Page 12 of Ghost's Obsession

He gazes at me, his eyes sharp and observant. “You look pale. Is anything wrong?”

“I’m fine.” I bring the cup to my lips and take a sip of the warm brew. The smell hits me like a blast of delicious goodness. It’s slightly bitter with earthy undertones. The aroma of hazelnut from the creamer hits just right.

“Is your coffee alright?” he asks.

I nod enthusiastically, taking another quick sip before I answer. “Yeah, it’s fantastic. You made it just the way I like it.”

He doesn’t respond. He just watches me sipping my drink with a gentle expression on his face. This guy is all kinds of nice. It’s easy to appreciate his inherent kindness.

We sip our coffee and make light conversation about the pending meeting with the structural engineer. I take out the plans and notes and place them on the table. We put our heads together and review all the details. We get lost in the work and my stomach eases up after I eat a breakfast bar.

The sound of a vehicle pulling in draws my attention to the driveway.

“That sounds like the engineer,” I say, checking my watch. “He’s right on time.”

Ghost nods, and we step outside together to meet him. I give Rick Mendoza a warm smile and extend my hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Rick.”

Rick’s rugged face lights up at my greeting. His hand comes out to shake mine. “You too, Heather. You’re a busy lady. This is your third project in as many months, right?”

I pull back after shaking his hand. “Yeah, only instead of just designing the space, I’ll be more involved in the building phase this time around.” Turning to Ghost, I make introductions, “This is the homeowner, Mr. Nick Ross.”

Rick reaches out his hand and Ghost shakes it. Gesturing to the patch on his cut, my employer tells him, “You can call me Ghost.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ghost. Is this the building that needs to be inspected?”

“Yes, thank you for coming out,” Ghost tells him before leading him into the garage.

Rick is a seasoned structural engineer. I’ve worked with him twice before. He’s very down-to-earth and in his late fifties, a little round in the middle. He has a clipboard under one arm with his forms in it.

Once inside, Rick opens his clipboard. “Let’s take a look around.”

I walk the inside perimeter with him, explaining along the way, “This building seems structurally sound. We’re not planning to remove any walls or supports. In fact, we might end up adding supports in order to rearrange the space into rooms.”

Rick checks the concrete slab for cracks, pulls out his level and moisture meter, and rattles off questions that make sense for this particular job. I answer as best I can, with Ghost chiming in to answer when the garage was built, whether there areexisting drainage issues, and where the nearest power and water lines are buried.

Ghost does his part in making sure Rick has what he needs in terms of information. Getting through this inspection is proving to be a team effort.

“In our initial contact you mentioned that this will eventually be a mother-in-law suite, right?” Rick asks, examining the framing.

“That’s the long-term goal,” I tell him. “It will be a short-term rental for now, then a permanent space for his mother later.”

Rick makes a noise that sounds halfway between impressed and doubtful. “You’re gonna need insulation upgrades, new joists here—these aren’t up to code if you’re raising the ceiling or doing ductwork.”

Ghost steps forward, his hands in his jean pockets. “We’ll need to do ductwork for the HVAC system. Is there a way to do it without ripping everything out?”

Rick comes to a stop, giving Ghost a curious look. “You in construction?”

“No,” Ghost tells him flatly. “But I’ve helped work on our club house build and know what I like.”

His voice isn’t irritated, just matter of fact.

Rick gives a thoughtful nod. “Alright. Let me see what I recommend after I finish the inspection. I need to fully understand what I’m working with to make a good recommendation.”

We continue with the inside inspection, Rick using his flashlight and level to make sure the interior corners are at right angles. He examines every inch of the interior space.

And I answer all his questions about zoning, setbacks, utility access. Again, Ghost speaks up as well, which things like which breaker controls the garage, and how much of the old wiring still works.

When Rick finally finishes his outside inspect, he scribbles something in his notes, and announces, “This could work. It’s gonna take a little reinforcement, but nothing too expensive. You’ve got a good shell to build from.”

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