Isabel, The Beauty Next Door Pt. 08

We make our way inside, where a large dining room is set out. Buck's wife knows how to cook. The talk is lively and light; I haven't laughed so much in a while as this group of people accepts Isabel and me into their lives.

Isabel, Emma, Mac, and I must excuse ourselves early and go to our rooms to crash. The time difference and the long day finally get the better of us as we say our goodnights.

******

The sun is just peaking between the mountains to the east as I open the front door. I've left Isabel sound asleep as I get a little morning air. I've never been good at sleeping in a strange bed, and once I had slept six hours, I was wide awake.

As I walk to a paddock across the lawn, I see a lone horse and go and sit on the fence and watch the sights of mother nature. The one thing my sensei taught me growing up was to stop and take time to look. Make sure you take in the world's beauty and don't walk around blinkered.

The horse wanders over to see me and wants to be made a fuss of. I haven't ridden but have been around farm animals and horses most my life hanging around with Sam. The horse seems to be sizing me up and stops a few meters away. We look at each other momentarily before I carefully get down from the fence without any sudden movement.

The horse raises his head and breathes heavily through its nose. I smile and reach out without moving forward. This seems to calm him, and he takes a small step forward to smell me. I let him get to know me while staying still, and when he takes another step forward, I cup the side of his face. "Hello, boy," I say. "Why are you out here all alone?" The horse seems to understand what I am saying and nods his head. He then steps forward, and I am rewarded with a hug. I'm not sure why, but all animals seem to like me, and being brought up in the countryside, I've noticed this on several occasions.

I pat his neck as he puts his head over my shoulder. After a while, he decides he's had enough of me and walks over to the nearby water trough for a drink. I briefly lean against the fence and watch him before starting my morning stretches and exercise. I climb back over the fence, find a place fully bathed in the sun, and strip my t-shirt off.

My sensei taught me many ways to exercise myself without equipment. Techniques that have been handed down over the centuries. If you know how to manipulate the body, you can exercise most muscle groups without lifting anything other than your own body weight.

I'm lost in my world as I go through several core strengthening and muscle exercises. I'm warming down when I become aware of someone walking around me. As I open my eyes, a smiling Isabel walks before me.

"Good morning, beautiful," I say.

"Hey, handsome. Ummm, you've got a bit of an audience. They even asked me to wait a while before telling you breakfast is ready."

I smile, close my eyes, and take a deep breath so I don't tense at the thought of being watched. Then I smoothly stand and walk up to my waiting fiancée, who's looking so angelic with the early morning sun behind her. Wrapping my arms around her, I kiss her deeply before walking to the post I hung my shirt on.

As I turn and walk towards the house, there's a sudden rush for the front door as every female tries to get through the door simultaneously.

Isabel laughs out loud. "I'm sure several of them got bruised then."

"What was all that about?" I ask.

Isabel looks at me like she doesn't believe me sometimes. "I'm sure they're hungry," she says. I don't think she knows if she's playing along or not telling me.

As we get close, Mac comes out the door looking slightly confused. "What's going on?" He says, pointing back into the house with his thumb.

"The girls were getting wet watching Jay go through his moves. There was a mad rush when he started walking back," a woman said who I hadn't seen.

"Jay, this is my friend and future employee, Amelia. Amelia, this hunk of a man is my good friend James Stokes."

"I know who James is, Mac. I'm just hanging around to be introduced. I will be working for Olivia, so you've been talked about." Amelia explains. "I will also be the one to show you around the HQ." She walks up to Isabel. "Isabel, so good to meet you in person at last. I think you underplayed how good-looking your man is. If I wasn't a married woman....."

"Hello, Amelia. How's Lucas taking your career choice?" Isabel says, then she walks over and gives Amelia a hug.

Amelia hugs back and replies, "Still not happy, but he doesn't get much of a choice if he wants to stay married." This one is very headstrong. I like how she knows what she wants, though. Happy she's introduced herself and greeted Isabel, Amelia walks into the house.

