CH19

It is now two weeks later: (Mid October)

The contractor turned out to be behind schedule by almost a week. It was now complete and they were finally able to meet with their interior decorator who had made arrangements to have their new furnishings delivered at the church house. They pulled up in a taxi to see a large truck parked outside blocking one of the lanes of the street, forcing everyone to go around it.

They found their decorator at the front of the truck along with five other men who already had the side doors open and had their carts and dollies already out and on the sidewalk. This was just the first of three deliveries that were going to take place today. The other two were the ones that Kate knew nothing about. They were going to be a surprise to her.

Their contractor stepped up. "Ready for your tour? I brought Jimmy with me and he is going to stay behind to fix anything you find that you don't like. If a job is too big for him we'll be back tomorrow to work on it."

"You three go ahead. We'll begin unloading and start in the bedrooms, so you might want to go there first," their decorator told them.

The front door was on the lower level where the bedrooms were located. Kate was giddy with excitement. She and Castle had spent the last few days boxing up the apartment for the move later today. If everything went according to plan, they would sleep here tonight for the first time.

The hallway looked done with the wood wainscoting on the walls. The solid wood door leading into the main guest room was right in front of them. There was a closet on their left for their coats, umbrellas, and snow shoes. The other closet had been removed so a table could be placed providing a space for Kate to drop her bag, keys, and put her weapon away. Right away Kate saw the little dark red square. She pressed her finger on it. It popped open and tilted out to reveal the empty gun safe. They would have their finger prints scanned so only they could open all of them later.

The bedroom was done and Kate loved the color of the accent wall. There was one huge window and one smaller one on the far wall. Just to the left was the small bathroom. It was tight but functional.

Kate passed her hand under the faucet and watched it come on and go back off. "The faucet has already been set to the maximum time available. If you want it to last longer we will need to replace it tomorrow." Their contractor told them. "It's the same for all of the faucets." The tiny closet was between the bath and small window. Turns out they all got replaced since Kate didn't want metered faucets. Infrared was fine but it needed to function like a normal faucet.

Walking down the hallway, they could both see that even on the first floor the ceiling height was close to 15 feet. Kate turned left and stopped at what should be the door to the panic room on this level. "Go ahead, see if you two can open it." Their contractor challenged them with a grin.

They both ran their hands along all of the edges of the panel and on the wall not finding much. It wasn't until Kate saw one of those small, dark red squares that gave her a clue, knowing that there shouldn't be a gun safe here. She placed her finger on it but nothing happened. "That unlocks the panel allowing you to open it." The contractor reached out and pulled on one of the wainscot panels which caused it to pop open revealing the door to the panic room.

Kate's and Rick's eyes were wide since they saw neither the way to open the panel or the door beneath. The heavy steel door was four inches thick. On this door was another dark red square. Kate placed her finger on it and felt and saw the door open a crack which allowed her to pull it open.

Inside was an 8'x8' room that didn't have steel walls. It looked just like any other room except for its contents. There was one large flat screen that showed a tiny picture of what each camera was showing. "Your security guys will be here tomorrow to walk you through this place. All I did was make it look nice."

The next door over was a deep closet that housed the furnace and tankless water heater for this floor. Turning around allowed them to look down the lower hallway and see the staircase that would take them upstairs to the main rooms. There was no art on the wall as of yet, however there was task lighting that would shine down on them. The wood floor here was darker than the main room upstairs.

The two bedrooms on the right were identical and kind of small with a compact bathroom similar to the other bathroom. Each had a single window that looked out onto the gazebo that was outside.

The door at the end of the hall lead to the master bedroom and on-suite bathroom. Just inside to the left was Kate's shoe closet. Once Kate saw the inside, she was ready to dance in place and was smiling widely. There were enough shelves to hold dozens pairs of shoes. Even Kate didn't know what to do with this much shoe space, however she vowed right then and there that she was going to fill it!

