Page 86 of Not Part of the Plan
“What’s not to like?” he asked, looking up from the screen, his grin irresistible. “I’ve got a beautiful girl who’s going to grill dinner for me tonight.”
“Emma! Yoo hoo!” They turned to catch Bruce Oakleigh bouncing on the balls of his feet to peer at them through the crowd. He waved frantically. “Emma!”
She waved back, a sunny smile plastered on her face. “Now what do you suppose Blue Moon’s race arm knitting champion wants with me?” she asked without moving her lips.
“He probably wants you to weigh in on the powdered wig debate. I hear it’s getting heated,” Niko whispered behind his hand.
Bruce dodged and weaved his way to them arriving in a huff of breath. He combed one hand through his silvery beard and another through his fluff of hair before straightening his cranberry sweater vest.
“Congratulations on your big win,” Emma said extending her hand. Bruce shook it enthusiastically.
“Thank you! Amethyst and I have been practicing all hours of the day and night for this, and the effort really paid off. It’s nice to finally meet you, Nikolai,” he said, offering his hand to Niko.
“Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I flagged you down like a crossing guard.” Before Emma could answer, Bruce launched into his explanation. “I’m glad I ran into you, Emma. Gordon mentioned you were interested in looking for a place to call your own, and the whole town is just thrilled to death that you’re staying. Now is the time to buy. It’s a buyer’s market in Blue Moon, and there are so many wonderful properties available. I took the liberty of speaking to Rainbow at the bank, and she assures me a loan would be no issue. And to top it off, I have the perfect property for you. It just came on the market yesterday.”
He paused long enough to breathe and wait for a response. Bulldozed and open-mouthed, Emma merely stared.
“So what do you say? I’ve got a few minutes before Anthony comes to take our victors’ picture for the paper. It’s only two blocks from here, and we could just pop in and take a look around. Nikolai, you should come too. See what square footage you can get here as opposed to the city.”
Hearing no opposition or verbal noise of any kind, Bruce clapped his hands. “Excellent. Now you just follow me, and we’ll be there before you know it.”
“He’s taking us house-hunting,” Niko whispered to Emma as they followed Bruce’s nimble strides down Patchouli Street. “Does that mean he’s going to ambush us with a marriage license and a reverend?”
“He’s takingmehouse-hunting,” Emma hissed back. “He didn’t even ask how many kids we were planning on having. I think this is about making a sale, not a match.”
Bruce led them two blocks north of the park to a shady street and a lot with what looked like a round garden shed. “Well, what do you think?” he asked, his enthusiasm made Emma wonder if perhaps he could see something other than the garden shed.
“Is that a tool shed?” she asked with a frown.
“Oh my goodness, no! It’s a yurt,” Bruce announced with fanfare. “Come in. Come in. You’re going to love it.”
She hated it.
They walked into a space that looked like a pantry with a futon. Freestanding shelves were stacked with canned goods, books, toilet paper, and clothing.
“Now this would be your living/storage room/closet,” Bruce announced. “Aren’t the high ceilings spectacular?”
“Hmm,” Emma hummed.
Niko elbowed her and winked behind Bruce’s back. “It’s something, isn’t it Emma?”
“Now around this half wall you’ll see the previous owner cleverly combined functions,” Bruce said, walking the two steps into the next room. They crowded in after him.
“Why is there a drain in the kitchen floor?” Emma asked with great trepidation.
“This is the clever part.” Bruce pointed to the suspended showerhead above them.
“There’s a shower? In the kitchen?” She said the words slowly, not quite believing that they were coming out of her mouth.
Niko let a laugh slip and covered it with a cough.
“Oh, not just a shower! The under the sink cabinet pulls out and that’s your toilet!” He pulled the slider out with the flourish of a magician revealing a rabbit.
“Is that even legal?”
Bruce frowned thoughtfully and wagged a finger. “You know, I’m going to have to check the municipal codes on that and get back to you.”
“What would you call such a multi-purpose room?” Niko wondered.
