Amore Manor- The Beginning

Sitting in the pew at church I looked at the casket in front of me. The last of the true family I had was gone. God I miss her. I looked up when he lawyer and long time friend Martin came and sat next to me. He took my hand and said, "They left you by yourself?"

I looked at the pew across the aisle and said, "Did you expect them to show me any kindness?"

"Amelia you do not deserve being treated like this especially now that Constance is gone," He said adding, "Well they have a rude awakening happening at the will reading later."

"Do I have to go?" I asked.

Giving me a smile that could light the room he said, "Oh my sweet girl you will want to be there. Believe me when I say this reading will give you months worth of stuff for a book or your blog."

I looked forward again with my hand placed firmly in Martins. My writing and my Blog, something my Grandmother not only encouraged but gave me suggestions on what to write. While I stayed with her in the hospital as she lost her fight with Cancer we did a series of articles about the stay and her view on facing death. Never once did my parents or siblings ever come to the hospital to say goodbye. When she finally passed I took a break posting a message that she had passed and that I would resume my writing after the funeral. The out pouring of support and love from complete strangers was more comfort than I received the whole time she was passing from my parents and siblings. Martin and I finalized the arrangements for the funeral and burial. My parents came in the church to put on a act and as everyone who knew Grams sat behind me to show support, only my parents and siblings sat on the other side.

Soon the pastor came to the podium and started the service. Then Martin went up and gave the most beautiful and heart felt eulogy I ever heard. After that he opened the floor to anyone who would like to say anything or share a memory of Grams that impacted their life. As people shared we laughed and cried and before long the Pastor reminded everyone there would be a after service brunch in the dining hall. Martin arranged with the Pastor to be available for the reading of the will and he set aside one of the conference rooms in the church for the reading of the will.

As everyone headed to the brunch Martin and I headed with the Pastor, Parents and Siblings to the conference room. There was a plate of sandwiches and drinks on the table. Martin took two of the sandwiches and a Pepsi and placed it in front of me saying, "I know you skipped breakfast, eat or nibble if you can you will need your energy."

Once everyone was settled he stood up and said, "This is the official and final will of Constance Moliard. The information in this will cannot be contested as Constance created this will and it was verified not only myself, the Pastor and State Judge Mcnair who sat in on the proceedings of creation. If any of the will is contested you will lose your entire inheritance. Do you understand? Constance made sure this could not be disputed in any way."

Everyone nodded and Martin went to the TV and said, "Constance wanted to leave a message for everyone in the room before we started."

When the TV came on Grams was sitting in her hospital room. She looked at the camera and asked, "Is it on?" We heard Martin in the back ground say yes as she continued to speak. "Okay good I want to get this done before Amelia gets back."

Looking into the camera she said, "If you are seeing this I lost my fight with cancer. Amelia dear I know you are upset but sweetheart the life I led which you are soon to find out was full of mystery and adventure was a full life. Know I love you more than my own life and I am so proud you listened to me and followed your dreams. One day we will see each other again and believe me when I say the adventures I have in store for you is going to be great for your books and blog. I love you my darling. Now if Martin gave you food start eating girl you will need your energy."

Martin and I both started to laugh. The pastor leaned up as he was sitting behind me and squeezed my shoulder as she continued.

"Martin you and I have already spoke about what your to do after my death and I know you will do right by my Amelia. Pastor Chris thank you for everything you have done for me in my time of dying and the support you have offered. You have gone well beyond a Pastor and I consider you a close friend. Since you arrived at the church five years ago you have done amazing work and  as a young Pastor I am so very proud of you. Now Melissa and Scott I know you take after your parents but let me tell you now you will not get anywhere in life the way you are living. If you continue on your path you will be broke and destitute. Your sister loves you both and she is a great example on the life you would like to live by following your dreams and work hard. I love you both but you need to get your life together. Now Melinda, We never saw eye to eye and they way you let your younger two run your life is horrible and the way you have treated Amelia since she became a teenager is disgusting you should be ashamed of yourself. You worry about your social status and that only. Do better because your life is going to change. Now Mitchel my only boy your not going to be happy when Martin reads off my will but just remember you took more than you ever gave and you were never raised that way. The way you treated Amelia is deplorable and she still succeeded in her dreams. I love you son but your on a bad path and you need to wake up before its to late. Now Martin please continue I will be watching from heaven with a bowl of popcorn."

Marin stood back up and said, "This is the final and uncontested will of Constance.Moliard.  Again if you try to dispute any of the will you will lose the inheritance. To Saint Mary's Church I leave the funds of $200,000 dollars to help Pastor Chris in the community out reach program. To Pastor Chris himself, I leave you an inheritance of $50,000 as a nest egg for when you finally meet the love of your life. This is a preemptive wedding gift and please remember what we spoke about. To my youngest Grandchildren I leave you an inheritance of $100,000 each which is set up in a trust which you will access once you turn 18. It can be used for school which will be paid directly to the school of your choice or a monthly stipend of $1000 until the money and interest it earns runs out. If there is any funds left after school you will receive a stipend of $1000 a month until the funds run out. Melinda I leave you $20,000 and that's it as I have heard rumors of what you have done around town. Now Mitchel after you hear what you receive you are to not fight what Amelia is going to inherit or you will lose not only yours but Melinda's inheritance and you can not touch what I left for your children. Please acknowledge that you understand?"

Dad sat there with a look on his face and said, "I understand."

"Mitchel i leave you the home you live in. It will be only in your name and there is a order in place that it cannot be refinanced or sold for 10 years as Melinda has been very unfaithful to you. If you try to sell the home reverts to Amelia. If you chose to work it out with her that is your choice but she will not get the home which I paid for. If you chose to divorce her she cannot get it. Melinda if you try to sue my son for anything more than the items you both purchased during your marriage you will not get anything. Again I set you up a trust as well until you turn 65 in the amount of $500,000 and you will receive a stipend of $2000 a month until you turn sixty. Again if you divorce Melinda anytime after you turn sixty-five then the funds will go to the Children if she tries to fight you for it. Again this is all set up. In the event of your death your trust will be split between your three children and Melinda cannot receive anything. All four cars are also now in your name Martin with a addedum that you cannot sell them and again in the transfer contract if you try to sell them the profits go to the children and I have prepaid a years utilities for you. That is all your receiving."

Martin turned to me and Pastor Chris pulled up his chair next to me and held my hands as Martin started to read, "My dearest Amelia, I am so proud of you following your dreams and publishing your books. You know our family history that was shared and you know my estate has been in our family for close to 500 years. I am tasking you the mysteries and lore. Upon my death all the storage trunks, crates and furniture from the outer building were moved to main house. All the buildings on the property are in perfect condition as is the house. The barn, boathouse and supply sheds as well as the estate home are all yours. As are all the belongings in it. My dear girl it is your job to unlock the skeletons in the families closets and write a book or fifty about it. I believe you will have a few series by the time your done and this can also be your latest adventure on your blog.  When I first learned I had cancer I sold off all remaining property and estates and had all the items brought to the main house. It currently looks like a episode of hoarders. You also inherit all the cars in the garage and over 10 million in cash plus investments and ira accounts. Martin will be going over that with you when he gives you the keys and a a tour of the estate. Oh and there is one more rule. The items in the house cannot be given away, If you choose to sell anything which I know you might I have a contact who deals with historical items and will sell whatever you want to on the estate which an account has already been made for you at the bank. I do not expect you to keep everything or it will really be an episode of hoarders.  He is already aware of my passing and will introduce himself and his grandson shortly who will be your point of contact. I know one day you wanted to create a Band B and i just gave you the perfect building. One last thing Amelia, Grandpas fishing boat is tied up in the boathouse along with the canoes and paddle boats. Do me a favor and take it around the lake every once in a while I am sure he would like that as we watch you from heaven. Please remember you are loved and I suspect you will find the love of your life soon. Or that can be the ramblings of an old lady."

I sat there in shock until Pastor Chris said, "Amelia, are you okay?"

"I thought she was joking," I blurted out. "When she got sick last year she said I have a job for you. I never thought this is what she meant."

Pastor Chris and Martin chuckled. Martin pulled my chair back and knelt beside me as he said, "Do not panic Amelia you have me and Pastor Chris as well as Benson the historical sales man. We will help you and his Grandson Charles will be your point man to get historical information as well as help you sort the home and items. Besides your not going in blind before Constance went to the hospital she created you a welcome home box as you now own the home. However its wrapped and I have no clue where it is in the home as shortley after was when the other estate items were brought to the home. However just like constance you will find the box."

We were so focused on my shock we did not hear my Mom ranting in the back ground. "This is ridiculous she got it all. My other two children get left in the dust and she gets everything."

Martin stood up and said, "Melinda are you disputing the will?"

Mom sat back down and Martin said to dad, "Mitchel all the paperwork will arrive for you later this week. I have checks for the both of you now and since Melissa is 15 and Scott is 17 I will meet with them when they turn 18 to help them set up their payouts or college or both."  

Dad said, "Thank You."

Melissa looked at me and said, "I know you loved Grandma and helped her though all of this I am glad you got the estate. I hope you will let me visit you and we can try to be sisters again. I am sorry I was such a bitch."

Looking up at her I said, "I would love that if mom and dad will let you visit on some weekends I will come to town and get you."

My parents and siblings left the room and Pastor Chris said, "There may be hope for that young lady after all."

Looking at him I said, "I hope so. When we were younger we were closer but Mom and Dads behavior changed our relationship. Once I moved in with Maggie to help her with the baby things changed."

Martin said, "Well do you have a lot of items at Maggie's?"

Shaking my head I said, "No she sold the house last week and everything of mine is in my car. I have been staying at the heritage B and B until this morning. I was going to take a road trip after the funeral but I guess I am gonna head to the estate after this is over."

Martin smiled and said, "Well lets go mingle and thank everyone for coming and then we will head home and I will help you unload your car and give you a tour."

We walked to the funeral reception and saw that my parents and siblings were not there. We walked around for over an hour thanking everyone for their support and a older gentleman in a suit, followed by a younger version of him walked up to us. Martin smiled as he handed me a drink and said, "Amelia this is Benson and his Grandson Charles."

Benson leaned over and gave me a warm hug as he pulled back he said, "Amelia it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I had known Constance for over forty years and let me tell you she never stopped bragging about your website and books. She even recommended some books for me to read and I was so thrilled with them I will be reading more on the list she gave me. She was so proud of you and all you have been doing in your life. I am honored to be helping you in the next stage as well. This young man is my Grandson Charles and he will be able to help you with any historical information and all the sales you need."

Turning to Charles I put out my hand and said, "Thank you for coming, I am looking forward to working with you."

He took my hand and said, "I am excited to see what we will find at your Grandma's house. I heard from Grandpa and Martin all the outer buildings belongings have also been brought into the house as well as belongings from I believe 20 additional estates so we will be working through a episode of historical hoarders. I have been told the main estate has 32 rooms, not including the garage, basement, greenhouse and attic."

I started laughing and said, "Oh no, Martin you didn't tell me all this was packed in there?"

Martin gave an innocent look and said, "Well Amelia I did not want to scare you but yes Charles is right and its 84 not 32 rooms, outside the big area which was used a a ball room as its on the bottom floor and everything surrounds it. Wait till you see it and everything that was brought in was mostly put in the ball room. But over the past years as your Grandmother closed down her vacation properties and apartments till all but the estate was left and just started stuffing things in the rooms that made sense and a lot of the previous homes and apartments were family homes."

I rubbed my temple and said, "I have a feeling Benson we will be keeping your store stocked and full for the next few years."

Benson let out a laugh as he said, "Well Amelia that's why Charles will be working with you and not me. He will be bringing his camera and will be posting things as you find them on our companies website. He has the van and will be working while you work and making this a smooth transition."

I looked around and noticed people were beginning to leave. Pastor Chris said, "Why don't you head to the estate now so Benson and Charles can tour with you. A few of the members of the church offered to help and we are going to take the remaining food to the homeless shelter once the last person leaves." 

I tuned and hugged him and promised to visit soon. He gave me his card and said, "If you need anything you call me directly Amelia. Constance was an amazing friend and role model. I will do right by her and I will make sure the programs she sponsored do not disappear."

As we were leaving I saw the picture of Grams in the foyer and Martin said, "The church is going to set up a memorial fund in her name with a donation box to continue the deeds she started. The picture will hang in the memorial walkway."

Smiling i touched the picture and said, "As it should."

I got in my car and put the directions Martin gave me in. I started the drive with Martin Benson and Charles in cars behind me. About halfway there I stopped at a gas station for coffee and gas. Martin walked up to me as I filled my tank and said "you know the gate code, when we arrive to go about halfway up the driveway and stop." 

I nodded and soon enough we were arrived and I pulled over to the side of the road. Martin got out of his car and said, "Follow me."

We walked down a path and set of stairs to the boat house. I looked around and saw Grandpas memorial and sitting in the water was his fishing boat. I smiled remembering the last time I came to the estate and we could just see the home in the distance as Grandpa took Grams and I along the lake while he cast a few times. "Oh I will definitely be taking this baby out when was the last time she was started?"

Charles cleared his throat and said, "When we helped move everything into the house I started it and tested the engine. She is good to go."

"Good," I said. "I may have to ask for lessons on driving her.'

Laughing he said, "What? no! take a boat out on the lake?"

Benson laughed hard as he said, "Careful Amelia its hard keeping him from the water as it is. He loves fishing"

We went back to the cars and Martin stopped again and said, "The barn is next. As we walked in Benson took over the tour."

"Once upon a time this were the most popular barn in the state. It holds up to 30 horses or animals with a chicken coop on the end. Your ancestors would hold horse days here in the 1700's and the lineage is still out there today." He said

As we left the barn martin pointed out old gardening sheds and out buildings that were empty. Then we drove up and parked under the covered driveway. I got out and said, "OMG i forgot how big this home was."

Benson looked at me and asked, "What do you think your going to do with the home?"

"I know its a historical landmark but I was thinking if zoning allows I will make it into a event center, as well as rent out rooms in the estate. Kind of a bougie get away from home where people can bask in the past and just be at peace."

Martin and Benson gave me a look and Benson said, "Well my dear the moment you open I want to rent a room for a week or two and just relax out here."

Putting my arm through his I said, "Benson you are welcome out here anytime if you wish to walk the ground and dare I say fish in the lake."

I heard charles chuckle behind me as Martin unlocked the door and said, "You ain't ever getting rid of him now."

Martin turned to me and said, "Remember the house is full to the brim. This house contains a garage, basement, greenhouse and attic. Not including 5 master suites with a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom, 2 closets in each each. 8 additional bedrooms, 8 additional bathrooms, a ball room, music room, library, kitchen, laundry room, pantry, butlers pantry,* formal dining hall, breakfast/tea room, sports room, the entry way here, coat room, 6 alcoves with seating, a formal sitting room upstairs and downstairs. 3 lounges and 15 additional storage closets."

I looked at him and said, "I am so going to get lost."

We opened the door and I laughed as I said, "You were not kidding with everything inside." 

Entering the house we looked around the first floor and headed to the second floor. Martin said, "I think this would be the room you would want for your bedroom." 

I walked in and the room not only looked over the lake but the main driveway. The room was full of boxes but the bed was clear and sheets were clean. The bathroom had storage boxes stacked but enough room for me to use. Walking around I asked, "What does the utilities run in the home?"

Martin said, Electric is $300-400 a month. Water runs about $100 and the Gas is about $200 a month. Everything in the house is unplugged except the standing lamps in this room. Ceiling lights and kitchen appliances. Your Grandma paid for the next year of utilites and after that they will switch to your name. The lawn care is taken care of by Simon and we have a 10 year contract with his company. That's already paid for and he is amazing. I think he believes this is his pet project. You will meet him later this week."

I nodded and said, "For a house this big the utilities are not that high. I will check for gaps in the windows and doors and take care of that as well as we go through the house and decide what is staying and going. I will keep this room as i love the view and if I decide to change later I will. The kitchen is perfect and after we are done I will unload and head to the grocery store for food and drinks."

As we walked though the rest of the house we visited the main rooms as well as the attic and basement. We went to the kitchen after and sat at the table. Looking at Charles I said, "Scared yet?"

He looked up and said, "Never. I think I know where you want to start but I will let you say it."

Lifting my eye i said, "On the count of 3."

At the same time we said, "The attic."

Martin asked, "Why the Attic first?"

"Easy the windows can open and as its going into fall it will be calm and peaceful. Besides that I will need a place for any empty trunks and crates. Also, once we clear it , I can store what I am going to keep or use for the room rentals here."

Benson nodded, "That is actually a brilliant plan Amelia. But besides sound reasoning there was something else wasn't there. But I would also steer you both to the basement before it get to cold as well heat rises."

"Your good Benson, "Yes there is. I saw a portrait with the home in the background and it was a wedding scene I want to know more."

We sat talking for a little bit longer and then everyone helped me unload my car to my room, When they realized I had a lot in there they moved some of the crates to the hallway. I set up my laptop on the corner desk facing the lake. I knew this was going to kick off to be a great blog series and The start of a new book series as well. Benson and Martin left and Charles waited around and walked me out. After I locked the doors he said, "I live about 40 min away from here so when would you like to start."

Thinking about it I said, "Well tomorrow is Monday and I will be honest even though I do not sleep in after this weekend I will probably be exhausted. If you want why don't we start at noon. If you get up early and want to fish in the morning your more than welcome to come and use the dock by the boat house or anywhere along the shore."

He walked me to the car and opened my door. As I got in he handed me a business card, "I know being out here can mess with your head if you need anything call me. I have your phone number already from Martin."

"Thank you Charles," I said. "Oh btw i am not into fancy. We can jean and tshirt this adventure if you wish."

He laughed as he shut my door and got in his car and left. I followed him out and headed to Walmart. I brought everything I would need to get started including tags to attach to the crates for when we store additional items. By the time I arrived home I decided to test the oven by making a frozen pizza while i put everything away. I took my plate to my room to eat and started a new blog article I titled, 'I inherited a country estate and will be turning it into a vacation spot and event center' I also added in about the new series on the history of the land and property. After I did that I went through the packet that Martin left me with accounts and the cards in my name. I put some of the cards in my wallet after labeling them with a sticker. I may only be 24 but Grams taught me well when it came to money and I kept all my earnings and never overspent. I won't have to worry about money thanks to her. She even had all the investments that pay out annually go to a specific account including the IRAs I just had to let them do their things.

By the time I finished going through the banking, I checked my blog to see the comments and saw people were looking forward to the book and the new posts and many people asked for me to post pictures of the home and estate. I thought that was a great idea and would do pictures after we get started and Charles has to take a break to post on his and his Grandfathers website. After everything was finished I climbed into bed and fell sleep looking out the window at the stars.

