Habitude, page 13
With the light of day approaching, Faith’s alarm sounds, waking her from a deep sleep. Jonathan is sleeping soundly now, it seems. She noticed he had been restless nearly all night. Without wanting to wake him, she slowly gets out of bed and uses the bathroom. She slips on one of Jonathan’s t-shirts, then walks as quietly as she can down the stairs. She puts her clothes back on and heads out the door.
Driving home, she replays their conversation about moving in together into his condo before their house is built. She mulls over her options in her mind. She loved her house so much when she found it, but it was never meant to be her forever home. She knew that going in. What she didn’t know was that she would have to look into selling it so soon.
She could rent it out, but there is a lot to consider with that. She could get a bad tenant who trashes the place. There could be costly repairs that she has to pay for. Although, she could also rent to someone she knows, like Hope. Renting to family or friends could cause issues, though, too.
Selling would be a clean break. It’s also the route she is leaning towards. Faith takes a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. Her biggest concern with selling is if she will make money on the sale. She certainly doesn’t want to lose money, but the question of if she has been able to build up any equity in the past eight months hangs heavy on her mind.
She makes a mental note to send an email to their realtor about it today. It dawns on her that she also needs to make the realtor aware that they’re switching gears and will now be looking for buildable land somewhere along the coast.
She parks in the garage and quickly goes inside to shower and get ready for school. Right as she is pulling out of her driveway to go to Hilltop Elementary, she receives a notification on her phone.
Jonathan: Good morning, beautiful. I’m sorry I missed you. Thank you for allowing me to sleep.
Faith: You’re quite welcome. I’m going to email our realtor today so he knows we are going a different direction.
Jonathan: Perfect. Thank you, Faith. I hadn’t even thought of that.
Faith: I want to ask him about the value of my house also.
Jonathan: OK.
Faith: I’m at work now. We’ll talk later.
Jonathan: I love you.
Faith: I love you too, Jonathan.
Faith gathers her things from the passenger seat and walks into school. She spots Kay standing outside of her classroom door as she approaches. A heavy feeling instantly forms in the pit of her stomach. Her morning suddenly got worse. She knows this can’t be good, but she tries to play it off so Kay doesn’t think she’s already gotten under Faith’s skin.
“Good morning, Kay. What can I do for you?” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Well, for starters, you can tell me why you’ve been using all the copy paper and not replacing it.” Kay places her hand on her hip.
“Excuse me?” Faith is genuinely confused. She is not in any way trying to make it sound as if Kay is being disrespectful.
“Yeah, the past three or four times I’ve gone to use the copy machine to make copies of worksheets for my students, its empty.” She clears her throat and adds as proof. “I also know that your prep-period is right before mine.”
“That doesn’t mean it was me, though, Kay.”
“Yes, it does.”
“No, it doesn’t. I haven’t needed to make copies in weeks. My class has been working out of their workbooks for the past few lessons.”
“If it isn’t you, then I’m sure you know who it is. You probably told them they didn’t have to refill it.”
“Why would I do that?” Faith lowers her eyebrows and calms herself before she continues, “I have no idea who it is and I would never tell someone not to refill the paper; it’s literally the bare minimum. We all need to clean up after ourselves and replace the things we use. That’s the way it should be done.”
Kay wears a look that is a cross between disbelief and like something left a terrible taste in her mouth. She starts, “Faith, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Faith isn’t sure where this is going, but she also knows that not answering questions Kay has will only make things worse.
“Why don’t you ever sign up to help with the extracurricular events when I send the emails?”
“I’ve been extremely busy house hunting. I haven’t had much free time available.” She refuses to apologize for something that shouldn’t even be an issue.
“That’s hardly a good excuse.”
“Your opinion is not my concern. I’m curious, though.” It’s her turn to ask a question. One that’s been bothering her for some time now. “Why does it seem as if you don’t like me?”
“I never said I don’t like you.” Kay places both hands on her hips. In an acrimonious tone she continues, “I do see you for who you are, though.” She looks Faith up and down making her judgment abundantly clear.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kay scoffs, “You’ve always gotten everything you wanted. You haven’t had to work for anything. It’s all simply been handed to you. You’re a spoiled little bitch.”
It takes everything in Faith not to hit Kay. Adrenaline coursing through her veins is making it very difficult. She takes a deep calming breathe. “You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about my life.”
“By all means, Faith, enlighten me.”
“I’m not going to waste my time on someone who will argue with me over anything I say. I know who I am, and that’s all that matters.”
Kay exhales hard and turns on her heels before walking across the hall to her door. Her high heels clicking loudly on the hard surface beneath them. Faith walks into her classroom and sets her stuff down. She sits in her chair, placing her face in her hands with her elbows on her desk.
