Mari & Ilna-you guys are quite simply the best of the best. Awesome doesn't even begin to describe you. I can never possibly express how much fun this is for me and how glad I am to be on this ride with the two of you. Two years and still going strong. Here's to many more!
Sandy-You are all that and a big bag of salt and vinegar chips.
REAL Worlders-HERE WE GO! You guys have been absolutely amazing over the last two years and I am so very grateful you're all along on this adventure with us. As always I'm woefully behind on responding to reviews-ok let's be honest I haven't responded to one in months, years possibly-but PLEASE know that every word is read and appreciated and treasured and my lack of response is truly nothing more than a case of not enough hours in a day
Mari is on vacation this week so you're stuck with an extra story from me. :-) But rest assured, Mari will be back next Monday!
Settling In (1/1)
McGarrett Rollins Home
Monday 11:15 A.M.
"This is one of the most beautiful bathrooms I've ever seen, Elizabeth said as her eyes moved slowly across every surface in Steve and Catherine's newly remodeled master bath.
"It looks like the bathroom in a fancy hotel," Mary chimed in. "And we just spent a week at the Hilton so I know from fancy hotels."
Catherine and Steve smiled proudly.
Catherine's parents and grandmother, along with Mary, Aaron and Joan had stopped at the beach house to have lunch and see the new bathroom before they headed to the airport for a late afternoon flight.
"And the most impressive thing is you did it all yourselves." Elizabeth stepped forward to get a closer look at the tile in the shower.
"We hired a contractor to move the wall and reconfigure the plumbing," Steve responded.
Mary ran her hand along the edge of the soaking tub. "But all the rest of it, the really awesome stuff, you did yourselves."
"Pwe-tty," Joan said as she pointed to the new sinks.
"You should be very proud," Grandma Ang said firmly. "This is a first-rate job."
Joseph and Aaron watched from the doorway as the women continued to ooh and ahh over every detail.
"I have a funny feeling there's a bathroom remodel in my future," Joseph said.
"You and me both," Aaron chuckled.
"And look," Catherine said excitedly as she moved to the double sinks. "Steve surprised me by having the bowls our rings were carried down the aisle in set into the vanity as jewelry holders.
Aaron shook his head as sounds of awww filled the room. "You really need to have a talk with Steve about how he keeps setting the bar so high."
"Me?" Joseph smiled incredulously. "Why can't you talk to him?"
"He'll listen to you," Aaron argued. "From me it'll just sound like sour grapes."
"You two realize I can hear you, right?" Steve grinned.
"I'm just sayin'," Aaron sighed. "You're a pretty tough act to live up to."
"That's okay, sweetie," Mary said soothingly. "Not every man can be as good at romantic gestures as Steve."
"Bet that's a sentence you never thought you'd hear," Steve laughed as he stepped beside Catherine and dropped an arm across her shoulders.
She looked up and caught their reflections in the mirror, both smiling brightly and said, "I knew it all along."
"So, can I see these amazing color changing tiles I've been hearing about?" Mary asked.
"You sure can," Steve smiled.
He reached into the shower and turned on the hot water and within seconds the tiles appeared to come alive. The black finish morphed into various, ever changing, shades of green and blue. As the water continued to flow and the temperature in the shower increased the colors the colors remained in constant motion.
Joan squealed delightedly from her mother's arms.
"That is amazing," Mary said. "And does that shower have … is that a full length spray?"
"Multi-level shower heads," Steve nodded enthusiastically. "It really helps loosen up tight muscles in your back and legs."
"Among other things," Mary whispered so only Catherine could hear.
"And look, if you touch the tiles the heat of your body changes them."
Steve placed his hand against the tile for a few seconds then removed it revealing a perfect handprint.
"I twy," Joan said insistently.
Steve reached into the shower and adjusted the water, making sure it wasn't too hot for Joan, then held out his arms. His niece came to him immediately and he helped her make her own handprint on the shower wall.
"I did it!" she squealed. "Ma-ma. My hand!"
"I see that, peanut. That's cool, isn't it?"
