Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
That only raised their interest more, but I couldn’t think of anything to say to divert them. Buying me a coffee maker was definitely not a Finn thing to do, and we all knew it. I was saved by the front door swinging open. Billy Bob came through carrying a rolled-up carpet, a carpet pad stacked on top.
“This one goes here?” Billy asked Parker, pointing at the front of the main room where the bay window and fireplace made a natural sitting area.
“Perfect, thank you,” Parker said, clicking off something on the list on her phone. “We’ll get it rolled out before you bring over the furniture.”
I had a moment to wonder if I should have paid more attention to Parker and Hope’s decorating plans. Maybe I wouldn’t like the way they were going to set it up. It didn’t matter, I reassured myself. If I really didn’t like it, I had all the time in the world to rearrange everything the way I wanted it. For now, I was going with the flow.
Billy Bob disappeared out the door, and Parker turned to the rest of us. “Let’s get that carpet pad rolled out, centered on the fireplace. There’s a vacuum in the closet across from the powder room.” Her eyes flicked to me.
“Gotcha,” I said, finding a brand-new vacuum in the small closet just outside Nicky’s bedroom. Another Parker gift. I was grateful. By the time I had the cord plugged in, Scarlett and Sterling had the pad and carpet unrolled, centered on the fireplace exactly the way Hope and Parker wanted it. I got to work running the vacuum as Royal and Finn came in, carrying another rolled carpet and pad stacked on top of each other the same way Billy Bob had.
Royal looked at Parker. “Nicky’s room or Savannah’s?”
Parker tilted her head to the side, studying what she could see of the tightly rolled rug. “Actually, that one goes right here.” She gestured to the space between the kitchen counter and the sitting area by the fireplace. “Where the table and chairs will go.”
They unrolled the carpet to Parker’s specifications and headed right back out the door. I moved to vacuum the new rug, finishing just as all four of them returned with another set of carpets and pads, one for my bedroom and one for Nicky’s.
I’d seen everything during our attic forays to find furniture for the cottage, but at the time, it had been more about the to-do list. Living room carpet, check. Bedroom carpet, check. I hadn’t been thinking about style or design. Part of it was that I had my hands full running the Manor, and design wasn’t really my thing. When it came to the Manor, I put in the effort, but when it was for me, I was all about function over form.
I could appreciate beautiful things, but I wasn’t worried about getting them for myself. And on top of that, the housekeeper’s apartment off the kitchen was basic. I think the carpet in there was older than I was. It was clean. That was probably the best thing you could say about the housekeeper’s apartment. I wasn’t prepared to be picky about the cottage, considering anything was an upgrade.
But now that I saw Parker and Hope’s design literally unrolling in front of me, I was a little overwhelmed.
The carpet in front of the fireplace was a Persian design in deep, rich blues and reds, accented by dark gold and flashes of light greens. Everything came together in jeweled harmony, more beautiful than anything I’d expected. Certainly nothing that should be in the housekeeper’s cottage. The second carpet, for the dining area, was a tightly woven dark blue. Pretty, soft under my feet, but easy to clean. Perfect for a table that would regularly seat a six-year-old.
I was overwhelmed, yes. And stunned at how perfect it looked. It exactly suited me and my life. How had I missed how well Parker knew me, and how much these people had become my family?
Griffen came through the door, kicking it open gently with the toe of his shoe, somehow juggling two lamps and an end table as he made his way through the living room. “Parker,” he called through the lampshade blocking his face. “Where does this stuff go?”
“Right there,” she called back, gesturing to the bare floor in front of the bay window. “We’ll set those up after Billy Bob brings the sofa and chairs over.”
The coffee maker trilled with a noise that reminded me of a robot exuding joy. Even robots loved caffeine. “Coffee is done,” I announced.
“I could use some coffee,” Griffen said, “after we bring over the next load.”
Billy Bob came through the front door, a beautiful antique dresser between them. Billy caught my eye. “Your bed’s next. If you want to run that vacuum upstairs first, I’d get to it.”