She replays the conversation, feeling the adrenaline start to rush through her again. Faith quickly thinks over all the quippy remarks she should have made. Then she takes a deep breath and she notices the time. The students will be coming in shortly.
She decides to draft the email to their realtor quickly to take her mind off the confrontation that just happened. By the time she finishes, she has nearly forgotten Kay totally. The students begin filtering in, most with huge smiles on their faces, and she is reminded of why she loves her job.
Chapter 22
Multitude
Noun; the state of being many
Jonathan picks Faith up from her house Friday night. They drive to the high-rise building a couple blocks down from Kansen Corp that Structural Integration is located in. Their meeting with Stephen is at six o’clock. He greets them promptly at the front desk and asks them to follow him into his office gesturing down a beige hallway lined with dark oak doors.
“It’s so great to meet the two of you.”
He takes Faith’s hand and shakes it, then Jonathan’s. Jonathan says, “It’s nice to meet you as well.”
They all sit down. Stephen behind his desk, Faith and Jonathan in the leather wing back chairs opposite him. The dark Mahogany wood desk situated between them. Stephen has dual monitors off to the side so the view of his guests and potential clients isn’t blocked.
He starts, “Let’s get into the reason you’re here.”
“We want to build a house. Your firm came highly recommended by Faith’s parents.”
“Love’s Café, right? They were wonderful clients. Do you have a plot of land or property in mind?”
“Not yet. We have appointments to view a few tomorrow and more on Sunday. Will that change what we can get through tonight?” Jonathan asks, not wanting to waste their time or Stephens.
“Not really. I will get you the names of a few general contractors we work very closely with. We will go over some potential floor plans, or we can do something that is completely custom. It’s completely up to you two and your budget.”
“Our all-in budget for the property and building expenses is a million.” Jonathan has no qualms discussing money.
“That is a healthy one for the area.” He says with a smile. “What types of things are on your wish list?”
“We want at least four bedrooms with an open floor plan. There needs to be an office for Faith. We would like a two story home with a master suite on the main floor. Depending on the property we find, we would like a walk out basement.”
“OK. That all sounds very doable. Are you looking to have any fireplaces?”
Jonathan looks to Faith, and she answers, “Yes, we’d like one in the great room as well as in the master. With that one possibly being double sided into the bathroom.”
“That sounds splendid. How about overall square footage?”
Jonathan answers quickly, “Bare minimum, three thousand square feet.”
Stephen is typing on his computer with every question he asks them. He continues, “I think I’ve got a pretty good idea. Is there a style of home you prefer?”
Faith replies, “I’ve always loved mission style.”
Stephen turns one of his computer screens to show them a mock up. Pointing at the screen, he says, “This is one of the floor plans we have available. We can change anything you would like. We can also scrap this and start entirely from scratch if you have a layout in mind that would work better for you.”
He scrolls through, pointing out a lot of the things they mentioned. Faith is astonished at how in just five minutes of talking, he has the perfect house on the screen in front of them.
Jonathan isn’t as quick to fall in love. He is rather liking the idea of going totally custom. Knowing that no one will have a house like theirs makes him feel a sense of pride. “This is very nice, but I’d prefer something more custom. We need it extremely open with a lot of space to entertain both inside and outside.”
Faith gives Jonathan a look as if to say ‘how much entertaining do you plan on doing?’ Jonathan simply smiles at her.
“OK.” Stephen opens a new window and plugs in some key required information. The program seems to bring up a blue-print that Stephen then makes adjustments to. He asks, “Are you wanting an attached or detached garage, and how many spaces?”
“I’d like a three-car attached garage.”
Faith thinks to herself that this is kind of crazy and nothing she ever thought she’d experience. It’s like they can simply special order a house. She quietly giggles to herself at the thought. Jonathan smiles, unsure of what is so funny, but happy she is enjoying this.
Stephen puts that into the program, then asks them some of their color preferences and the finishes they’re interested in.
What Faith and Jonathan see at the end of him inputting all the information they’ve been discussing can only be described as exactly what they’ve been searching for but unable to find. The images Stephen shows them on the screen create a knowing within them both that this is their home.
They take turns pointing out little details on the rendering that they notice, from the crown molding to the railing on the stairs. Faith sees a home she could have never visualized for herself. Something that hadn’t ever seemed attainable to her. Being a teacher typically means limited funds. Getting married and having a family was part of her plan, but she didn’t have a timeline she was trying to force it into, and she certainly had no idea of how much money her potential husband would be making.
Jonathan looks at the image of the house and sees his status tied into it. The condo was somewhat like that, but this house will be even more so. Especially, with his focus narrowed in on becoming CEO. He can see the business benefits of inviting Mr. Kansen or other higher ups over for dinner.
Faith’s mind jumps to their future family when Stephen begins to show them the upstairs. One of the bedroom’s images is staged to look like a nursery, complete with a comfy rocking chair sitting next to built-in bookshelves and a circular crib. The color scheme is a soft grey and white with elephants everywhere. It’s quite peaceful and perfect.
