Chapter 7
Laura and Remington sat on large paint buckets at a makeshift table in their nearly completed home. The builder and contractor were going over the checklist of items that still needed to be completed.
"Are you sure you don't want the decorator to come back in?" the contractor asked.
Laura smiled at Remington and shook her head, "Nope. We've decided we want to paint all the walls the neutral colors we've already chosen and go from there. We like things simple, don't we, Mr. Steele."
Remington nodded, "Yes we do, Mrs. Steele." He surveyed the open space, and his eyes fell on the backsplash in the kitchen. Horrified, he scrambled to his feet and demanded, "What is this atrocity on the walls of our kitchen, Laura?"
"What do you mean?" she questioned as she followed him across the room.
Remington thrust his hands at the wall and snapped, "That! That is not the tile we picked out!"
Laura frowned as she stared at the black and white tile on the wall. "Are you sure? It looks familiar…" she trailed off.
"I'm quite certain I would never put something that looks like… like… subway tile on the walls of my kitchen. Besides, this is a marble countertop, not granite," Remington insisted with a dramatic eye roll. He folded his arms close to his chest and tucked his hands under his arms with only his thumbs left out. He moved one hand and flicked at his chin for a moment, completely agitated before returning his hand where it was.
Laura gave the contractor a strained look and asked, "Are you sure this is the tile we picked?"
"Yes, ma'am. I got it all right here on my work order. You ordered two types of tiles for this floor. Black and white, three by six and four by eight tiles, and Alaskan white granite," he stated. He tapped the stack of papers on the clipboard in his hand.
Laura forced a smile and held her hand out as she asked, "Can I see those?"
"See for yourself! We ordered what you asked for." The contractor shoved the clipboard in her direction, scratched his head, and adjusted his baseball cap. "I'm telling ya. It's all right there."
Laura studied the pages before her until finally, an idea struck her. She crooked her finger and gestured at her husband. "Mr. Steele, I have a thought. Follow me."
"Really, Laura? Now? Shouldn't we be figuring out how to fix this… atrocious disaster on our kitchen wall?" he groaned.
Laura wiggled her finger once more and stated, "I think I know where your Alaskan white granite is." She took two steps away from him when she heard him grumbling.
"My Alaskan white granite is supposed to be in the kitchen. The simple blends of black and white. I don't ask for much," he complained with an added hmph.
Laura rolled her eyes dramatically and smiled at the contractor and builder as they stared at the couple, confused. She took her husband's hand and tugged him toward the end of the hallway where their new office would be. She stopped at a closed door and placed her hand on the doorknob. "If I'm not mistaken, your Alaskan white granite is in here."
Remington pinched his brows together and stated, "Impossible! If I'm not mistaken, based on the plan we've both agreed on, this is the powder room." Laura twisted the knob and pushed the door open, revealing the contents of the room inside. Remington gasped, "My Alaskan white granite! On a vanity?" He clutched at his chest with one hand while he steadied himself with the other against the doorframe.
Laura stepped into the small half-bath and surveyed the space. With a shrug of her shoulders, she commented, "I think I like it. It's clean, simple, elegant." She glanced up at Remington's shocked expression and added, "Just like you, dear."
Remington's mouth gaped open before he collected himself and stormed back to the kitchen. He pointed to the wall and exclaimed loudly, "I simply cannot have this in my kitchen. I won't have any reminders of the London Underground staring at me while I prepare our meals, Laura. This has to go."
Laura sauntered back into the main area where the two men were watching their every move. She handed the clipboard back to the contractor and informed him, "You got the request backward. The tile was supposed to be on the wall of the powder room, and the granite was the kitchen countertop with a matching backsplash."
The contractor adjusted his baseball cap again and refuted, "That's impossible! Joey wrote the order out right here." He flipped through several pages before he pulled out one smaller sheet and read aloud, "Alaskan white granite…" he stopped, and his face became bright red as he mumbled the next phrase, "for the kitchen counters." He peered up sheepishly at Remington's fuming face and Laura's smug one as he apologized, "Gee, I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened."
The builder took the clipboard from the contractor and promptly smacked him on the head with it. "I told you… these aren't the people you make mistakes with! What the hell is wrong with you!?" The contractor immediately balled up his fist while he grabbed ahold of the builder's shirt.
Remington rushed forward and grabbed the contractor's arm. "Now, now, gentlemen, I'm sure we can resolve this without resorting to any more violence," he tried to appease them.
The contractor struggled against Remington's grip, "I didn't screw this up on purpose! I don't know what happened!"
Laura reached out and patted the contractor on the chest lightly as she assured him, "It's not that bad."
Remington, still struggling with the contractor's arm, countered, "Not that bad? Laura… Alaskan white granite in the loo?"
"I like it, and that's final, Lambchop," she stated firmly as she leveled her stare into Remington's eyes. She raised one eyebrow to punctuate her words.
Remington slowly released the contractor's arm and brushed his hands down the front of his shirt to smooth away any imaginary wrinkles. "Fine," he nodded with pursed lips. "Whatever Mother wants, Mother gets," he stated sarcastically.
Laura exhaled and puffed a loose strand of hair out of her face before she suggested, "Let's see what the bedrooms look like, shall we?" She jutted her elbow for Remington to link his hand into, and together they made their way back to the staircase near the front door. Remington released her arm to allow her to ascend the stairs before him.
Together they explored the second floor of their home. Remington couldn't help be impressed by the craftsmanship on the ornate decorations inlaid in the wood floor of the master bedroom. He wandered through the two over-sized walk-in closets and teased, "Will this be enough space for your things, Laura?"
Laura stood in the center of one closet and reached her arms out on either side of her. "This is bigger than the bathroom in my loft," she gasped in amazement.
"Yes, well, if we were going to do this, it was best we did it right, don't you think?" he teased before he pulled her into his arms. "But I would still like it better if the Alaskan white granite was where it belonged," he admitted.
Laura hugged him tightly, lifted her chin, and replied, "I don't care where it is, as long as you're in my arms."
Remington brushed his lips across hers sweetly before dipping her to the side in one swift move. "Well, then, love, I look forward to when we finish this damn place and move in. I believe you mentioned something about christening every room, eh?" he joked with a toothy grin before he covered her lips with his one more time.
When they finally separated, and Laura was righted on her feet, she placed her hand on his chest to steady herself. "Frances said something about christening every room… so with that in mind, I say we check out the jacuzzi tub in the master bath. Maybe we could start there?" she puckered her lips.
Remington wrapped his arm around her one last time and bounced his eyebrows jokingly, "Well, well, Mrs. Steele. It sounds like you have a plan of attack in mind."
"Something like that." Laura winked.