We follow her in, and the noise coming from the dining room hits us as we enter the house. As we walk into the dining room, the room goes quiet, and we quickly sit on several empty seats. While it's quiet, I turn to Michael. "Mac, what's the plan now we are here?"

"Not very complicated, but it has changed a little," Mac says, loading his plate up. "We'll let you get your bearings over the weekend. You will head into Charlestown on Monday with Olivia and Amelia. I think Olivia will be commandeering your fiancée and showing her how we work over here. Amelia here has asked to help you, making it her first assignment. It's a way of showing me that I made the right choice by offering her a job." Mac looks at Amelia as if to say, I know what you're playing at.

"Prepared to get a little dirty then, Amelia? We will be covering every inch of the building," I say to her across the table. I think the other ladies look more distressed than Amelia does. This woman is clearly on a mission, especially now Mac has called her out.

"Thanks for the warning, James, but I have my overalls and a hard hat ready to go."

I smile at her and give her a nod of approval as I bite into the most delicious sausage I've ever tasted. My eyes widen as I look at Mac in amazement as my taste buds do summersaults.

"Good, aren't they," Mac says. "We own a chain of restaurants and supply all the top quality meat. It seemed only logical we get some back here."

"I won't argue with that," I say, cutting another piece off.

The rest of the breakfast is good-humored, with Ron, Mitch, and Mac all letting the ladies know that their behavior this morning hadn't gone unnoticed.

After breakfast, Mac gets an open top four-by-four and gives Isabel and me the VIP tour of the ranch. We're taken by a renovated southern-style ranch house. Mac tells me that was where his estate manager, Buck lives. He regales how he had kept the renovation secret and how during Thanksgiving, the whole area had turned out to honor Buck. They had lit the way up the trail we were on with real flaming torches and then followed on for the night's entertainment. The joy on Mac's face as he tells us the story shows me his love and respect for his ranch manager.

It took most of the day traveling around the full ranch, but the time flies by as we gazed upon the beautiful hills of West Virginia. Mac also told reiterates the plan. We would go down to Charlestown with Olivia, and Amelia the next day to start work Monday. Once the work was done in Charlestown I will fly down to help Ron with a problem on the solar panels, returning to the ranch in three weeks once the planning application is in and then have a few weeks to relax and learn to ride.

Saturday night Mac has organized a get-together with all the ranchers. It's not the best time of year to have this, but they seem so rare now that the entire valley jumped at the chance. Isabel was a little overwhelmed and didn't move more than two feet from me all night. She got asked several times to dance but chose only to dance with me. Isabel has come a long way from the girl I first met in her bedroom, but she still struggles with strangers around.

We are on the road by ten after I give the ladies of the house another show, as Isabel calls it. It takes most of the day for us to drive to Charlestown, and Mac has hired a townhouse for us to stay in while we are working on the project. We drop Ron off at the airport; I will join him in a couple of weeks while Isabel and Olivia put together the planning presentation.

Back in the UK, Dad is busy doing the front of the two houses I bought in Exeter. He's decided that while he's got the scaffolding up, he will check the roof and surveying everything is okay. The hardest part is that we are not allowed to change much. We must source as close to the original piece if anything is broken. My Dad is getting a little pissed at the inspector that wants to check every stage. He wants to rip everything out that is rotten and replace it doing his normal thorough job, but they won't let him get on with it. My father is registered by the historical stone masons society, so there shouldn't be much of an issue.

We are all pleased to get to the house in Charlestown. We go to a restaurant down the road for an evening meal before we turn in for the night.

The house is about ten minutes from the HQ, so we settle in for the evening to make an early start. I talk to Amelia about what we will be doing, with Isabel and Olivia in deep conversation about the legal differences between our countries. I know Isabel has read up on things, but I have found that not everything that is written happens. Olivia is pointing out that state by state, there are many variations on each law. When I did my research on West Virginia state planning, I found many bylaws.

******

We are up and sit drinking our early morning coffee. Isabel and Olivia are dressed as expected, but I have to ask when Amelia arrives in her tight skirt and white blouse. "Are you going to get changed downtown?"

"Why?"