Chapter two

The following morning I woke up to the sounds of birds outside the window. For a moment I had forgotten where I was and realized I was home. Sitting up I looked at my phone and say that it was just after 7am. Looking further I saw that Charles had texted me a message saying 'The van in the driveway is mine. I took you up on fishing for a couple hours.'

I looked out the window and saw his van parked next to mine and looking towards the water I saw him fishing along the shoreline. Smiling I went to take a shower and go make some breakfast. By the time I finished it was around 9 am and I decided while Charles was fishing I would walk around the estate and take pictures to post on the blog. I went through the house and went from area to area. As I took some great pictures I went to the door and stepped outside and realized how calm and peaceful it was. I took many pictures of the outside of the home and went to head inside to do a blog post. I left a note on the window of the van letting him know I had unlocked the house and he could come in whenever he was ready and where to find me. 

I sat in one of the sitting rooms and went through the pictures and uploaded them to make a video as well as a blog post. As I worked I started to think about what would  history I would uncover. When Grams said I would have many stories to tell I really had no idea of what she was trying to say. I had just finished with the pictures, blog post and video when I heard a voice call out, "Amelia."

I called out, "I am in the back seating area one second I am on my way to my room."

Charles had come up the stairs when I met him on the balcony and I said, "Give me a second to drop my laptop off to my room. Would you mind doing me a favor and locking the front door. I was listening for you to come in but to be honest until you called out all the boxes muffled everything."

He put his bags down and said, "Sure thing."

I ran into my room and switched my laptop for my tablet and tags, then met him back on the balcony. As I walked up to him I said, "You know what during the reading of the will Grams said she had a welcome box for me but I have not seen it."

He looked at me and said, "Maybe she hid it as a scavenger hunt. When I met you Grams she seemed liked the type who liked surprises."

Laughing as we walked the stairs to the attic, "You have no idea. For my eighteenth birthday she sent me on a two week scavenger hunt to six different states for my necklace I am wearing now."

We got up to the attic door and I placed my hand on it. I stopped for a minute and closed my eyes and was so silent Charles asked, "Amelia are you okay?"

I took a deep breath, opened my eyes and said, "Yeah I just hope whatever she got us into doesn't drive us batty."

I turned the handle and walked in. We went through the attic and opened all the windows. The attic was packed but as I was walking back to the front I found two crates that were empty and pulled them and their lids to where we would start. I guess Charles had the same idea because when we met back up he had two empty trunks with him as well.

"So Charles as we sort through your Grandfather said you would be posting items to sell as we went," I started. "Does that mean all items?"

Laughing he said, "Oh god no. I have a stack of labels for the items I will be posting on the website. I have two trunks here. One for smaller items not being posted for general stuff and then one for higher end small items that get posted. The items I do not tag and post here will be stored in its own room at the store. There is also a section for the items to be displayed dedicated to the estate." The larger items will be placed in the show area if they do not sell by the time we get them back. We are slatted for 50 items at a time for just this estate online. In store we have a great deco team that will have all the items displayed to best maximize the sales potential."

"Wow," I said. "Well that sounds like a lot of work. I guess you have to stay organized huh?"

"Pretty much and if anything sells I have to arrange with our packing team when I get back to the store to have them handle everything," He sad. "Depending on how much sells while I am here we have a few people who will come in after hours to arrange the sales and packing. Grandfather let a lot of antique collectors know that we would be posting a bunch of stuff starting around four when the sales go live. That way we have time to get started."

Smiling I said, "Well lets not keep them waiting. What time would you like to stop today?"

Laughing he said, "Lets wrap up by 7 tonight and see how things go. Remember you have the final decision on all items when you hand off to me that's when I get involved unless you want to know the history."

Walking over to the crate closest to the door I said, "Let the games begin."

We opened the trunk and inside was a pile of vintage dolls. Looking at Charles I said, "Take the dolls they are creepy and I just cannot."

His laugh was contagious as we pulled them all out. Underneath the dolls was a pile of children's books and toys. Looking through I said, "Wow these books are amazing and look at this silver train."

His head snapped up and he turned it over and whistled, "Is there more in there? A full train can fetch a lot of money."

Sifting through I said, "Not that I can see but if you want to sort through the crate this can all go with you."

Charles sifted through the crate and had a few crates set up as a make shift picture section. On the table were a few of the dolls and a few toys that he had sorted through. He moved everything from the trunk to the crate and handed me the trunk back as I opened the next trunk. In it I found clothes from the forties and I asked, "Do you sell clothes as well?"

As he was setting up his laptop and camera he said, "Sure do especially if there vintage. Do you not want to look through them?"

"Oh no these are my down fall. I found pieces that are from the 1940's and maybe a few 1920's. If I find any that I can wear you best believe I will be running them down to my room. I will pile what I will not be keeping on the chair there."

I was sent back in time as I sorted through four trunks of vintage piece's and had a small pile that I decided would go into my closet. Charles walked with me downstairs as I dropped off the clothes to my room and he grabbed a mannequin to hang some of the clothes on. I ran downstairs and grabbed us some drinks and a garbage bag for any old packing material we found and headed back up. 

Charles sorted some clothing pieces and added them to the webpage as I opened up more trunks and crates full of more clothing. When he found a particular piece he would set it up and add it to the site and added it to a crate for posted items which did not have many items in it. As he filled the other crates he added them to the van. I opened a trunk and said, "Oh wow."

I found a pile of handmade quilts and started pulling them out to look at. I added a few to Charles pile and made my first tagged trunk to hold what I wanted to keep for the room rentals. As I put the tag quilts on the trunk I pulled the last one out and found a box with a delicate locket and a letter inside. I sat on the ground and opened the letter. 

My Dearest Millie,

I know your father said we could not continue our relationship. My heart breaks knowing that he will send you away from the estate if you tried to contact me. With help of the staff I am sending you this locket and asking you to marry me. I know I am a poor soldier but if your love is true meet me at the boat house after the lights have been put out and we will run away to Canada. I have money from my time in the service and we can make it to a preacher by morning. If you do not show I will take my leave and head to the war in the morning. 

All My Love,

William

I handed Charles the letter and he read it. He took the necklace and looked it over and said, "This looks like a necklace that was popular around WW1."

"My first mystery. I have a family tree in the room I found it when I explored the house last night. Maybe there will be information to find after the fact," I said as I put the necklace and letter in a pile of things I found to bring downstairs. "I hope she said yes you know."

My alarm went off on my phone a while later for 630pm and we started wrapping up what we were doing. I looked at the pile of empty crates and trunks and realized I did not keep much. The one trunk that had anything in it was the one with the blankets. I watched as Charles carried the crates he had full to his van and when he got back he looked at his laptop and said, "Well about half the items I posted today already sold."

I looked at him, "You posted toys and clothes and they went that fast?"

"Amelia history and vintage sells. Especially to the right collector," He said as he put the laptop away. "I am guessing the packing team will ship and set up a lot of what I drop off tonight. There was a disclaimer on the site under the last picture that more items will be available at the store in the morning. By the time we get started in the morning all sold items will be removed and I will have a fresh screen to add till we hit 50 items listed."

We walked down the stairs and I dropped the letter and necklace on my desk. I walked him to the door and he said, "What is your plans for the rest of the evening?"

I shrugged, "To be honest I will dig into Millie and William. I think as this place is so old I may do a book of love letters to publish. Maybe even a blog post. If I feel froggy maybe sort some more crates upstairs after all that.

He looked at me seriously and said, "You work to much you need to relax a bit."

"I might," I said. "But this new series is something that has already sparked readers and honestly I think that this may be a good thing for me. Its hard Grams not being on the phone with me and I miss her a lot."

"It gets better," He said. "If you need to talk call me I am just going to drop this off and head home."

"Thank you Charles," I said. " I appreciate it."

I watched him pull away and I headed to the library with all the family archives. I started to sift through the information and went on Charles suggestion that she would be born around WW1 and prior. After about thirty minutes I did find Millie and William. Millie did run away with William and they married that night. According to the writings I found her father found them married and William did finish his tour with the Army. While he was away with the Army Millie had given birth to the first of their four children, a little girl named Sally. Once he returned home he worked for a steel company and they had three additional children, Miles, Susan and Connie. Millie and William lived into their seventies and died three months apart. After looking over my family tree Millie would be a cousin to me. I sent the information over to Charles as I added this information to a family tree I found online to add to my blog. 

He texted me back quick and said, "You work fast! That is so cool you did get what you wanted with Millie and William ended up together."

I replied with a smiley face and headed down to cook dinner when he replied, "I have a question for you."

I said, "Call me I am trying to cook dinner before I post to my blog."

My phone rang and I said, "Charles I am putting you on speaker so I can cook while we talk. What's going on?"

"This is a awkward question to ask but would you like a roommate?" He said. "I could crash in the spare room in the boat house and I can pay you rent."

"May I ask why your needing a place to stay?" I asked.

"Well I was living with my girlfriend and when I got home about ten minutes ago I found all my belongings in the garage." He continued, "When I opened the door I asked what was going on and she went on a rant about how she followed me to the estate this morning when I went fishing and then she saw you come out of the main house taking pictures. I tried to explain who you were and why I was fishing. She said she didn't care and as I left her to load up the van with my stuff her best friends brother arrived and he and her were on the couch in a compromising position when I left. I am kinda glad this happened as she is crazy and I was slowly ending it with her. But the thought of Grandpas couch does not sound good to me."

"Well yeah you can stay up here I have plenty of rooms," I said. "That spare room has only a couch. You can come and pick out a bed room. How long till you get here I have dinner cooking now."

He sighed, "Thank You Amelia. I should be there in about twenty minutes. Plus side the store is only 20 minutes from your house so I can go back and forth as we go. I will see you when I get here."

"Okay," I said. "I will unlock the front door and I am in the kitchen."

As I cooked dinner I worked on my newest posts and set up the Millie and William love letter as a new book. I had dinner in the oven staying warm as I worked on the introduction to the book. When I was finished I walked through the house. I was in the entry way and found a beautiful glass case. I moved some potted plants and placed the case right next to the entry doors. I took the keys from the lock and opened the first panel. I placed the locket and love letter which I placed in protective sleeve on the top shelf. I thought this would be a great way to dive into the past. As I took a picture of the case for the blog the front door opened.

Charles walked in and said, "Hey."

"Hey there," I said. "What do you think I saw I had a few locked cases like this so I decided to dedicate this one to love letters and mementos."

"That's a great idea." He said. "So which room do you want me to take?"

Laughing I said, "You know where mine is so pick one of the other 10 bedroom bathroom combos. When your done moving in I will be in the kitchen as I made dinner and am now working on the blog posts."

After about thirty minutes Charles joined me in the kitchen and said, "Thank you for letting me stay. I will be honest with you my Grandfather warned me about her months ago . But after her doing this today I really did dodge the bullet."

"Your okay," I said. "Besides being out here can be lonely and its nice to have company. Just be forewarned I probably will not be much company as I am always working on some writing project or another."

"Don't worry about me," He said. "Oh no I can fish whenever I want after work. Oh no."

"Well I see your laptop," I said. "Are you going to work while we eat?"

Chuckling he said, "Nah while we eat I am going to check the sales for everything that was posted. But I want to check out your blog and I have to shut off some utilities and her phone."

I served us up some food and we both worked in a peaceful silence. He got my blog site from me and said, "Okay that was a awesome video of the property and I love how you gave a teaser for a love letters book."

"Thank you," I said.

"Well considering we have not even made a dent in the attic," He said between bites. "I think your going to have a bunch of different books or a series of books. Also all the items I posted earlier sold out online already. So with me being here I may be able to get more posted online and transport everything to the shop during the day as well. They have a great set up for your items as well as packing up whats online for your items."

"Oh wow well maybe I will ride with you one day to see the shop set up," I said. "I would also like to see the displays."

Standing up I said, "You tired or now that its just us you wanna explore?"

He washed the dishes in the sink and said, "After we clean this up I will. Since you cooked let me put the food away and lets see what kind of trouble we can get into." 

After Charles finished washing the pan from dinner we went into rooms and ended up finding a room with nothing but clothing racks. We started looking through everything hanging and he said, "I know this is going to sound bad but have you went through the closet in your room yet?"

"No why?" I asked.

"I think tomorrow we should work on all the boxes and crates in your room because your going to want to fill your closet with some of what we find. That and it will give you a more livable space." He said. "Besides all these clothes will sell as they date back to the twenties."

We looked through and then heard a loud boom. I looked at him and said, "Oh no we didn't shut the windows in the attic."

We ran through the house and up the stairs. We started shutting all the windows when the last one got stuck. Charles and I had to take some time getting it closed and were in a very tight space. My heart started pound in my chest as I was very aware of how close we were to each other. He backed up and said, "Lead the way out I am going to grab a crate and the mannequin so we can sort your room tomorrow."

I grabbed two more and said, "You have no clue how much is in that closet."

When we got to the landing he pointed to a room across the landing and he said, "I will see you in the morning. If you need me I will be in there."

I carried my crates to my room and left them next to the closet and shut the door to my room. Now I realize why Grandma had everything left for me to handle. Benson and herself planned to set us up. Charles is a very good looking man but I had to ask myself am I ready to look for a relationship. I decided to just leave everything alone until we got to know each other better.

I looked at the clock and saw it was only 9pm. I knew I would be unable to go to sleep yet so I opened the first of the two closets in the room and went to the first set of hanging clothes. I noticed they were from the 1950's and went through a stack of skirts I knew I would never wear and laid them hangers and all in the extra large crate. By the time the 11pm chime went off from the clock in the hallway I had gotten about a quarter of the way through. I decided to give myself till midnight before I showered and headed to bed. Looking the crate I realized that it was almost full. Charles would have a job sorting them in the morning to see what he was selling immediately or taking boxed to the store.

The following morning I smelled the wonderful smell of coffee and changed and headed to the kitchen. When I got there Charles was on his computer and phone. He looked up and said, "Good Morning."

Yawning I said, "Good Morning. So you know I couldn't sleep last night so I started sorting the first closet."

Putting his phone down he asked, "Should I be worried?"

'Well I did move a stack of crates off  table do you can use it for the mannequin. The Large crate I bought down yesterday is about three quarts full and I only saved like 10 pieces for personal use as of last night," I said. "I found a whole pile of poodle skirts and other piece's that I would never wear. I also snooped through t he dressers and wardrobe and seriously the amount of silk and lace I have found. We will have a interesting day or going through things."

Charles said, "Are you hungry before we get started?"

"Nah," I said. "Coffee starts my day and then normally I eat lunch after 1pm. I am not a big food person in the morning."

We grabbed our mugs of coffee and headed upto my room. I put my mug down and opened the closet. I turned to Charles and said, "You may want to get more crates because there is a lot of formal wear coming you way. These gowns are beautiful but not my style from the colors alone."

I saw him run out the door and bring back two very large crates as he said, "Get me a pile and we will post them on the website. While you do that I am gonna sort this pile."

While I sorted through the closet and found shoes galore in a shelf section still in the original boxes. As I sorted through I saw three that I liked and sat on my desk chair to try them on. After trying them on I put two back in the closet and gave Charles about ten boxes. Looking at him I said, "There are more coming to. This is better than going to a vintage resale clothing store."

I noticed he took some of the shoes to post as I went through more of the closet. Every time I would find a piece I would have to try on I shut myself in the closet and would try them on. I was having a great time and Charles would periodically bring crates full of clothes to the van. By the time lunch rolled around he said, "Well Amelia we filled the van and some of the clothes I posted already sold. So I am bringing this to the gallery and will be back soon.".

Smiling I said, "No worries I will keep going as long as I have a crate to lay these on we are fine right?"

He pointed to the three open crates and said, "Your good to go and I will bring some sturdy boxes back from the store." 

I looked at his laptop and said, "The skirts are going for how much?"

Laughing he said, "Wait till you see the payouts."

"Wow," I said. "I thought I got paid good for my books. I have to see which account I have my payout going to."

He looked at me and said, "I remember Martin and Gramps said a checking account. Check the contract that was in the pile of papers I believe its listed on there under payout on our contract."

After he left I checked and found the information. The account was listed under my name and added on estate profits. I saw I had a deposit that morning of 2800.00 from what we sold already. I was shocked and we have not even scratched the surface. While Charles was gone I worked on more of the closet and found mini drawers full of jewelry. I pulled all ten drawers out and looked at the pieces when Charles walked in. He saw the look on my face and said, "You hit the mother load."

I showed him a pile of wedding bands and said, "They all have inscriptions."

I sorted the jewelry and handed him a tray full and said, "I am not keeping these. But this bag is going into my work box for later."

"Let's get a sandwich downstairs and take a break." He said, "Also its a good thing we are in your room today."

"Why is that?" I asked. 

He pointed out the window and I looked up and saw a storm coming in. "If we lose power we will only be able to see in lighted rooms"

We headed downstairs and had lunch. As we got back to my room the sky opened and it started to rain. I was in my closet as the power began to go in and out. I put another pile of clothes in the crate when the power went out. "Well I guess no more closet right now."

Charles looked at me and said, "Well we have enough light from the windows still so I am going to sort and pack up."

I walked over to the first wardrobe and said, "Well I guess I will start here then"

We continued to add to the stores pile and I said, "I did find the account and saw the first deposit I cannot believe how much sold already"

Charles said, "Me either and when I dropped off the crates of the stuff I had not posted the staff was already pricing and getting items on the tables and shelves. Grandpa was in awe of the clothes but he even said what we are doing was the smartest thing so you had a comfortable suite. He also said when we get a room ready he wants to come stay the weekend and help us snoop."

"Well depending on the weather maybe we can work on the bedroom bath rooms that are between our suits and he will be able to come visit and snoop," I said. "There would be no way for us to work in the attic with the storms."

I started going through the cupboard and found a box of letters, "Wow look at these letters."

Charles joined me and we each took a letter out and opened them. He said, "These are more love letters. They seem to be between a Sarah and Conner. There are a lot of them."

I took the letters and added then to the box. Looking at him I said, "Those are for when you have not caught up to me or when your doing a delivery."

"Well at least we can still go through things until the power comes back on," I said. For the rest of the day we were like a machine I saved a few pieces of clothing I wanted and Charles sorted items so he could post more once the power came on. 

He filled the van and said, "Well I have some items I want to post but they are in that crate. But we filled the van again so I am going to run to the store. I think we used all the empty crates we had for now so I will grab boxes until we sort all the crates that you have in here. On my way back do you want me to grab some food for dinner? If the power comes back on we can keep going unless you want to call it a day."

"Actually burgers sound good," I said. 

"Okay I will be back soon enough," He said. "Listen if you find stuff to store in the attic wait until I am back so we can do it safely with no power in the house."

"I will," I said. "Trust me when I say I do not want to be injured."

I watched him leave and continued to sort through the dressers. When the light had faded to where I could not see again the power finally came back on. I went back into the closet and worked on finishing it. As I got to the last section I found a stack of small boxes and found boxes with names and baby items. I put them in the crate I would have to sort through. Then I got to a cabinet and when I opened it I found wedding dresses boxed up with pictures. I added the three dress boxes to the crate as well. By the time Charles came back with dinner he saw the crate pile and said, "You have been busy. Lets take a break and eat."

