7
She went inside and she quickly unpacked the boxes, checked on Daniel, who was still asleep, then went back downstairs to the kitchen and got busy preparing some dishes. She knew that he would awaken well, but ravenous. She made a small potato salad for herself; she put some chicken in to marinade overnight; then she made a Jell-O mold. She took some bread out of the freezer to thaw. Thinking that he might wake up one more time, she put a small pot of chicken soup on to warm up.
Feeling hungry she made a sandwich and grabbed a diet coke, which she poured over some ice. She took the whole thing outside and ate on the screened-in back porch. A light breeze blew thru the area and she sighed deeply and leaned back. The ‘twins’ came downstairs bounding thru the kitchen and out onto the porch. They both sat and looked up at her.
“And just what do you two want? You guys need to go; want to explore for a bit?” Both perked up and tails wagged vigorously. She got up and opened the screen door, “go ahead, have some fun.”
They took off like a shot across the lawn. There wasn’t much of a chance that they would get into any trouble. She settled back and took a long sip of the now ice-cold coke. She thought about all that had recently happened, and about what she would say to him. If he was to become what Jake saw, then he needed to know the whole truth, lock, stock, and barrel. She just wondered if the dreams got it right about him.
She rose and went back into the house. God, how she loved this house! The hardwood floors, the airy openness in all the rooms. Not a lot of bric-a-brac around; just strong clear lines, minimal and yet warm. Windows stretched to the ceilings, with shutters on the outside. There was a small scattering of throw rugs around. The stairway to the second floor was of light ash wood, as was all the wood in the house, the moldings, the window trim, and the doors. The whole house gave one a sense of warmth, and beauty. The bedrooms were done in the same way, all eight of them. The master bedroom was in the back of the house; it received the rising sun in the mornings. [She loved that most of all!] It also had the largest walk-in closet she had ever seen. The bathroom had a sunken tub, and also a shower stall with a seat built into it…. all done in Italian marble. Whoever had built this house knew exactly what they wanted.
And the kitchen...ah, it was a wonder! It was obvious that the previous owner was a lover of good food. The kitchen had every device known to man. A rather large freezer had a small room all to itself. The refrigerator was one of those steel two-door types. There was an island to work on complete with its own sink and garbage disposal. Encircling the island was a shelf area inlaid with white tile, complete with bar chairs. She could almost imagine a group of people standing at the bar chatting, some leaning over, as she prepared appetizers and drinks.
Ah, another time and another world.
She busied herself the rest of the day by wiping down the counters, and then mopped the kitchen floor. She dusted the tables and shelves, and dust mopped the rest of the floors. She aired out most of the house before it got dark. She went to the garden in the backyard and cut some Hydrangea and put them in vases and set them throughout the house. She set candles and pots of potpourri about upstairs to put some scent into the air. She called for the twins, but they didn’t answer.
She looked off into the distance and saw some clouds heading her way.
She checked on Daniel twice, watching him as he slept for a while.
The ‘twins’ came back with dirty feet and burrs in their fur. After combing and brushing the burrs out, she decided to bathe them. (They were not as appreciative as she thought they should be.) She fed them and herself dinner; then went for a walk before turning in for the night.
She felt relaxed and at ease with herself. She hadn’t realized how long it had been since she had had any downtime. She headed back to the house after about an hour. The ‘twins’ had done their business and were ready to settle down for the night. As she opened the back door, they went charging inside, rounded the corner sliding on the floor. They slammed into the staircase, recovered, and bounded up the stairs. If that didn’t wake him, nothing would.
She changed for the night, went downstairs and got a book from the library. She then went around the house and closed all the windows and pulled down the blackout curtains. She settled herself into bed and read for a while. Her eyes were heavy and she realized she was very tired. She turned off the light, rolled over, curled up and went to sleep.
During the night a storm passed thru. Lightening and thunder woke her. She sat up for a bit watching the display across the night sky. At a flash of lightening the room lit up and suddenly Daniel was standing there. She almost jumped out of her skin. When she went up to him she realized that he was still asleep. Careful not wake him, she led him back to his bed and tucked him in. He slept thru the whole thing.
Kate returned to her room and watched the storm for a while. Winter is definitely on its way, she thought. We only get these kind of storms just before winter sets into the mountains. And it looks like it’s going to be a dilly this year.