Joan squirmed to get down and Steve obliged.
Before anyone could react she jumped into the shower fully clothed and pressed her entire body against the wall.
"Joanie," Steve grabbed for her but it was too late. She had walked directly under the spray and was soaked head to toe.
She clapped excitedly when she pulled back and saw a toddler shaped swath of color on the tile.
"Look Ann Caf!" she said as she moved her hands all along the wall leaving changing colors in their wake.
"I see," Catherine chuckled as she pulled out her phone and snapped half a dozen pictures. "That's awesome."
"Sorry, Mare," Steve looked at his sister sheepishly.
"No problem," she laughed. "I have a change of clothes in the diaper bag."
"Are you ready to get out of the shower and get changed, Joanie?" Steve asked.
No," Joan replied adamantly as she continued to touch the tiles and be fascinated by their constant color changes.
"Why don't you guys stay up here and play for a while," Catherine snorted. "I'm gonna go downstairs and get lunch ready."
"I'll give you a hand," Joseph offered.
"I ran to Foodland this morning and grabbed some stuff for sandwiches," Catherine said as they entered the kitchen. "Then I threw together a quick pasta salad."
"Sounds delicious," Joseph replied. "I hope you didn't go to any trouble."
"None at all," Catherine said as she began removing items from the refrigerator. "Something on your mind, Dad? You looked a little pensive upstairs."
"I just …" Joseph started then hesitated. "Please feel free to tell me if I'm sticking my nose in somewhere it doesn't belong."
Catherine nodded and he continued.
"That bathroom is amazing."
"Thanks," she smiled, sensing her father was working up to something. She knew the bathroom wasn't the only thing on his mind. "We're proud of it."
"As well you should be." Joseph leaned against the island and began arranging rolls on a tray.
"I saw those color changing tiles on tv. They're very pricey."
Catherine smiled softly at her father's concern. "Usually they are. But luckily we were able to get them at cost through a friend. Danny calls it the 'I know a guy' discount."
Joseph chuckled.
"At first we didn't want to accept the offer because we met the guy on a case, but the truth is we've become friends since then and his offer had nothing at all to do with our positions at Five-0," Catherine explained as she took the plastic wrap off a plate of cold cuts she'd prepared earlier. "Steve actually talked to the governor about it and he didn't see any problem. If it wasn't for the discount, we definitely wouldn't have been able to do the entire shower."
"I figured it was something like that," Joseph said. "I know neither you nor Steve are frivolous with money."
"We set a budget for every remodeling project and we try really hard to stick to it." Catherine glanced at the backsplash and couldn't help but smile at the memory of the day Steve surprised her with it. "Sometimes we go a little over budget but it's never anything we can't handle."
"I'm sure it isn't," Joseph nodded. "It's just that this house … it's an incredibly valuable asset. I just wanted to be sure that as you make these improvements you're also making the necessary adjustments with your insurance."
"We are, Dad. I promise. But thanks for checking."
"I've never worried about you when it comes to financial matters," Joseph said sincerely. "You've always been very responsible. I know from talking to Steve all these years he's the same way."
Catherine nodded. "Right now our focus is on the mortgage. Our plan is to pay extra every month and bring it down from thirty years to twenty. Maybe even fifteen."
"That's an ambitious goal."
"So far, so good," Catherine smiled.
"Have you looked into how filing taxes as a married couple is going to affect you?"
"We have an appointment with the accountant this week," Catherine said. "He took a preliminary look last month and has a few small suggestions about things we might want to tweak but nothing major."
"I should have known you two would have already thought of all these things," Joseph said proudly
"You always taught me to stay on top of financial issues."
"I'm very proud of you, sweetheart. So many couples put these kinds of discussions off thinking they'll get to it later and then something bad happens and it's a nightmare." He looked at Catherine seriously. "Not that I think anything bad is going to happen, and I pray every night it doesn't, but life is unpredictable. For anyone let alone people with jobs like yours and Steve's."
"We know that," Catherine reassured her father. "There's not much to change insurance wise since I've been Steve's beneficiary and he's been mine for a while now."
