When we get home I check my email and see that there’s a resume from Sashi. The pictures of her work are really good so I send her the information on the shop and details about the job. Deklan paces back and forth making phone calls in the living room. I fall asleep and get shaken awake some time later. He’s in front of me crouched down by the couch. “I got us a meeting. We have to be there in forty-five minutes, if you want to change or whatever. They’re taping his show right now for the fall.”
I nod, and go to the bathroom to touch up my makeup. I’m wearing a smoke-gray chiffon sleeveless shirt with a matching leather wraparound belt, with skinny jeans and charcoal leather, high heel boots. I just have to make my eye shadow darker for nighttime and head out.
We go to a quiet but ritzy restaurant downtown. Instead of chairs there are couches. We’re brought over to a corner where it’s brighter from the production lights, and there are three cameras around the table. Dean and his assistant are already there. Both are talking quietly when we walk up but stand when they see us.
Dean is in a full tuxedo, with his dark brown hair combed over and gelled to the side. He’s classically handsome in a Tom Ford way. Sarah is introduced as his assistant and she’s the female version of him. She’s in a feminine tuxedo to match Dean and her hair is pulled back in a severe bun.
Sarah speaks first after the introductions. “We like to have fun. Thursday is Tuxedo Thursday when we can do it. It livens things up a little. Don’t ask us why it’s not Tuxedo Tuesday, everybody does.”
“Because a television show doesn’t do that?” Deklan chuckles.
Dean says, “Well it helps with that, too.”
We order wine and make small talk, and when the entrees are delivered, Deklan gets a call. He discreetly checks it under the table and looks up. “Sorry, this is the realtor. We put in a bid on the house today. I need to answer it. Do you want me to go outside?”
Dean shakes his head in rapt interest, obviously wanting to hear the call.
“This is Deklan. What was the counter? Done, send the paperwork to my lawyers and ask the owners if we can see the house on Sunday, and when we can start the remodel. It’s going to be cash, Holly. Do you really think I’m going to finance? Yeah, it should speed things along. All right thanks. Bye.” He rolls his eyes. “That woman is still clueless.”
I give a small laugh and look over to Dean when he starts talking.
“So, let’s see this property. My interest is peaked.”
Deklan hands over the fact sheet on it.
“What all are we talking about?” Dean asks, as he hands the paper to Sarah.
Deklan starts, “New kitchen, covered patio, paint the existing fence. It’s all carpet, and we want hardwood throughout, except the bedrooms. The in-law suite, as well as the rooms over the barn, are dated. Those would need to be redone. All furniture, including a nursery. The basement I want turned into a soundproof recording studio.”
Dean’s eyebrows are high on his head and he’s looking back and forth between Deklan and me. “That’s going to take a lot of money.”
Deklan nods. “And I need it done by July. We’re having a baby in September and I want us in the house before then, and settled.”
Dean sits back. “Usually I have one contractor to get a job done and move to the next project. Hypothetically I could get more, if we were to take the job so everything could be getting done at the same time. I would need to see the place first.”
Deklan nods and puts his arm on the back of the couch we’re sharing. “Holly’s going to get us in Sunday if you’re available. We can go over everything, and you can let us know then.”
Sarah pulls out her iPhone and checks the schedule, I assume. “It’s less than a two hour drive, so if we leave by ten, we can be back by four, and still make the dinner with the Fullers,” Sarah says to Dean.
Dean nods and touches both of his hands to his chin, tapping it like a prayer in thought. “Let’s do that.” He looks back at us. “Congrats on the baby! I don’t know if we can make July, but it sounds like an interesting project.”
After we leave the diner, Sarah tells me to get on Pinterest and start boards for ideas I have for the remodel. When we get to the house, I try to ask Deklan what he wants, but he just keeps telling me to pick whatever and show him later. It’s completely addicting, and I stay up way too late. Once I have a good amount, I show Dek what I’ve got. “For the kitchen there are fake drawers that are really USB chargers and extra outlets to charge things stowed away, so they’re not on the counters. There are beer drawers below the wine cabinets. And look at this laundry room. We can turn the part of the butler’s pantry into an office for the nanny.”
