Page 19 of Reckless Chances
“How far is it?” she asked.
“Far enough that you probably don’t want to double on the handlebars of my bike,” he laughed.
She grabbed her keys from a pottery bowl, “Let’s take my car then.”
Charlie gathered up the shopping bag with the whipped cream and strawberries and sipped his coffee as he followed Emma out the door.
***
“TURN HERE,” CHARLIEsaid.
“Into the bush?” Emma squinted and slowed down the car.
“There, see the opening?” Charlie pointed to the opening in the trees that was completely obvious to him but realized to the untrained eye it wouldn’t look like more than a walking trail – if that.
“This isn’t a couple minutes out of town.” Emma muttered, but followed Charlie’s instructions and eased the car onto the trail.
Emma and Charlie jostled around in their seats as Emma navigated down the trail and through the field. “And I don’t think that I’d call this a road.” She squinted ahead at the two worn down tracks that snaked through the meadow to Charlie’s house.
“Take the left fork.” Charlie laughed when Emma put on her blinker.
“Habit,” she flicked off the indicator and her cheeks flushed pink. They turned east just as the morning sun rose over the towering pine trees, shining through the morning dew on the grassy field. “Oh wow,” she murmured. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is,” Charlie said, but he was looking at the driver, not at the field. “It’s just ahead.” Here it was, the moment of truth.
Emma stopped the car in front of his tiny home, a small rectangle with a loft, build onto a horse trailer platform. “What... is this?”
“It’s my house.” Charlie clicked out of his seatbelt and hopped out of the car. Emma followed suit but remained behind the car. She pulled off her sunglasses and squinted, leaning her elbows onto the roof as she studied his home. Charlie tried to read her face, but his stomach clenched into a knot when he couldn’t.
“It’s...” she paused. “Small.”
“Technically, the term is tiny.”
She walked around the front of her car and Charlie tried to see his house through her eyes. Like the still-unnamed brewpub, his tiny home was half-finished. It was wrapped in construction paper, and for now, he only had a piece of plywood for a door that he had to screw on and off every time he came and went. “I’ve heard of these,” she murmured. “But I’ve never seen one.”
“Would you like a tour?” Charlie gestured to the front door with a flourish he hoped would hide his trembling hands.
She grinned, “Only if it’s quick.” She gave him an exaggerated wink.
He laughed and hooked his arm around her neck and pulled her in to kiss the top of her head. “I’ll try to keep it brief,” he laughed. He pulled his drill from underneath the temporary stairs and unscrewed the plywood door. “I would say ladies first, but I think I’m going to need to give you a hand to get in.”
He hoisted himself into the doorway, the stairs were more ladder-like than stair-like, and then turned to pull Emma in by her hand.
“Oh, Charlie,” she gasped as he pulled her into the house. “It’s beautiful.”
Each component in the tiny home had been carefully designed with space maximization in mind – function over form for the most part, but there were a few extravagances, the fine woodwork had been done by Josh and his favorite part of his house was the spiral staircase of live edge wood triangles that led to his sleeping loft.
“Thanks,” he smiled, but wondered if she was just being kind.
“This is the kitchen,” he patted the counter and then took a step to the left. “This is the living room,” he gestured with his arm. “The bathroom is tucked in behind there.” He slid a pocket door back to reveal the bathroom complete with a shower. He pointed to the loft, “And that is where the...” his voice trailed off.
“Magic happens?” she smiled.
“I’m used to giving the tour to guys,” he chuckled. “Can I get you a drink?” He opened the fridge and pushed around some samples of his beer.
“I could go for another coffee.”
“You got it.” Charlie tossed a tea towel over his shoulder and lit the propane burner on the stove.