Joseph was completely unsurprised by that news.
"We have an appointment at the bank tomorrow. We're going to combine our checking and savings accounts into joint accounts."
Joseph nodded.
"We're going to leave out retirement accounts as they are. The man who handles them for us said there's no real advantage to changing anything there."
"Do you still contribute something from every paycheck," Joseph asked.
"Every one since the very first one," Catherine confirmed.
"This," Joseph beamed, "Is why your grandfather left you his beloved Corvette. He knew you'd look after it. Take pride in it. And take meticulous care of it."
Catherine smiled.
"I hope he'd also be proud of what I did with the money he left me. I mean … that's what made it possible for me to buy my own place here in Hawaii. I definitely couldn't have swung the down payment on my navy salary."
"It was exactly the kind of thing he left the money for. I'm sure he'd have been thrilled he could help."
"I was able to use the money I made from selling my house as a down payment when we got the mortgage to buy Mary's half of this house. It lowered the monthly payments and made it easier for us to pay extra every month and get it paid off faster."
"I'm very proud of you sweetie, both of you." Joseph smiled. "Even though you're all grown up and a married woman now," his eyes twinkled, "I still want to make sure you're all set for the future."
"I appreciate you worrying, Dad. But we're fine."
"Oh my, that little angel thinks your shower is her own private water park," Grandma Ang laughed as she entered the kitchen on Steve's arm.
"They're changing Joanie now but they'll be down in a second," Steve added.
Catherine put a spoon in the bowl of pasta salad and smiled. "We're ready."
"Did you happen to catch the highlights of the Cubs game last night?" Grandma Ang asked as they settled down on the deck for lunch.
Cammie took up a position right behind Joan hoping she'd be the recipient of some dropped morsels.
"I did," Catherine grinned excitedly. "A great come from behind win."
"To sweep the Nationals," Grandma Ang clapped excitedly. "I could hardly believe it."
"YAY!" Joanie threw her arms up in the air. She had no idea at all what she was celebrating but if Grandma Ang was happy she was happy too.
"Are you gonna be a Cubs fan, peanut?" Mary laughed.
"Of course she is," Catherine grinned. "Because she has excellent taste."
Elizabeth smiled as she watched her mother and daughter celebrate the win. "I missed the highlights," she said. "What happened?"
Both women looked at Elizabeth incredulously.
"You have to make it a point to watch the highlights if you can't get the game on television," Ang said.
"The team needs to feel our support even if we can't be there in person," Catherine added.
Steve and Joseph shared a look of amusement.
Elizabeth grinned. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Javier Baez hit a homer in the 13th to win it!" Catherine pumped her fist.
"But the best part was poor Kyle Schwarber doing a one legged victory hop in the dugout while all his teammates swarmed the field," Ang laughed.
"Poor guy and his torn ACL."
"He'll be back next season," Ang said confidently. "Ready to help us defend our World Series title."
"Gram!" Catherine gasped. "Now you have to turn around three times and spit to avoid the jinx."
"Totally worth it," Ang smirked.
"We have the MLB package on our cable so you'll be able to see the Cubs games at our house," Aaron said.
"We get every sports contest known to man." Mary rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Wouldn't want to miss even one. If it involves a ball, a stick, or a racquet of any kind … we get it"
"I think it's great you're gonna spend a few days in California before heading home," Catherine smiled.
"I had a colleague overnight the exams be proctored for me to the hotel and the grades on those aren't due for a week so I have plenty of time," Elizabeth explained. "We thought it would be nice to visit for a few days. Joan assures us she has a whole pile of new books that need read to her."
Joan smiled and nodded happily.
"And we'll watch a Cubs game, right Joan?" Grandma Ang smiled.
"Cubs game," Joan said excitedly.
"You better be teaching her to like the Cubs and the Cowboys," Catherine warned Aaron.
He raised his hand as though swearing an oath. "Definitely, I know better than to root for anyone but them," he grinned then lowered his hand.
"This tub was a very good idea," Steve said as his breathing finally began to return to normal. "A VERY good idea."