“And the housekeeper. That huge house, we’re definitely going to need one. I like all that stuff, babe. I’m not picky just no pink in the living room or something, and I’m good.”
I roll my eyes. Of course not. “So we’re officially getting the house? I heard you say done.”
He nods and squeezes me to his side. “Yeah, babe. They came back with three, so we got five hundred grand knocked off, which is better than I thought. Now if I can sell my house, I won’t even need to go out of pocket.”
“Your house will sell. How much do you have it up for?” I ask him.
“Six, six right now. I know the realtor is showing it almost every day. Shouldn't be too long.”
Chapter 30
Sunday I get up early to dress for being on television again. I pick a jersey skirt in a chevron pattern with a black tank top and flat leather sandals. I put my hair up in a high pony and pin my side bangs back in a bump.
When I walk out of the bathroom I see Deklan shirtless on his side, propping his head up on a hand, and watching me. Mmm, he looks so good. “How long have you been watching me?” I ask him curiously.
“A while. Come here.” I walk over to him and he tells me to turn to the side. I do and he puts a hand on my stomach saying, “You’re showing today. I think you finally popped.”
I run away to look in the mirror saying, “nu uh!” like a five-year-old.
Turning one side to the other, you can definitely see it. It’s not big, but what was once flat is now a pooch. I smile and turn back to him. He’s smiling back, and we share a quiet moment of acknowledgment. After that, I go make breakfast for my man while he’s in the shower. He comes out twenty minutes later, his hair spiky from growing out. He’s got a five o’clock shadow going that is just a little bit shorter than his hair. He’s tanned from going to the beach all the time and dressed in a black fitted henley with the sleeves pulled up, dark blue jeans, and biker boots.
“Why is it you look good in twenty minutes and it took me and hour and a half?” I ask him.
He walks over to me and puts his back to my front talking into my neck and shoulder while rubbing my belly. “You have more hair than I do, you smell better, and I don’t have to put on makeup or shave. You look way better than I do.” His stubble is giving me goose bumps as it scrapes my neck.
“Maybe you should shave your legs too.” He laughs and releases me. Picking up a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast he says thank you on his way to the table.
After breakfast we head out to meet Dean and Sarah at Los Rancheros. We meet them at the farmer’s market and drive over after calling Holly to tell her we were on our way. Since we’re not the owners yet, we can’t get in. We have to take three cars though, because there are camera men and producers for the show. After talking with the guards and the producers sign something saying they won’t film anything but the outside gate and our property, we finally get in. We have microphones attached to us, mine is hooked to my bra. Holly is no help whatsoever, and Deklan is so frustrated that he calls her dad and leaves a message saying he refuses to work with her after this day.
“She should know the policies of the place she’s selling. What the hell? How did I get stuck with a rookie?” he asks rhetorically.
There’s a cameraman in the backseat that I�
�m trying to ignore every time I turn my head to Deklan. I take his hand, and he holds them on his thigh.
“I know babe. Can’t help it, she’s an idiot. What are we going to do with her at the house?”
“Make her ass sit in the basement or something this time. We’re gonna have to talk about the kitchen, and I don’t wanna deal with her bullshit,” Deklan says making a turn.
“Maybe we can get Sarah on her,” I suggest.
He leans over and gives me a quick kiss before turning back to the road.
When our caravan pulls up to the gate of the property, Holly jumps out in her red cardigan and knee length skirt to put in the code. We drive through and get out. Dean is spinning in a slow circle squinting his eyes. He’s in a three piece suit minus the tie and jacket. Sarah is standing off to the side, iPad in hand and watching him, thumbs at the ready.
Dean waves to the pasture with a languid hand. “You mentioned painting the fence?”
