Charlie IV
Chapter 36
"Rick!" Jim reached him first and shook his hand followed by Johanna giving him a quick hug.
"Kate's at work and Charlie's home alone. You have bags?" Did he have to take them to baggage claim?
"One for each of us. We're staying a week. Where's Martha?" Johanna queried since they'd been told the entire family would be in Hawaii for Christmas this year.
"Mother gets in late. Late enough for Kate to go get her after work." Rick headed toward the baggage claim. "How was your flight?"
"Long and uneventful. Leave Laurel one day and arrive in the morning the next." Jim almost couldn't believe it.
"Time zone changes, it will catch up to you eventually. It's not quite lunch here yet. Would you believe I'm eating breakfast and the first football games being played are already at half-time?" Rick chuckled at it all.
"There are a number of things you have to adjust to living here. Everything costs more. A $4 box of cereal in LA is almost $8 here. Gas is almost $2 more a gallon here and on and on."
"The cost of living in Paradise," Johanna said.
"Make no mistake, if you have the time to enjoy this all, it is Paradise. Our highs while you're here will be close to if not in the 80s. No snow or chance of snow around here. Our Christmas tree is fake. We stand no chance of getting a real one."
"How is Katie?" Johanna inquired knowing her daughter would never admit anything.
"She works long hours and is on call for emergencies. About two weeks ago she was on hand to watch a horse give birth to her colt. Listening to the way Kate talked about it you would think you'd just watched a miracle happen. Adding horses has brought in a lot of clients to the clinic. They all want Kate."
"Good, I'm glad she's happy." Johanna had been a little worried about her.
"Kate's very happy. Her four years have gotten her here and the months she's spent at her job have helped the clinic. Charlie's his normal self. We're not sure but we think he's searched all 12 plus acres we have. It's a lot of grass." Rick knew that since he had walked it several times looking for Charlie.
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"This is us," Rick announced and got out to open the gate, drive through, and let it close behind him since it was on a timer.
"You have a gate?" Jim didn't remember them telling him that.
"That was part of what helped us choose it along with a number of other things."
"Tell me to mind my own business but what did it cost you?" Johanna asked.
"Just a bit over 2.2 million. I got an advance for the book that's out now so we're almost back to 2 million in the bank. Kate pays the monthly bills with her wages and there's money left over for her to spend. I pay the others."
"You didn't get a job?" Johanna questioned him.
"No, at least not yet. I spend my days cleaning, keeping Charlie happy, and writing. About every two weeks I take Charlie to Hilo Medical Center. Charlie makes friends easily. The staff was a bit skeptical at first but they've since changed their tune."
"Charlie's amazing. This is a nice drive, very scenic," Jim remarked as he kept looking around.
"Kate drives it twice a day. Her car is presently a filthy mess. She drives out to emergencies rain or shine and mud puddles don't stop her. The back of her car is packed with supplies for her job. And this is the house." Rick slowed down so they could look.
"Wow!" Now they could see the 2 million price tag.
"This is just the garage. You haven't seen anything yet. Get ready, Charlie's already learned whose car is whose." Rick got out, took out both big suitcases, and dragged them to the front door. He unlocked it and at first the collie was happy to see Rick. Then he spotted Jim and Johanna and began whimpering and whining and demanding that they pet him. He hadn't seen these two in FOREVER!
"Hi, Charlie." Jim and Johanna tried to pet him and hug him at the same time. It was amazing just how much they missed him. He was a part of the family and he was truly loved.
"Let me show you to your room and you can wash up while I put lunch together." Rick motioned for them to follow him and walked across the room to the hallway.
"You cook now?" Johanna was shocked.
"If you want to call making sandwiches and putting out a bag of chips and letting you select your own drink, cooking, then yes, I cook." Rick laughed at himself.
"This is your room." He stepped back let them look it over.
"This is a guest room?" Johanna looked around. The floor was mostly black with veins of white. One wall had nothing but glass and black-out drapes.
