The coach chuckles, “I know it must seem like I was cold to them a lot of the time. But I know how rumors get started and I didn’t normally show affection outside of my home. JJ the first time I met you I had the feeling you were going to be a son to me. It really didn’t take long for Kathryn to claim you. What I thought was a crush turned out to be full-blown love. I’m really happy that your part of my family. But don’t kiss my daughters at school again.”
Chuckling I say, “Sure Dad.”
The bridge is complete, but concrete is dry and hard and we walk across the lane on the opposite side is finished and we walk a good distance to the cottage. It’s a hive of activity as Carpenters finish installing windows and the roofing is nearly complete. The coach smiles as we walk through the open door. Inside electricians and plumbers are busily installing the fixtures for the house. One of the bedrooms has drywall already up on the inner wall and electrician still work behind it.
We find Daniel and the construction supervisors busily talking about the next step that needs to be completed. Daniel smiles and waves and when he’s free he walks over to us. He’s getting nervous and fidgeting with something in his pocket as he looks into the Coach’s face. He takes a deep breath then looks into the Coach’s face again he asks, “Mister Edwards I want to ask your permission to ask Kara if she would marry me.”
The Coach breaks out into a large smile as he pulls Daniel into a hug slapping him on the back. Finally releasing Daniel he says, “Let me see the ring you got in your pocket.”
Daniel pulls out the box, opening it as he hands it to the Coach. My father-in-law examines the ring of my future brother-in-law looking at it he gives a low whistle. Michael says, “That’s a pretty good piece of ice you got there. I’m pretty sure Kara will love it.” I get a good look at the ring myself and I give Daniel an assuring smile. It looks like about a two carat round diamond, very high quality what I can see.
Daniel looking at his father-in-law to be says, “If Kara says yes I want to do something like this for her. I already have a piece of land that would be great for the house. It’s borders your property and I was thinking of putting the house just a few hundred yards down the road from you.”
Giving Daniel a bright smile I say, “Since you have the land and designed the home, I’ll pay for the materials, as your wedding present.”
Coach chuckles and says, “I’ll pay for the labor, as your wedding present.” Daniel is a little shocked at our offer. He gives both of us a hug before he returns back to work.
Daniel had just gotten the ring box back in his pocket when Kathryn, Joan, Kara, Mom, and Helen walk in. They had tape measures and begin measuring things like windows for curtains, the length of the wall for a sofa.
Daniel goes to get a set of blueprints that have all that information already, the coach just shakes his head and says, “Let them do it their way.”
I chuckled tell Daniel, “Listen to Dad he’s been married longer than anyone else here.” A couple of the workers that have overheard chuckle, but shake their head yes.
Helen asks Daniel, “You have any idea when we can start bringing in furniture?”
Daniel says, “Wednesday night or Thursday morning at the latest.”
No sooner had he said that when Marshall and Misty come in out of breath. Misty says, “We have less time than we thought, they’re coming home early.”
Joan asks, “Why?”
Misty giggles, “According to Alyssa, George would prefer to go fishing, but she admits she’s missing everybody. It’s the first time she’s been away from both Joan and Johnny in her life.”
Marshall adds, “Dad says he misses Saturday morning breakfast and he expects everyone to be there including him this Saturday.”
Michael senior chuckles, “That might be my fault I told him we didn’t have it last Saturday. Try to explain to him JJ, Kathryn and Sam was gone too, so it wasn’t his fault we didn’t have breakfast.”
Mom says, “He called wanting to talk to everybody and nobody was there but Joan and Johnny and I.”
Joan giggles, “Johnny was sleeping in too.”
Looking around I ask, “Where is Sam, I expected her to be glued to your hip Kathryn.”
Kathryn with a giggle says, “MC read her the first few chapters of The Orphaned Princess. The two are taking a nap together now.” Kathryn seeing our confusion continues, “The Orphaned Princess is Sam’s story, MC is writing it as a fantasy. I had to laugh when she made Lester a troll who uses magic to look human. She hasn’t gotten to us yet, but she asked Sam what should make JJ and me.”
Chuckling I ask, “What did Sam make us?”
Kathryn now laughs heartily before she says, “Apparently I’m a mage, and you’re the most courageous knight Prince in the land. The bear became an evil Dragon and you killed it with one mighty blow of your magical sword.”
Still chuckling I say, “I guess MC thinks that’s more believable than the truth.”