Deklan nods. “White.”
Dean nods back and goes to the front walkway. We all follow, Sarah typing down something, I assume about the fence.
We get to the foyer and Dean does another spin. “Mirrors,” he murmurs.
Holly chirps up from the side next to the stairs. “Oh, aren’t they great? I told them the other day that it lets in more light that way.” She’s beaming at Dean.
He puts his hand on his chest and gives her a droll stare.
Sarah just barely stifles a laugh, but you can hear it clearly through the sound she makes in her throat.
We go through the house with Dean as he starts to transform the house in his head. Fascinating things we hadn't thought of are suddenly possible. Sarah takes copious notes, rarely looking up as she shadows him. We end up in the kitchen before Deklan takes Dean downstairs with a cameraman while Sarah, Holly, and I stay upstairs with the other two cameramen. Sarah looks down at my stomach, “Looks like you started showing since a few days ago!” Holly gasps and I turn to her in exasperation, my patience gone.
“What the hell do you think I’m doing here? And how do you not know this? You didn’t do any research on your clients? How did you even know we could afford this place?”
Sarah tsks and nods. “Planning precedes performance. They even do that on that show Million Dollar Listings.”
I snap my fingers. “That’s where I saw it.”
Holly says in a small voice, “This is my first listing.”
Sarah says, “Well, shame on your dad for giving you an A-list celebrity your first run.”
I add, “And shame on you for flirting with the client when the girlfriend is standing right next to you.”
Now Sarah gasps. “For shame!”
Holly looks around the room, anywhere but where we are when she says, “I thought you were the assistant.”
I roll my eyes. “Nice try. If holding my hand didn’t give us away, I’m sure the kissing would have clued you in.”
Sarah gasps mockingly. “Kissing.”
I wave it away. “Not the good good kind, but it was a PDA and she still tried.”
Sarah says in a quiet voice Holly can still hear, “Screams desperate.”
“Agreed,” I say out of the side of my mouth.
Deklan and Dean make it back up to the kitchen, and Deklan is telling him he’ll email him the equipment he wants down there. Holly has her arms folded and is pouting as hard as she can. Deklan looks at her, then rears his head back. He comes to me and puts his hand on my waist. “What’s up with church Barbie?”
I shrug. “Just a little girl talk. Apparently I’m showing and she hadn’t noticed yet.”
His eyes go dark. “Did she say anything to you?”
I shake my head. “No, she just gasped. No big deal. Let’s finish this up.”
Another hour and a half later we finally finish with the rest of the house, barn, and apartments.
We walk back to the cars and Dean turns to us. “Sarah and I are going to take measurements. I suppose Holly will have to stay with us. This is going to cost a mint to do it right. Especially on your deadline.”
Deklan folds his arms and locks eyes with Dean. “I can give you two to start, more if you need it. This has to be done by July, though. Can you make that happen?”
Dean purses his lips in thought and looks back at the house for a long minute. “With a budget of two mil I can get things done, but I don’t know how much that recording studio in the basement is going to cost.”
Deklan sighs in relief. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll get you the info and you can bill that separately.”
Dean nods his head and shakes both of our hands. “Then I can get this show on the road as soon as you get me some keys. The sooner the better.”
Deklan nods in agreement. “I’ll get on that, you start ordering supplies. Send my lawyer a contract, and I’ll get you a check.”
Dean starts back to the house. “Sounds good, Deklan. We’ll get something sent to you by morning. Ali, email me the link to your Pinterest so I can see what you’ve got.”
I wave to them. “Thanks guys!”
Deklan and I get in the car and turn in our passes at the gate, then head to the farmer’s market for lunch. We get sandwiches at an organic stand with a berry tea that is shockingly good.
I say with my mouth full of goodness, “I can’t wait to live here.”
Deklan nods in agreement and takes a drink of tea. “We’ll be eating healthier that’s for sure, and have a bomb house. The best part will be being there with you, having shared space and our bed, with our things. Not your house and my house.”