She squeezes Jonathan’s hand. He realizes what she’s trying to tell him without saying a word. He knows she wants a big family. He intends to do everything he can to make that a reality. The thought of having a family and being the father to little ones is intriguing to him. He fully understands how much of a treasure it truly is since his parents had been taken from him.
He thinks of his Aunt Suz and how he wants to keep them away from her at all costs. She was never a mother type. She only took him in because she was all he had. She couldn’t let him go into foster care, but there have been many times he wondered if that would have been a better life for him. He shakes the thought from his mind. This is, after all, a hugely positive thing they’re doing, and she will have no part in it. Not even through intrusive thoughts.
He squeezes Faith’s hand back, and they smile to one another. Stephen can tell they are both excited about this house, from the two-story entry to the large dining area and the great-room with the massive fireplace. He still feels the need to ask, though, “So, how are we feeling about this one?”
Faith blurts out, “It’s perfect!”
“Great! There will be more specifics to go through, but this is a wonderful start. If we’re going to get this ball rolling quickly, with this plan, I’d suggest we use Amethyst Bay Construction. They are the best in the area, and they have years of experience building custom, both residential and commercial. They’re also not bogged down, which is a rarity. Once you find and close on your property, they should be able to start after getting permits.”
Jonathan realizes they hadn’t addressed timing, so he asks, “About how long will it take?”
“With Amethyst Bay Construction, it’ll most likely be closer to seven or eight months. I obviously can’t say for certain since I’m not fully aware of their schedule. It will also be dependent on lead times for different materials and finishes, special orders can take longer.” Stephen shrugs his shoulders.
Jonathan looks to Faith, “That means we wouldn’t get into our house until May or June of next year. Possibly later. Are you alright with that?”
“For that house? Absolutely.” She shakes her head yes and continues, “We knew they wouldn’t be able to build it overnight. Plus, after seeing that,” she gestures towards the screens, “I think we can have patience.”
“That is true.” Jonathan looks at Stephen. “What comes next?”
“Well, first we sign a contract. I’ll reach out to the contractor and get them caught up to speed. After you find your property, we can finalize the plans with Amethyst. They may even be able to start permitting prior to closing.”
“That sounds great.”
“OK. Let me draw up the contract. I can email it over when it’s done, if that works for you both?”
“It does. Is there a way for us to get some sort of copy of this?” Faith asks, pointing to the house rendition on the screen.
“Most definitely. I can send a copy once the contract is signed.”
Jonathan asks, “We’ll still be able to make changes and adjustments after that, right?”
“Yes, of course. You’ll be able to change anything up until it’s installed. You could probably change it after it’s installed, but that will be an additional charge from Amethyst.” He chuckles.
“OK.”
Stephen points to the rendering on the computer screen in front of them. “This isn’t set in stone by any means. The contract will state that as well.”
“That’s good then.”
“OK, I will be in touch. It was great to meet you two. We’re excited to collaborate on this project with you and design you the best house in Luna Shores.”
“Thank you, Stephen. We’re very excited as well!” Faith beams.
They stand, and Stephen walks them to the door. The conversation between the two of them for the rest of the evening is centered on the house. Faith is especially excited after seeing what the house will potentially look like.
The next morning they meet their realtor, Brian, bright and early at a property a little south of town. It is a couple of acres on a hill right on the coast. It was almost what they had in mind, but something didn’t feel quite right. It was as if the house they now know will be built wasn’t the one meant for that land. It was a struggle to picture their soon-to-be house anywhere on that property.
They proceed to the next property. This one is a little north of town. They had actually driven by it on their way to Sol Port on their second date. Faith reminds Jonathan of that on the drive to the showing.
“That second date of ours seems so long ago now.” Jonathan says.
“It really does. That was when you took me to Catch of the Bay for the first time.”
“It was. The drive looks a little different now, with the leaves changing colors.” Jonathan smiles at her and the memory. It’s a little crazy to think back to their first dates and see exactly how far they’ve come in a relatively short amount of time. They are going to be living together soon. Jonathan asks Faith, “Have you thought more about what you plan to do with your house?” He doesn’t want to bother her about it, but he is very curious what she’ll decide.
“I’m waiting to get an estimated listing price from Brian. I’m worried since I’m selling so soon after I bought it that I might lose money.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to rent it out? It could be a good source of extra income. Not that we need it.”
“I’m sure I don’t want to rent it. I don’t want the headache.”
“OK.”
“Since you brought up income, though, I wanted to talk to you about bills and how we are budgeting things.”
“Alright.” Jonathan is a little confused. He thought this was mostly figured out when he asked her to move in together.
“I don’t want you to pay for everything.”