To the right were two more closets and the opening that lead into the dressing room. The walls of the closet had a massive organizer made of dark wood. It had two tiers of hanging bars with two sets of 6 drawers. There was one closet for each of them. The entire place was well lit and the lights actually came on the second they entered.

Next came the bathroom with double vessel vanities, a nice large tub that would fit both of them and a stand-up shower only just big enough for two people to squeeze in. They had sacrificed on the shower space to accommodate the Jacuzzi tub.

Next was the bedroom. The king sized bed would go on the interior wall while the outside walls matched the curved wall of the chapel above them where the living room was. The floors were carpeted while the ceiling was wood. The interior wall had wallpaper on it. The outside wall had three operable windows. "Gun safe?" Kate hadn't seen it.

Turned out there were two. One was in her shoe closet while the other was in the wall off of the first closet to the right just inside the door.

Going up the wood stairs, Kate noted they probably needed a runner of carpet on them since the wood felt slippery. The ceiling in this hallway was as tall as the main area and had chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The archways were made of marble tile while the floor was wood with wainscoting just like downstairs. It also had task lighting for art work or perhaps family portraits.

Walking down the hall they could see the large open window area that allowed them to look into the library/study area. Turning left brought them to the door that opened the panic room on this level. However this time Rick had no trouble opening it to look inside. It was exactly like the one downstairs.

There was another closet at the end of the hallway. Turning left lead to a set of stairs that went up to the next level. To the left was an auxiliary entrance into the place. To the right was the door that lead into the library/study. In here the walls were all wood; the built-in bookcases were all in place. The windows for this room were identical to the windows in the guest bedroom downstairs.

Just to the left of the door was a bathroom that was the second largest one in the house and the only one on this level. Going back to the main stairs took them into the living/dining room.

It was finished! They both were walking around with their mouths hanging open. They looked up at the ceiling that was 25+ feet up and stained a dark color. The floor was a different color of wood then anywhere else. It was a little lighter and more golden in color. The shutters on the windows, the spiral staircase, and the railing up on the mezzanine level were all the same color.

The fireplace in the living room was done and had the same marble tile as the archway in the hallway, along with all the columns in this room that held up the ceiling along the outside walls. The mantle was wood and matched the color of the ceiling.

"What are the small metal mesh panels on the wall?" Kate could see them even if they did blend in with the wall nicely.

"Those are the speakers for the surround sound system that your security guys are going to finish installing tomorrow," their contractor answered.

"Surround sound system?" Kate didn't know anything about it and turned to look at Castle who was smiling at her with a "Please don't shoot me" look on his face. "What have you done Rick?"

"I added a remote controlled Bang & Olufsen surround sound system in this area as well as in the mezzanine. The control units are hidden away on the lower level of the butler's pantry. We only lose the lower shelf. Everything is controlled using a remote control unit," he explained. "We can use it to play your favorite music while reading or we can push the dining room table up against the wall and use the area as a dance floor." Rick hoped Kate would like it. Kate's response was to kiss Castle for the marvelous surprise. Her kiss left Rick smiling widely.

Going up the wood spiral staircase was next to view the mezzanine level. The fireplace was up against the interior wall on the far side. It was built similarly to the one downstairs except that the arch that was over it matched the arch of the wood ceiling. Even here they couldn't reach the ceiling since it was so tall. They could see and run their hands over the wood as the arches came down to rest on the columns below. Wallpaper was hung over the fireplace and windows.

Kate could see the speaker mesh that was on this level as well as another chandelier that matched the three in the living and dining room. It and the windows were the only light in the room, showing them that they were going to need extra lighting on this level.

The kitchen was next. There was a window allowing light in on the outside wall that looked down onto the gazebo outside. The other three walls had cabinets or appliances. The island in the center had a farmhouse sink and a dishwasher. The giant refrigerator/freezer and large natural gas fired range with oven were on one wall. In the corner was a plug for a TV while the wine cooler was in the lower cabinet to the right of the area that held the butler's pantry and laundry.