I agree. “Exactly. I think I should keep the condo though, since Sashi is coming here and so is Reed. I can rent it out to one of them and make some money that way.”
Deklan takes my hand as I reach for my drink.
I stop and look up at him. “You know you don’t need money, right baby? I mean, I don’t expect you to just automatically spend all my money now that we’re together, but don’t be stressing out about going part-time. I have plenty, and I’ve never really spent it, so it’s all been sitting there building interest for a long time.”
I think over what I want to say before I open my mouth. “I don’t want your money. I just want the guy, I don’t care how much you make. I like nice things, and I don’t want to ask you to buy them, so even though I’m going part-time, I still want to pay my way. I’m going along with you paying for the remodel and house because there’s no way I can afford that, and it’s what you want. But I’m not poor. Speaking of that, I think it’s time I trade my car in.”
Deklan raises his eyebrows. “I thought you wanted to keep the 911?”
I wag my head back and forth. “I did, but when am I going to drive it?”
“To work?” he says obviously.
“Yeah, but two seater sports cars aren’t as safe as SUVs right? I don’t need to be on the highway for hours a day and get crunched like a tin can.”
“Excellent point. SUV it is. You wanna get back on the road and go get your car to trade in?”
I agree so we throw away our trash and get back on the highway. The dealership gives me a good trade-in on my car, and I pick out a dark gray metallic that looks black unless it’s in direct light. It’s a Porsche Cayenne, and I’m in love. It was a pretty even trade. I paid five grand I think, out of pocket, since the 911 was more expensive but older. The inside is black leather and there are enough buttons to make it look like the cockpit of an airplane. There’s plenty of cargo room and big back seats.
We get back from the dealer and Deklan tells me about the concert coming up as I make dinner. “It's gonna be huge. We've got Daniel Walsh, Chimera, and a few other bands. Daniel's people contacted us, he's getting it together. I'm surprised Chimera is in. They're pretty random, though.”
“Chimera is pretty heavy, isn't it?” I ask him. From what I remember it's all screaming. I connect better with lyrics I can understand.
Deklan nods his head as I ch
op veggies. “They're hard metal. Screaming and shit. They've been around for years, but the lead singer is pretty young. I think she might be eighteen now. I'm sure you'll meet them. Danny's a trip.”
“Where is it?” I ask.
“Vegas. Bobby's in for photography. We'll autograph shit, put it up on eBay, sell out the venue. Should make some bank for the kids,” Deklan tells me, stealing half of a green pepper and eating it raw.
“That's awesome. I definitely want to go!” I tell him excitedly.
~
The next day I go into work driving my new SUV. Carmen calls it first. “Hot momma! Got herself some mom wheels. Next thing you know you’ll be at the baby chains loading up a cart with diapers,” she cackles at me.
I smile and turn sideways, framing my belly. “Check the bump!”
All of the girls come over and squeal over this little tiny thing. Good to know girls are girls are girls.
I check the business email and forward Sashi’s emails to Stacie. Sashi wants to come earlier than June like we had planned. She wants to get here in a month, says she doesn’t need a U-Haul or anything. I guess she’s going through a bad breakup and wants out of town. I tell her to come whenever she’s ready, then ask Stacie to see who’s available for a roommate. After that I get to work.
After work I get home to blue cheese burgers and home fries. We eat at the table this time and I tell Deklan, “You’re spoiling me. I haven’t had someone make me a meal in forever, before you.”
His face goes soft. “Anything for you, baby.” He pulls me into his lap, and I breathe him in. The scent is familiar to me now. Comforting like a warm blanket, but still arousing. Deklan makes me feel safe and reckless at the same time. “You wanna go for a ride with me?” he rumbles in my ear. I nod. He smacks my butt as I stand up and we go out to my garage that is housing his Harley.
Fan Girl (Los Rancheros) Page 22