"From what Mac said. I thought you were going to be with me all day?"

"Yes, but...."

"Amelia, we will be surveying the entire site all week to check the plans are accurate. If they have any deviation, I will have to make new plans. We could be anywhere, from the boardroom to the roof space."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I thought we would check the offices on the first day."

"No, they are the easy part. It's what you can't see I need to look at, which often means getting dirty." I'm unsure what I expected, but I didn't expect her to look me straight in the eye, give me a slight nod, and walk back upstairs to change. She didn't complain or look fazed in any way. Ten minutes later, Amelia returns in a boiler suit.

Olivia drives us in, and as we near the building I am so familiar with, I am still awestruck at the architecture. The lines of the structure us just so pure. The mixture between gothic and Art-deco screams at you. Getting to work on such a historic building is something I didn't think I would be doing so early in my career, but it's something I can see making my job so much more interesting.

We pull into the near-empty car park or parking lot, as they say in the US. We then make our way around the building. "One thing I'm looking forward to is the shorter walk to the front door," Olivia says.

"Yeah, I thought that would be popular," I say. I take photos as I walk past several features that must be looked at closer. Especially the second entrance that I plan to use for the auditorium. Nothing jumps out that worries me yet, though.

We walk through a side door into the main reception area, and a man stands waiting for us.

"Jay, this is the HQ's Manager, Matt Costa. Anything you need, Matt, here is yours to abuse," Olivia says with a knowing smirk.

I offer my hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Matt, and don't worry, I will only lightly abuse you," I say, continuing the joke.

"Pleasure to meet the man behind the design. Every staff member is at your disposal and are all excited at your proposals," Matt says. "Would you like to sign in before the grand tour begins? I would like to get it done before anyone arrives. I've had a set of master keys made for you so you can access all areas." We walk to the front desk for me to sign in and get my ID card. "Stephany, this is Mr. James Stokes, and we need to sign him in. Hopefully, you have his ID card already made?"

"Good morning, James. You will need to see me each morning before entering the building. It's a Health and Safety thing that all contractors need to sign in before starting work. When you leave, you must sign out and hand in your ID, so we know you are off-site." Stephany looks at Matt Costa for approval before filling the visitor book in and handing me and Isabel an ID card on a lanyard.

"Do I need to sign in?" Isabel asks.

Stephany's eyes go from me to Isabel. "No, Isabel. We needed to take out separate insurance for the redevelopment. All onsite contractors will need to be. signed in. Because it's only James now, he can sign in here."

"Right, James, if you follow me, I will show you where your office is," Matt says.

"I have an office?" I say, more than surprised.

We head towards the lifts, or should I call them elevators? I stop momentarily as we walk across the expanse of the entrance. I have seen this in photos and videos, and stop momentarily, because seeing it for the first time in real life is breathtaking. Nothing I've seen does it justice as the morning sun floods through the glass, illuminating the Italian marble flooring.

The ping of the elevator arriving makes me refocus on the task ahead. I look at Amelia. "Ready for a long day?" Amelia smiles at me, and we all enter.

The doors close, and Matt turns to me. "We've put you on the same floor as Mac's offices so that you can ask Olivia anything that comes to mind. I'm one floor below, if you need me. All the blueprints you requested have been printed and scanned digitally. We put a copy of that on a tablet for ease of use while you walk around. The keys are labeled and bunched for each of your sectors."

"That sounds great, Matt. It will save a lot of time trying to get access. Is there anywhere I can't go?"

"No, but some places are still open for business, so if you go into an area where people are, use a little common sense." The doors open, and we step out into an old-style lobby.

"Don't worry; there is always something else to do. What time do we need to be out by each evening?"

"The building is open twenty-four-seven, so there's no restriction, but I will remind you to sign out with security if it's past six. James, this young lady is Jaden. If you can't find me, she is your second person to go to. When Mac isn't here, she helps me with the place's day-to-day running."

"Okay, nice to meet you, Jaden," I tell the lady behind the desk. She's blushing, but I'm unsure if it was Matt's compliment or my appearance. I'm not blind; I have noticed many girls eye me and go a deep shade of scarlet whenever I talk to them.

