Bee picked up the phone. She just couldn't stand it any longer. She needed to talk to Eric, or she felt like her head was going to explode.

"Hello," Eric answered his cell phone.

"Hey. You're never going to guess where I am."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at my aerobics studio."

"You don't do aerobics."

"No, I own this aerobics studio, or I will soon. You know, the one I showed you when you came here? By the way, I found a pair of your underpants in my drawer. Don't worry, I'll just keep them here for the next time you come stay over."

Bee knew Eric was blushing, "What if that was sooner than we were planning?"

"When?" Bee asked intently.

"How about I escort you back to school?"

"Really!"

"Yep. I am renting an apartment near the school. Doctor says I can't play soccer until spring. Might as well make the best of the situation. The disablity leave they're giving me is good enough to rent a decent appartment."

"Thats good for you," Bee smiled.

"Well, I, uh," Eric stammered

Bee had never heard him this inarticulate.

"Do you," Eric continued, "Want tuh—tuh—to muh—move in with me?"

Move in. Wow. Bee groped for words, just as he had before, "I uh, I uh, wow!" was what she got out before her friends came tumbling in to the gym, laughing loudly, "Shh!" Bee ordered her friends.

"What?" asked Eric.

"I wasn't talking to you. My inconsiderate best friends just came barging in. Can you hang on a second?" He said yes, "Guys!" she hissed to her friends, "Shut up! I'm having a very serious conversation here."

"Who is she talking to do you think?" asked Tibby.

"Eric," Carmen said plainly.

Bee held the phone to her chest, "I mean it!" she whispered urgently, "Eric just asked me to move in."

"What did you say?" asked Lena.

"I haven't yet. If you'd all just shut up, I'd tell him yes," Bee answered. She put the phone back to her ear and mouth, "back!" she announced.

"Good," he replied, "so what do you say?"

"On the road we practically lived together. For two months, it was like that. Now that I'm away from you, I realize that I wouldn't want it any other way."

"That means?"

Bee began to speak quickly out of excitement and nervousness, "That means, yes. I would like to live with you. I miss you, and I love you, and I don't think I can spend as much time away from you as we have been," Bee gasped quietly, as did her friends.She had put herself out there and was vulnerable for the first time in three years when she confronted Eric about his behavior.

"You know what Bee?" he said stalling to get his courage up, "I love you too."

Bee nearly melted. It was so long coming. All that time had led up to this moment. In less than a week, she was going to live with a man that she loved, and who loved her back. She was too overwhelmed to speak. Which everyone who knew her would say was a rarity.

"Bee?" Eric asked. He was concerned.

"Yeah. I'm still here. I'm just overwhelmed," she paused. She had the urge to tell him to talk to Tibby for a while while she regained her composure, but she didn't. "So when are you going to get here?" she asked eagerly.

"You're coming back Monday evening right?"

"Yeah."

"Well I'll be there Tuesday by lunch. You'd better make something good!"

Bee scoffed, "So? PB and J?" she asked. She added a nervous laugh accidentally.

"I expect a three course meal," Eric joked. He laughed at his own joke.

"I'm rehabing an aerobics studio, and I'm hoping to do so within this week, so I have no time for food. Listen," she said, trying to wind up the conversation, "I have to tell the girls where to paint. We're rehabing the aerobics studio until we go to the beach. So I guess this is the part of the phone conversation where we say goodbye."

"Bye Bee. It was great to talk to you. I miss you so much."

"I miss you too."

"I love you."

"Love you too, but I have to go. Bye Eric, see you Tuesday."

She hung up the phone, and was still silent. The only sound was the distant music of April's class and her yelling out the counts.

"So where are we painting?" asked Tibby quietly.

Bee opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Finally, she said, "room with all the weights," and pointed.

Bee looked through the room, and wrote down all the equipment that needed to be repaired or replaced. Which was pretty much everything. The free weights were mismatched, the machines were rusty. She got a note pad, and began recording the fixes that needed to be done.

1.Have someone fix the machines

2.Buy new machines in place of the ones that cannot be fixed

3.Replace exercise balls (20)

4.Replace medicine weight balls (15)

5.Call plumber to check out pipes in locker rooms

6.Get the rooms refloored

7.Have someone inspect the foundation, roof and walls

8.Replace the cracked mirror

9.Replace cracked window

There was a lot of work to be done. Suddenly, Bee felt overwhelmed, and wished that she was still on the phone with Eric. That was when April came out of class.

"April?" Bee said in almost a whine, "I need help," she admitted, "I'm really overwhelmed with all this work, and I do not know where anything is in this desk!"

April explained warmly how the desk was organized. That was one hurdle Bee had crossed. To Bee's surprise, April didn't seem like a tyrant at all. She even stayed until midnight painting with the girls and jamming out to music with them. The girls however, painted until the sun rose. Bee realized that her vision would not be met if she did not get help from people who knew what they were doing. Painting was one thing, construction was another. At 8 that morning, she began calling the trades that she needed to be done. First, she asked an inspector to come out. Then she called the plumber, carpet people, window fixer. The inspector came first, and gave her scores more things to fix. She ordered a catalog of exercise machines and other exercise devices.

The man who was to help her with the exercise machines was the owner of a big chain of gyms near Brown. Bee had made friemds with him, during her winter months. She called in the favor. He was vacationing in DC and came into Bethesta almost immediately for 'his favorite girl'. He did what he could for free, but had to buy some parts.

The plumber she called had a guarantee if they didn't come out the day they were called, it was free. While Tibby and Lena were out getting a change of clothes, and fast food, around noon, the plumber arrived. At six o'clock, 2000 later, he left.

The inspector deemed the walls and foundation fine, so the next day, Bee had the carpeters and the window replacers in on the same day. That cost another 3000.