"There's a wine cooler that does have a few bottles of wine. Wine glasses, a glass door out onto your own patio, dresser, and TV. We only have satellite. Come find me when you're ready. Charlie knows his way around." Rick left them to unwind after their flight.
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"Interesting floors around here," Johanna commented as they found the kitchen, dining room, living room, and pool table.
"Same 2 foot by 2 foot tiles as in your bedroom. We're thinking they had a sale. We moved the table and four chairs that used to be over there, bought two sofas, and kept the table as a coffee table. The only real seating was outside for some reason."
"Love the glass, it's everywhere. Floor to ceiling." Jim walked up to the glass as Johanna watched Rick put paper plates with sandwiches on them onto a tray.
"Follow me, we're eating outside. Outside, Charlie." They all watched as Charlie struggled with his footing a little on the tile and took off at a run.
"This is the outdoor seating area, the pool, Jacuzzi, and the view," Rick pointed out while they walked outside and out of the A/C. It was nice outside and there was a ceiling fan out here.
"Great pool and with a waterfall." Jim walked to the edge and looked it over.
"Kate liked it for the pool, Jacuzzi, kitchen, and master bedroom plus the view. I like it for the view, pool table, and the theater room that you haven't seen yet. It's a protection TV and it's huge." Rick set his tray down. "Drinks. I'll be right back. Charlie, ball."
Rick went back inside and Jim and Johanna watched what they had seen countless times. Charlie took off looking for a tennis ball. Somehow they were both back at the same time.
Rick put the drinks down and took the ball out of Charlie's mouth but instead of throwing it he put it in something that looked like a wand. They watched as he launched the ball way out into the grass and Charlie was running flat out as it bounced out in front of him
"Dog is supposedly man's best friend. This thing is man's best friend when you have a dog that loves to play ball." Rick laid it down where either Jim or Johanna could reach it if they wanted.
Jim, Johanna, and Rick had a plate and Charlie was back and put it on the sofa next to Jim and took off running.
"Just put the ball in it and whip it out onto the grass." Rick watched Jim do just that.
"Where was this thing when I needed it?" Jim was in love.
Charlie eventually came back but they had food so he simply dropped the ball and watched them.
"You have a lot of Christmas stuff and that was a nice tree," Johanna mentioned.
"Kate thinks I bought too much. Sadly we don't have a fireplace so now Kate's back to not believing in Santa. I'm still working on that." He would win eventually.
"Katie was three when she announced that Santa didn't exist. All those Santas she saw were fakes. And just like that Christmas changed," Johanna admitted. Rick had a difficult job getting Katie to believe again.
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They were all still outside after lunch and thinking about dinner when Charlie suddenly started barking and took off running to go all the way around the house to reach Kate's car.
"That will be Kate and Mother." They all got up, went inside, and headed to the front door.
"Look who I found at the airport," Kate announced as she dragged Martha's bag inside behind her. Martha was stuck petting Charlie. At first he had been happy to see Kate. Now he was even more happy to see Martha.
"Richard!" Martha stopped petting Charlie and moved to hug her son.
"Hello, Mother. I won't ask how your trip was. New York City was a long ways."
"First Class all the way! Thank you, Richard." She had received her ticket that Richard had bought for her.
"I'm not letting my mother fly coach from New York City." He would never subject her to that. "Let me show you to your room." Rick took her bag from Kate and pulled it back to her bedroom.
"Katie!" Johanna hugged her. "I want to hear all about being a vet."
"Hi, Dad." Kate was happy they were both here. She had missed them. "Not a lot to tell. It's mostly dogs, cats, an occasional other animal that's a pet, along with the trips out to see horses. Most of those just need to have their teeth ground down. Force water into their stomach, clean out hooves. Sometimes it's bad but I haven't lost a horse yet.
"Then there are the emergency phone calls that have me driving out into the middle of nowhere but I don't mind. It's my job and I actually do like it. Has Rick shown you the house?" She was betting he had but wanted to make sure.
"All two million dollars worth," Johanna confirmed.
