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Gautam hadn’t spoken yet, but his emotions were clear in his pressed lips and watering eyes. He hugged Farha close and planted a kiss on her temple.
Farha stepped into the gap left by Gautam’s silence, understanding his loss for words. “We’re home. This is more than I imagined could be done with paint and plants.”
“You haven’t even seen the inside yet. Let me show you.”
“And cut.” Jake’s voice broke through the moment. “That’s great. Gautam if you could be a little more verbal inside that’d be great. Break for fifteen, so we can set up the cameras for the living room/kitchen reveal.”
Farha turned to Sofia and pulled her into a tight hug. “I am so excited! Not driving by the past few weeks has been so hard, but this is totally worth it. Please tell Enzo that he did a marvelous job. I love the yard and how eco-friendly it is. That floating bench built off the side of the porch is just begging me for a book and a big mug of tea.”
“It’s made of reclaimed redwood. I’ll tell him you loved it.”
“She mostly loves that this garden will be hard to kill. She has a bit of a black thumb.” Farha hit Gautam on the arm, and he laughed. “Hey, if you don’t believe me, go look at the herb garden she started at our last place.”
“Shhh, or Enzo won’t come back and do the backyard next year when we can afford it.”
Sofia laughed along with them. “Just hire his crew to maintain them, and you’ll be fine.”
Natalie approached with her brushes and began touching up their powder while they spoke, to hide the fact that they were beginning to sweat in the bright California sunshine.
“Unfortunately, after everything we poured into this house, Gautam is our grounds crew for the foreseeable future.”
“I know you’ve put a lot of your savings into this project. I think you’ll be pleased with the inside. It has definitely added value to your house. You bought the place for $985,000, and put in just over $100,000 in improvements, but I think market value is closer to 1.3 million.”
“The equity is great, but is it a home where I’ll be happy to have my children grow up?”
Jake bellowed across the lawn and waved them in.
Sofia took Farha by the hand and escorted her to the front door. “Let’s find out.”
They closed their eyes once again, and at Jake’s direction, Sofia opened the door and followed the couple inside.
Dropped jaws, squeals of laughter, and jubilant hugs filled her heart with satisfaction, even as the nerves threatened to overwhelm her mind.
“Look at this space! It’s so open! I can see all the way into the kitchen. And look at all this light. I don’t see our TV cabinet, but I don’t even care. I love the new couches.”
“Don’t give up on your cabinet yet. Those couches were a steal from a showroom sale, and they are completely scotch-guarded so if the baby spills on it, it will wipe right up.” Sofia ran a hand over the espresso brown tweed two-seater, proud that she’d found a couch set similar to the one they wanted for under a thousand dollars for three pieces.
“Is this the laminate that we picked? It looks so real.” Gautam crouched down to inspect the floor.
She let them wander the room, pointing out details as they neared each feature. Their approval was apparent, so why didn’t she feel happier? She felt like she had to justify every choice she’d made with their money. Was that Adrian’s influence or was it her own insecurities bleeding through?Enough.
“I know you could spend hours in here, and you will because it’s your house, but I really can’t wait for you to see the kitchen!”
After a quick pause to position cameras, they rounded the edge of the framed entry to their new kitchen.
“Oh it’s gorgeous. Look at the cabinets, and I love the mosaic marble tile in the backsplash, and oh! There’s our cabinet!”
“I knew how much that piece meant to you and it went perfectly with the decor in here, so we repurposed it as part of your island. Seth added some side cabinets to expand the storage and some custom legs to help support the breakfast bar side of the slab. I’m so pleased with how it turned out.”
Farha sat down in one of the new barstools and placed a hand beneath her belly for support.
“I’m not pleased. I’m freaking ecstatic! This is just how I pictured it, but better.” She leaned back on her stool and looked up at the ceiling. “Oh look! You found the funky geometric chandelier. Wait, are there three?”
“There are three pieces hung together as an art fixture, with bulbs installed and recessed lighting above. Those were a gift from your friend who made the sculpture in your current house. I contacted her, and she took several pieces she had been working on and tweaked them as a housewarming present for you.”
Tears were openly running down Farha’s face now as she continued to swivel her head trying to take it all in.
Gautam was busy inspecting every nook and cranny. “This looks amazing. The finish work on this is so clean. You wouldn’t believe the ridiculous things we’ve found in our old house. Drawers that can’t open because of appliances, gaps between the tile and the cabinets they just left open, odd cuts of flooring that don’t line up. I mean look at the attention to detail on the diagonal floor. Each cut is so precise. If it wasn’t, it would drive me nuts! Please thank Adrian and his crew for me. His work makes my engineer heart happy.”