I pointed to my personal crate and said, "Not sure if they are mysteries or history. But it will be fun to find out. Sorry your pile exploded while you were gone."

"Seriously I thought you may have started research," He said. "But I will tell you items we are posting online are selling out quick. The store is selling as well and your area is being refilled every evening. Now for the important question Grandpa wanted to know if we will be sorting over the weekend."

"I assume you told him your staying here," I said as he nodded. "As for the weekend I am not sure. I think we should play it by ear and see what we decide to do. If he wants a definitive answer tell him no. I like to write a lot on the weekend and you have a whole lake to fish and boat on."

Smiling he said, "I do like to take the weekends for myself usually. I mean oh no we will spend time together, I am not sad about that. I will tell him we will be off on the weekends but do not be surprised if I bring a van full or two if we start snooping. But on the weekends I decided I will only drop off stuff for in store. Then maybe on Sunday night if we have did any work the items we find that should be on the website will be posted and set to go on the next Van ride to the store."

"I think that sounds like a great idea," I said. "I do like to write and research. So you are aware if I do go into full out writing mode I get distracted and quiet. Sometimes I will go until I finish that particular section I am working on." 

"Great to know," He said. "I am kinda the same way with fishing and drawing. So lets go eat and you can tell me where your at in the room as I see there are three crates I have to sort through and we are only at the end of Tuesday."

"Well I finished the closet I was working on and half the dressers and tables. I also cleaned out the desk and found a lot of paperwork I will need  to go through." I said. "I decided that why you are sorting I am going to unpack my clothes. I have to look at the shelves next to the desk which I may do after I finish unpacking all my clothes. I think we may also putting a few of those tables in your van. I do not need 5 dressers especially with the 2 closets that has built in dressers. We can add furniture to right?"

"Sure thing?" He said. "You may have to help me move some of the bigger pieces but I do not see why not. Its your house to do whatever you want to and if you don't like the pieces or find no use for them I don't see why they can't go."

We headed to the kitchen and started eating. While talking and eating I started to yawn and Charles said, "Should we call it for the night?"

"No I am good," I said. "I think since its only 530 I can get at least another hour or two before I decide to sleep."

Standing up Charles said, "Well unless you want to stay here lets get started if you keep yawning boss lady I will make you go to bed."

I grabbed my drink and said, "Well then lets get more stuff done and get my room ready to go."

We went upstairs and as Charles sorted everything in the the three crates I unpacked my clothes and everything that would go into my closet. I went into the bathroom and started going through the cabinets and shelves. I ended up bringing items for Charles and went back and grabbed a few piles of towels to bring up to the attic. We took the pile of towels and headed for the attic with a tag for a trunk. I added the bathroom towel tag and put the towels inside. Looking at the two trunks with everything I am keeping and realized how much I sent to the store. I also realized that we have barely scratched the surface.

When I got back I finished the bathroom and continued on opening up the second closet. I sighed and said, "Most of the clothes in here will be going to you as well."

Charles looked up while sorting, "Why do you say that?"

"Its full of mens clothes." I said as I started to take out a pile of full suits and laid them over the third crate. 

Charles groaned and grabbed two more crates and said, "Well you hit the jack pot these vintage suits are the craze right now. From my guess they are from the 1940's. I do have to ask you did you ever check under the bed. In a lot of old homes they would store things."

I leaned down and said, "Oh yeah there are a bunch of boxes under there." 

I pulled one out and found a wedding dress with pictures and mementos. I also pulled out another and it was pictures upon pictures from the 1970's all over the property. I added both boxes to my pile for research. I kept pulling out boxes and found many boxes of family pictures and history. Laughing I said, "You know I could probably create a couple full table books with the pictures of the home and property. I am also going to have to get a bunch of photo album's as I do not want these pictures to get ruined. I hate going out though so I guess I am going to do a Wal-Mart order to have them delivered. This is going to be a very interesting go through."

 Charles said, "Table books will be very cool. If you find pictures you do not want to keep they will sell to. But I do love your idea of the different types of cabinets and displays in the entry way for guests and visitors to see."

The last two boxes were very heavy and I struggled to get them out from under the bed. Charles came over and helped me pull the two long wooden crates under the bed. I opened the first and gave a squeal of delight. Charles came up behind me and said, "No way. I have a feeling one day we are going to have home movie day. There has to be hours of movies in here. Is the second crate the same thing."

I opened the second crate full of home movies and said, "Just movies as the projector is in the first box."

Charles lifted the movie boxes and places them next to the sorting crate. I found myself watching him until i turned around and went back into the closet. We were both lost in our work and as I was sorting some mens sweaters I decided to keep for the cold winter lake days I heard a alarm going off. I looked up and Charles said, "I set a alarm for 830pm in case we got to into our work. That way we can clean up and get ready to stop."

Coming out of the men's closet with the sweaters I said, "Sounds good to me I am so happy I found some vintage men's sweaters and a few long sleeve shirts I can use."

I sat down and asked, "Do you want anything from Walmart I am placing an order for the photo albums."

He looked up and said, "Dr Pepper would be great. Let me know how much I owe you."

Laughing I said, "Courtosy of the house. I am using the account from the things we sell for the business and renting the rooms." 

He looked at me serious and said, "We have not talked about rent yet."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Your helping me by being here. If you want buy groceries for the pantry and stuff like household products but that is it. I like you being here and its less lonely."

He gave me a look and said, "Okay but if you change your mind let me know."

Smiling I said, "I will."

"I will be heading out early tomorrow to go to drop everything off at the shop," He said. "I may just stop at the store to get groceries. Have you looked at the news we are supposed to have a hurricane later this week. I will get extra water, candles, flashlights and a some non perishables."

"Should we be worried?" I asked. "I have never been through a hurricane before."

"We should be fine," He said. "You will be able to get a lot of great pics from the windows and the balconies. The worst I think we will get is the power going out. Don't worry I will be here and we will be fine."

I saw all the crates that were not sorted and said, "Wait we filled the van and still have all of this?"

He laughed and said, "Yup I added a ton to the website and that was loaded in the van and packed the items for the store. I have a feeling we will have to do a few trips tomorrow. Also I did call my Grandfather and he said if you decide to sell furniture I am to have the professional movers come out to come get the pieces instead of myself loading it."

"Well then I guess we will have to get that arranged. I am not a fan of long dressers So I am wanting to sell that long dresser, the table in the corner and I do not like those green chairs and I do not need 4 chairs in the bedroom area as I have a full couch set in my office sitting room." I said. "I think everything in the living room is staying except for the brown chair in the corner. I do not know why its there but its also going."

"Okay when I get there I will arrange it and best thing is they can take any boxes with them when they pick up the furniture," Charles said. "He headed to the door and said, "Have a good night Amelia"

"Good night Charles," I said.

After he shut the door I grabbed pajamas out of the closet and headed to take a long bath. I played some music on my phone and relaxed. When i thought I would fall asleep I got out and went to bed. The following morning I woke up at 7am and looked out the window. I saw Charles leaving and went to get a cup of coffee. When I got downstairs I saw a note next to the brewed pot of coffee.

Amelia,

I should be back by 10 this morning. I will be stopping at the store to get us hurricane supplies. I also arranged for a furniture pick up for 2pm this afternoon. 

See you soon,

Charles

I went back up to my room and started going through the last of the men's closet. When i was going through the drawers I could a box of letters and wedding bands. I added them to the sort box and kept going. By the time Charles got back there was multiple full crates as well as some boxes he left. He handed me a a breakfast sandwich and said, "Amelia I thought you would have slept in. You have been going non stop since your Grandma passed away."

Sighing I said, "Its my coping mechanism."

"Well remember she wanted you to do this," He said. "I see you wanted to get ahead of me."

"Well," I said. "After I get done in here I am going to go through my sitting room and bathroom. I do have a project to work on and that is one of the boxes of pictures. My photo Albums were delivered this morning and I took a few minutes and found a bunch of lake and home pictures so I think I will be setting up a few table books."

Charles looked up and said, "Welcome to Amore Manor?"

Looking up I said, "What?"

"Since the beginning of the estate," Charles said. "The original owner bought the land and called it Amore Manner for his love he had for his wife."

"I love it," I said. "I think its going to have 3 to 4 pictures per page. and each book will have 30 pages. I need to check the sizing and what I can create."

"You really do self publish a lot don't you?" He asked.

Nodding I said, "Yes I do, I have a publisher for some of my books as well. When I sort those shelves there I will unpack all my published works. I average 50-100 book sales a week online alone. I also make a bunch of money off my blog. Normally I post one to 2 times a day and people love visiting the site. That and I make money off social media as well."

"Your Grandma said you were a influencer," He said.

"Not quite I am a writer first and foremost," I said. "I do not do brand deals and I use the social media for my publishing and writing. I posted right before you got back hinting about new table book with historic pictures of the estate. After 15 minutes I had 100 people asking about a timeline and when it would be done. I will be doing a lot of scanning and uploading this week."

"Wow that sound like a lot of work," He said. "If you need any help with dates and time lines let me know. But for now its time for me to get caught up to you. I am going to move the boxes downstairs as I fill them. Oh and by the way I put the perishable food I got away so we have to put the non perishable away later as I did not want to mess with any sort of way you want the pantry."

"I really do not have a pattern but we will sort it later," I said as I went to start to the last of the sorting in my bedroom and when I went to empty the last drawer in a dresser I am keeping I called out to Charles, "Umm this is weird I can not open this drawer."

He came over and knelt behind me and said, "Oh boy I have only seen one of these before. This is a safe drawer. There should be a latch here somewhere."

He felt under the dresser and said, "Here Amelia there is a button right here to release the drawer."

I felt under and pressed the button and the drawer popped out. I gasped and Charles said, "Shit."

The drawer was filled with Jewelry in boxes. I opened and found a locket with names engraved. Looking I said, "Oh boy I am going to be researching all of this I think." 

I grabbed a box and started to sort. I found a few pieces I knew I would not be keeping and placed them in a crate. I moved my full box stacking it on top of the movies and made sure all the pictures were placed on the corner of my desk. I went back and sorted some more. By the time our fifteen minute warning I was done with my bedroom the closets and was sorting the shelves next to my desk. 

Charles got my attention and said, "I will go wait downstairs for the crew."

I gave a thumbs up and continued to go through the books on the shelf. A lot of the books were vintage westerns and romance novels. I took a few that I was interested in and moved them to the library. By the time Charles came back with the movers I was unpacking all the books I had wrote and placed the box piles next to everything Charles had to sort. The movers made quick work of getting the furniture into the truck and then I saw them adding all the boxes Charles had downstairs. He came back up and said, "Well we filled the moving van they had and I had to move the rest of the boxes I had. They also took a box of what I posted on the site."

"Well," I said. "I finished sorting the sitting room, bedroom, bath and closets. So this room is finished."

Charles laughed as he looked at the piles of boxes and said, "Well I have to sort and add stuff to the website so what are you going to do while I do this?"

"Well I have this lovely box of pictures and I am going to do a blog post and start sorting the pictures and start my process." I said. "First things first I am gonna sort this box. Whoever placed things in this box actually labeled all the pictures on the back."

As Charles got to sorting and work I did the same. I found pictures labeled Katies wedding 1935, Amore Manor 1931, 1935 and 1938, New years ball 1945 and 1940, Christmas pictures from 1931-1938 as well as 10 different balls all dated. Each pile had 100's of pictures and I wrapped each stack with ribbons and I grabbed the first stack randomly. I ended up picking up a stack of pictures from a the house in 1938. I sat sorting the pictures and felt myself transported through time I went to my desk and started to pick layouts and figuring out which ones would go into the first table book. I went to look up the sizes I would publish with and started a book creation template on my computer. I got so into my work I did not even notice that Charles had left and came back after dropping off another run to the store. When I had scanned in the first Table book and created the cover I uploading everything to the publishing site. As the book was uploading I added the pictured I used with a label in the photo album. I grabbed a second photo album and labeled the pictures I did not think would go into a new book. After the book was finished uploading I uploaded the book file to my portable hard drive. I wrapped up the remaining pictures with the ribbon and stuck a note in that said 1938 Amore Manor Book 2. I also ordered a copy of the book for myself and then I posted a Blog and multiple social media posts to announce the new table book. 

By the time I stood up to see how much Charles had left I noticed all the crates were gone and the floor had been swept. I went downstairs and found Charles in the kitchen. He looked up from his computer and said, "I was just going to come find you. I filled all the boxes except for one. I left that box next to the boxes in the hall. I have chicken in the oven cooking for dinner."

I looked at the clock on the microwave and said, "Why didn't you interrupt me its already 7pm."

Laughing he said, "You were so into your work I couldn't interrupt you. But did you finish what you were doing?"

Sitting down I said, "I sure did. The original photos are in a photo album. The pictures from my first stack was the home from 1938. I have enough for another book or two. I am sorting through to see which pictured from 1938 will make it into another book or two. The ones that do not make the cut will be put into a a sorted in a basic album. I did 40 pictures in the first book. My copy will be here in a few days. However Unlock most table books I made mine where you can order a hard or soft cover and the soft cover is cheaper."

He said, "You think of everything. So would you like to see what is on the website right now?"

"Sure," I said moving my chair next to him.

"If you look here you will see the main page to the store," He started. "On the side bar you will see yours is the top sale page under the Amore Estate. When you click on it you will see a live feed at the top here for the items placed in your estate section." 

He enlarged the small picture and I saw racks of cloths and a display case full of the jewerly and shoes. I saw the blankets and racks of cloths. I asked, "Will the cloths sell?"

"Yes they will," he said. "The furniture will be added in a few days. Not including everything else I bring in the next two days. All the items added to the website are already at the store in your storage room which by the way is filling up due to the furniture. But no worries our team has added so much to the store in the last few days and the clothing is in high demand. I did have a suggestion for you. With the hurricane coming I was thinking that we should maybe work in the center room the next two days as the humidity will be to much for us. The center room used to be the main ball room but everything in there is stuff brought from other estates. But if you want to look at the sale page. It was full with all 50 items when I cleaned up. The page will refresh when a item is sold. It will have a sold banner over it when it awaiting packing. If you see coming soon on the screen it means our staff packed the items and removed the listing."

I looked over the page and said, "So you said all 50 spots where full when you finished sorting and loading the van right?"

As he pulled out the pan of chicken he said, "Sure did."

Laughing I said, "Well I guess you will be busy tomorrow as there are only 9 items left listed on the page."

He put the pan on the stove and said, "Wow the staff will be packing a lot in the next hour. No worries while you start sorting I will add to the site again. When I went to the store earlier the last of the items added to the website were left at the store. Only items in the van are items for the store front. Also I forgot to tell you Grandfather does after hours parties one day a month to raise money for the local children's home and the next one is three Saturday's from now. They are fun and I have to be there but I was wondering would you like to go as my date?"

"You would like to go on a date with me?" I said.

"Yeah I would," He said. "I was going to say I would cook you dinner but well as I live here I thought this would be a much better first date."

"I would like that," I said. "You don't think I am odd due to my writing and life?"

"Not at all," He said. "I think that makes you more interesting. I want to be honest with you the girl I was living with I was dating. But I knew for a while our relationship was over and when she flipped out over my job I used that as a way to start ending everything."

Standing up I grabbed the plates and said, "You don't have to explain that to me. I get it I was dating someone who I ended the long term relationship because he complained that I would not get a real job."

When I opened the drawer for silverware I said, "Maybe we should look through the cabinets tomorrow in here because I think there may be some items we do not need."

He started plating and said, "Why do you say that?"

"I do not think we need 50 casserole dishes, or 20 of the same cast iron pan." I continued, "Also I do not think we need 6 tea service sets and a million table cloths."

He came over and looked over my shoulder, "Wow I think your right. If you are going to rent rooms and offer tea and food I would suggest keeping two or three tea sets and maybe store some of the table cloths. But your right I do not think you need 20 12 inch cast iron pans. I guess we should start in here as we use this room a lot."

Sitting down he put my plate in front of me. "This was my moms recipe and its a go to food I like to make. There is enough here that we can have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow."

I took a bite and said, "This is so good. Wait do we have bread this will go great with bread and butter."

He handed me a bag of rolls and the butter. I said, "I am not like other girls I like to eat so be afraid."

He laughed and we ate in a companionable silence. We started to talk about the upcoming storm and he explained when he went to the University of Florida he had been through a few. "It's normally a huge rain storm and we should be fine. I picked up candles, flashlights and plenty of non perishables. I did put them away by the way since there is nothing in the butlers pantry except for what you already purchased. We will be fine and if the power goes out we can have an adventure and explore the house and be nosey and look through the boxes."

"That sounds like a plan," I said. "When is it supposed to hit?"

"We should be starting to feel the effects tomorrow but its supposed to hit fully on Saturday," He said. "I already told Grandfather depending on the weather I may not be able to bring items on Friday and he agreed that we will play it by ear and he did post a disclaimer on the website that all online orders may be delayed for packing and shipping till Monday. I may also leave the work van to the shop tomorrow and take a moving truck back so we do not have to go back and forth as much. I will decide when I get up. Depending what we get done in the next few days I may shut the online sales down after I deliver the last van load."

We ate the rest of dinner and we cleaned up. After we finished cleaning up we decided to walk the property. We headed over to the lake as I said, "It really is beautiful out here."

We found a bench and sat down. Looking over the lake we saw the first sign of rain heading towards us. Thinking about how the storm might affect the water I asked him, "My Grandpas boat is docked in the lake house should we put it on the lift so the waves and water don't crash it into the dock?"

He looked at me and said, "Your right that was a smart thought. Lets get in there and do that before the water gets to rough to handle the boat."

We walked to the boat house and when we got in I saw a bag and fishing poles and Charles said, "I left them here so we did not have the fish smell in the house."

He handed me a rope and said, "See that pole behind you that has the big hook facing down we need to tie the boat to that. Doesn't have to be fancy just tight as I will use that to get the boat on the lift."

He got in the boat and backed it out. When he had it out of its dock he jumped back out and lowered the lift. He pulled it back in and grabbed the rope and ran it through a hook on the boat. he added other ropes to the sides of the boat and started to lift the boat out of the water. When the boat was three feet above the walk way he used my rope first and tied it tight. He then tied all the die ropes, then for the last thing he closed the doors that led to the water and said, "That should do it. It should be safe now."

He took my hand and we headed back to the house as a misty rain started. When we were almost to the house he stopped and leaned down and kissed me. As we broke apart from the kiss he said, "I have wanted to do that sine the day the window got stuck. If it is to soon let me know and I will back off."

I said, "I have wanted to kiss you to but lets take it very slow."

He kissed my forehead and said, "Agreed."

