“Okay,” Aaron said after a few minutes. “We’re ready.”
Although she knew this one was for her, Dani waited for Eric to come around so they could be together when she opened the door. At it, she took a breath and told herself whatever was on the other side, she was going to keep it together and not get emotional. Carefully she turned the knob and pushed the door open. The first thing she saw was the window that was at least double the size it had been before. From it streamed light that touched everything in the room with a joyous glow.
“Oh, wow!” Eric said, coming in behind her as Dani stopped and stood, gaping at the transformation of the room. Gone were the peeling, horrible green walls. They had been replaced by a soft taupe paint with long white sheer curtains that framed the wood-trimmed window. The look was completed with a perfect mix of dark and light chairs topped with matching throw pillows. A rug that was a combination of all the colors finished out the look. “This cannot be the same room as before. Look at this woodwork. Wow!”
The closet in the corner had the same old-fashioned wood trim as the windows.
“But how did you…?” Eric asked, going over to it. “How did you match the rest of it? This isn’t original.” He opened it, and the previous questions fled. “What? Whoa. Babe, look at this.”
Dani was having massive trouble getting accurate signals from her brain to her feet not to even mention her mouth. Somehow she managed to take three more steps that got her actually into the room before the shock stopped her again.
“Oh my…” At the closet Eric opened the first door which was actually two that came out with shelves on either one. Behind that was another set of shelves on swivels that folded out as well to reveal yet more shelving behind it. “It’s like Narnia! You go in there, you may never find your way back out!”
“It was Rachel’s idea,” Caleb said. “This way you and Jaden can have a place to store your crafts and projects.”
Going over to it though she was still trying to process the utter serenity of the vibe in the room, Dani inspected it as well. “Unreal. Wow. I don’t even know what to say.” After going through all of it, carefully she closed the door and turned to look at the room once again. Overwhelm swept her senses away from her, and she let out a breath and forgot she was supposed to take another. How many hours? How many had her great grandmother spent in this space? She could never have imagined… this. “I’m…” Dani swallowed, fighting to keep the tears down. “I’m just… I’m just blown away. I am. This… this is incredible. It’s… stunning. It looks like something out of a magazine.”
“I know, right?” Eric looked down at her. She felt it and knew she should look up at him, but her gaze stayed stuck to the room.
“This is way beyond anything I ever thought it could be,” she said, and Eric nodded and folded his arms beside her.
“Way beyond,” he agreed.
“I just… the light.” Dani’s spirit began to absorb the light pouring in from the window. “It’s like a dream, like a dream you never want to wake up from having.”
“Can you imagine?” Eric said. “We could have coffee in here on Saturday mornings, and just start the day enjoying the sunshine and being together.”
Dani let out a short breath, trying to get herself working again. “Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Y’all go on. I think I’ll just hang out here for a while.”
They all laughed as if she wasn’t serious. She was.
“Can’t do that,” Rachel said. “There’s more to see.”
“Okay.” Dani finally shook her head. “But somebody better have some smelling salts ready because I’m not sure my heart can take much more of this.”
The transformation of the old parlor was nothing short of miraculous, and in truth, Eric had run completely out of superlatives to use. On one side the fireplace stood like an old sentinel watching over the proceedings. The old spindle, now cleaned and restored stood proudly next to it. A large mirror in the center of the fireplace reflected the light pouring in from the windows back onto the long oak table set to absolute perfection.
“I…” Eric stumbled for words. His gaze went up to the incredibly intricate patchwork of wood on the ceiling and the graceful chandelier. “Wow. I’m just… Wow.” Reaching over because he needed someone to hold onto, he put a hand then an arm around Dani, and they stood together like that, leaning together, just taking it all in.
“I can’t believe this is for real,” she finally said with a sniff. “It looks like some magazine layout.”
“No kidding. Look at that window. Jaden’s going to be in that window coloring all the time.”
“Jaden?” Dani asked. “I might be in that window coloring all the time.”
He glanced down at her and grinned. “You’ve got a point there.”
And silence fell on them until Rachel suggested they go see the upstairs.
Aaron’s “cut” hardly made a dent in Dani’s consciousness, and it was no effort at all to simply wait together until they were summoned for the next part.
When they were given the “and action,” Dani stayed right there under his arm all the way to the stairs, where he put his hand at her back as they went up. There still were not family pictures, but those wouldn’t take long to be there. He marveled at the wall color, how it could look old and yet not-old at the same time.
At the top of the stairs, Caleb turned to the right to Jaden’s side and the two of them followed somehow acquiring Jaden on the trip though Eric wasn’t exactly sure how that had happened.
“This is Jaden’s room,” Rachel said, stopping at the first room and holding out her hand.
Jaden entered the room, mesmerized. It had been done in teal, silver and white. Princess colors if ever there were any. “This is my room? I get to live here?”
Dani laughed. “Or at least visit.”
Going to the window on the other side, Jaden put her hands to it and looked out. “You can see forever up here!”
Eric’s arm came around Dani once again, and he shook her softly. She knew what he was thinking—how awesome it would be for Jaden to love her own little sanctuary.
