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“Not when all Dad has to do is ask Jake Loughlin. They regularly switch up furniture in the rooms at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, so they have a company that they use just for moving things around. They have access to a lot of equipment that makes it easier for them. Mom and Dad said they wanted to move a few other things from upstairs too while they’re at it, anyway. And they’re going to be having some furniture delivered to set up inside the winery too at the same time.”
“That makes sense, I guess,” Lex replied as they reached the building at the foot of the property near the gate.
“I think that Dad’s having a deck built beginning next week that overlooks the lake,” Amy said as she unlocked the door that led inside the winery.
“How long will something like that take?”
“Not too long,” Amy said. “My grandpa’s company, Callahan Construction, will be doing it. Dad wanted to wait until all of you guys were more settled at the house.”
As he followed Amy through the doorway into an entryway, Lex noticed there was a room for coats off to the right. To the left was a large open space with painted walls featuring all kinds of murals of vines and grapes. Plants were hung throughout the room, and there were even some kinds of vines lining the wall where three French doors led outside to a wide leveled patch of dirt, most likely where the deck was going to be built.
“Those are real plants hanging from the ceiling, aren’t they?” Lex asked.
“Yes. Dad rigged up a watering system for all of them so there’s not too much maintenance involved, and they can be left year-round. Did you know that we own that property across the road too where the greenhouses are?”
“Really? We haven’t left the place since we got here except to go get some x-rays and tests at the hospital farther north. Who takes care of the greenhouses?”
“Dad spends time there every day and sometimes Harry and Eve go over there too,” she replied. “But he has student volunteers who regularly monitor everything for extra credit.”
While Caleb sat on the floor with the dogs, Lex went with Amy into the large open kitchen where several boxes had been unloaded near the delivery door.
“We need to unpack all these boxes and stack everything on the storage shelves,” Amy said. “I’ll follow Mom’s diagram if you want to just hand everything up to me while I’m on the ladder. She wants everything put in a specific place since she’ll be using some items more than others.”
Lex was surprised to discover that he could mostly decipher the writing on the boxes. Someone had come along and written down the items inside with a marker before sealing each box.
A few hours later, everything was unpacked and it was time to return to the house for lunch.
Lex halted, getting his first glimpse of Zane as they walked inside the solarium.
And then he began laughing.
“What?” Zane asked, grimacing as he cocked his head. He definitely looked a little insecure.
In a few short hours, Zane had been transformed into someone nearly unrecognizable with bleached white hair, wearing a cut off shirt that showed off his tattoos.
Wait a minute—tattoos?
“Where did those come from?” Lex asked, reaching out to Zane’s upper arm to touch the wings of a small eagle.
“Henna, so they’ll wear off,” Danny replied, her hands on her hips. “But they cover some of the scars on Zane’s upper arms. What do you think, Lex?”
“With that crazy spiked hair and wearing those leather pants, I think he looks like Billy Idol,” Lex muttered, grinning.
Appearing curious, Danny cocked her head. “Lex—where have you been that you’ve heard of Billy Idol?”
Lex stilled, his eyes going wide. “I don’t know.”
Everyone went silent for a moment.
And then Zane punched him in the shoulder. “I know who he is. But then again, Danny and Eve have been giving me a crash course about the most popular vocalists. They’ve been trying to help me find my niche. Is looking like Billy Idol a good thing or bad?”
Lex became thoughtful. “I think you look great. And not recognizable as the Zane everyone knows. That’s probably what you wanted, right?”
“Yes,” Zane agreed. “I’m not sure if you’ve really looked at yourself in the mirror lately, Lex, but you look a lot different since you’ve gained weight.”
“Working out with Dad in his weight room has made a difference with the two of you, too,” Izzy said.
“Speak of the devil,” Lucy said as Harry pulled up in the truck with Dad while Jake Loughlin followed behind, driving his own truck. “Amy, why don’t you help me gather lunch? Gabe wants to have a family meeting afterwards now that the boys have been living here with us for a month.”