We went our separate ways at the stairs and headed to our respective rooms. I had just showered and got my pajamas on when a massive thunder clap hit and then the downpour of rain. Looking out the windows I watched the storm and then saw a car sitting halfway up the driveway. Its lights were off and I saw the silhouette of a person sitting in it. I snapped a picture with my phone and went over to Charles room. Knocking a few times he opened the door and said, "Amelia what's wrong?"

"When the thunder clap happened I looked outside and watched the storm." I started. "But as I watched the storm I noticed someone was parked halfway down the driveway. Look I took a picture."

He took my phone and said, "Lets look."

When we got back to my room we saw the car lights come on and the car turned around and left. He ran downstairs and checked both of our cars outside and said, "Lets check the doors of the house."

We walked through the house making sure everything was locked up. He moved stacks of crates in front of the french doors that led to the courtyard and patios. We even ran down to the basement to make sure that the outside entrance was locked. When we got to the stairs he said, "I know there is a gate to the property I think we will start closing and locking it when we do not need to go out. Also in the morning I think I will get some slide latches to keep the french doors secured as well."

"Okay I will go with you in the morning then," I said. 

Nodding he said, "Okay we will go between 7 or 8am. Lets get some sleep."

I stopped in my doorway and took a breath. Charles called out, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "Seeing the car creeped me out."

He said, "One second."

Walking into his room he grabbed a blanket and a pillow. He got to my room and said, "I will sleep on the couch in the sitting room and you get to sleep. I promise no one will get past me and we locked all the doors in the house. Also I am locking the door to your suite as well."

I went into my bedroom and laid down as I heard him set up the couch. I went to sleep after about 10 minutes and woke up to my phone's alarm going off. I sat up and heard knocking on my door. "Amelia are you awake can I come in."

"You can come in," I said.

He brought in a cup of coffee and handed it to me. "I figured you would need that. I am ready to go when you are and it still raining. As its still raining so I think we are going to get the moving truck for the next two days."

I got out of bed and started to get ready. I grabbed one of the long sleeve mens shirt I kept and a pair of leggings. Grabbing a coat we went out to the Van a lawn truck pulled up. A man got out and said, "Miss Amelia?"

I step closer and said, "You must be Simon I was told you would be coming by. I do need to let you know we will be locking the gate from now on. Last night we looked out  the windows during the storm and someone was parked watching the house."

Simon nodded and said, "Smart idea. I do not like that your here alone, maybe you should think about getting a dog."

"Well I am not here alone," I said. "So don't you worry about that and I am not sure I am ready for the responsibility of a dog. I love dogs but maybe later."

He looked at Charles and said, "Understood. As the storm is going to be getting worse I am just here to check the new trees in the garden are tied and secured. I will also check the branches around the house to make sure they are not needing to be cut back. I am sure once the storm is over I will need to do some property clean up."

"Simon," Charles asked, "Do you have the gate code we will be locking it on our way out."

"Yes sir its Miss Amelias birthday," He said.

"Thank you Simon we are on our way to drop off stuff at Charles work and then to go get some slide locks for the french doors," I said. "Do you need me to get anything else for the property?"

"No you are good Miss Amelia," He said. "Please me careful on the roads and watch the sky."

CHarles came over and opened my door as I climbed in. HE walked around and climbed in and said, "I hope it holds off while we do what we need to."

We drove down the driveway and when we left Charles got out to make sure the gate worked and closed. After a quick drive we were at the store and when we got there Benson came out with some workers and had them empty the van. He came over and gave me a hug and said, "Welcome Amelia when Charles called and said you were coming to the store today I was so excited. Would you like to see your estate room?"

"Benson I am ready for a tour while Charles changes out the trucks," I said. "Lead the way."

As we walked he said, "I am glad he is getting the moving truck to fill till the hurricane passes and the roads become driveable. He also told me about the car on your driveway last night. He said befre you go home your getting additional locks?"

"Yes and I am thinking about getting a security system as well with cameras that do not need to be wired into the house." I said. "We also locked the gate to keep people from entering the property."

"Very smart move," He said. "So this area is your storage room. We have all the boxes stacked as you can see the guys have added what was in the van to the pile now. These shelves here are items that are added to the online store. I know Charles said that he does not plan on doing any online sales until Monday because he cannot get the product to the store. I agree I would rather you both be safe and off the road. Now come this way my dear as the back corner here is your estate sale. We set it up with displays. The clothing has sold nicely as well as many of the other items. He said you found one mystery and solved it. He also said you found pictured and already published a table book. I am quite impressed my dear. I was also told by Charles you will be joining us for Charity night as his date. I am pleasantly surprised by that and you both have my blessing. Just be careful with him my dear as I said they same to him about you."

"You have my word Benson I promise." I said as we turned while Charles approached. 

"Grandfather I talked to Mrs Abby. She is going to to post on the website for the items in Amelia's online store." He said. "She had done this before for us and since she lives above the store she said talked to you already and would be handling all online sales and packaging everything over the weekend due to the storm. She said she will handle everything until we know when we will be coming back. When I left her she had the store laptop and camera going and was adding some of the stock to the website. When she opened Amelias store page there was 2 items left. So the packaging crew was getting items shipped and she was adding more to it. I am sure a bunch of the items will not even make it to the floor this weekend." 

"Abby had suggested that earlier when she arrived," Benson said. "Abby has been with us for years and she likes the online system we have. Knowing the storms coming she wants to make sure we keep your stock moving. Although I fear our local post master may need to bring a second truck around by Monday. Especially if Abby get bored. Now lets go see our sales floor."

As we got to where the Amore estate was written on chalk boards I saw the displays and set up and said, "Oh I love this. Wow we have a bunch of cloths here. I just cannot believe how much is out and has sold already."

"Well Amelia dear. The amore estate is by far the biggest estate we have ever dealt with but I am so excited with what you plan to do," He said. "Charles said you finished the main bedroom and your plan to work in the kitchen today."

"Yes sir," I said, "Now that my room is done I have unpacked all my belongings and am ready to get the kitchen done as those are the rooms we use the most. But as I promised once we have a bedroom ready to go you can come out and visit."

He smiled and said, "Good now I know the weather is going to be difficult and I want you both safely at the estate."

We went out to the moving truck and Charles helped me in. When we drove away he said, "Ready for the store?"

"Yes and on the way home lets grab food from the food truck outside," I said. "Also while we are in there I want to get a video camera or three. Also maybe a door bell camera so we can have alerts on our phones."

"That is a great idea," He said.

When we got into the store we bought all the additional locks for the doors and went over tot he security system isle. I added a door bell camera for the boathouse, main house as well as the door to the kitchen. We also got four other cameras for the property as well as cords and batteries that go with them. When we left we got meals for the day and went home. While we were driving Charles said, "I think I know who was on the property."

"Who," I said.

"My ex-girlfriend," He started. "Last night when we went to lay down she texted me and said something about me living in the big house and how she saw you and then me in the window. She assumed we were sleeping together. I told her to leave me alone and that you ran across the estate and got me. I also told her that we had been over for some time but she wouldn't end it until I left. She told me its not over until she says so."

"Charles its okay," I said. "If she feels coming an hour to scope the house out we will be careful with locking the door and putting up the cameras. Besides she will get very bored as we live a very boring mom and pop life so far."

He started laughing and when we got home Simon took the cameras and said, "There is a break in the rain so I will get these installed for you. Son if i were you I would get the back of the truck as close as you can to the doors of the house. They said we have about 4 hours and then all hell is going to break loose."

Charles got back into the truck and backed as far back as he could with Simon directing him. I asked Simon, "Do you want some coffee Simon."

"Not right now Miss Amelia," He said. "I might get some to go later will you be in the back rooms?"

Charles said, "No man we will be in the kitchen and pantry working in there. If we get that finished fast we will be in the entry and the open area on the bottom floor."

He nodded and went to the side of the mansion. We went inside and Charles grabbed the partially filled box. We started with the first set of cabinets and as he was just filling boxes and crates we had the kitchen finished within an hour. He took the first pile of boxes to the the moving truck and when he got back he said, "Well I think that was the fastest room we got done."

We went into the ballroom or center room and we started to go through items. Looking at Charles I said, "I am guessing that a lot of the items in this room will be going to the store." 

When we opened the next crate I said, "Wow I cannot believe this."

Charles came up behind me and said, "Books? No wait these are banking ledgers. Amelia there is a letter inside the top ledger."

Father,

I was able to get these ledgers for you and I believe your right. I believe that the foreman was stealing from the lumber mill. I need you to look at the numbers. I believe Manley is stealing from us.

Regards,

Mathew

Charles gathered up the ledgers and put them in a box. I pulled small boxes of still pictures and framed pictures. We also pulled out a bag of empty ledgers. Under the items were piles of old hand tools for wood working. I knew we would have many mysteries but I did not think we would have this many. We continued to sort items and soon enough Charles was moving more boxes out to the moving truck. When he got back he said, "This is more easy than adding to the website but man I am glad I am not driving the next few days. The wind has picked up."

"Well you two," Simon said coming in. With a coffee thermos, "I will take that coffee now if you guys have it."

I took the thermos and said, "Cream or sugar."

"No dear I like it black," he said.

I walked into the kitchen and filled the thermos full with the pot we just made and handed it back to him. He raised the thermos and said, "Thank you Miss Amelia I will make sure the gate is locked when I leave. You both be ready the power will probably go out soon they way the wind is blowing."

He left into the storm and said, "We might want to get get candles and flashlights ready."

As he said that a huge crack of lightening sounded and all the lights went out. I let out a yelp and he took my hand as he used the light on his flashlight to get us back to the kitchen. When we got to the kitchen he pulled me with him to the pantry and said, "Hold my phone please."

He went into the pantry and came out with a lantern. "I hate the new LED lanterns this is a oil based lantern I got from the camping store. It burns clean and we don't have to worry about the battery running out. I have this basket full with oil, flashlights, candles and matches. I also have a bag of snacks I charged my portable power supply I use for estates that don't have electric available and we should have 24 hours of charge time so we can go watch a few movies I downloaded on my laptop before the power went out."

"You thought of everything didn't you? But what if the power stays off what about the food in the fridge and freezer?" I said.

"When I came in I grabbed some dry ice and already have some in the fridge and freezer in the garbage bag." He said. "We should be okay as long as the power comes back in the next two days."

We stopped at the door and checked the lock and took my hand and led me upstairs. We settled into the couch with his laptop on the table in front of us. I laughed when I say the movie line up started with the movie twister. We each grabbed a blanket and settled in to watch movies. I was not even through the first 20 min of the movie when I fell asleep. I woke later that night to Charles standing next to the window watching the storm. I stretched as I asked, "What time is it?"

He came over and sat next to me as he said, "Its a little after 2 am. The power came on for about 10 minutes and then went back off. I watched the movie and checked the house a few times the wind is pretty bad and the rain is just now picking up."

Yawning I said, "You must be tired."

He said, "I am but its okay. Are you hungry you slept through dinner?"

My stomach growled to answer him and he said, "I will be right back them I got some ready made food at the store I will grab it and we can have dinner up here. When I get back if you want I will start a fire in the fire place it has gotten cold in here."

"That would be great," I said. I watched as he went out the door and headed to the bathroom. I went into my closet and grabbed a hoodie as well. When he got back he placed a tray with a bunch of different foods and some plates in the table and he went to start a small fire. 

Just as he was about to sit down at the table with me there was loud banging coming from the front door. I looked at Charles and said, "Who is here at this time at night?"

He walked over to the window and said, "The police."

I followed him down the staircase and we opened the door. I said to the officers, "Please come out of the storm."

The two officers came in and Charles stood next to me and asked, "Is there a problem officer it's almost 3am?"

The female officer said, "I am officer Ricos and this is my partner officer Greene. The reason we are here is because we had a call from a concerned friend stating that this young lady is in danger."

Laughing I said," I will be in danger if the power does not come on soon. Especially since this hurricane is putting a damper on our clean out schedule. Officers we had everything secure for the storm and have been watching movies and getting ready to eat dinner in my suite when you knocked."

"Dinner at 3am," Officer Ricos asked.

Laughing I said, "Well its been an insane week officer. Would you like to join us and I can assure you everything is okay."

As the lightening cracked outside officer Greene said, "As long as we are not imposing."

"Not imposing at all," I said. "Officers I would offer coffee but with the electric out I have to offer water, sweet tea or soda"

"A soda would be great," Officer Ricos said

Charles went into the kitchen and came back with soda and extra plates and silver ware We got upstairs and they joined us at the table. I asked, "Why did you think I was here against my will?"

Officer Ricos said, "We got a call about 4pm this evening stated that you were being held captive in this home against you will by a young man who was working here."

"Officers I own this home, Also please help yourselves and eat while I explain everything." I said as I explained the last week. Explaining the funeral and how Charles ended up here to me, being a writer and showing the officers what we have been doing. I explained the estate and what I planned to do with the home once we finished going through everything. Charles filled in how he worked for his Grandfathers store and provided the information they would need to confirm that. He also said I allowed him to stay here for the time being as he recently ended his relationship with a woman who was quite destructive. I also explained one night I woke up to find a car sitting near the house and when we put the lights on they took off. So we decided for safety to secure the gate and people who need to come onto the property can. Looking at the officers I asked, "The gate was secured how did you get in?"

Officer Greene laughed and said, "All the gates here have a key port for police in case of an emergency. We used our magic key and no worries we made sure we locked it coming in. On the way out though could we have the code so we don't get drenched."

I wrote it down and handed it to the officers and asked, "I would like to ask though Charles has been staying here a week and very little people know he is here. May I ask who called it in."

Charles said, "You Don't need to answer. I am sorry Amelia I am guessing it is my ex Carlie she was mad I got to fish up here the first day and be on a wonderful estate. She wanted to let her come up with me when I started here and I said no for your privacy and to be honest I found out the day I left she had a tendency to take things. We were together six months and after I moved in to help her with the rent in month three I realized I made a mistake."

I nodded and said, "I am not mad I am guessing you think it was her in the car as well?"

He said, "Yes I do."

Officer Rios said, "You both are not in trouble and to be honest I am glad your here and safe. Thank you for the meal, we would not have come out if we didn't take the words hostage and kidnapping lightly. I will assure you she will be dealt with. Now Amelia what have you written? I ate while you wrote but officer Greene took the notes."

Smiling I led her to the wall of books and she said, "Oh my I have read a few of these. You also run the blog 'a writers life' right?"

"I sure do," I said. "These are pictures of the covers of the new table books I created with pictures we found. These crates here are family heirlooms and mysteries I have to work through. I have a lot of work ahead of me. This is about a few years of work not including my regular novels. Believe me when I say that its been quite busy and all these items stacked here are from just my room, a small section in the attic and a few feet of the ball room. Once the home is finished I will be renting out rooms as a air brb or vrbo and maybe hosting weddings and events in the ball room."

She looked at me and said, "Weddings you say? Well I happen to be engaged and would love to have my wedding here."

"Well here is my card and Charles and I will be working on the ballroom once we can see in the morning but call me in 30 days and we will see how we can proceed," I said. "I think we can help one of our fellow officers have a special day. When is the wedding planned for?"

She smiled, "We want it to be in a year and a half."

"I will go ahead and make a note for myself and get with my lawyer for contracts. Then once we have some more cleared we can get you and your fiance in to look at the home and property and discuss the prices."

"Thank you Amelia I was worried as this is not only our wedding but a reunion for our families hence the reason we are pushing it out," She said. "Also it seems that the storm has lightened up and officer Greene and I will get out of your hair."

As she said that the power came back on, "Wohoo, well get a look as your leaving and use your imagination as you go." 

She looked out from my door and said, "I can see it now and that chandelier is amazing."

Charles and I walked out the officers and they each handed us their card promising they would take care of the false reports. We went upstairs and ate some more and Charles said, "I guess we really need to get this house handled huh? The look on her face when you said she could be the first wedding was priceless."

Looking at Charles I said, "I think it would be great advertising as its also helping an officer of the law. Besides from the pictures I saw from previous weddings I cannot say no. Plus everyone deserves to have a epic wedding."

He laughed and said, "Well it looks like the rain is slowing down. Do you want to try sleeping again?"

"Honestly Charles I am in the mood to write," I said. "So if you don't mind I am going to do that while the power is still up."

He smiled and said, "How about this. You write and I am going to look around some of the rooms. Like my own personal scavenger hunt. Plus we still have not seen the welcome box your Grams left you."

As he walked out of the room I grabbed my laptop and headed to the sitting room near the greenhouse. I sat down on one of the large oversized chairs and updated the website as well as looking over the notes some of my readers made on the books I was working on. All my readers got to see the rough drafts of all my books and while sitting there I decided I will need to start working on a schedule for writing and research. I have posted a blog post and just started finished the next chapter in one of my books when I heard Charles call my name.

He walked in and said, "Are you okay?"

Smiling I said, "Sure am I just finished a chapter and was getting ready to get up as I realized I need to start making a better plan for writing and all the research."

He looked worried and I asked, "Whats wrong?"

"My Grandpa just called me," He said. "The Van I normally used was broken into and grafittied I believe Carli did it. My car was in the main bay to keep it from flooding along with Gramps vintage car but the van I normally use was trashed. He is going to get security feed from the neighbors. I may have to stay with him for a few days to get somethings done. Such as speaking with the local police and helping secure the parking lot or shop."

"Of course Charles," I said, "As much as I love having you around I will be honest, family first. Besides I can write and work on more of the research and picture books. But for now we still have to wait for the all clear so what do you say we get to the ball room edges and work on a few crates. That is unless your tired."

He gave a cheeky smile and said, "I think while we have power that is a great idea. I did pull up the radar when I cane to find you and another big band of rain is heading to us. I would suggest you plug in the laptop again so you can write if the power goes out."

I headed into my room and put my laptop on charge and we headed down to the ball room. I said, "Why don't we take your cart and go towards the main doors where the light is streaming through. That and we can watch the storm though the windows."

We opened the first trunk and it had boxes of labeled pictures. I read them out as we created a new box of wonder for me, "5 boxes of paris 1920, 4 boxes of rome 1962, 18 boxes of Alaska 1913, Oh wow Charles look there are videos in here as well. 15 from alaska, 10 from paris and 5 from rome. Oh wait there is another 5 boxes of pictures from England 1942, OMG ww2 charles."

We added the newest discoveries into a crate and went started opening the pile of side tables. When he has a small pile ready to go to the big van he loaded up the cart and started to move them. I went to search through the next trunk and discovered more vintage clothes. I started going through a mountain of cloths and kept adding things to the bin. I did follow charles rule to check the pockets and found a pile of wallets, jewerly and papers which I added to my research bin. As he was loading I added more boxes and looked at the vintage trunks. I had plenty of crates for storage and I really found I had no need for them So I added them to his pile. After going through a few more crates I found a trunk labeled seasonal pictures. I laughed as this person was organized Fall a-f winder a-z spring a-e summer a-z. I took the trunk and added it to my pile. 

