came with the property when the previous tenants left. They couldn’t take her with them, so they gave her to me.
“Do you want to hear the names I have cooked up for Mini-Ms one to five?”
“Oh, boy. These should be interesting. I can’t promise they will stick.”
