Isabel, The Beauty Next Door Pt. 08

"Maybe Sam can help with the renovation," Isabel says.

"Yes, anything you need. If I'm just there with the keys," Sam says.

"Okay, consider that a deal," I say. Sam beams at me, even more excited.

Getting the house keys usually takes a few weeks, but we might get them early because of the deadline on the work that needs to be done. I'll ring Dad to let him know when we can get in. He promises to come down to view the place and see what is needed to stop any damage being done by the damp and to work out what he needs to start work.

It's Friday morning, and we will be traveling up to Cambridge this weekend for our Graduation. I'm sitting in the hub reviewing the data I have received from the US when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I look at the screen, and the caller ID says, Mac.

"Hello, Mac. I was just going over the ground data your team sent me. So, what can I do for you?"

"Hi, James," he says in his broad American accent. "I will be in Exeter for a few hours and wonder if you want to come and pick me up from the airport, and you can show me your thoughts on the HQ and take Emma and me for lunch."

"Wow, aren't you meant to be in Glastonbury today?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm flying in for eight. So, are you in?"

"Yes, of course. What time do you land?"

"In about half an hour," he says.

"Okay, mate, see you soon," I say.

I shut my station down and walk upstairs. I knock on Edward's door. "Edward, Michael Carter will be paying us a flying visit. Can you get someone to check my work and email me back? Mac wants a no-fuss visit, so a need-to-know basis, please," I say.

"Wow, when's he here?"

"I'm just going to pick him up. He wants as little fuss as possible because he's off to perform at Glastonbury tonight," I say. "Should be back in just over an hour," I say. "Oh, and not a word to Isabel. Emma's coming, and I want it to be a surprise."

"Okay, James, leave it with me. Do you want me to book a table at Gavanni's?" I smile at my boss's sudden enthusiasm and nod.

I enter Exeter airport and walk up to the customer service desk. "Good afternoon. I'm here to meet an incoming private Jet from America. Am I in the right place?"

"Oh, ummm, no. Hang on; I will get someone to escort you to where you are meant to be."

Ten minutes later, a large security man comes up to me. "Excuse me, sir, may I ask your name and who you are meeting today?"

"You can, but I'm not sure. My name is James Stokes, and I am waiting for MC, I say, trying to be cryptic."

The guard smiles. "This way, sir," he says, guiding me through a no-entry door.

I'm escorted to a lounge and told to wait. It's only now that the nerves kick in. I'm unsure why because I have built a good friendship with Mac, who has always been friendly. For a famous, rich guy, he's well, normal.

"Jay, how's it going, my man?" Mac says as he walks into the room.

"Mac, good to see you," I say. The nerves disappear as I go to shake his hand, and he pulls me into a hug.

"Where's that beautiful girl of yours?" Mac asks.

"Isabel is at work; I thought we would surprise her when you walk in." I see a familiar face behind Mac and say, "Talking of beautiful girlfriends, Emma, it's a pleasure to meet you." Emma doesn't even wait and throws her arms around me.

"Wow, you're bigger in real life, James," she says. "Baby, this guy is solid," she adds, squeezing my bicep.

"Great, shall we get going," I say, sounding more English than I thought possible.

We get escorted out of the side exit and walk to the car park. Nobody expects to see Michael the Mac Carter walking around Exeter, so nobody stops us. We get a couple of second looks, but they just carry on walking.

I park in the guest parking space next to Edwards Lexus, and we walk in. The drive here was like we were chatting on Skype. I forewarn Mac that no one other than Edward is expecting him today, so there will be no red carpet. I also checked Italian was okay for lunch. Both Emma and Mac seemed happy with that. Emma tells me that Mac took her to an Italian near their home for her eighteenth birthday.

As we walk in, the first person to greet us is a shocked-looking Lidia. It looks like Edward hasn't said a word as she immediately recognizes Mac. I have never seen Lidia flustered, and I am amused to watch the different emotions going through her head. From I recognize him, to, shit, it's Mac, and finally, do I look okay?

"Lidia, can you ring Edward and tell him I'm back, and can I have the book to sign our clients in, please," I say, the same way I book in any other person.

Mac's looking around the room at the pictures on the wall. They are photos of buildings we have worked on around the world. Mac calls Emma over when he spots the one we have done for the C&W group.