When Charles came back he laughed and said, "Well it looks like you have been busy. Are those two crates more pictures?" 

I nodded and said, "Sure are and some papers I found in the clothing, As well as wallets."

He grabbed the two full picture crates and headed to my room to drop them off. When he got back the power was starting to flicker. He finished bringing the full product bins to the truck as the rain started to pour down. Then as predicted as soon as we got back inside from loading the boxes the power went out. We laughed and I said, "Well its about 9am so I want to try and stay awake. I would understand if you want to sleep. I however and going to grab one of the Alaska 1913 boxes and see about making a few new table books. I am excited."

"You know," Charles said. " I would help you but I will be honest I am wiped. I am going to go lay down and will find you when I am done napping. He walked over kissed my forehead and walked from the room."

As he walked out of the room I gathered one of the Alaska boxes and headed to the sitting room next to the patio doors and started to sort the first box of pictures. As I flipped through the box I sorted pictures of the port and coast. I saw a hunting cabin and a bunch of animals in the distance. I felt like I was looking through the history of the area. There had to be close to five hundred pictures in the box and by the time I had sorted the pictures and started going through the first pile the wind started to pick up a lot. I started to hear a buzzing sound and found it coming from a box in the kitchen. The box was labeled gate intercom. I hit the microphone button and said, "Hello."

I waited and no voice came back. Walking away I heard the box buzz again and I heard behind me, "What is that noise?"

Charles had woken up and was coming down the stairs. I looked at him and said, "Its coming from a box thats labeled gate intercom. I already answered it once and when I replied no one answered back."

I went back to the box and said, "I am sorry I am not just unlocking the gate due to the hurricane and storm. If your there please respond."

Again there was no response. I shrugged and said, "Maybe its the storm thats malfunctioning but maybe we should get a camera to put in the wall of the gate to see the box as well after the hurricane."

He looked at me and said, "How did sorting the box of pictures go?"

I smiled and said, "Once I have light I have a large amount of photo books I will be making from the first box alone. I only had a small amount of pictures that are going to be put in the albumn I am labeling Alaska 1913. I have an idea and I was thinking since we have made a huge progress in the ball room the first alcove has beautiful views of the lake and patio. I was hoping maybe we can take get in there and move the crates out I am thinking the inner wall would be great for the items that should be locked up and there is beautiful built in book shelves for the photo albumn's."

He smiles and said, "You want to do that before we continue on?"

Giving a small smile I said, "Kinda."

He laughed and said, "Well its a good thing I live here to because my dear you have muscles. Lets go look at it--"

BUZZZ BUZZZ

He went to the box and said, "Listen if you do not reply we will not know who you are."

"Charles baby let me in," The voice said. "I know we had a fight but we can get through it."

Charles looked at me and hit the button as he said, "Carlie you are blocked and I am with Amelia. This is her home and I will not let you in. You are crazy go home you ended it with me because I worked here and I was breaking up with you anyway because of your actions. That is the reason I was staying with my Grandfather every other day."

I looked at Charles and said, "She is crazy."

He asked "Do you still have the officers card?"

I took it out of my pocket and said, "Its right here."

He took the card and dialed the number, "Hello officer Rios this is Charles... Yes we are fine but remember that crazy ex girlfriend I told you about?...Yes the one who gave a false report earlier...Well apparently she is using the intercom system from the gate and she is there now....Ok thank you we are not letting her onto the property."

He hung up the phone and said, "That is taken care of and I was told she will be dealt with. They will call our phones if they need anything. I was advised to ignore the box for now. Now the beautiful woman I love with wants to make a history room and I am all to obligated to oblige."

He took my hand and we headed to the first alcove and I stopped looking out the windows and said, "Woah."

Charles stopped next to me and said, "We need to watch that water I am afraid if it gets to high it could possibly flood the basement. But for now I see what you mean those cases would be great on that inner wall and that built in book case would be great for the photo albumn's. I would say we use the second door and move the crates out and I will grab an empty crate so you can sort the books in there while I move the other crates If you decide you want any of those books we can move them to the library." 

He walked to the hall to get the crate and I started sorting the books that I wanted to keep. As we continued to work Charles phone rang and he answered it, "Hello?"

"Hey Charles it officer Rios is this a bad time?" She asked.

"No officer we have some life so we are setting up a room for some of the historical photo albumn Amelia is setting up a historic viewing room," He said.

"Well I wanted to let you know we did get to the gate and Carlie had told us you invited her to see you," She said.

"Maam neither of us invited her," Charles said. "She is causing problems to start a fight between us. Did you have her leave?"

"Well charles we tried to get her to leave and she refused," She said. "But she was acting very weird and we found a large amount of drugs and open alcohol containers in the center console so she has been arrested."

"Oh man," he said. "Well if you wouldn't mind please tell her not to call me as I will not answer."

"Sure thing and let Amelia know I can't wait to see the ballroom but as of now I definitely want to have my wedding there," She said.

"I sure will and be safe officer," Charles hung up the phone and turned to me. He relayed all the information that officer Rios had given him and he said, "And she wants to get married here."

Laughing I said, "Well I guess we have a lot of work to do then?"

We continued to work on the room and I ended up loading a crate full of books I knew we would not keep here and I closed the crate and started a second one. I heard Charles answer his phone and say, "Hey Grandpa we are safe the power is out again. What's up?"

"Charles my boy," Benson started. "I just heard from Mr Mcindrick at the Alpine estate, in Florida. I know your in the groove with Amelia and getting her estate sorted. But we have an issue. They need to have the alpine estate packed and loaded for sale in the next two weeks. Can you head out there with me after you bring whatever you have in the big truck back to the store once the roads are clear which should be tomorrow or tuesday?"

"Sure thing Grandpa," He said chuckling. I am sure Amelia will be happy to have me out from under foot for a few days. But I will be honest knowing Amelia she will have a pile of stuff ready to go by the time we get back."

Grandpa started chuckling and said, "Well talk with her and see if she wants to get Abby's number and if she does sort while we are gone we can have abby send one of the delivery crews come get the items."

Charles hung up and sat in the chair next to me. He sighed and said, "I have good news and bad news?"

"Whats the good news?" I asked.

"Well the good news is you may have 2 weeks where you can do nothing but solid writing or making picture books," Charles said. "When the storm ends I have to go with Grandfather out of state. We had been in talks to clear our an estate in Florida for a few months while the house was being sold. Part of the sale was they had to move everything out before closing. It has to be done by the end of next week. Grandfather wants to leave as soon as its safe to travel."

Smiling I said, "Of course you have to go help him. While your gone I may just work on the house till one in the afternoon and then after lunch I will write until dinner or research."

He looked at me and said, "Your not upset I have to go?"

"Charles we just started a relationship," I said. "Besides that your work is important as my writing is so in all honesty if you need to go I will miss you and I am sure you and I will speak on the phone when you can but I am okay with that. I am going to assume when you drive to your Grandfather with the big truck you will leave from there right?"

He stood up and hugged me tight as he said, "How did I luck out with someone so understanding?"

Laughing I said, "Your just lucky I guess. So then by Monday the storm should have cleared so I think tomorrow if your up to it we get some of the bigger pieces of furniture in. I think right now this room is at a good stopping point as I cleared the shelves and the tables and chairs are moved enough now that I can roll the display cases in. So why don't we move them in as we have enough light and then we can see what we can do."

We rolled the two cases with the locket and love letter. I looked at the set up and said, "Oh I love this and the shelves will be full when I sort the pictures and add them to the albumn's. After all the pictures I found I ordered another 100 Albumn's from walmart to be delivered. I cannot believe everything I found."

My phone alarm rang for the 7pm warning. I sighed and said, "Well I guess its time for dinner. Did you want to add these three crates to the truck? Also where do you want me to put this particular half empty crate?"

"Yeah lets clear up with what is sorted," He said. "Also I am going to ask as a lot of these crates are heavy as are the furniture. So please do me a favor try to stick to the main floor while I am gone. If you get a large pile of stuff I am going to leave Abbys phone number on the fridge so she can arrange for a truck to come and pick up with whatever you may find. I will be honest I would prefer you to stay in the ball room where everything is safe please. While I was on the phone with my grandfather I moved a bunch of crates and boxes to the front of the ball room so you can sort what is there. Remember the furniture has things in them."

"Charles I promise you I will be very careful," I said taking his hand. "Lets eat and get some sleep that way we can finish load up the truck tomorrow and then it will be the start to a very busy week. I hope you guys finish fast and are back home soon."

We headed into the kitchen and ate the premade food for dinner. We each went to our own rooms and after I got ready I laid in bed and fell asleep. By the time I woke up in the morning I felt refreshed and ready to go. I was also happy to see that the power had finally came back on and the rain was slowing down and the sun was peaking through the clouds.

I headed to the kitchen and started coffee and by the time Charles woke up I had cleaned out a couple of crates and found some bundles letters between a ben and maggie and I found a pile of journals from lucy. Charles saw the stacked pile of crates near the door and he said, "You have been busy."

Laughing I said, "No I have a internal schedule and normally I am up between 630-730 every day."

Charles shook his head and said, "Well once I get back I will think we need to get on a better schedule. Such as we work till a certain time during the day and then it will give you enough time to write for a few hours before dinner. That way At the end of the day I can drop everything to the shop and get back in time to start dinner or help with dinner. Your writing should not suffer. Also I can help with any ledgers or any other documents you find and make notes as well if you want to write after dinner. Or while your writing I can fish or something as well."

Looking up I said, "That sounds amazing. Like I said while your gone I will have my schedule I will be getting some stuff done by a split day."

The rest of the day we continued to sort boxes and furniture and Charles had packed the last of the boxes and furniture in around dinner time. It was nice to chat as we did everything and had made a dent in the ball room. Looking around the room once we came in Charles asked, "What are you thinking?"

Smiling I said, "This is going to be an amazing space once we clear it out."

We went into the kitchen and ate the last of the prepared food. We snuggled in my room watching TV and both headed to bed. 

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When we got up in the morning the sun was shining and I walked Charles to the truck. We hugged each other and he gave me a kiss. I will call you when we land in Florida. He put his suitcase on the front seat and climbed in the truck. As he drove down the driveway I turned to go into the house. I went up to my room and next to the door I discovered that there was a front gate alarm in my room as well. I flipped the switch on and headed downstairs. I knew I wanted to work in the ball room but I opened the door to the coat room next to the front door that had a window and sighed. Putting the light on I laughed and said out loud, "Oh the stories you could tell me with your history huh?"

I looked at the wall and discovered another gate alarm and switched it on. I started to go through the coats and as I sorted I cleaned out the pockets and added the findings to a small box I found on the shelf. Besides the money I found notes, letters and wallets. After the end of the first hour I had filled multiple storage boxes and the small box was almost halfway full. Under all the coats I found trunks. When I opened the first trunk I found a bunch of winter items. After sorting and keeping adding a few pieces to my keep pile I heard the gate alert go off. I answered with a joyful, "Hello."

"Good Morning Miss. I have a large walmart delivery for a Miss Amelia Moliard." 

"Oh wow that was fast," I said. "Please use the one time code on the delivery instructions. I will see you when you pull up and meet you at the door."

I stacked another two boxes near the door and opened it to meet the driver. He dropped off six boxes full of photo album's. I moved all the albums upstairs to my room and went back to head back to the coat room. I called Abby at the store and arranged to have a team do a pick up on wed around noon. When she asked how big of a truck I told her I had about 10 boxes already full of winter coats and items and she asked if I would need some empty boxes. I laughed and told her if she had some spare ones I would love some dropped off because I am not sure how many we had to keep packing. She told me she would have a bunch dropped off. I continued inside the coat room and had made a huge dent when I heard the gate buzz again.

"Hello?" I said.

"You bitch you took Charles from me and I got arrested because of you," The voice said.

"Carlie let me make this clear leave Charles and me alone," I said. "If you do not I will get a restraining order against you. Charles has moved on and wants nothing left to do with you."

"We will see about that get him on the speaker now." She said.

"No," I said. "Now leave or I will call the police. Also FYI Carlie,, He called the police last time not me. If you do not leave I will be calling the police and you will get arrested or have a restraining order slapped against you."

I turned off the speaker and went back to work. I continued to work and by the time my lunch alarm went off I had cleared almost a third of the room. s much as I missed Charles I was glad I was able to get so much done by myself. I went to make a sandwich and when I was done I went upstairs to my room and I grabbed the Alaska Box I was working on. I had made six piles of pictures animals, trees, cottage, port, water and mountains. I picked up the stack of animals and sorted the pictures and by the time my dinner alarm went off I had created two table books. I added those pictures into the album's and printed up the covers. I was now awaiting four books in the mail. Posting on my website an update with pictures of the coat room I went downstairs and started to make myself some dinner. As I was finishing cooking my phone rang. 

"Hello." I said.

"Amelia we just got to the hotel, I see from your website you had a very productive day." Charles said, "When we checked in with Abby she said that you will have a pickup at Wednesdays at noon."

"Yeah, I know I said I would stay downstairs but I figured the coatroom was right next to the front doors and it is downstairs." I said. "I did find a few coats I kept and put in my personal closet. I have a few items I am debating on but those are in a box in the ballroom to have you look at when you get back."

"You know you can send me pictures of the items if you want me to look at them now," He said. "Grandpa and I got to the room and will be grabbing dinner in a bit then first thing in the morning us and two of our guys who are with us will be loading the first of the two u-hauls we are picking up in the morning and will be starting the great estate move. After being in amore manor this is a piece of cake as everything comes back with us."

Laughing I said, "Sounds like fun. I am hoping to get a bit done before you get back. I talked to Milton and he is looking into room rental contracts as well as wedding venue and event contracts for me. He said he will stop by on Friday to check in with me for the contracts. I also took a walk though the house and went into the attached greenhouse and I think I want to get some seeds and dirt and see what I can grow."

"Oh I love gardening," He said. "I help Granddad with his garden during the spring. I will definitely help you with it. But Granddad is ready to eat so I will talk to you later."

"Have a good dinner," I said. "I will talk to you soon."

After I hung up I took my food up to my room and worked on the last animal book from the first Alaska box. As I finished the book I took the last of the pictures and added them to the animal album and realized that the book was completed and started a new book. I took the label maker out and made a new label. I walked the book down to the history Alcove and added it to the top shelf. I felt a deep sense of accomplishment and decided it was time to lay in bed and watch some YouTube until I was to tired to stay awake. I fell asleep to watching some of my favorite shows and went into a content sleep.

**********************************************************************

When I woke up the next morning I looked at my phone with a message from Charles that said, "Good Morning I will try to call on my lunch."

I laughed to myself and thought his Grandpa will be on everyone to pack and move everything fast and if I didn't hear from him I would not be upset. I replied back to him, "Good Morning to you as well, Have a great day!"

Going downstairs I heard a knock at the door and when I opened it I was greeted by Simon's smiling face. I invited him in and he said, "Now where is that young man who I like seeing with you?"

"He is out of town working with his Grandfather," I said. "What do you have planned today?"

"There are plenty of branched and limbs down," He said. "I was going to cut them and put them in your wood pile for your fire place. Did you have something you needed me to do?"

"Well," I said. "Before I get to work I need your expert opinion."

He chuckled and said, "You may think to highly of me. But I would be glad to help."

I got excited and said, "Follow me then."

I led him through the house and showed him the history room and he gave his approval. Beckoning him on I took him to the green house. When we entered he gave a big smile and said, "Oh I never realized in all my years how big it was in here. What kind of questions do you have?"

"Well," I said. "Its obvious this room has not been used in a long time. Is the dirt in the beds and baskets useable and do you think I could do a vegetable and herb garden in here successfully year round?

He walked over to the beds and played with the dirt. He grabbed a hose and added water as I sat and watched him mix up the dirt. He smiled as he said, "I think this dirt will work. However, you need to add water and extra nutrients. I have fertilizer in my truck as well as stuff to add to the soil. What I will do is unlock the door and drive around and I will set up the soil that way I can check on Thursday for you and see if the soil feels better. When do you think you might get plants and add seeds?"

"I was going to get some plants this weekend," I said. "Charles said he would help me when he gets home but that is two weeks out unless they get done early."

"Well I will be checking on you if your going to be alone," He said. "Should I expect anyone coming to see you this week?"

"Tomorrow around noon, I will be having a pick up from the antique store," I said. "They were given special instructions as Charles ex has been trying to cause trouble. She called the police and told them during the hurricane he had kidnapped me and I was being held hostage here."

"So she is what my mama would have called a special sort of crazy?" He said.

Nodding I said, "Yeah."

"Well do not worry I will come by to be here when your pick up happens tomorrow," He said. "When they leave I will make sure the gate is shut behind them. You make sure you tell me when they are coming until Charles comes back and I will watch out for you just like your Grandma watched out for me."

Standing up I walked to Simon and gave him a hug, "Thank you Simon."

He said, "Your Grandma was so proud of you and I am excited to see you transform this place."

We both got to work and I headed to the coat room. I looked at all the boxes and sighed thinking this routine is really working and Charles and I may have to rethink our clean out schedule. Grabbing a new box for found items and a box for stuff to go to the store I started to sort and go through everything. I was almost done when my alarm went off. I decided to work a little bit longer and finished the room. Moving the boxes to go to the store to the pile. After I cleaned the room and mopped the floor I headed to the kitchen and started to make myself a sandwich. As I sat down at my desk my phone started to ring. Smiling I picked it up and said, "Hey Charles I almost expected your Grandpa to work you through lunch."

"Thankfully not," He said. "But we need to talk."

"I was thinking the same thing," I said. "Is everything alright?"

"Honestly Amelia," He said. "I miss you. We only just started our relationship but I miss you. But that is not the problem. I am worried about Grandpa. Amelia I have been watching him and he is slower than he normally is I am worried his health is not the best. We may have to cut our work schedules down a bit and I may have to help him more at the store."

"Wow," I said. "Charles we have to be on the same wavelength. I was thinking this schedule of me working on the house in the morning and my writing in the afternoon is really working out for me. I was thinking that maybe this would be a good thing when you got back. I mean we can play round with the schedule for morning or afternoon cleaning depending on when you need to be at the store. But we can schedule that weekly and then after work we have the evening and weekends to see each other or work if you have to go in. Benson's health is more important than us moving fast through the house. Besides did you see my blog yet?"

"No why?" He asked. "I was just pulling up your site as well as your sell page."

"I can wait while you look," I said.

"Oh wow you cleared out the room," He said. "Did you find more mysteries?"

"Another Mini crate," I said. "Tomorrow I start the office which is right next to the coat room. I am thinking I can use the office and keep my room, my room and if you have to work from home you will have a dedicated space to use as well. The room has a gorgeous desk and  work table as well. I can move everything to the office and stack it on the shelves after I clean it out and then have a dedicated work space."

"Your not mad that we cannot get the house done faster?" He said. 