"I couldn't agree more," Catherine purred as she settled back against his chest with a contented sigh.
As soon as they said their goodbyes after lunch and Elizabeth, Joseph, Grandma Ang, Mary, Aaron and Joan headed for the airport they decided it was past time to break in the new soaking tub.
"I foresee a lot more baths in our future," Steve said as he traced small circles on her abdomen with his finger.
"I look forward to it," she smiled.
"What were you and your dad talking about when Grandma Ang and I came into the kitchen before lunch? It looked serious."
"Not really," she said as she covered his hand with her own. "He was just worried we'd blown our savings on the tiles for the shower."
"Really?" Steve chuckled.
"Apparently he saw them on television and knows how expensive they are."
Steve laced their fingers together. "Did you tell him we got a deal?"
Catherine nodded and brushed her fingers across the outside of his thigh. "He said he figured it was something like that because he knows we're not the overspending types."
"Definitely not."
"He wasn't trying to be nosey, he just wanted to make sure we were taking care of any potential insurance issues after all the remodeling we've done."
"We are thanks to you," Steve kissed her cheek. "You're the one who stays on top of all that kind of stuff."
"I always remember my grandfather saying the time to think about things like that is before something bad happens not after."
"A very smart policy."
Steve kissed her shoulder.
"He also wanted to make sure we knew what changes would be coming since we'll be filing taxes jointly now."
Steve grinned. "I can't wait to check the married box."
"Same here," Catherine raised their linked hands and smiled at their rings. "I told him we've been each other's beneficiaries for years so there won't be many things that need adjusting there."
"I always hear people saying they need to up their life insurance after they get married," Steve said. "Do you think we need to do that?"
"I don't know. We could look into it."
Steve shrugged. "Maybe we should. Just in case. What time is our appointment at the bank tomorrow?"
"10:30."
"Sounds good."
They sat in silence for a few minutes then Catherine asked, "Do you remember the Keating case?"
Steve searched his memory. "The guy who shot his brother in a fight over their father's will?"
"Yeah," Catherine sighed. "I want to put your name on the title to the Corvette." She turned so she was straddling his lap and facing him. "Not that I think anyone in our families would cause any sort of problems but it's just … that car was left to me by my grandfather and I love my cousins but you never know … I'd just feel better."
Steve kissed her gently on the lips. "Ok, we'll change the title to the truck to add you too."
"You don't have to do that … I wasn't expecting."
"It's ok. I want to. Like you said … no one we know is likely to make it an issue but better safe than sorry."
"You know," she purred as she pressed against him, "Money is the number one thing most couples fight about. And that's because they let little things build up until they become big things and then it ends in a screaming match."
Steve kissed her. "We're not most couples."
"We definitely aren't. Still … I like that we can talk about things like this."
"Me too." Steve kissed her again then grinned. "Though full disclosure, there's very little I wouldn't be willing to talk to you about when you're naked."
"I'll keep that in mind." She waggled her eyebrows. "You know, at the wedding I heard Philip's wife Natalie asking Aunt Susan if we had a prenup."
Steve looked confused. "Why would we need a prenup?"
"Apparently Philip and Natalie have one."
"If they feel like that works for them," Steve shrugged.
"I doubt they know I'm already on the deed to the house. Apparently they think I'm the type who would try to take half your stuff."
He locked eyes with her. "You can have all my stuff. Besides, I haven't thought about it as my stuff since you set me straight about referring to the money you put down on the mortgage as your money."
"It's our stuff," Catherine kissed him and felt his arousal press against her. "And our money."
"Exactly."
"But I'm serious, Steve," she pulled back. "I love that we can talk to each other about anything. This is really nice."
"Apparently the soaking tub has multiple uses," he smiled.
"Good to know."
"So now that we have all that straightened out … it is all straightened out right?" he asked sincerely. He was more than happy to talk some more if she wanted.
"It's all straightened out," she nodded happily.
"Then perhaps we might explore one of the other uses of the soaking tub," he grinned wolfishly.
"Bring it on, sailor."
THE END
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