Sassie moved away and squinted at a canopied bed. He’d either go along with her or tell her to think again. The intricately carved posts twisted and turned. Up at the top where the posts met the rails, someone had carved clematis flowers to match those in the headboard. The timber had aged to a soft honey shade of blonde.
“Beautiful piece.” Sam had walked up behind her, surprisingly quiet for such a big man. “Brought all the way from France at the turn of the century. That chair is from the same house. Talk is that this came from a house of ill repute. But my, oh my, they had some lovely pieces for sale when it closed down. I buy a lot of furniture from estate sales, and most of it comes from large homes. All quality pieces, too, I might add.”
And words like that usually upped the price,. “I can see that. I really like this, and the chair is small enough to fit in my room. This bed would go well in the master bedroom, and what a tale it would tell. I might have to do a little bit of research into that, Sam. Could be an interesting fact for my visitors. Would you deliver too?” She tried to gauge his willingness to bargain and mentally added up her bank account. With the kitchen fittings and all the tools, it’d shrunk more than she would’ve liked. If he turned her down, there was no way she’d be able to furnish the house as she wanted. It’d end up looking unloved and cheap. That’s what she got for rushing into things and not using her brain to work through the process before taking a leap of faith.
“Sure, I always use Pete’s transport. He did a good job delivering the bed, didn’t he?”
“For sure, for sure.” Sassie sat on the bed, bouncing to test the mattress and found it surprisingly comfortable. “So, Sam, my new best friend, what do you say? Can we work out something that would suit us both, do you think?”
Keeping things local was important to Sassie, an integral part of her plan. When she got around to approaching the council, she wanted to show that her intentions were to help the local economy. Anyone could buy in quantity from a department store and have the pieces delivered. If Sam turned her down, it would be one less thing to wow the committee with.
* * *
“Nice to meet you again, Grady.” Sassie held her hand out when Lara introduced her to her husband. “We really didn’t get to say much when you dropped into the house, did we? Gee, there really is a look among the Cooper men, is there not?” She tilted her head and gazed at him.
Grady raised an eyebrow and snorted. “Obviously the oldest brother sets the standard in the looks department, of course. Just so happens I’m already taken and you had to settle for second best.” He laughed when his wife batted him on the arm. “Okay, Sassie, can I get you a drink before my wife loses her patience with me?”
“I brought a bottle of wine. Would you be minding giving me a glass of that, please?” She took the chair Lara held out to her and thanked her. “Oh, what a nice thing it is to sit down and relax. I don’t think I’ve worked this hard in years.”
“Finished the kitchen cabinets then?” Lara picked up a box of matches and lit the candles on the small outside table.
“Almost. I kind of got waylaid this morning at the secondhand furniture shop buying up large with Sam. Man, that old sweetie has some lovely stuff.” She huffed out a tired breath and watched her hair rise and fall before flicking it back from her face. “I got the rest of the bedroom setting.”
“Wow, I can’t wait to see it. That’s very exciting.”
Grady pushed the insect screen open with his foot and came out balancing two glasses of wine in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. Tucked under his arm was a packet of potato chips.
“I think we can do better than that.” Lara grabbed the bag and hurried inside to return with a bowl, which she poured the chips into.
“Oh for goodness’ sake, don’t go getting all prim and proper over me. I can eat chips out of the bag as well as the next person.”
Lara laughed. “I’m sure you can, but we can at least pretend we have manners the first time you come for dinner.” Lara shot her husband a glance and ending up shaking her head in defeat when he laughed. “Fine, whatever. Tell me the plans for the house and what you’re doing once you get the kitchen cabinets done.” She eased back in her chair and sipped the cool white wine, sighing in pleasure.
“Well now, I have to decide whether to give each room its own bathroom and get costs for that. It would be nice, I suppose, but if it’s not necessarily a requirement for the zoning board, I’m not sure I want to be spending that much money on it, you know.” She gave them a lazy smile. “Perhaps we can discuss what needs paperwork and what doesn’t. Since I’m not changing the main wall structure, I wonder if I’d need more than a plumbing permit for bathrooms if I want to add them.”
“You should ask Riley. He’ll be here soon.”
“I’ll do that, Grady. Might save me some time and money.”
“Speak of the devil,” muttered Lara.
“Evening
