and smiled. “Maybe we should make some popcorn and make it a movie night?”
Hunter looked at him like he was crazy. “Wait…so you’re telling me you’d rather hang out here watching cartoons and eating popcorn and ice cream than go out to a bar and potentially get laid?”
“Well…I can do that almost any time, right?” he asked with a nervous laugh, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck.
“Same could be said for watching a movie with your family.”
“Actually, I thought maybe you and Vi should go out for a dessert date. Leave me and the little man here to hang out on our own. But if you’d rather I go out…”
Hunter knocked his chair over in his haste to stand up. “Vi! C’mon, we’re going out for a little while!”
“What? Where? And since when?” She was laughing as she walked in, drying her hands with a dishtowel.
“Kyle volunteered to babysit Eli so you and I can go out for a dessert date!”
Violet looked at Hunter, then Kyle, then back to Hunter. “He’s totally screwed, isn’t he?”
Again, it wasn’t a question.
“I would say so. But it’s going to be so much fun watching it all happen. I’m practically giddy!”
He refused to be baited. Standing, he looked at them both. “I hate to disappoint you, but I’m just trying to be a good uncle and a good brother. Perhaps instead of mocking me, you should be thanking me.”
Hunter gave him a mischievous grin. “Don’t worry, we can do both.” Clapping Kyle on the back, he followed his wife out of the room to get ready.
It was hard to believe she was seeing progress so soon and yet…she was.
Kyle had shown up Monday morning, and they sat at the kitchen table and shared some coffee and donuts—both from Henderson’s bakery, which he provided—and talked about what she’d like to see happen on the downstairs level. All weekend she had scoured the internet—specifically Pinterest boards—to find the perfect setup. And while she knew sharing the space downstairs for both an office and a hangout space for a teenager might make working a little challenging at times, she also knew it meant she could keep an eye on her niece while she worked.
Now, two days later, she could see her vision coming to life.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs, she watched as Kyle placed the finishing touches on the shelves he built in Haley’s area. The entire room had been cleared, cleaned, and painted in two different shades of purple, shelves were all built-in for storage and organization, and there was even a mini chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was all very girly, and once she added the giant throw pillows she’d just picked up, Sydney could safely say this space was ready for a get-together!
“It’s looking great in here,” she said as she stepped farther into the space. “I can’t believe you’ve accomplished so much already.”
Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled. “Well, there weren’t any structural issues for us to deal with, and the previous owners really prepped the space in terms of replacing the floors and waterproofing the concrete walls.”
“Is that normal? The concrete, I mean. Growing up, our house was elevated, so there wasn’t a ground floor.”
He nodded and reached out to run a hand along the wood he just put in place before placing a level on it. “Homes close to the water that aren’t elevated need the concrete to keep the water out. It prevents more damage than necessary in the event of a flood. I did use an extra coat of sealant to keep the moisture out, but…you know…nothing’s foolproof.”
Placing the bag of pillows down, she walked around the room. “I wish there were windows in this front part of the room. I don’t want it to feel like a dungeon down here.”
“You have the large sliding glass doors along the back wall in your office space and a few small windows. Those will provide some natural lighting. If we tried to put windows in the front here, it would be a lot of work, and we’d be dealing with the integrity of the foundation—particularly of the front porch.”
“Yeah, I know.” She paused. “I guess I keep thinking about if it were my house and what I would have looked for.”
Kyle placed the level on the floor and turned to face her. “Okay, don’t get mad at me, but…you know you can sell this place and get something that belongs to you and Haley, right?