“And Jaden’s bathroom is right here,” Caleb said, not giving them enough time to so much as take in one room before they moved to the next.
“What?” Dani asked when she saw the tile work that started on the floor and gracefully continued in elegant form around the entire space. “This. What? Look at this sink. It looks like a cloud.”
“And this shower!” Eric said, opening the door.
“We put a drop shower head that adjusts up and down,” Rachel said, stepping forward and demonstrating it.
“That’s perfect!”
In the span of time that felt like only a moment and they were back out in the hallway where Caleb came to a closet opposite the bedrooms and bath. “One of the biggest challenges in this house was that there was no laundry. However, looking at the blueprints for the upstairs and downstairs, we realized there had to be some room over what is now the office downstairs. Sure enough, there was some attic space up here that was inaccessible. So we accessed it and…” He opened the doors to reveal a washer and dryer with a small table off to the side.”
“It’s not huge,” Rachel said, “but I think it’s workable, and being on the second floor, makes it much more convenient than putting it somewhere downstairs.”
Dani shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say. You guys are geniuses.”
They toured the final room on that side, amazed by the welcoming feel of it, and then Aaron again yelled, “Cut” and told them they’d be resetting on the other side of the upstairs. Hanging out, as the cameras moved, Dani leaned on the washer.
“I can’t believe this. You literally thought of everything.”
“Well, it’s nice that it’s all magazine perfect,” Caleb said, “but if it’s not useable when we leave, we really haven’t done you any favors.”
Eric looked around. “Dude, this is more than just a favor. It�
��s incredible.”
“I keep thinking in each room I go in, I just want to stay there forever,” Dani said. “I’m going to have to take a month to just go around and sit and absorb how amazing it all is.”
“Well, we’re glad you like it,” Rachel said.
“Like it?” Dani asked. “I’m ready to move. Today.”
They all laughed just as Aaron called for them to migrate to the other side.
Dani carefully stepped down the three steps to the landing and up the three on the other side. It was still one of the quaintest features of the house. On the other side she found not a door to the bath as had been there at one time, but instead, a small hallway. She wasn’t sure just why she hadn’t noticed this oddity on her last visit, but now it had her worried. “Okay, what’d you do with my bathroom?”
“You’ll see,” Rachel said, pointing down to the doors to the left.
Going down to them, Dani swept them open to find her master suite. Wooden beams soared up the ceiling above, giving definition, shape, and stature to the space that had been opened up by them going all the way up to the roofline. The walls were now a soft cream, and the curtain on the window a luxurious chocolate brown. On the floor a soft light taupe rug outlined the bed, draped in darker taupe and slate blue. The entire room faced the fireplace with the armoire on the wall with the window and the little writing desk and a chair flanking the window.
“Oh, whoa!” Eric gasped as he followed her in. “Look at this.”
“The desk!” Dani went straight over to it and ran her hand over it. Love poured through her. She knew exactly what she was going to put on it.
“And this armoire,” Eric said, going to it and opening it. “Oh, look! It’s Narnia again.”
The others laughed.
“We could only get a small closet over here,” Caleb said, so the armoire is really going to come in handy.
Eric went around the bed and over to the closet, opened it, and disappeared inside. “Not bad. It’s not huge, but it’s not bad.” He came back out, and when Dani looked up, she found him standing next to a second set of doors.
“Wait. Is that the bathroom?” she asked, getting excited to see it. If they had done this with the rest of the room, she couldn’t imagine what that one might look like.
“It’s all yours,” Caleb said, and she came over and swung the doors open.
“What?” they both said at the same time.
“Are you serious?” Eric asked. “No. Way. Oh… Are you kidding me?”
The space was flooded with light from the window. No longer was there exposed plumbing anywhere, and the double sink that was admittedly on the small side looked very familiar to Dani.
“Wait. Is this the vanity we worked on?”
“We had to rework it a little for the space. We added some drawer banks to it for towels and toiletries.”
“This is amazing,” Dani said, opening every door and drawer on the thing.
“I like how the toilet is tucked back here behind the shower wall,” Eric said, going to the left of the room, “so you don’t walk in and that’s all you see.”
Dani turned the other way, and awe slipped over her. “And this tub. Oh. This tub!” She crawled into the claw foot tub that sat at an angle to the corner and the rest of the room as well as the window, giving the bather a magnificent view of the world outside.
“And,” Rachel said, coming over. She hit a button, and the window fell from clear to opaque.
“What?” Eric jumped back in surprise and excitement. He hopped twice like a little kid with a new toy. “That is not… No way! Are you kidding me?”
“Here.” Rachel backed up to let him at the switch. “You try.”
He touched it, and the glass turned clear once again. “This is too cool.”
“You do know he’s going to be up here forever playing with that thing, right?” Dani asked them even as she stayed in the tub.
Caleb grinned. “Hey, we aim to please.”
Rachel joined the grin. “Welcome home.”
“And cut!” Aaron yelled. “Okay. Let’s play that back and see if we need to do another take.”
