One Week Later: Congress Street, Portland, Maine
"A walk up?" Sophie asked unhappily, cultured accent echoing off the stairwell walls.
Ahead of her, Nathan shot Hardison a look, causing the computer genius to hastily say, "There's an elevator. It's just not working."
Already on the fourth (and top) floor landing, Parker leaned over the railing to look down at them. "It's only four flights," the blond said. "I kinda like the stairs."
"You like the vertical drop down the middle," Eliot commented, joining her in observing the others. "So how long's the elevator been broke down?"
Hardison scowled up at him. "About a year," he muttered, then began quickened his own ascent up the stairs as he sensed Sophie's increasing displeasure.
Obviously not too pleased himself, Nate took Sophie's arm and said, "We'll get the elevator fixed."
"Stairs are good cardio," Eliot said with a hint of a laugh in his voice.
The office space Hardison had found took up half of the top floor of a four story building on Congress Street in Portland's Old Port District. The building itself was older, with storefronts lining the first level, then red brick extending up to the roof. The door to their office suite was a heavy, stained Oak with a tarnished brass knob.
"I'll see about updating this lock," Hardison said, mumbling under his breath about key cards and scanners and wiring, as he opened the door to the empty reception area. The walls were a matte off white shade while the floors and wood work were weathered white pine. It had a very different feel than their old office, much less modern and streamlined.
They all took a few minutes to look around, peering into doorways and offices, taking note of the conference room, storage room, little kitchenette and bathroom. Eventually, they made their way back to the reception area, Sophie already discussing getting painters in to deal with the walls.
"I'm thinking maybe a sand tone as the main wall color and maybe some forest green accents, in keeping with the charm of the building," she told Parker, who looked back at her with a puzzled expression.
"The important question," Hardison said with a grin, drawing everyone's attention, "is what wall to hang the picture of Old Man Leverage on?"
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Reviews please J Also, if anyone would like to see how I envisioned the office floor plan, just ask and I'll send an attachment of the plan I mocked up.
