Page 19 of Heir to a Curse
Chapter 7
Asecond sandwich never happened. No sooner did I make it back to the main house than Hitori arrived. Ever the distinguished young man, even in jeans and a T-shirt, he and two other young men I’d never met before helped haul the furniture to the cabin. It took several slow trips through the gardens. The trickiest item being the bed. But they helped me get everything loaded into the living room section, which suddenly felt crowded.
“Congrats,” I told Hitori once everything was in. “On the baby.”
He grinned, the smile lighting up his face. I’d always thought Hitori a handsome man. Not the distinguished old world handsome of his father, but a young and vibrant handsome like those men in K-pop could sometimes be, just not as pretty. “Thank you. Bad timing though.”
I shrugged. “There will always be something. Bet that kid is going to be amazing.”
Hitori ducked his head. “Thank you, Zach. I appreciate you keeping my dad around. He should retire, but doesn’t want to. The house isn’t much work right now, but it keeps him busy.”
“I’m hoping to get it running so it keeps everyone busy. But I don’t want to tax your dad. Should I encourage him to retire? Maybe he can help with the baby?”
“We have months before the baby will be here. Let him work for now. Focus on something other than us. And you keep us informed on anything you need. I’m helping at the shop all summer, and preparing for online classes in the fall. Thankfully a lot of my classes were already being taught online, so I’m not running to catch up like a lot of the other professors.” Hitori pointed to a pile of shoji-style screens they’d brought and leaned against the wall. “Madison said your pictures only showed two of those, so she threw in a few more to create some space. Do you need help getting everything organized?”
I waved him away. “No, go back to your wife and the shop. Don’t worry yourself with this sort of thing. It’s just furniture.”
“The bed is big,” Hitori pointed out.
“But not that heavy. Just awkward,” I said. We’d already dragged it into the area that I planned to use as the bedroom. Once I got the art hung on the wall, I could put the bed in place. “I appreciate the same day delivery.”
“Madison’s father appreciates the sale. Business has been slow. What you bought today helps him stay in business at least another month.”
I frowned at the idea of them losing that beautiful shop. “Is he in trouble?”
Hitori shrugged. “Aren’t all small businesses in this day and age? In a world created to cater to the largest and most powerful businesses, how do any survive? Honestly, there’s been a little trouble. Calls that are disturbing, and one of the front windows has been broken twice. It’s why I stay close to the shop.”
“There’s always a couple assholes out there,” I sighed. “If you guys need help, let me know. I have a bunch of rental properties, and know of some people who might be looking for unique furniture. I’ll spread the word, see if I can drum up some more business.”
Hitori put his hand over his heart. “We are very grateful, of course. For now, it’s mostly business as usual. But we will let you know.”
I nodded and walked with him back to the house where he greeted his father. Letting them have time together, I returned to the cabin and began sorting things out. The art went up on the wall easily, and I centered the bed beneath the panels. A large rectangular box said it contained the memory foam mattress, and when I tried to move it, I realized it weighed a ton.
Wrangling the mattress out of the box was a bit of a dance of insanity. But I finally freed it, and laid it out on the bed to re-inflate as the instructions in the box read. Of course looking over the bed I realized I had no sheets or blankets here and would have to make a trip to Addy’s to retrieve them. Did I have something that would fit? I glanced at the box the mattress had come in. Apparently it had been a queen-sized mattress. I tried to recall what I had back in the city, but most nights when I did return to it, it was just to fall into it in an exhausted sleep. I’d been running at 400 percent since trade school. No wonder I was so startled by the slowdown of the pandemic. My life had never functioned on slow mode before.
I stared at the bed and the beautiful artwork. It wasn’t something I normally did. Personal touches didn’t make good rental spaces. They didn’t sell houses fast. But I wasn’t selling this. Couldn’t. It was in the finalized paperwork. I could lose it all through foreclosure, but couldn’t imagine letting that happen without a fight. Not when it meant letting everyone down.
But I really liked it. The art. The two small side tables Madison had convinced me to buy. The large Ming-style armoire which appeared to be meant for things greater than my work clothes. The elegant corner desk and chair set, which made a good place for my computer. And that was only in the bedroom area. I glanced back at the main living space and heap of furniture pieces. Lots to do. I’d admire my work later. Maybe even send pictures to Addy. Ask her if she thought my design skills were on par with hers. She would laugh and call me cute. She always did.
Then I went to work on the cabinet in the bathroom.
I worked in virtual silence, nothing but the wind as company. If the girls returned, I didn’t hear them pass by. But the bathroom sink went in easily. The kitchen cabinets slid into place as I’d hoped. Even the Tibetan piece fit well as an island of drawers and useable counter space. I didn’t know if I could bring myself to fill it with boring things like hot pads and cooking utensils. It should have been in a museum, though Madison said it was a reproduction. Still felt too elegant for my tastes with the gold accents, and stone top. I spent some time adjusting the location of the table and screens until the cabin felt more like a home. Sections of space without anything really being closed off.
Darkness had fallen before I realized it. I stepped outside the cabin to glance at the shrine. It was closed and dark. No sign of the girls, so I sent a quick text to Jerry, who said he was driving them home, but that the shrine was finished, and he’d see me tomorrow.
I’d probably missed dinner too. But I had some protein bars packed in my bag, and could manage with those. I returned to the cabin, looking it over again, loving the feel of it. Very different than anything I’d had before, it felt like home. Extravagant like I’d never been, yet simple.
A small, low to the ground, chaise sat near the original shelf. I planned to add some books to the shelf down the road. Madison had given Hitori a tea set to provide to me. Small and delicate looking, it was a pale teal like the large center cabinet I’d ordered, with gold rims to the cups. The set had to be an antique, well-loved and used, gold bits repairing some cracks as was common in Japanese tradition. Instead of throwing things away, they made them more beautiful and unique with each fix. It was beautiful and I’d have to talk to Madison about payment for it. Despite Hitori calling it a welcoming gift. It had to be worth far too much to accept as a simple present. Once the stove and small fridge arrived the space would be fully functional, even if it meant a long drive to the grocery store.
I glanced at the bed, finding the mattress large and plush now, inviting, but missing any sort of bedding. Snapping a few pictures around the room that I knew weren’t great because of the late day lighting, I sent them to Addy anyway.
How did I do?I texted her as I dragged my sleeping bag and pillow over, adding to the list on my phone that I’d need actual bedding, and made up a small area. It wasn’t that late, only after nine, but I was tired. I feared if I laid down already, I’d be asleep in minutes despite my growling stomach.My attempt at decorating. A little wild, right?
Her text popped back in a few seconds.Wow, Z. It’s beautiful. Is that a unicorn?
Qilin.I texted back.Chinese thing I need to look up. Means good luck. Or something. Or just a big gay visual for all my future guests.
She sent me back a laughing emoji.Better than a giant dick, I suppose.