"Rick's money from his books. I couldn't begin to afford this place. I get to pay the bills but we wouldn't be here without him." Kate gave him all the credit.
"Have you heard anything about Gina after what she tried to do?" Jim inquired. Johanna hadn't asked. She and Jim had done their jobs and Rick got the contract he deserved.
"Nothing. I don't even know if Rick has asked. She's gone so far as I know and so long as she stays that way I don't really care. Hopefully she got fired and works in a library somewhere." Kate was hoping a library in Columbia or a drug town in Mexico. Strung out on drugs.
"Neither do we," Jim told her. Then Rick, Martha, and Charlie were back.
"Babe, I have something to tell you."
Rick took a guess. "You're pregnant?"
"No!" she huffed in annoyance, "I'm not pregnant. We can talk about that later. I invited Lanie to fly out and spend Christmas with us so she'll be getting one of our bedrooms. She flies home the next day."
"Lanie... Your friend from MSU? I don't mind, she can come as often as she wishes."
Kate grinned. "Good because she got an ME job in Honolulu so it's just a quick island hop flight for her. I sent her an airline ticket."
"Still happy. Christmas should be celebrated with family and friends and we have 5 bedrooms." Rick got kissed for his answer. "I'm going to have to go out and get her a Christmas present now. Or you can or we both can." He wanted to make sure she had a present to unwrap. It wouldn't be Christmas if everyone didn't have at least one present.
"I'll get her something." Kate would take care of that and kissed him yet again for that as well.
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"Katherine!" Martha was all smiles that it was her daughter-in-law meeting her at the plane. She loved their very expensive house, liked Hawaii, and coming for a visit. She didn't love the incredibly long flights that came with it. Thankfully her son got her First Class seats again. But she loved New York City and had no intention of leaving. She was born there and she would die there. Preferably on stage and doing it very well.
"Hi, Martha." Kate returned her hug.
"So where's my son this time?" As much as she adored Katherine, Richard should be here.
"He has Charlie and took him to our hospital for a visit. Charlie's a Therapy Dog and very good at his job."
"At least he has a good excuse." Martha would give him that.
A trip to baggage claim and out to her dark green and very dirty car. "Don't you ever wash this thing?" Martha mostly saw dirt and dried mud. Thankfully the rear window had a wiper or no one would see out it.
"I let the rain wash it. The mud from yesterday has all dried up. I might get Rick to wash it eventually." Kate did her best to stuff Martha's suitcase that weighed a ton into the backseat. The back of her car was packed with vet supplies.
"So how is life as a veterinarian?" Martha asked her.
"Pretty good. It's mostly pets of various types though I get to do all the horses. That's how my car gets so dirty. I'm thinking of leaving it outside. It's suppose to rain tonight. Wash it clean or cleaner, anyway.
"How is acting? Rick doesn't tell me anything." Maybe because he didn't know but she doubted that.
"Slowed considerably. I've gotten old. Too old to be called Mother and old enough to be called Grandma. There aren't many parts for a grandmother. But I have hopes for the next one. I might even get to travel again. That will be fun. Lots of single men in other cities." Martha would find them.
Kate gaped at her. "Martha!"
"I may be old, Katherine, but I'm not dead. Not yet. So where are my grandchildren for me to spoil rotten?"
"Now you sound like my mother." Kate wasn't ready to be pregnant. She hadn't had her job long enough to get pregnant and go on maternity leave. What if he replaced her while she was pregnant?
"Brilliant minds think alike," Martha proclaimed.
"Well no children. We haven't talked about that yet and don't you dare remind me that we have 5 bedrooms." Kate wagged her finger at Martha.
"I would never! But you do have 4 empty bedrooms," Martha reminded her sweetly.
"Just two," she corrected her. "My parents are in one and you get the other."
"For one whole week and then it's back to 4 empty bedrooms." Martha corrected her this time and listened to Kate growl. She laughed.