Kate looked into the large pass through that allowed her to see into the dining and living room beyond. The kitchen was maybe a little whiter than she would like however only the lower cabinet were white, while the uppers were a light grey that all had glass faces.

The inside back walls of the cabinets had been painted and they all had interior lights as well as under cabinet lighting to go with several pot lights in the white ceiling. The floor was travertine tile while the backsplash was glass tile that complimented beautifully the just over 1-inch thick glass countertops.

Kate had her hands over her mouth while still smiling. She was happier than she had ever been in her life. Even her parents, who weren't poor, didn't have a kitchen this big or this nice. Kate cried as she wondered what her mother would think about this kitchen, let alone the entire home.

Her loss suddenly hit Kate hard again and soon found herself in Castle's arms yet again. "It's gorgeous Castle…simply gorgeous!" Her imagination hadn't allowed her to even begin to envision this when it was just bare walls and sad looking wood floors and ceiling. And they still had the outside patio to look over.

Kate suddenly remembered that they were going to put a gun safe in one of the cabinets. It might as well be under the sink. "Where were the gun safes in the main room and the mezzanine level?" Kate inquired. She had forgotten to look.

"There is no gun safe on the mezzanine level. Any hand guns we have on that level will have to go into the cabinet. There just wasn't anyplace else for it to go. The one in the main room is in this wall just on the other side," Rick answered since he had gone over every location with the contractor. "Told you they were going to be hard to find." Rick grinned at Kate.

Walking outside and down the spiral staircase, they came upon the now completed gazebo just to the right. The wood had a stain that matched the floor inside. It was designed to be big enough to hold a table to seat four.

Walking over the pond with plants on the outside, Kate only had eyes for the next two things. "Castle what's this thing?" Kate stopped in front of it.

"It's one of my surprises. It's a standard grill/smoker that has been painted to match R2D2 from Star Wars and had the legs added. Isn't he cute?" Rick loved it! Kate lifted the dome top and looked inside.

"And what's this?" Kate turned to look at the next item.

"That is the fire pit sitting in a sea of blue stones that represent the ocean. It's a pirate ship; like it?" Rick asked Kate.

"The fire goes inside I'm guessing and it's really big." Kate started walking around it while she glanced at the built-in seating with planters right behind it. There were also cabinets that looked like they could be opened meaning it was built-in storage.

"It spins slowly too if we want it to." Kate looked up at Castle like he had lost his mind. Why would they need it to spin? Still Castle was grinning like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Kate smiled knowing that Castle was doing his best to please her, to make her life special, and she loved him for it.

They moved on to the garden area that was filled with plants. "I thought we were going to put a glass table here?" Kate noticed that there was no room for one.

"The landscape architect suggested removing it and leaving it as just a garden. He's going to come back tomorrow and add a number of concrete animals instead," Rick explained.

They had long since lost Jimmy. He was occupied with things they found for him to fix. The contractor had excused himself when Rick and Kate went outside since his responsibility ended at the door.

Kate turned to look at Castle with love shining in her eyes. "It's gorgeous Castle. It's a place I never thought I would get to live in. Thank you!" Kate wrapped her arms around Castle and held him close.

"You are so very welcome Kate and so very worth it. Welcome home." Rick kissed her.

It took a few hours to unload the truck with the furniture. While it was being unloaded, another mover showed up with all of the stuff from their apartment. All Rick had left was to turn in the keys and they were moved out of their former apartment.

Everyone was gone and all of their stuff was in the house. They spent the evening unboxing and putting their stuff where they wanted it. Rick put the kitchen items in the kitchen where Kate told him to.

Problem was they had little to no food for Kate to cook so their first night at their new home was spent sitting at the breakfast bar eating pizza. "You ready for our date tomorrow night Castle?" Kate had a plan and hoped Jack hadn't told him anything since Kate was forced to use him.

"I'm dying to find out what you have planned Kate." Rick smiled and leaned over and planted a greasy pizza kiss on her cheek.