"Charles your Grandpas health is much more important. When you come back and start adding things to the website I know that takes time but we can still do that," I said. " We will just need to plan weekly and if there is a day that you can stay all day then we can add that in as well. Besides then I can always look forward to you coming home at night. I miss you a lot to."

"Do you know how amazing you are?" He asked.

"Nah, I like your Grandpa and tell him I am ordering him to make an appointment now for when you guys get back," I said. "Tell him he needs to be healthy when he stays here so he can snoop through everything while he is here. Just make sure he does not overdo it please."

"I'm am. I convinced him to fly two more guys down and then we can fly back as they drive the second truck back," He said. "But enough about work. How has your day been going?"

"Good I had Simon check out the greenhouse this morning and he is getting the dirt ready so I can garden a bit this weekend." I said. "He does not like me being here alone so he will be here when your team gets here for pick up tomorrow. Also Carlie tried coming here yesterday to see you. He harassed me from the gate yesterday."

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes do not worry your ex is not going to scare me from you," I said. "I told her how things are and then I shut the speaker off."

"You constantly surprise me," He said. "Let me guess now your going to write?"

"Yes," I said. "For a while at least. Then I am going to work on another table book or three. I am having fun making them." I m working on the Alaska 1913 right now and just finished all the animal pictures from that box last night. I guess I will be making table books popular again. But I am working on a few novels as well. Plus my online stories I have on Amazon that need to be updated. This afternoon I am planning on organizing myself on a writing schedule."

"Well if anyone can do it," He said. "I know you can. But I better go I just got back with the take out we ordered for lunch. If we get done on time I will call you."

"Alright," I said. "Take care of your Grandpa. If I get done I may start the office. I am very excited to get that started."

After we ended our call I worked on a writing schedule. When I felt it was what was best for me I posted it on my blog as a announcement. I sat back in my chair when I heard Simon call for me. Heading downstairs he was waiting by the kitchen. 

"Simon you could have came up," I said.

"No maam that is your personal space," He said.

"Your mama taught you right," I said. "But if it makes you feel better. I am going to start in the office now to make it mine so we can work out of there during the day. Also, Simon to be honest with you. Having a office will make me feel more organized. I also just spoke with Charles and he may be in and out of the house daily once he comes home. But he will still live here so I won't be alone."

"Is everything okay," He asked.

"He is worried about his Grandfathers health," I said. "So he is going to go to the store more so his Grandfather can rest or at least slow down."

He nodded and said, "I know Benson and he is a great man but his age is catching up to him. Personally I am glad to see that his Grandson has noticed and will hopefully persuade him to slow down more."

Laughing I said, "I hope so but if Charles is like him than that may be difficult."

Nodding he said, "Well I finished the greenhouse beds and turned everything for you. I am going to eat lunch and start on the limbs until five when my day is done."

"Simon you know you can eat in the kitchen if you like," I said. "You do not need to stay in your truck."

"Amelia," He said. "I love being outside. Normally I sit by a bench by the lake or on the dock and have my talk with God. But I promise you if I ever feel like coming in I will okay?"

"Good," I said. "Your not just someone who works here. Your a friend."

Simon headed out to et his lunch and I went into the managers office. I noticed there was no closet or bathroom. I started noticed there were large built in shelving which would be great to store all my mysteries until I could get to them. I grabbed a box and started to sort the first set of shelves. I found a lot of paperwork and decided it would all go into a box until I can sort through it. I found piles of pictures and framed photos on the shelf to and added them to the box. I found nick knack's and little statues that I added to the crate for the store. I heard the gate buzzer going off and switched on the intercom and said, "Hello."

"Good afternoon my name is Chloe and I am from Honeys Florist I have a delivery for Amelia," A older voice said.

"Oh I was not expecting a delivery," I said.

"It was called in about an hour ago," She said. "I believe its a surprise."

"Okay please use code 11114 to enter the property," I said.

"See you soon Miss," She said. 

I opened the curtains and watched as I worked on the last of the first set of shelves. Taking the full box I put it on the top shelf. I opened the cabinets underneath and found even more statues as I heard a car pull up. I grabbed some cash from my wallet in the kitchen to tip the driver and answered the door. A sweet older woman was holding a beautiful fall bouquet and when I answered she said, "I took the call and the young man who ordered it said it was for his beautiful girlfriend. He is quite right you are beautiful. He caught me as your my last order of the day."

Smiling I said, "These are beautiful. Do you own the shop?"

She nodded, "For the last twenty years. My niece is training to become a florist now to take over when I decide to retire which will not be anytime soon. I used to make deliveries out here often. I heard the owner passed."

Nodding I said, "That was my Grandmother and she left me the estate and the remnants of all her other properties she had as well. I am working with a antique and historical store to clear out what I will not be using when I turn this place into a event center, retreat and wedding venue."

She gave a big smile and said, "Well dear my name is Maggie and here is my card. I hope you will let a older woman take a glimpse of the home if that is not to much to ask. Is it Benson's store your working with?"

"Yes it is," I said. "Looking at the card I said and these are from his Grandson Charles."

She followed me to the kitchen where I put the flowers on the table and said, "I will show you around just please use your imagination this house is loaded with boxes."

I spent the next thirty minutes showing her the house and she was in awe. Maggie commented on how she can see this property being a event center and wedding venue. We walked towards the green house and out onto the patio and she laughed when she saw Simon. He rushed over and gave her a hug saying, "Mrs. Maggie its so good to see you. I see Miss Amelia is showing off the place. Make sure you give her your card because I believe this is plan of hers will have this area booking with activity."

I smiled and said, "We can only hope."

Maggie took my hand and said, "When you are ready it would be my honor to do business with you. Charles was right when I spoke with him you are such a wonderful girl."

"Well Maggie," I said. "If that bouquet you gave me is a small indication of your work we will working together in the future!"

We were interrupted by the sound of thunder and Simon said, "I will see you in the morning Amelia for when the store picks up. You have my phone number if you need anything okay. Now Mrs. Maggie I will follow you out and make sure the gate is locked."

I said my goodbyes and went into the house through the patio doors and locked them behind me. Going onto the kitchen I added Maggie's card to our bulletin board until I finished the office. Picking up the flowers I brought them to my rooms and placed them on the table. Heading back to the office I texted Charles, "They are beautiful. Thank you so much and I believe Maggie may be our new florist she is so sweet and her work is beautiful."

I grabbed the box for the store and sat on the floor next to the cabinets. I could not believe the amount of nic nacks in the cabinet. I found even more pictures that were all random in small boxes. By the time I finished there was another box with 10 picture boxes inside and 6 VHS tapes. As I pulled out the last of the nic nacks I found two jewerly boxes full and added them into the mysteries box. I went through boxes and found more paper work and added the paperwork to the shelved and cabinet to go through at a later date. When I come upon more crates of clothing I laughed and realized that I will never really know what is found in each room until it was done. I did find some cute vintage professional piece's and added them to my wardrobe. When my alarm went off I looked at the room and said to myself, "I will be back"

Heading to the kitchen I started a past bake meal I had for the oven and took the kitchen timer with me. I continued through the office and came to the desk. Sitting in the chair I smiled and realized this felt like home. I went through the desk noticing all the supplies and organized it to my liking. What little paperwork I found I added to a box of mysteries as well as all the files from the bottom drawer that had paperwork in it. When my timer went off I went to my room and grabbed my laptop. Sitting at the kitchen table I started to eat when I got a text from Charles that read. "Do you have time to video chat?"

I replied, "Sure on what service."

He said, "Skype."

I loaded everything and soon enough he was on the screen in front of me. We talked about our day and I told him about Mrs Maggie. He told me about packing up the attic and how he thanked god there were no woman there because even grandpa had to take off his shirt while they packed everything in the attic. I knew right then I was starting to have strong feelings for Charles. He asked if I ate dinner and I lifted the tin of pasta and the rolls I made joking I was to lazy to do dishes tonight. 

He asked if I found a dress for the fundraiser yet, reminding me it is a formal event and I said, "I have it down to two that I found when we cleaned the closets in my room. But as its three weeks away you never know what I may come across."

"Oh find things you may not have expected?" He asked. 

"Yes," I said. "I started on the piles of boxes on the floor and found vintage office clothing. I kept quite  few pieces. But your staff will be hating all the clothing that is coming their way. Once the office is cleared out and I move everything downstairs I will be starting back in the ball room again."

"Amelia have you checked your online site for our store," He asked.

"To be honest, no why?" i asked.

"Make this window a mini one and pull up your web page," He said with a twinkle in his eye.

When I pulled up the page I noticed it was mostly clothing and most of the clothing has sold out. Looking at the screen I said, "I never knew the clothing sold so well."

He chuckled as I made the screen large and he said, "You have kept poor Abby on her toes this week. She told me earlier that when she posts a full page. Her staff checks and hour later and is packing and shipping out more items."

"I feel like my stuff is taking up a lot of your companies time," I said.

Laughing he said, "Oh Amelia do not feel that way. The staff is having a great time with the packing and shipping. When all these items arrive they will be doing it through a few estates and it keeps them busy. My Grandpa has been setting up a lot for when we come back. Speaking of Grandpa wants to say hello."

Charles got up and Benson sat down, "Hello my dear I hope you got the flowers my boy sent you?"

"I did Benson and they re so beautiful," I said. "Mrs Maggie is a wonderful person and a floral artist. I took her card and we will be talking once I start with rooms and events. But lets talk about you did you make a Doctors appointment for when you come back?"

"Did my Grandson tell on me?" He asked.

"Yes and he will be helping you out at the store more." I said and he made a face. "Do not give me that face it will be good for me as well as I have boxes of mysteries to go through and writing and books to create so we will find a happy medium. If getting the place ready to open takes a bit longer so be it your health is way to important."

His expression got soft and he turned to Charles and said, "If you do not marry this girl in the future I will marry her myself."

We all started laughing and he got up to let Charles speak with me. He said, "it worked out you talked to him and my food is here so we can eat together now. So what are your plans for tonight?"

"Finish eating and maybe work on more of those boxes in the office," I said. "If its more clothes it is like shopping at a boutique store and not having to deal with the staff. I am not a big shopper and getting clothes is a chore to me but this is fun. After that a shower and bed."

"How much do you have for the staff when they pick up tomorrow?" He asked.

"It will probably fill the van you normally have here," I said. "But if they cannot take everything on one trip I will arrange for another pick up."

"I believe she had a delivery and was picking up from you on the way back," He said yawning. "I am so sorry Amelia I guess the heat got to me."

"It's okay Charles I can see your wiped," I said. "How about you finished eating, take a shower and get some sleep?"

"But its only 730pm?" He said.

"So early nights are okay if you need it," I said. "I mean unless you want to watch me go through clothes. Its probably a lot of business clothes."

"As much as I would love to," He said. "I am tired and the sooner we get this done the sooner I get back to you. Any chance you want to pick us up from the airport when we get home?"

"Of course I will," I said. "Just let me know when and which one."

"Okay," He said. "I will text you tomorrow and see how pick up went. Have a good night."

"Good night Charles," I said. We ended the call and I took my laptop back up to my room. I looked at the pile in the hall and went back into the office. I spent the next few hours going through boxes of clothing and finding memento's adding it into the mysteries box. By the time my alarm went off I had added more new clothes to my closet and added another ten boxes to the store pile. I took a quick shower and headed to sleep.

I woke up the following morning before my alarm. Looking at my phone I saw a good morning text from Charles. I replied and got ready for my day. After getting a cup of coffee I headed into the office. I started in on more boxes and found they were sitting around a chair that did not match the office. On that chair I found a box wrapped in gold paper with my name on it. Finally I found my welcome box. I went to the desk and opened it up. Inside was a letter from my Grandma.

My Dearest Amelia,

If you found the box I knew I put it in the right spot and you decided you wanted the office done quick. By now you have met Charles, Bensons Grandson. Its my hope that you will both become good friends and more as you are so alike and so different at the same time. But by now I am sure you have started to get to know each other. Knowing your family life was not the best growing up I hope you can now see what its like to be loved and respected by more than just your ole Grandma. I wish I had more time with you but things do not always go the way we hope. Know I will always be with you and I cannot wait to see what you do with the estate. Being your Grandmother was the biggest joy in my life and the adventures we shared are memories even death cannot take from me. I love you my sweet girl and I hope you enjoy the gift.

All My Love,

Grandma

I sat looking at the letter for some time and I texted Charles, "I found the welcome box."

As I looked through the box I found a journal embossed with Amelia Owner of Amore Manner. There was also a matching pen. Two full key rings to god knows what. Three bottles of Champagne one labeled when we finish cleaning the house, The second stating for the Grand Opening and the Third that read, For your wedding night. Next to it was two crystal champagne flutes and a box that held a locket with mine and her picture. I went to get up to start going through more boxes when my phone rang.

Smiling I picked up the phone and said, "Hey I didn't think you would call so soon."

"Are you kidding we had been looking for that box," Charles said. "What was in it? Oh and Grandpa is here to and your on speaker."

I told them everything in the box and then I said, "She also wrote me a letter."

Benson quietly asked, "What did she say? That is if you want to share."

I read the letter to them and Benson chuckled softly and said, "You know she set me and Charles Grandma up. She said she found the perfect person for me and it was love at first sight. Your Grandma was something special Amelia. Never forget that."

Charles said, "Your off speaker now are you alright?"

"Yes," I said. "When she was in the hospital she kept telling me I would meet the man I would someday marry after she passed. I believe my Grandma did one last matchmake when she passed."

"Well," He said. "She may just have it right with us. When I think about the future I see you in it. I am not saying lets get married right now as we still have our first official date coming up in three weeks. But I believe she may be onto something."

"Me to," I said. "Now get back to work so I can get back to work. If your not tired later give me a text or a call. I have two hours until Abby and the team gets here and I wants to make room around this chair I do not want."

"Okay have a good day Amelia and I will talk with you soon," He said and hung up.

I continued to go through boxes around the chair until I had room enough to move it. When I did I found a small box in the base of the chair. The box had a lock and I realized that is what all the keys may be for. I put the box in the mystery pile and made sure there was nothing else in the chair as I piled more boxes for the store next to it. I got a text from Abby that said, "We are running a bit late, delivery is taking forever to finish is this still okay?"

I replied back, "Just more time to add to the pile."

Simon came in while I was in the office and said, "Did they cancel?"

"No Abby just messaged me and they are running late on the delivery," I said. "Would you like some more coffee?"

"I sure do and then I am going to check on the greenhouse," He said. "You do not need to get it for me and if I finish I will make more incase the people picking up would like some."

"Thank you Simon," I said.

By the time Abby and her team arrived I had finished almost all the boxes in the office and only had a few more cabinets and shelves to go through. I did have her team take two chairs from the room and an end table that I did not want for the office. Once they took everything I had sorted the entry way looked so much better and they all gladly accepted coffee for the road. I made a fruit plate for lunch and took it back to the office and opened a big cabinet that was in the corner that ran floor to ceiling. Inside the cabinet I found stacks of letter being held together by pink ribbon. As I pulled them out I found they were letters between my Grandparents. There was six stacks and I gently added them into the mystery box. As I finished pulling everything I found six boxes of pictures of my grandparents around Amore manor. I worked through the day and started another pile in the entry for Abby and her team to pick up on Monday. I took the champagne bottles and glasses and placed them on a corner curio. I went upstirs and started moving the mysteries down from my room and added them onto the shelves. I filled most of the first shelving unit and went upstairs and placed the boxed of 1913 Alaska on a cart next to my desk. By the time Charles called me I was arranging chairs in front of my desk and around the table. Now that everything was out of the room I could not believe how spacious and clean the room was. 

"Hey Charles," I answered. "Guess what I finished?"

"Wow you are moving fast," He said. "Well did you take pictures I want to see."

Laughing I said, "Be patient our office post is uploading now. I can say my room is now officially my room again. Then tomorrow I will again start working in the ball room. That is however after I go to Walmart and pick up a new printer, ink and a television for my room."

"I never realized we had no televisions in the house," He said. "What size are you getting?"

"Not big televisions," I said. "I do not watch much TV. I normally would watch on my computer and laptop but now that I have a dedicated work space I want to leave work in the office." 

"Amelia do me a favor and slow down," He said. "I do not want you to burn out."

I smiled at his concern and said, "I promise you I will not keep up this pace. I am keeping myself busy until you come home and I will be slow. Also remember I am going to try my hand at gardening this weekend. But I do plan on having a relaxing weekend doing whatever I feel like. You never know I may garden for thirty minutes and take a three hour long bath while listening to music."

"Well you do have a nice bathtub," He said. 

"True and a big ole comfy bed to watch movies in," I said. "I promise I will keep a balanced life and now that the office is done I believe that will help me. Oh I did not send you the picture yet of the entry way one second. Look at how spacious that is."

"Wow," He said. "That is a change. Abby had a great time coming out to the estate today and seeing the house. She said she could not believe I got through all the items that you did in such a short time

"Well sir," I said. "I respect the fact that you do not want me in the basement or attic until you get back but when you return I think we should knock those out before the bad weather hits and they are to cold for us to do."

He was quiet for a minute and said, "The attic should be fine as heat rises but your right the basement we may want to finish before it gets to cold. I think you have a reason you want to get the basement done don't you."

"What if I was to tell you yes as I have been exploring," I said.

"What did you find?" He asked.

"Pool tables and a bar," I said.

"You found what?" He said.

"Underneath and in front of and behind all those boxes is a bar and vintage billiards tables," I said. "I have not found any pictures but I believe there is a big bar and game room downstairs in the basement. I also wedged a side door open and I believe I found a wine cellar as well."

"Hold on a second," He said. "Amelia I am putting you on speaker and tell Grandpa what you think you found."

"I was telling Charles I got bored and was exploring," I said. "I went into the basement because the stairs are much like the stairs to the rest of the house and sound what I believe is a bar and game room and from what I can see I also found older pool tables. I also saw a door and tried opening it and I think I found a wine cellar as well."

Benson laughed and said, "That may very well be the case knowing the older homes. I would suggest when Charles gets back to start working in the basement as it will get cooler down there with fall and winter coming up. That would be a great room for events as well Amelia."

"That is what I was thinking," I said. 

"Well I will let you kids talk," He said as Charles continued, "Your off speaker phone."

"Do you know how to make a fire in a fireplace?" I asked.

"That was a random question," Charles said. "Yes I do. Why do you ask?"

"Simon has been in protective mode and been here a lot since the storm watching out for me." I said. "He said there were a lot of branches down so he is cutting them and adding them to our woodshed which is right next to the kitchen door. I learned that yesterday. He said it drying out and we will have plenty of wood to use by the time the first snow falls. Also, I saw a fireplace in the basement as well to keep us warm once it gets colder out."