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It was Christmas Day and Jo was up making breakfast. She didn't know who cooked in this family. Her own daughter barely even listened to her while she was trying to teach her and Rick used to be a bachelor. However the Viking 60 inch side by side refrigerator/freezer was full of stuff so they were doing something. And she loved the Vulcan 6 burner natural gas range. It had a griddle and two standard ovens. Jo was in heaven!
Finally her husband and Rick showed up. Jo took the skillet off the stove and turned to her son-in-law. "And where's Katie?"
"She went to the airport to pick up her friend Lanie. She's going to stay for 3 days and 2 nights. Gone just before you go back home. As soon as she gets here we can open presents. Unless her plane is delayed and then I'm going to SCREAM!"
Rick loved Christmas. The house had even more Christmas decorations than last time.
Johanna shook her head. Her daughter had her hands full with him. At least at Christmas. "So your new book is out."
He chuckled since he knew what Jo wanted. "Yes, it is. I won't know if it hit the best seller list till after New Years, but here's hoping. I've already signed your copy and left it on your bed to take home with you."
"Thank you. For that I'll give you an extra piece of bacon." She grinned at him. "I don't want you to get fat. So where's Martha?" Jo hadn't seen her this morning yet.
"Mother doesn't do mornings. She's more of a stay up all night type of person."
"Ahhh." Johanna got it now.
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"Lanie!" Kate opened her arms wide so they could hug when she reached her.
"Girlfriend!" Lanie crushed her in a bear hug till she heard Kate finally grunt. "So where is this handsome husband of yours and I so want to see this 2 million dollar house." Of course she was here for Kate, too.
"In our 2 million dollar house along with my parents and his mother. Rick's probably bursting, waiting for us so he can open his presents." Kate rolled her eyes.
"Baggage Claim?" Kate asked her.
"Of course. I packed 5 swimsuits, 4 summer dresses, and some other odds and ends like my favorite teddy. This island does have a beach right?" Lanie took hold of Kate's arm and went off toward Baggage Claim.
"Several," Kate replied. "Let me guess. You packed a box of condoms too?"
Lanie rolled her eyes. "Of course I did. I'm not the one trying to get pregnant."
"OH GOD! Not you, too." Seemingly everyone was trying to get her pregnant. Plus she got to listen to Lanie laugh at her.
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"Kate's home," Rick announced given that Charlie took off for the front door barking even if she probably hadn't even parked her car yet.
"Lanie, this is my husband, Rick. My parents, Jim and Johanna, and I don't see Rick's mother, Martha." Kate looked around but still didn't see her.
"You've been holding out on me, girlfriend. He's dreamy. Where have you been all my life?" Lanie looked him over from head to toe and liked what she saw.
"Down, Lanie," Kate whispered.
"Um... LA?" Rick answered confusedly and listened to Kate and Johanna burst out laughing.
Once they all were in the living room, Rick hustled everyone to the Christmas tree and handed out presents. Even Lanie found one being dropped in her lap.
After that they all went into the dinning room to enjoy the incredible food Johanna had made to celebrate the holiday.
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Rick, Lanie, and Kate were outside in swimsuits ready to get into the pool. Charlie was inside keeping everyone else company.
"Tell me again what's out there." Lanie nodded toward their backyard.
"Fruit trees, lots and lots of fruit trees," Kate said. "Over 10,000 pounds of fruit trees. Most of them ripen in late June and into July. We hired an army of workers to pick them last time. We even found out there's a small barn out there hidden away with all the tools needed to do just that."
"As for the grass." That was its own problem.
"Don't look at me. I don't cut it. I grew up in a big city; we didn't have grass. The only grass I ever saw was in Central Park."
"We decided to hire a team of landscapers. They cut the grass, trim the trees and bushes, and put down fertilizer," Kate explained. "Thankfully it rains a lot here so we don't have to water anything." She watched as Rick plunged into the pool.
"A writer, huh?" Lanie was thinking she was looking for men in all the wrong places. Rick was handsome AND rich. Then she screamed when Kate pushed her into the pool for eyeing her husband. AGAIN!