Backwards in time to yesterday:

"Damn it!" Kate cursed at the computer monitor. She had stayed behind after one of her classes and had used Jill to access the computer to search for tickets. Kate already knew that this would be hard and probably cost her dearly. Not impossible. "This is impossible." Kate sat back in her chair defeated.

She knew that there would likely be some scalpers at the stadium, but they could be selling fake tickets or cost her more that she was willing to spend even though she was willing to spend a lot. Castle had been paying for everything else. She wanted to give him one night where she paid for everything. All her money was being used to keep the house her dad was living in and warm.

"What are you trying to do Kate?" Jill asked not knowing what she was doing since Kate wasn't using her.

"I'm trying to get tickets for the game tomorrow, but there just aren't any." Kate told Jill. She wanted to surprise Castle by taking him out on a date for a change.

"Give me a moment." Jill told Kate. Kate huffed in annoyance. Like she had a choice!

"Jack has arranged two tickets for tomorrow's game; you can pick them up at the window." Jill suddenly told her.

"No Jill, this is my purchase. Now he'll know!" Jill had ruined her surprise since Jack had gotten the two tickets.

"Jack is doing it without Richard's knowledge, so it is still a surprise." Jill countered.

"Oh!" Kate sat up straight. "So what did they cost?" Kate had money and expected to pay for them.

"Jack said they didn't cost anything." Jill conveyed Jack's response.

"That's not possible. You don't get tickets for a game like this without paying for them." It just wasn't possible.

"Jack insists that the tickets will be there and that there is no cost." Jill confirmed.

Back to that night:

Kate had the day off and they spent the morning looking at the BMW that Castle had found first. They both took turns driving it. After the test drive, they waited to find out what the price for them would be. "What do you think, since I have a feeling you will be driving it more than me," Rick asked.

"It's your money Castle so it's your car, just pick the one you like." Kate had her bike and could take the subway or a taxi like she was doing now since it was getting colder. The sun wasn't always up when she left or came home.

Rick moved into Kate's space and wrapped his arms around her. "We only have space for one car because of the storage unit so that makes this OUR car Kate, and don't you think differently." Rick kissed Kate to enforce his point. "Now tell me what you think."

"I don't like it and I can't really tell you why. The dash, the seats, the color. I don't know, something." Kate relented and told Castle the truth.

"Now was that so hard? Just think how you would feel if we had bought it." Rick pointed out the flaw in her thinking.

They left before their salesman had a chance to talk to them about their test drive. He didn't even get the keys back from them. They had returned them to another salesperson. He did see them get into a taxi and leave much to his dismay since he'd lost a sale.

From there they went to Macy's to go shopping. Kate had convinced Castle that they didn't have enough place settings if they had enough people over to fill their new dining room table which seated up to ten. They also needed BBQ equipment, patio plates, and glassware.

By the time they got home it was time to go out on Kate's date. She handed the address to the taxi driver knowing that if she told him the address Castle would instantly know where they were going. She wanted him to suffer a little for all of his surprises he had sprung on her.

The only problem was that Kate couldn't hide their destination when they arrived. "Baseball!?" Castle sounded excited and it made Kate smile. That is until Rick said, "It's the Yankees isn't it?"

"Don't be like that Castle. It's a baseball game. Can't you just enjoy it?" Kate guided him to the window where she was going to pick up the tickets.

"Who are they playing?" Maybe he could watch them lose and get at least some satisfaction out of being forced to watch the Yankees.

"Our arch enemy, the Boston Red Sox." Kate told him and picked up their tickets. Just like Jack had told her, there was no cost. It only reinforced Kate's belief that they would be sitting on the roof; she was just sure of it. Still she had tickets for an ALCS game, what could go wrong?

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www dot oldhousedreams dot com/2011/06/13/1884-church-manhatten-ny/

To see pictures of the Church remodel along with a floor plan, replace the word dot with a real dot and remove any empty spaces. It should work. Enjoy!