"Hello, Edward. James has told me to tell you he is back," Lidia says, breaking my train of thought. I write Michael's and Emma's names in the book as Edward comes down the stairs.

"Mr. Carter," Edward says as he gets to the reception. He walks over and shakes Mac's hand.

"Hello, Edward, it's good to meet you finally, but Mac is fine," he says. "This is my Girlfriend, Emma," Mac says, turning and introducing her.

"Pleasure to meet the girl behind the song," Edward says. "Shall we?" Edward indicates towards the stairs.

I stop Emma when she goes to walk past. "Edward, I'm just going to go and get Isabel," I say.

Edwards turns and looks at me. "James, you have a bit of a mean streak. You realize she will have a heart attack."

I grin at my boss and take Emma's hand, leading her toward the hub. I explain where we are and what goes on. I quickly grab my laptop, and we head for the stairs that go up to the legal department.

"Natasha, do you know where Isabel is," I say as I enter the legal department and spot Isabel's boss getting a coffee.

"Hello, James." She eyes Emma, who is still holding my hand. I don't introduce Emma, fearing Isabel will overhear. Then I think Natasha twigs who Emma is, and a smile spreads across her face. "Follow me," she says.

We walk towards a door, and I hear several voices, one of them being Isabel. Natasha looks back at Emma and me with a look of anticipation and knocks before stepping into the room.

Natasha doesn't say a word as I step in behind her. Isabel's first sees me and then realizes I'm holding another woman's hand. Her smile fades before she looks at Emma, and a look of recognition goes through her.

"Surprise," Emma says to break the moment of uncertainty.

"Emma, Christ," Isabel says, still in shock.

Emma lets go of my hand and moves to greet her friend. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time," Emma says.

The girls embrace, and Isabel says, "You're not the only one." Isabel gives me a look. "Aren't you and Mac meant to be in Glastonbury or something?"

Natasha mouths 'Where's Mac?" to me.

I lean in, "Best get the team together and meet us in the boardroom." With that, Natasha calls the attention of several guys in the room and leaves.

Isabel and Emma are still in conversation before Isabel walks over and playfully hits my chest. "Very nice; I'll get you back later." She says in her nice but evil way.

"Come on, we best get back to Mac," I say.

This time we walk around the top corridor to the boardroom where Mac and Edward are talking. "There they are," Edward says. "Did you ask Natasha to join us?" He asks, and I nod my head.

"Do we need the legals in on this?" Mac asks.

"Not for anything that we show you, but Natasha is my Olivia, and she will be able to go over what we see as hurdles for your planning application."

I set up my laptop, and one of the team members doing the double-check for me comes in with his printout. "You were within a half of one percent," he says.

Edward turns. "What from?"

"James's original calculation Edward," he replies.

"Wow, good job James," Edward says. Normally there would be a three percent deviation between computer models.

"Right, Mac, if you don't mind. I will finish all the business now, so we're not rushed."

"No problem, James," Everyone sits around the table, and I start my computer program.

"Right, I won't go into the full design because that might change again in the summer." I see Emma frown. "When I come to the States with you, I will survey the building and compare it to the plans. Very often, things are altered but have not been recorded. A new beam in the wrong place can play havoc on air-conditioning vents or sewage pipes." Emma mouths a thank you, and I continue. "We got your core samples back, and it's what we expected. The building is set on a mixture of shale, sand and mud. Bedrock, though, varies between forty-two and fifty foot down. What I have proposed, and the tech guys have just confirmed, is that we sink pylons inside each pillar in the main building and repeat into the car park. They will sit on the bedrock and stabilize us to dig down for the underground carpark. Normally we would give a twenty-five percent buffer, but my calculations see a thirty-five percent safety buffer. With us sitting on bedrock, we can then reduce the size and weight of the footing. With today's building costs it should give you a seventy percent saving on the foundation. So the idea is to drill down through each main pillar in the building. Before each drilling, we will dig out under that pillar so all material waste can be removed from below. Any question?" I say.

"You said there is a saving. Where does that come from?" Mac asks.

"We originally designed for a worst-case scenario, but because our foundation is no longer floating, we can reduce the thickness of the floor at the bottom and we don't have to support the building, so excavation becomes easier. In this case, we have gone from two two-meter foundations with three meter ribs, to a one-and-a-half meter. This makes a lot of difference. I believe the cost of drilling would be eight times less than the cost of excavation and underpinning."