"James, we will be going down for breakfast in ten minutes," Olivia says in her assertive tone that you don't argue with.

We are shown my office, and I'm surprised at the space I've been allotted. The room has several drawing boards with all the blueprints already. There are a couple of workstations with a computer terminal and a desk to set my laptop on. Matt explains that it will give me access to the Intranet and the ability to communicate with different sectors.

We don't start until ten; the first task is to survey the outside. I take photos of anything that catches my eye. Amelia follows behind, looking at what I look at what I do, but staying relatively quiet. After about forty-five minutes of this, I turn to her. "You're not what I expected. I thought I would have to ask you to stop talking."

"I can see why you and Mac have become good friends. You are very much alike. I can also see you looking at Isabel as he looks at Emma. I only talk when I am nervous or have something to say. How you look at me has made me more relaxed, and I'm not sure what you are doing, so I have nothing to say."

"How do I look at you?"

"Like I am a person and not a pair of tits on legs. When you talk to me, you look into my eyes and not down my front. I...I guess I appreciate that and don't need to be guarded..." She looks at me and gives me a nervous smile.

I return her smile and nod an understanding. "If you want to know anything, I am open to answering any question. I am looking around the outside, checking for alterations from the original structure. I'm looking for movement in the building that shouldn't be there and anything that didn't appear on the initial survey. I'm also checking what did turn up on the survey to see if there's any change."

"What, like that filled crack there that's started cracking again?"

"Yes, it shows that the building is still moving, but this side is where we would expect that. We did a ground survey, and they discovered an underground spring here. We will need to cap it off and use it, or channel it to the main drainage system that runs down the center of the main street."

"But that will mean digging up the street."

"Yep. We do it now or wait for the spring to make a big enough hole that something falls into it. It will also give us access to this end of the building to extend the foundation down instead of undermining the whole building."

"Wow. So what's the stick for?"

"The stick has both a lead and steel tip. I'm hoping to do a quick tap test across the road. I'm hoping we still have plenty of time before the work has to be done. If we put the work in our plans, we can save the city millions."

"Another sweetener for the planners?"

"Yep."

We finish the outside and walk across the side road that will need to be dug up, tapping the lead end as we cross. There is no hollow sound, so we still have time. The next job is to go into the cellar and check the external foundation wall and the bottom of each supporting pillar. Stopping for a short break at lunch before finishing all we can do for the first day. It's nearly six when we walk back into the office, and Amelia looks like she's had enough for today. I've done more than I thought we would and am happy with her contribution.

This is how our week goes, but as each day passes, Emelia talks to me more about her private life. I feel she's unhappy with her marriage and will pull the plug sooner or later. I think she only did it to draw a line under her love for Mac and to make her Daddy happy.

By Friday, most of the visual survey is done, and we have made several discoveries and different ideas on how we can get this done to the city planners' satisfaction. Amelia turned out to be a godsend. She fitted in spaces I couldn't and took photos for me. The main issue we will have is with the main support pillars. Some are just sitting on the base and not part of the foundation. The only problem will be when we drill down inside. They might crumble, but we will need to extend them anyway, create a new foundation, and extend them down a floor and a half.

The idea will be to work in four sections and then build up and around. The wiring is all over the place, and heating and air conditioning have been added gradually. Ripping the lot out and starting again as we remodel the interior will be easier.

We are sitting in the office after finishing the week. "So what's next?"

"That's the easy bit done. Next week we need to make some holes and ensure it does what it says on the tin."

"What?"

"Sorry, it's an advert in the UK. We need to check that load-bearing walls are doing what they are meant to be and the ones we have found missing have the correct strengthening. We need to check that the main pillars are still hollow and that there are no hidden surprises."

"Surprises?"

"Yeah, we have just looked for problems; we have listed thirty-six anomalies or things that need to be looked at in more depth. Thirty-Seven if you count the one I feel in my bones, but I need to talk to Mac about that. The idea is to drill down through the pillars. If they're not hollow, we will find that a little difficult. "