The rest of the family begins to laugh hard and then Marshall says, “Some of the things I’ve seen you do makes it, sound more believable as fantasy.” I roll my eyes to more laughter from not only the family but the crew.
Given this new information about George and Alyssa’s return we find out there due back on Friday which means Saturday morning we won’t have the opportunity to hide their new cottage. It needs to be finished by then a day earlier than we had thought. Fortunately cell phones work at the job site.
We arrange for the furniture delivered on Saturday morning, but now needed Thursday afternoon. I call the furniture store where we purchased the furniture nearly two weeks ago. I explained what I need and when they person I’m talking to simply says we can’t sorry and hangs up on me. I call back and ask to speak to the manager of the store, same story. To make a long story short, I finally talking to the vice president for East Coast sales, he asked how the hell I got his number and why was a sell of a few rooms of furniture his concern. I asked him if he had Sept.’s Forbes magazine where you can get to it. I heard him shouting at his secretary who dropped the magazines on his desk. I asked him to take a look at the cover, he says, “Yeah so what.”
With extremely irritated voice I say, “You see the young man on the cover. You just happen to be talking to him. I already own eight percent of your corporation I only need two more percent to be on your board. That’s why you need to be concerned.”
A little sarcastically he says, “Well sir if I can place you on hold for a moment.”
It takes about two minutes before he comes back when he does he has a totally different attitude. He starts by apologizing, both for himself and a rude behavior of so many of their employees. He then assures me that I’ll have the furniture delivered even if they have to build and ship it overnight. I think him and hang up.
Most of the family starts chuckling at overhearing most of the conversation before Marshall reminds me, “We all have stock in that company too. All we have to do to give you the voting rights and you have more than ten percent easily.”
We move out of the way, as carpenters continue to work as electricians are finished the drywall those up. Installation of solar cells over the completed roof begins as soon as the roofers vacate the south side of the house. The house has a basement that holds a room for the batteries and inverters needed for the power system. The house will be finish Wednesday, paint Wednesday night and by Thursday morning ready for carpeting and the two rooms where it’s needed. At that point the house would be finished and ready for furniture.
The family basically stays out of the way of the crews as they work. We watch from a distance and marvel at how quickly the work is actually accomplished, Tuesday I ranged for lunch to be delivered so the crews could have hot food, that seem to improve their attitude considering we had been working even longer than we had planned. Wednesday afternoon and house was finished, painted a carpeted the tiles drying in the bathroom. Only a few minor things he cleaned up, and furniture delivered and placed and it would be ready for presenting to George and Alyssa.
At school everything seemed to be going to normal, Kathryn and Sam came on Wednesday Sam returning the library book. Librarian was a little surprised as a four-year-old handed her the book saying it was very good. It was actually Huckleberry Finn. I had to explain to Sam about some of the language used in the 1800s was no longer acceptable today. Sam giggles and says, “Daddy I think I know that. I pointed out to MC a couple words and she explained it to me.”
Kathryn grins and says, “You need to congratulate your daughter on finishing the second grade. I let her start when you started teaching.”
Picking Sam up I give her a kiss and say, “Sam you’re constantly making me very proud. Congratulations on finishing the second grade.”
Looking at a couple the students that see us I explained to them, “This is my daughter Sam. She’s only four years old and she’s finished the second grade.”
The two are freshmen girls, and you giggle merrily at Sam before they say, “Congratulations Sam.”
I call them over and introduced them to Kathryn saying, “This is my wife Kathryn, coach Edwards is her father as well as Kara’s.” The two turn red slightly knowing the rumor. I chuckle at them as they show their discomfort. I say, “We know that rumor that was going around, which is definitely not true. I do love my sister-in-law, but as a sister. I would never cheat on my beautiful wife.”
The two giggle looking at Kathryn. One of finally getting up the nerve asks, “You got married on the Fourth of July right?”
Kathryn and I shook our heads yes and the young lady continues with another question, “How did you guys do that with the clouds?”
Kathryn says, “We didn’t, no one can control the sky yet.” The two girls eyes widen as they think of whom possibly could control the sky.
Sam finds the Prince and the pauper also by Mark Twain and checks it out under my name. Sam begins to happily read, I think she would love coming to school more often just to visit the library. While they watch my beginning self-defense classes Sam can’t help but notice one of the girls is doing the move wrong, and she goes and tries to explain it to her. When the girl laughs saying, “You’re such a little girl how could you know how to do this?”
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