"Wow," is all Mac can say. "Do we know what causes the subsidence?"

"Yes, and again you have been lucky. A small waterway has developed under the eastern part, but we believe we can channel that through. The plus side is that we can help the local authority by digging up the road before it collapses."

"Why is that a plus?" Emma asks.

"It gives us better access and makes our life a lot easier. We also score points with the authorities because that waterway will make a huge sinkhole one day. The alternative would be to dig under the main entrance from the parking area going through the existing foundation. That would be an extra eighty yards in your money."

"Oh," Emma says, smiling at me. "Have you got the new run through there? With the end of term and his trips to France, Mac hasn't had time to show me yet."

"I believe I saw you with Keira Knightly," Isabel says.

"Yeah, we met on the Jimmy Falon show, and she offered to be my date for the film's premiere."

"We're going to London after Glastonbury to hang out with Adele," Emma says. "You two are coming back with us next week, right?"

"Yes," Isabel says. "I'm looking forward to meeting Olivia," she adds.

"Oh, I love Olivia," Emma adds.

My coughing then takes her attention. "Are you ready to watch the run-through? Mac, you might be interested in what I've done to the ground level," I say. They both nod, and I start the program running.

There's silence in the room as we walk through the rotating doors at the front into the large reception area. I've added a couple of people and some furniture. I also added the detail of the photos of past CEOs. I hear Emma gasp with recognition. Then we, glide down a wide corridor toward the main auditorium. Mac had asked me to make it more like something you would find in a university lecturing hall but to take up to five hundred people. The idea is that it doesn't matter if there are five or five hundred people. The place can accommodate without feeling empty, and people can hear just as well at the back or the front.

I hear Mac take a deep breath as the main doors open, and then Emma says, "Wow."

"Wow, is right, Baby. Nice one, Jay, and you can still close it off from the main building?"

"Yes, none of the original specs have changed," I say. As we get to the upper floors, I pause it. "This is another thing you wouldn't have seen, Mac. I have done different layouts for each sector and will need to know what look you want or whether the individual sectors of C&W can choose their own look. I got a lot of helpful feedback from several of your family members that helped me understand what people need." I press the start again, and I can see Mac lean forward. Some areas are more open, and others have a more sectional look. I even did Mac a version of the hub. "A lot of this will also depend on the survey. Most foreseeable problems should only affect the upper two floors."

The run-through ends with us exiting the building again, and everyone gets up to stretch or make themselves a drink. Mac walks over. "Once you've done the survey, how long until we get a final design?"

"I won't promise, but past the planning application, I should get the final layout done before you go in front of the board. A lot of the run-through is easily changed to suit, and the final plan will be on your desk long before we put boots on the ground." I say.

Emma appears beside me. "Why so many plans?"

"The first plans will give the planning committee the information they need to grant permission. The final plan will have everything on, from wiring to where the toilets are. Planning doesn't need to see that; that will be down to the building inspector," I explain.

"Thanks, Jay; you always seem to tell me in a way I understand."

"I think it's time for us to take a trip down the road for dinner," Edward says.

"Oh, that sounds great," Emma enthuses.

"Jay, when we're done, would you like to come to Glastonbury with us?"

I look over at Isabel, and she's pleading with her eyes for me to say yes. I think they've already discussed this. "We don't have to travel to Cambridge until Sunday," I say.

"No, problem. We can get you both back here after the gig; it's not much of a detour from London," Mac says with a smile."

I nod, and there's an instant squeal from Emma and Isabel, to which Mac and I laugh.

We make our way down the road to the local Italian. Edward took Isabel and me there on her first visit to Sampson Harris.

"This must be about the fifth time I've eaten here in the last couple of weeks," I say to Mac as we walk through the door. They usually close the restaurant when we book, but today there are only eight of us. The place has other customers who pay us little attention when we walk in.

"It looks very authentic," Emma says. We sit, and I end up with Isabel on one side and Emma on the other, with Mac next to Emma. Emma leans forward. "Isabel, are we going to meet Sam today?"

Isabel looks at me. "Don't look at me," I say. Then I think about what Sam had told me before we left this morning. Still uncertain, I say, "Do you want to see if she and Hannah can come with us to Glastonbury?"