From her position lounging in the tub, Dani simply closed her eyes and let herself get immersed in the glorious peacefulness of the bathroom.
“Glad you decided on the tub?” Caleb asked.
“Hmm. What was I thinking even considering not having this?” she asked. “I should have my head examined.”
“Well, we’re glad you like it,” Rachel said.
“Uh, I think we passed ‘like’ waaay back there,” Eric said. “This is absolutely phenomenal. Incredible. Way more than I ever thought it could be.”
“Well, it gave us a run for our money, that’s for sure,” Caleb said. “I’m just glad it turned out.”
“Okay, everybody, that’s a wrap,” Aaron said, but Dani still didn’t move.
“You know you’re going to have to get out of that tub eventually,” Eric said with a laugh.
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” She waved him off. “You go play with the glass or something. This is all mine.”
He laughed and shook his head. “This does not bode well. She is never going to get out of that thing.”
When they finally got Dani out of the tub, they all went downstairs, the two of them still in shock and awe over how the place had turned out.
“So what do you think?” Jaycee asked, dragging Derek with her from the cameramen over to the group. “Do you really like it?”
“Like it? This is…” Eric said. “This is just… I don’t even have the words. Amazing. Phenomenal. Incredible. Outstanding.”
“I’m done,” Dani said with a shake of her head. “No more thinking about it. I’m done. This is home. It just is. It’s so much cozier than I ever could have imagined it could be. It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
At that minute Greg, Emily, and Eric’s mom came in the front door, and Dani came alive when she heard them. “Oh, wait! Wait! Hold up! Hold up! No. No. No. No. No.” She raced to the entry way and skidded to a stop just before they got into the living room. Taking one quick breath, she got her composure back under control. “Hi, everyone. Welcome to our home.”
“Oh, my!”
“Oh, Dani, it’s beautiful!”
“Wow! You guys outdid yourselves! This is fantastic!”
As the others oohed and aahed over the master bathroom, the last stop on their second tour of the place, Dani slipped away from the group and went over to sit in the chair next to her new writing desk. It was so perfect for the spot. She had no trouble at all imagining that this was where Hazel had written most of her diary entries. She wondered as she gazed out at the landscape beyond how many times her predecessor in this house had sat imagining what life might be like beyond these walls. Wanting to know but too scared to try to find out.
Laying her hands and forearms on the desk, Dani leaned just forward to get a better view, remembering what it had looked like before with the snarled trees and the outhouse. With all of that cleared away and a lawn with no fence, she let herself imagine what could be out there. Maybe a swing set for Jaden, a fence and some furniture. They could spend time with their friends enjoying the peace and quiet out here so far away from everything.
She sensed his presence before he got all the way to her, so it didn’t surprise her when Eric put his hand on her opposite shoulder and simply pulled her to his side and gazed out the window with her. “I love it here,” she said softly, more because it felt a whisper from her heart than because she was worried about anyone hearing. “This is where I want to come home to.”
With a nod, he sat on his heels next to her, and their gazes met. His was serious and yet calm. “This is it, isn’t it? This is where we’re supposed to be.”
Dani nodded. “I think I’ve lived my whole life just to get to this place, and not just the house but with us, with Jaden, with everyone here. This is home, Eric. This is where I want to be. I don’t know how we’re
going to make it work. I don’t know if there’s even work for me here somewhere, but I know, I know this is where God wants us to be.”
Pulling her to him, his embrace tightened around her. “Okay. Then we’ll take the steps He’s asking us to take, and we’ll see what happens.”
Back downstairs several minutes later, they stood in the living room because the furniture was staged so they didn’t want to take the chance of messing it up. That was the only drawback to the day as far as Dani could see. It would still take some time and work to get it all move-in ready as the shows liked to call it. Still, she now felt once again like she had a goal—something to work toward, and she was grateful to God that He hadn’t required her to never again know where she was going while being under His care.
“So,” Eric said as they all stood around. He took a breath and looked down at her. “We’ve made something of a decision.”
The others grew quiet, waiting for the news. However, before he continued, he looked over at Greg.
“You said you’d forwarded my résumé to your boss,” Eric said, and Greg nodded.
“He was very impressed with it,” Greg said. “In fact, he said we’d love to have you if you’re interested in being here.”
With a small smile, Eric looked down at Dani and put his arm around her. A second and he put his other hand out for Greg’s. “Well, it looks like that means we’re going to start calling this home for real.”
“What?”
“Are you serious?”
“Dani!”
“That’s awesome.”
“I can’t believe it!”
She nodded, put her hand on his chest, and looked up at him. “It feels a little like being Lazarus.” A moment and she dragged her gaze from him back to them. “Like somehow we got the honor of participating in raising Attabury from the dead, and giving her new life again.” She shrugged and dropped her gaze because she was about to cry. “And now we want to stay and see what other miracles God’s got in mind for the place. I’m sure they’re going to be positively off-the-charts awesome.”
Raising Attabury: A Contemporary Christian Epic-Novel (The Grace Series Book 5) Page 52
