Authors Note: This is part of a series and is built on characters and settings from previous chapters.
I was just finishing up the final touches on a photo CD for a wedding I had recently shot when I heard the jingle of the bell hanging on the front door. I got up and walked through the curtain to the main area of my downtown studio, the morning sun shining through the plate glass windows backlighting the customer standing just inside the door. The bright contrast between her shadowed face and the sunshine behind her prevented me from seeing much detail, but the outline was that of a woman, only slightly shorter than I was, with very sensual curves, even though her attire was clearly not intended to accentuate it. As I drew closer I could see the roughness of the jeans she wore and the bright orange of the t-shirt - a stark contrast to the light golden mane of blond hair cascading over one shoulder.
Closer still, I could now make out the black imprinting on the orange shirt that clearly, and appropriately, indicated "Sunny's Interiors".
"Hello. I'm looking for Scott?" She asked tentatively.
"You found him!" I replied, extending my hand.
"Hi. Miranda sent me over to see you. Said you might be interested in having some interior renovations done?" She asked.
"Yes. I do." I answered as she looked around at the studio.
"I don't usually do commercial spaces, but I'll be happy to look at what you're interested in." She answered.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I guess Miranda didn't tell you. I just closed on a farm house out in the country, and I want to renovate it for both living space and my professional studio." I told her.
"Ahhhh. No she didn't tell me that, just that this was a job I didn't want to pass up." Sunny responded.
"Well, I guess we should go out and look at the place then." I said, as I headed back into the office for my coat. I came back a moment later and followed her out into the chilly morning air. "Do you want to just ride with me or drive yourself?" I asked, looking at the big one ton pickup with her company name stenciled on the door.
"Well, you can drive if you want. I'll save the gas." She replied with a smile.
"Ok. This way." I said leading the way down the street to where my SUV was parked. I unlocked the door and climbed in while she walked around to the passenger side.
*******
It was only a short drive out of town, but long enough to learn that she has been in business for several years and specialized in high end interior work. I outlined the project in words for her to give her some idea of the scope before we got there.
"Nice setting!" She said as we drove down the nearly quarter mile long gravel driveway.
"Thanks. I think it will be nice." I answered as I pulled up in front of the two story farm house. While the outside looked really nice, with a new steel roof and all new steel siding, the interior needed quite a bit of work. I led her into the first floor and described to her what I was looking for, a formal photo studio in the main room, with the rest partitioned off into a den and eat-in kitchen. I led her up to the second floor and showed her the master bedroom and the totally inadequate bathroom. Finally I took her up to the attic to show her the layout, the door still off its hinges and the quilt Miranda and I had used, still spread on the floor. It took a few minutes to describe what I wanted to do with the area, including replacing the tiny window with French door and an outside balcony. Since I wanted a balcony off the master bedroom on the second floor as well, she indicated that she didn't see any problems with the addition.
"There is one more thing. I work with a LOT of electrical and computer equipment and the sixty amp fuse box in the basement is not going to cut it." I said as we walked back down the stairs.
"Well, let's go take a look." She said as she followed me down. I led her down to the main floor and then down the rickety steps to the basement. "These steps need to go too." She said as the stairs wiggled under our combined weight. She pulled a small flashlight from her pocket and used it to examine the structure of the floor above as well as the wiring leading to the electrical box.
"Well?"
"You're not going to like this. The whole house is wired with old cloth and tar insulated wire. As soon as I touch it it's going to fall apart. The only way we can upgrade the wiring is to replace it all, and that means tearing every bit of plaster on the first floor down so we can get to the wires for the second floor."
"Well, if that's what you have to do." I answered.
"It's expensive." She said, looking back at me.
"How expensive?"
"Ohhh I'd estimate thirty to forty. Maybe a tad less because we are already going to be doing a bunch of remodeling on the first floor."
"Ok." I said with a shrug. "I figured we'd have to rewire the whole house, so having it confirmed isn't a surprise. I want a full two hundred amp service with extra outlets in both studios for the lighting."
"We can do that." She said flicking off the tiny light.
"When can you have some numbers for me?" I asked as I led her back up the stairs.
"Well. If you don't mind I'd like to get my designer involved. How about I have her come by and see you and let her work up some floor plans and then I'll get you an estimate."
"Works for me." I said. "Guess we're done here for now."
"For now." She said, taking one last look around before following me toward the door. I drove us into town in silence while she made notes on the clipboard she carried.
"Thanks for the ride. I'll have Amy come see you this afternoon if she's free." Sunny said with a smile as she got out of my SUV.
"Sounds like a plan." I answered as she walked around the car, holding her hand out.
"Going to be a pleasure to work with you." She said with a huge smile, giving me a surprisingly firm handshake at the same time.
I watched her drive off before heading off to look at some camera gear a friend had acquired in an estate sale.
******
"Hey Jack!" I called as I walked into my buddy's garage.
"Scott. Glad you could come by." He said as he tossed the sanding block onto the workbench near where the newly built cabinet stood.
"It's looking good!" I said inspecting the expert craftsmanship Jack had put into the unit. Jack and I had designed the new cabinet specifically to hold my camera gear and keep it organized. Jack enjoyed working and taking on something special for a friend was exactly the kind of thing he loved to do.
"Thanks. It's coming along pretty good. It'll probably be done for you in a few more days."
"Couldn't ask for more." I answered in appreciation.
"Come on in and have a beer. I'll show you what I came up with." He said as he headed for the kitchen door.
"Hey Scott! How's it going?" Felicia, Jack's wife, said from in front of the kitchen sink when I stepped in the door.
"Hey Liesh." I said, stepping over and giving her the hug she customarily requested.
"You staying for dinner tonight? I got a pot roast in the oven." She said, pressing her curvatious body against mine and giving me a friendly peck on the cheek. She had always been a bit of a "huggy" person, but for some reason she seemed to enjoy hugging me even more than most friends. I often wondered if it was because it made me uncomfortable or because she knew that pressing her tits against me always gave me a hard on.
"I'd love to, but I still have to get back to the shop and pack. I have a shoot in Columbia tomorrow."
"Awwww. I suppose that means fast food for you again? You really need to eat better." She said as she stepped back away from me as Jack walked back into the kitchen with a large cardboard box.
"Here you go. This stuff was buried in the bottom of a box of sandpaper and stuff. No idea how it got all mixed in with that stuff, but I don't really have any use for it."
"Yeah. He wouldn't know which end to point with." Felicia joked, giving her husband's arm a squeeze. "He can carve a picture better than he can take one."
"Well this is some really good gear here. Cannon EOS digital? Damn...this is high dollar stuff. Even the lenses are all still in the original boxes." I said as I dug through the box of gear. I pulled the camera out and flicked it on, surprised to see that the battery still had some charge in it. "Say cheese!" I called to Felicia as I focused on her and flicked the shutter. "Looks like it works." I said, showing him the preview of his wife on the small LCD on the back of the camera. "You sure you don't want to keep this stuff?"
"Naw. Liesh has it right. I don't know spit about taking pictures. Besides, I paid ten bucks for the whole box."
"Well, it was a hell of a deal. There's several grand worth of stuff here."
"Well if you can use it, how about a case of beer and a promise to come over for dinner soon."
"You drive a hard bargain." I laughed. "Ok. A case of beer and how about dinner this weekend?"