We talked for a while longer and to me it felt like neither of use wanted to get off of the phone. Once we hung up I made sure the door was locked and went up to bed. I hoped the next week and a half would go by fast as I fell sleep in bed. I woke up the following morning and got ready to leave the house. Walking outside I felt a slight nip in the air and went to my car as Simon pulled in and started to unload his chainsaw. I pulled up next to him and said, "I have some errand in town to complete and I will be back later on. There is almost a full pot of coffee made if you want more to keep warm."

"Okay drive carefully and I will see you later," He said.

Heading to Walmart in town I decided to get my shopping done as fast as possible. I picked up a large capacity printer along with extra ink and a case of paper. Then I went over to the televisions and picked up two smaller televisions that I could watch YouTube and other subscriptions on if we decided to add any. The sales representative helped me with the cords and anything else I may have needed. I grabbed extra easy foods to make while Charles was gone and went and picked up some take out options as well. I swung by Mama Burgers and picked up a burger and fries for both me and Simon as he has been working overtime. I got back as he was adding more wood to the woodshed. He said he has a fire going in a firepit for any brush and when I handed him the burger he said, "Do not tell my Sadie she will be mad if she caught me fast food. She wants me to lose a little around the middle."

Laughing I brought everything inside and put away the take out and food I purchased, then I ate the burger and fries while I set up the printer and televisions. I took the new colander I purchased and hung it on the wall. It was a three year span starting from August. I figured this would be a great way to trach when Charles and I would work upon his return Looking at the clock I decided to work in the ballroom till 2pm and then write the rest of the day until bed. As I was working in the ballroom I got a call from Charles.

"Hey there your not on lunch right now are you?" I said.

"No just dealing with stuff with the store and figured I would call and see what your doing," He said.

"I think the house has a way to multiply clothing," I joked. "I am working on boxes next to the office and the first couple of boxes I found was more clothing. I have found clothing for everyone including vintage children's clothing. Your on speaker by the way as I am doing this while we talk."

"Wow can you guess what year the children's clothing is from," He asked.

"I am guessing the 1920's but I am no expert," I said.

"I found some pretty pieces for me as well," I admitted," I did go to the attic but only because I found a bunch of blankets and decided to keep some of them for the rooms. Oh i forgot to tell you I found a locked box that I added to the mysteries pile for now but I am guessing that's what those keys Grams left me are for."

"That is interesting. Make sure you check all the furniture before you decide to keep or get rid of. We always check all the furniture before we sell in the store and have not found anything yet and the pieces we sent had nothing. Are you going to write today?" He asked.

"Yes I am," I said. "After 2pm I am going to sit in our office and post on the blog, work on my book, and them work on a table book or three. I love making the table books and secretly I want to get the pictures into a album as soon as possible. The office is nice and organized except for the three big boxes of albums i ordered and they are stuffed in the corner of the room."

"Well," He said. "I wanted to let you know I miss you and am counting the days until I can see you. The estate packing is going at a good speed and the first set of guys may be leaving sooner than we thought to come back with an almost full truck. Grandpa will decide on Monday dates and everything and when I have our flight times I will let you know."

"I cannot wait for you to come home as well," I said. We ended our call and my heart started to hurt. Knowing him for this short of time and I missed him a lot. Going through more crates and boxes I discovered we owned a lot of clothes and some odd looking blankets. When my alarm went off I grabbed a snack and headed into the office and started to write. However, I caught a glimpse of the sky outside and took my camera and started to walk the property. I took pictures of the house and the property and I decided to use those pictures on the blog. I uploaded all the pictures and did a article and then I chose my favorites and made a table book named, Amore Manor a New Beginning.

As I was working Martin called to tell me he would be by around eleven tomorrow with contracts he thought would be suitable for all events. I am glad we could do this all in the new office and looked forward to taking this place to a new heights. I did make a new page announcing coming soon Amore Manor, Events, Meetings, Pictures, Weddings and Overnight stays. To the page I added a pictures of the lake, boathouse, gazebo, Chandelier and main house. I set up a new email and put a button that said, For all enquiries click here. I made sure the email registered new email alerts on my computer and before the finished posting my newest blog article I had three enquires about engagement pictures on the property. I thought about it and replied to each of them that as the inside of the house is not ready for guests all pictures would have to be done outdoors. There would be a contract that would have to be signed, a non refundable security deposit paid and all payments must be paid in full prior to the shoot and the gate access code is given. I also made it clear that there would be no access to the house what so ever and they had to have their own photographer as one is not provided.

I would talk with Martin when he arrived tomorrow to see if he could think of anything else. I wrote down on my notebook questions about insurance and liability. Making a to do list for Monday I added call insurance company about insurance for events and people accessing the property. When I looked outside I realized it was dark now and went into the kitchen to heat up some take out. Looking at my phone I saw a text from Charles that read, hey beautiful dealing with a lot of work stuff, I will call tomorrow night as I can't talk. If you need me text me I can and will reply.

Smiling I replied back, Hey there handsome. I hope work straightens out for you and do not worry about me I am getting my writing and research on and eating some take out. Talk to you soon. After I sent the message I heated up some food and went back to the office. As I continued to work on the table books I started to get tired and realized it was going on ten at night. I put up my newest project and headed to bed.

****************************************************************************

The following morning I got up and showered and put on some more practical business clothes for when Martin arrived. As I had time to kill I worked on more of the ball room and right at eleven I heard a knock at the door. I went to answer it and Martin stood there smiling. He wrapped me in a hug and said, "You look happier than the last time I saw you and look at all the progress you made down here."

"Oh not just here we finished the kitchen and my room," I said. "But with Charles being out of town with Benson on a work trip I finished the coat room and my office. This morning Simon came in and checked for leaks in all the completed rooms and was pleasantly surprised there were no drafts."

"Oh Charles is out of town," He asked.

"Yes," I said. "His Grandfather had a emergency pack and move in Florida and he left on Monday with him to fly down. I did these two rooms myself and I found my welcome gift from Grandma. Its on the curio in my office."

He looked at the champagne tags and the keys and chuckled. He saw the letter and asked, "May I?"

"Of course," I said. "Would you like some coffee or anything?"

"Oh yes a coffee would be great if you don't mind," He said. I set up a tray with coffee and some cookies and sat them on the corner of my desk. He saw the boxes on the shelved and the pictures and said, "I saw what you been doing on the website and I am so proud of your planning. Have you spoken to a insurance agent yet?"

"I was going to ask you about that," I said. "I saw you can purchase event insurance on the case by case basis and as I have a overall insurance policy on the property that covers everything else. I may call State Farm business today and ask about the specifics for the insurance for individual events."

"Take this phone number its my personal state farm agent Greg, His firm handles our events on the case by case basis. He will be able to give you the best information and to guide you right. I just sent him a text telling him to expect a call from you," He said.

"Thank you Martin," I said. "Now for the contracts."

He laughed and said, "I know you are a smart girl but I made this idiot proof and left sections where you can add in amendments and additional clauses for the case by case basis. The first contract is for pictures as I know you may open them up for the outside of the home. Its all straight forward. I did not put in a price but would suggest pricing should be based on size and the number of people. Also on each contract on pricing I did put in a spot for insurance cost which does state it is mandatory. If you go with Greg as your provider he has a page you order from and you put in all the information and he has you a policy number and emails you a copy of the policy in one business day. Which is good for you as no one should be booking next day events or pictures." 

Nodding I said, "I like that it is straight forward and you have the areas I can hand write in for additional clauses. I was going to start allowing pictures for outside only but I wanted to make sure I had a contract. I see you added the deposit and the statement it is non refundable after 24 hours and final amount is due before code to gate is provided. Are the events, meetings, weddings and overnights stay contracts more complicated?"

"Yes and no," He said. "Overnight stays have verbiage about what will be provided which you can hand write in. But there is also a rules page such as no smoking in the house, not allowed into restricted areas, pets or no pets and they are only guaranteed their room for the nights listed at the rate listedtI also added that the rooms are only for 2 people only. Families are great but you do not want to have someone trying to sneak in four or five kids and believe me it happens.  Suites are more spacious rooms and I also put in a clause guests are limited to two people per couple staying.  I did this so someone cannot rent a room and try to have a wedding without your consent. You will put in if its a suite or a room and if its a private or shared bathroom. You will also notate if it includes breakfast and arranged check in and check out time. My best advice is make sure all rentals are made at least one week in advance and I would make a chart of what is available and I also put in the contract as you are an event center events may be happening during the stay. Even if they book for a room and there are no events one may be scheduled before their stay and the cancellation policy will remain in effect. Also a lot of historic locations do not offer breakfast or meals. You will need to notate that as well."

I took notes and said, "I never thought of that. Can i offer use of the kitchen for reheating of food only as I was thinking of putting mini refrigerators in the rooms but I will not allow people to cook in them. I was going to put a few microwave's in the beginning of kitchen for use as there is counter space on both sides and we have the doors we can close to keep people out of the area past that. But no cooking what so ever in the rooms. I was going to provide a coffee and tea bar as there is a area I was going to put two Keurig's and set up creamers tea and coffee pods sugar."

Martin smiled and said, "You have really thought about it."

"I have," I said. "Now to wedding events and meetings."

"Those are pretty much like the first two contracts," Martin said. "However depending on the rooms you have open at the time I would suggest creating a map of the house and make a lot of copies. On the map show all areas that can be rented and date the maps. That way you have a very organized plan and I suggest limiting people to no more than two rooms per renter. Also in the room contract it states that children cannot be in a room alone. Now if you hold an event and people want rooms to go with the event you will have to let them know and be firm there is no discount and separate contracts will apply. You can mail or fax the contracts. Also for deposits if they are not sending a money order or cashiers check then tell them the booking is not confirmed until all funds clear. All of that is in the contract as well."

"Now once you open rooms for events or even the patio which has an outdoor bathroom, Reach out to the fire marshal and find out the amount of people you can host. Remember any outdoor events are subject to safety restrictions and rules," Martin said. "If you did patio events use the event contract and this is the number for the guy I use for gate security. They will stay during the time frame you give them and i added that in the contract as well that no one unless they are on the guest list will be allowed to enter. There is also a clause that all vendors for the event will have to be names and food vendors have to provide license. There is a clause if the event is going to be bringing food as well as you do not have the storage capacity for it."

"I think you covered everything," I said. 

"Listen you have this and I will be here for you for any questions," Martin said. 

"I do like the idea of the maps and I am going to limit pictures to one or two a day," I said. "Now for the last bit of business, How much do I owe you for the contracts?"

Martin laughed and said, "Nothing at all. I am so happy for you taking this step and I cannot wait to see what you do."

"Oh I have a question," I said.

"Shoot," He said.

"Do you know if this place has a wine cellar?" I asked.

He laughed and said, "To be honest with you Amelia your Grandmother rarely drank and when I cam out here it was coffee or sweet tea."

"Bugger okay come with me," I said. I led him to the basement and said, "I was snooping through the house and came down. First off, under all these and behind these boxes is a bar. There are two or three billiards tables over here. But when I got to the back here use your phones flashlight it looks like a wine cellar."

Martin put on his flashlight and looked in, "It looks like one hold on lets move some of these boxes in front of the door."

We moved the boxes aside and he opened the door more. We looked in and both of us said, "Woah."

He held the door open with some boxes and we walked in. I started walking through the isles and said, "Martin there has to be more than a thousand bottles down here. Look here this bottle is dated 1840."

"Amelia you have to bring Benson down here some of these bottles are historical," Martin said. "This is a jack pot and we are going to hide this door until you and Charles get down here. Speaking of which as your Grandfather is now dancing with your Grandma in heaven should I ask about your relationship with him."

"I am falling hard for him Martin," I said. "The amount of talking we do when we work together formed a friendship and during the hurricane we started to progress. I miss him with him being away, but we talk all the time and I am just as supportive of his work with Benson as he is supportive of me and my goal to make this all something special."

As we got up the stairs my lunch alarm went off and I laughed, "Yeah I forget to eat when i am working so I set alarms."

Martin bellowed a laugh and said, "I do not judge, when I am working on a case I get so into my work I forget to eat. But you need to eat and I have a meeting to go prepare for. When Charles and Benson gets back lets plan on getting together for dinner."

He hugged me and said, "I am so proud of you."

I stood on the porch and watched him leave. Heating up some of the take out I got and a slice of pizza I took it to the office to eat and work. I opened the filing drawer and created a file folder for contracts. Pulling up the blueprint of the house I pulled up an editing program and created the floor plan martin suggested for rentals. Since I know room and event rentals will not go live until after the new year I made a second map of the outside for the patio and pictures. 

I called Martins insurance agent Greg and he walked me through the website. He told me which ones I would use for pictures with groups of 1-5 6-10 10-15 and so forth. He told me if I have any questioned to text him and he will walk me through the process. I told him i have emails waiting and since I can see the pricing for the insurance I will be able to quote accurate pricing for people to come out for pictures or patio events. I called the local fire Marshal and he told me he would come out on monday at 9am to look over the patio and give me a head count for events there. Putting the appoitment. After I had the calanders in folders on my desk I updated the Manor page and added a new live now for pictures only. 

After I updated the website I looked at the emails inquiries and started to reply. I was shocked that there were so many inquiries less then a day after I posted the coming soon. Opening the first email I saw the comment line that stated we are looking to have a engagement photography session donated to us for the upcoming week. I replied back a polite no and stated that we only allow sessions for a cost and we do not provide a photographer. Looking at quite a few of the emails they seemed to all be requesting the same and I copied and pasted the same reply to each. I stopped replying and created a template folder to just auto add. For the serious inquiries I sent a reply asking, name of your photographer, your name, the amount of people in your group, when they were looking to have the session. I also advised disclaimers that martin suggested about telling the customer upfront about pricing to come would include a breakdown with a non refundable security deposit and that deposit includes the additional charge for the insurance which is mandatory with each booking. Also advised this is first come first serve and to secure the date a contract must be signed and returned and deposit made to secure the date. 

About halfway through the emails ranging from dates to stay and having to explain rooms only sleep two I decided that I needed a work phone. I ordered a new line for my business for Amore Manor and paid the extra shipping from the account I had set up from the estate sales. I figured I can use this account for deposits and payments. When I looked to make sure my payment went through for the phone I started coughing as the balance was well over 150 thousand in sales since we started selling items under two weeks ago. It took me another hour to complete the emails. I set up a message to respond to emails stating replies on non business days will be sporadic due to obligations on the weekend. Looking at the clock I saw it was going on 330 in the afternoon. I ran upstairs and changed into shorts and a tshirt and went back down to get a work out in the ball room. Putting on the house speaker system I put my playlist on and got to work. I found more and more blankets and clothes until I found a crate with a box full of journals with the name Emily on the front. I took the journals to the office and placed then on a shelf. I found a box with assorted jewerly. After i picked out what I would like and added it to my jewerly cabinet upstairs I added the rest to the store pile. As I sorted everything and went through the pockets and found a few myserties I labeled a box as ball room mysteries and kept going. I found a trunk that was huge and when I opened it I cried out in happiness as I found a box of of clothing from the 1970's. As I sorted the clothes I found a dress that caught my eye. It was a dark blue silk dress that was in pristine condition. I ran upstairs to try it in and when I did I knew this was the formal dress I was going to wear to the charity event. I hung it up in the closet and went back down and worked through the chest I got to the bottom of the trunk and found a shoe box. Inside was a neclace a set of wedding bands and pictures and letters. I ran that to the office and when I came back I moved the trunk to the pile for the store. I found another trunk and when I opened it I laughed so hard, Inside the trunk was a bunch of mens velvet suits I added then to a crate for a larger things and I pulled out some items from the pockets and tossed it into the box of mysteries for the ball room. As I got through the suits I found some wild dressed in the trunk as well. Looking through I kept chucking about the clothes and emptied the purses into the box. When I filled the next crate that abby dropped off I slid it to the pile in the entry. My alarm went off and I decided I was not hungry and continued on with sorting boxes and crates. Going through everything kept my mind of missing Charles and I just opened a box when I heard, "You know I am glad I GOT HERE WHEN I did or you would be sorting items all night."

Stopping dead in my tracks I turned slowly I saw Charles leaning against the wall. "You are supposed to be in Florida."

He stepped closer and said, "There was a problem with the store so I flew home till Sunday morning and took care of it. Grandpa ordered me to come see you and send some time with you before I came back Sunday morning."

Running up to him I threw myself into his arms and said, "I missed you."

He buried his face in my hair and said, "I missed you to."

He leaned down and kissed me. He stopped and said, "If I don't stop now we will be up in your room. We said we would take it slow." 

Taking a breath I said, "Your right slow would be good we want to be sure. I am glad your here. How about this you want to see what I got done."

Taking his hand I brought him into our office. "Welcome to our office." 

"Our office?" He said.

"Well yeah you live here to and I am sure you will need to work," I said. "I took over the desk but we have this brand new printer. But that conference table has a lot of chairs and is big enough for you. Or if we find another desk we have plenty of room to add it in here."

He looked at the curio and said, "That is your welcome gift?"

"Yeah," I said. "Read the tags."

He started chuckling when he read them and said, "Constance really wants you to celebrate. May I read the letter?"

I nodded and he took the letter out and opened it. As he read I saw a smile come across his face. He put the letter away and came over and he hugged me and said, "I believe your Grandma set us up."

Laughing I said "Is that so bad?"

He kissed my head and said, "Not at all."

Taking his hand I said, "Okay you have one more surprise. But first I need to get my sweater out of the kitchen."

I led him to the basement and went past the bar and pool tables. When we got to the hidden door I moved boxes and said, "Go ahead."

He gave me a look and said, "Holy shit."

He started to scan the shelves as I sat on a stool and said, "How much do you know about wine?"

Looking at me he said, "I learned a lot from Benson. Amelia do you know what your sitting on right now?"

Looking down, "A stool."

He took a bottle off the shelf and said, "This bottle is worth $17,000 and you have ten of them."

"Really," I said. "So how does your charity sales work?"

"We ask people who are selling in our store to drop their percentage and we drop the percentage on the stores commission to 1%.WHy do you ask?" He said.

"What Charity are you raising money for with this Charity Event?" I asked.

"We are raising money to give the kids at the towns orphanage a good Christmas," He said.

"Grab the bottle", I said.

When we got back to the office I said, "Call your Grandpa I am going to drop my profits for the Charity Sale and have his advertising team do some PR I am selling one bottle at the auction. Since its Alcohol can you do that?"

"Amelia you realize how expensive this is bottle is?" He asked. "Besides we did not ask you to drop your percentage as your sales are amazing."

"Charles I will drop my sales for the event," I said. "Besides as excited as you are for the bottle can you imagine if your Grandpa advertised it? Also, imagine the Christmas you can give these kids if it sells? But that comes back to the original question can your Grandpa sell it?"

"Yes my Grandpa can sell it, he has a license through the state for sales of rare and vintage alcohol." Charles asked. "If this did sell it would be a huge boost for the charity and what can be done for the kids."

"Well the get your Grandpa on the phone and tell him," I said.