Now it's Emma's turn to look at Mac. "Sure, I think we both want to meet Sam, but only tell her you are going to a concert, don't tell her who with and where," Mac says.

I get my phone out and ring Sam's number. She answers on the second ring. "Hey, Jay," she says. "Please tell me something to cheer me up," she adds without waiting for an answer.

"Hello, Munchkin, we've got a chance to go to a concert tonight. Want in?" I say.

"What with Hannah?" she asks.

"Of course, we wouldn't leave her out," I say. "We don't leave for Cambridge until Sunday so you'll have Saturday to recover," I add.

I hear Sam call Hannah and she asks. "Who's playing?"

I didn't expect this. "It's someone who does covers, but he's very good. Isabel wants to go, and she won't go if you don't," I say, laying it on thick.

I hear Hannah say something, and Sam says. "Sod it, count us in. What time will you be home?"

"We should be back by three thirty and out by four thirty. Don't forget we've got the keys to the house tomorrow afternoon. Dad's coming down to check everything is covered."

"Okay, Jay, see you later," Sam says.

Natasha, who's sitting opposite, says. "You all seem very pally. What gives?"

Isabel looks at her boss. "Since Jay won the competition, I have talked with Emma and Jay with Mac. We will be staying with them at Mac's ranch in Virginia and have become good friends." As she says this, Isabel looks over to Mac and Emma, who nods in agreement. "When we are there, we will use our spare time to hang out and have a bit of a working holiday," she adds.

We finish our meals and walk back to work. Isabel does the legal side of our presentation because she has been working with Olivia Jackson on this. It takes around an hour, and then we break for coffee and an informal chat.

"Jay, why don't you and Isabel shoot off and go collect Sam. I'll look after our guests until you get back, and you can then leave together," Edward says.

We leave and get home around half three. Hannah and Sam are busy getting ready. They've packed their bags for Cambridge, ready for us to leave on Sunday, which is remarkable for Sam. Isabel goes to our room and starts getting ready. Luckily we have packed every thing we need for the trip, other than the necessities.

Unfortunately, Rachel can't make my Graduation but has given Sam firm instructions to video call her just before Isabel and I are called.

I call for a taxi to take four to the town center and then six to the airport.

The minibus taxi arrives, and we all get in. I went out first to tell the driver not to let on our destination. Sam and Hannah predictably dive into the back seat. As we pull away and head for the town center, I say, "I've just got to go into work and drop something off." Sam rolls her eyes but doesn't question anything.

The taxi pulls up, and I run in. As I walk into reception, Mac and Emma have put on disguises. "What's with the get-up," I say.

"Too much?" Emma says. "It's only until we get into the taxi," she adds.

"You two are playing with a fireball," I say, smiling. "Sam is going to freak." I am laughing. I turn to Edward, "We will be in just before we leave next week," I say.

"So, how did you do on your finals?" Emma asks.

"Didn't he tell you? James here was top of his class." Edward has a look of a proud father. I turn bright red, pat him on the back and then turn to my friends so we can leave.

"Well done, Jay," Mac says. He puts one arm around me and gives me a guy hug.

We walk out the front door and run straight for the taxi. Isabel had already gotten into the back with Sam and Hannah. I get into a confused-looking Sam. She's never liked surprises; the last one I pulled was for Isabel and my exchanging of vows.

We settle into the taxi, and I tap the driver on the shoulder to tell him we are ready. I turn. "Okay, Munchkin?" I ask.

"Fine, Jay," she says, going red with her eyes fixed on the back of Mac and Emma's heads.

"Guys, would you like to introduce yourselves to Sam?" I say.

Both Mac and Emma turn back to look at Sam. They remove their glasses, and Mac says, "Hello, Sam. I'm Mac, and this beautiful woman is my girlfriend, Emma. It's a pleasure to meet you finally."

The look on both Sam's and Hannah's faces has me almost busting a stitch. In the end, Isabel puts her arm around Sam. "Sam, Mac has invited us to watch him perform this evening," she says.

"Yeah, but aren't you performing tonight at Glastonbury? I've set Mum's set-top box to record you." Sam finally gets out.

"Yeah, we're on our way to the airport. We will fly in by helicopter and then perform. We will then get you back in plenty of time for your trip up to Cambridge." Mac stops for a second. "Hey Jay, could Emma and I come to your graduation?"