He pulled me into his lap as he called his Grandpa. As I cuddled up against him he called Benson, When Benson picked up Charles said "Hold on I need to put you on speaker."

Benson laughed as he said, "Amelia dear I hope you like your surprise of me sending Charles back to deal with business instead of me. Now why are you not spending time together?"

"Well Benson," I said. "Martin and I made a discovery when he came by to go over my contracts for Amore Manor."

"A discovery you say," He said. "Please tell."

Charles said, "Grandpa please tell me your sitting."

Benson said, "I am now. This has to be good if you have me sitting down."

"The other day I was exploring the house and went into the basement," I said. "Besides discovering a full bar and pool tables under the mountains of boxes I found a door that is not on the blue prints."

"Thats not surprising old homes such as yours may not have underground rooms notated," He said.

"What if I was to tell you its a wine cellar?" I said.

"Amelia," He gasped. "You have to be joking."

"No I am not and its full to the brim with dust covered bottles," I said. "I showed Charles when he came home."

"Grandpa I looked through just two rows of wine," Charles said. "She has ten bottles of 1904 Chateau Marci, white wine from the personal vineyard of the owner with the wax covered cork. I am sending you pictures of it now."

"Amelia do you know what a treasure that room is?" Benson said, "Another bottle in that collection went to auction three weeks ago and sold for $76000." 

"I sure do and that's why when you get home after you go to the Doctors you can come and really search the wine cellar," I said. :But the reason for the call is Charles told me the Charity event is to raise money for the local orphanage's Christmas. I will be donating a percentage of the profits as well the night of the auction. But you have to get your advertising team on it because I am selling one bottle during the Charity event as well."

"Amelia," Benson started.

"Benson, I am not allowed to give anything away, but the sale of one bottle would be a great way to bring happiness to a bunch of kids." I said. "Now Charles had tried to convince me other wise but I would like to do this. Just please do not say I sold the bottle, I do not want anyone to know where it came from."

"We will have to take pictures of the bottle," Benson said.

"I can do that tomorrow when we go to put it in the safe at the store." Charles said. "Besides Amelia want's to get plants to start her greenhouse tomorrow."

Benson said, "Amelia I will see the Doctor as soon as I get home and once that is done I will be camping in your basement to see all the treasures you have in that cellar. Thank you fo ger thinking of the children. I think Charles we will be doing an old fashioned auction towards the middle of the night. Ticket sales will boom for the Charity event. Amelia I hope you have a formal dress."

Laughing I said, "Oh I do and it is spectacular."

"Oh," Charles said. 

'Yes it's vintage and I love the way it fits." I said. "I found it in the boxes in the ball room." 

"Well as its early I am going to call the head of marketing and send him the picture you just sent me. Charles my boy try to get the pictures to me by one that will give marketing two weeks to spread the news for the event," Benson said.

"Sure thing Grandpa," Charles said. "I will call once I email them to you."

He hung up his phone and placed it on the table. I look the wine and placed it on the Curio with the bottles Grandma left me. 

"Safe and sound." I said. "Now that your home, are you hungry?"

"Yes," He said. "But I want to talk to you about something. Would you like to take a walk?"

"Sure," I said. We walked outside and headed to the lake. "Are you alright Charles you seem like you want to talk about something serious?"

"I do," He said. "Not bad just serious."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I am falling in love with you," He said.

"What?" I said.

"I am falling in love with you Amelia," He said. "When I met you at your Grandma's funeral I thought hey she is beautiful but out of my league. Besides I was still in a relationship. When I broke up with Carlie I did not want to go back to Grandpa even though he would have welcomed me with open arms. That's why I asked for the boat house. But then you said no come stay in the main house. After getting to know each other so much as we talk while we work and then the whole hurricane coming through. I am falling in love with you and it scares me."

"I feel the same way," I said. "But after you went to Florida when I thought about everything I was doing it was our and us that I started thinking. I have been keeping busy to make the time go faster because I miss you. Even though we are at the beginning of our relationship, I see you as my future. When I said to take it slow that is only because I was not sure how you felt and I want to make sure we have a healthy relationship."

He pulled me close and kissed my head. "I have never been with a more kind and generous person in my life. You are a rare woman Amelia and I hope you know that."

That was when my stomach started to growl and we both laughed. He took my hand and we headed back to the house. "Lets get you some food. What did you want to cook?"

"Well," I said. "With you not here I picked up a bunch of take out and easy food."

We went into the kitchen and each made a plate to eat when Charles said, "Would you mind if while we eat I follow up on the situation I came home for?"

"You sure can," I said. "We can eat in the office and I can follow up on the emails I have for pictures on the grounds. I decided to open the grounds to two to three picture sessions a day. Then after the fire marshal comes to visit on Monday I may be opening the Patio and outdoor bathrooms for events as well."

"Amelia that is amazing," He said. "Is that why Martin came over with contracts?"

"It sure is," I said. "If we are doing this we are doing this right. I am going to use the same account that I have my payments from the store to accept deposits and final payments. I also talked with Martins insurance guy and his site does event by event plans which is notated on the contract as well. During our meeting he also gave me a phone number for a security team that will be part of the costs for all events here."

"That is amazing," He said. "I am proud of you for the work your doing to bring this place to life."

"Well I think we both are bringing it back to life," I said. "When you get back we hit the basement. I am respecting your wishes and as you can see I have stayed on the main floor."

We went into the office and Charles said, "We really could fit a second desk in here couldn't we?"

"Yes we could and I am sure we will find one when we continue to clean through the house," I said. "If not we can buy one."

Sitting at the table he said, "This will do for now. Now that we will be working on a schedule due to me going into the office more I am glad we have a dedicated working spot. I see the  is calendar that for us to plan morning and afternoons?"

"It sure is," I said. "Also to keep track of big events incase we need to take off for the full day here."

Opening my email I whistled and said, "I believe we are about to be a very busy place. I have over 100 emails with enquiries about events and pictures."

"That is a lot of replies," He said.

"I know but I made it easy on myself," I said. "I have a file with the general replies to enquires with the questions I need answered before I can quote a rate."

We talked as we worked and I added on to the web page some disclaimers about pricing and subject to change like martin had suggested. I also stated no reservations will be taken in advance for events and rooms until we are ready to open the room officially. I was thankful for the templates I made because I had a lot of enquiries. I also started to get responses to the emails I originally sent back. I pulled up the page with the insurance pricing and started to send quotes. As I completed the quote with the breakdown of pricing I printed the quote and high lighted the persons name. 

Charles looked up and asked, "What are you charging per hour for the pictures?"

"I am limiting pictures to 3 hours and for max of 5 people its $150 before insurance. The deposit which is none refundable is the amount of the insurance and half the amount due. Changes can be made up to 72 hours in advance but there is a $15 change fee and payment is due in full prior to being given the gate codes the night before the booking and it is a one time code, so only one car may come onto the property. This property has a bunch of wild life and I am not going to have cars ruin that. Not that I am not happy you are here but why did you have to come back."

"You may not be happy about this but Carlie is causing trouble at the store," He said. "She walked in as if she owned the place and made demands on the staff. I got back Friday morning and had to get restraining orders in place. Both personally and professionally. Grandpa had told everyone we were together and that she was not allowed there. But she tried her luck and the police were called. Abby was so mad. Thats why she told you they got held up delivering the other items on Wednesdays."

"I am not mad in the least," I said. "Her issues got you home to me for a day or so. I can thank her for that."

We worked in silence for a while and Charles said, "I am done now. The lawyer who represents us asked for documentation for a case they are building up against her. How about you how much more do you have to go?"

I closed my email and said, "I am done for now. When it comes to emails I have a response that is sent out stated 1-2 business days on the weekends."

We brought our plates into the kitchen and washed them. Stretching I said, "So do you want to watch a movie we have TV's now."

Laughing he said, "Sure."

He went to sit on the couch and I said, "Nah there is a TV in my bedroom now we can stretch out in bed and watch TV."

We climbed up on the bed and Charles said, "Wait how are we going to watch TV we do not have cable?"

"No but I did add Hulu because they have live TV and since I have a business license we got a great deal so it comes from the homes account," I said.

Charles started to flip through movies and once he decided on one I wanted to watch as well we cuddled on the bed. Curling up next to each other he started playing with my hair and said, "I can get used to this."

"So can I," I said. "I know I said slow but if you wanted to there is another closet and dresser. Even if we are not having sex yet it doesn't mean you can't sleep in here as well."

He moved me to face him and said, "It may be a bit difficult waking up next to you and behaving myself."

I leaned up and kissed him. Wrapping my arms around him I decided to take things a little further by deepening the kiss. By the time we pulled apart we were breathless. Looking into his eyes I said, "Lets not make it difficult then."

I reached up and pulled him back down to me and our movie was forgotten. The following morning we woke up curled up next to each other and I said, "Good Morning."

Giving me a smile he said, "Good Morning to you."

Pulling the blankets around me I said, "No regrets."

He pulled me against him and said, "None at all. Well except we need to get up and get stuff done."

Leaning my head against his chest I said, "But I am so comfortable." 

"I know so am I," He said. "But duty calls and I have heard your stomach growling for the last hour."

"Why didn't you wake me," I said.

"Because you looked so peaceful sleeping and I figured we could get food on the way to the store," He said. "Have you ever been to Mrs Claras in town?"

"No I have not," I said. "I saw the store when I went to do errands the other day but I did not have a chance to go there. Is it good?"

"Oh yeah and the portions are huge," He said. "I love their chicken and waffle sandwich."

"Oh my good that sounds really good," I said. "Also how are you getting to the airport tomorrow?"

"I was going to ask if you could take me," He said. "We just got side tracked before I could."

"Of course I can bring you," I said. Looking around I said, "I guess we have to go get ready huh?"

Charles let out a loud laugh and said, "Yes we do. Were you serious about me moving into this room with you?"

"Of course," I said.

"Well I will do that later on today." He said. "So who gets the shower first?"

Sitting up I said, "Who said we have to take turns?" 

Laughing as he got out of the bed, he said, "If we share we will not be leaving the house. I am going to run to my bathroom and shower. Do you think you have it in you to eat after we do the pictures of the bottle? I do not want to leave it in the car."

"Sure," I said. "I have some pastries in the kitchen we can grab to hold us over."

After he left the room I got up and took a shower. Grabbing a pair of leggings and a over sized shirt to put on I ran into the bathroom and did my makeup and decided it was a messy bun type of day. Slipping on a pair of boots I went down to the kitchen and the gate alert sounded. Charles walked in and flipped the switch, "Thank you for coming to Amore Manor how can we help you?"

"Hey Charles your back early. Its Simon and the Mrs and I were trying to come onto the grounds because I left my saw on the patio yesterday. The code to get in is not working." He said.

"Simon are you sure?" I said.

"Sure am. Its been the same since you were born." He said. "But it looks like someone tried prying off the face of the code box. Never mind it looks like someone unscrewed the battery pack and took the batteries out. Do you have a nine volt battery in the house."

"Yes I do," I said. "Give me a few and we will be down there."

When I shut off the gate intercom Charles said, "I guess we know who did it. What do you want to do about it?"

"When we go get plants we are getting some security cameras. By the gate there is a box for cords to be plugged in. I walked the property the other day because I want to put up Christmas lights and really decorate for the holiday." I said. "I guess we will be plugging in a security camera for the gate as well. We will also need to get metal to fit around the box so someone cannot break it. I have a few nine volts in the office." 

We grabbed a drill and the batteries and wine. I handed Charles the keys to my car and said, "You can drive." 

When we got to the gate and Simon and his wife were looking at the flowers on the outside of the gate. Sadie looked up and said, "I cannot believe someone damaged your gate box and then ripped up a bunch of bushes Simon planted." 

Charles handed Simon the battery and he tested the gate to make sure it worked. He then wrapped duck tap around the box until we got back with a more permanent solution. Looking at the bushes ripped up I said, "Simon we will discuss a plan for this on Monday. I may have a solution. Also we are going to get a camera for the gate."

Sadie said, "Mrs Amelia I am sorry I have not come out to give my respects for your Grandma. She was such a wonderful woman. If you ever need any Grandmotherly advice you come to me anytime."

Hugging Sadie I said, "I sure will Mrs Sadie. Simon you best walk your lady around the grounds and have some time for the two of you."

Simon nodded and Charles opened the car door for me. When I got in I said, "You know the other day I got him a burger and he said to keep it between us as his Sadie put him on a diet. But when he speaks of his wife the look in his eyes shows the love he has for her."

Charles took my hand and said, "We can only hope to have what they have one day. Or what Grandma and Grandpa had. My Grandpa still speaks about her as if she is going to come in the room and she has been gone close to ten years."

Kissing his cheek I said, "Well lets give him some joy and take pictures of the wine."

We headed to the store and when we arrived Abby said, "Hey guys! Amelia what are you doing here?"

Charles said, "Grandpa did not call you?"

"No why," She said.

CHarles said, "Show her."

I took the wone bottle out of my bag and showed Abby and she gasped, "Is that what I think it is?"

"1904 Chateau Marci, white wine from the personal vineyard of the owner with the wax covered cork," Charles said. "Yes it is. Amelia is selling one of the ten bottles she has for the Charity Event. I need to do pictures so Grandpa can have the Marketing team start the promotion for it for the event. We are going to do a live auction for it during the event. Starting price $17000. Oh and even though we were not going to ask her Amelia will be lowering her commissions that night so we can put more towards Charity."

Abby took my hand and said, "Normally we ask the participants to drop to 40 percent from their normal 80 percent."

"No," I said. "Its for the kids any sales I get that night including the sale of the bottle I want only 20%."

"Amelia," Abby said. "Are you sure?"

"Listen to me both of you," I said. "Grandma set me for life. I am very successful. The money I have earned from here goes back to the stuff I want to do with the house. She did charity work all the time. To me this is my way of continuing in her footsteps. So who wants to fight me on it? Oh and Abby the wine. Its a anonymous sale okay?"

"May I ask why you don't want anyone to know it is you?" She asked.

I looked at Charles and he said, "You can trust her."

"I went exploring in the house and I found a packed wine cellar. I mean thousand of bottles," I said. "This bottle is one of 10 I own. I do not want people in there snooping. Once Benson is back he is going to look over everything and tell me what I have buried in there."

"Your secret is safe with me," She said. "Now for the charity event come to my office and I will have you fill out the form that I need you to sign giving us permission for the lower percentage. Oh we will be doing live updates on the website as well did you want to include your online sales till 6am the following morning. Me and my team will be here till 7am consistently updating all the pages of the sellers who participate and you get a gold star next to your name so the buyers know your donating a percentage of sales to the charity."

"Of course," I said. "Anything to help the kids."

Taking my hand she said, "Good lets get this done, That way when your done Charles and you can get out of here and spend some time together."

I sat speaking with Abby after I filled out the form and before I knew it Charles walked in. "Well pictures are done, I sent them to Grandpa and the Wine is in the vault in a lined bucket to keep it safe." 

Abby was walking us out when we heard sirens and saw fire trucks and emergency vehicles heading out of town. I said, "I wonder what's going on?"

We said our good byes and headed to eat and then home depot. While we were getting the security camera and my plants we caught wind that there was a gas line explosion and twenty homes were taken by fire. My phone rang when we were in the garden area.

"Hello?" I said.

"Amelia, Its Martin have you seen Simon today?" He asked.

"Yes we did he forgot a saw at my house and came to pick it up," I said. "Why what's going on?"

"Have you seen the news? The explosion," He asked.

"No we heard about it when we got to home depot. What's going on Martin."

"The first house they showed on the news footage was Simons house," He said.

"Oh my god was his truck in the footage?" I asked. I grabbed Charles and said, "We need to get home now."

"Call him and tell him they can stay at the Manor. If they do not want to stay in the Manor we can weather proof the apartment in the boat house if they need it." I said. "They may be at my house still we are heading home after we check out."

As we headed to check out I told Charles what had happened and he hurried the cashier up telling her we had an emergency. When we got back we got to the end of the driveway and saw Sadie sitting on the bed of the truck, crying. I rushed to hug her and said, "Oh guys I am so sorry. You can stay here or if you want more privacy you can stay in the boat house apartment. As long as you need."

Simon said, "We do not want to impose on you both."

Charles said, "It would not be an imposition at all. I would like to have someone around to keep an eye on the place when I am at work or away for business. With Grandpas health that may be a bit more often."

Simon nodded and said, "Alright we will move into the boat house. Sadie I believe you can tell me I told you so now."

Laughing through her tears she said, "Why sweetheart."

"We still have the storage unit with all the furniture and items from our old place. I know everything is in there we need. I am glad you insisted on holding into everything," He said.

"Miss Amelia thank you for your kindness," He said. "We will take up the offer for the boat house. I had already did work in the apartment a while back when your Grandma was alive still. I know its weather tight and it will do until we settle everything with the insurance company and get something else.. Come on my love it is going to be a long day."

After they left I said, "Come on."

He looked at me and said, "What's going on?"

"The boat house has a kitchen with a fridge and appliances in there. We are going to get some food and get the kitchen ready for them." I said. "It will be a surprise and one less thing they have to deal with when they get home. Simon told me what they like to eat when we chatted the other day. The market is a few blocks away and we can do that before they get back."

Grabbing my hand he said, "You never cease to amaze me."

"My Grandma was my family before she died," I said. "Since her passing I discovered I had a whole new one. Besides I have take out in the fridge but want to get some more to make this week easier before you get home."

We went to the store and I picked up stuff for us and Simon and Sadie. I made sure we got everything they would need for the basic essentials. Then we had fund picking up meats and food for them as well as some prepared stuff for both of us. When we got back we put everything away and I left a note, A little something to help out. This should get you through till you have time to go shopping. Amelia and Charles. I leaned it up against the flowers I got them and we headed to the main house to put our groceries away. After we drove to the gate to install the security camera and to put the metal wrap around the code box. I secured the smile your on camera sign with zip ties to the gate when Sadie and Simon pulled up with a truck full of stuff and another truck behind them. I saw them go to the boat house and about twenty minutes later Sadie met us as we were driving past and stopped us.

"You two are the most kind people I have ever met," She said. "You did not need to do that."

"Sadie," Charles said. "We can not imagine what your going through. If groceries and toilet paper helps in the smallest way we are glad to have done that. If you all need help let us know. We are leaving very early so Amelia can drop me off at the airport but we would be glad to help still. Also is Simon needs a place to store his tools tell him the shed can be used as I think Amelia may have plans for the barn."

When we got back to the house and went into the office I said, "Plans for the barn?"

"So while in Florida, we saw advertisements for barn parties." Charles explained. "Unless your planning on bring horses back to Amore Manor why not. You can have Chandeliers added or lighting fixtures. You can rent tables and chairs as well for people to use. I know of a company thinking of liquidating and I bet you can get a great rate. It has a bathroom and you already said that people will have to use outside catering or use their own food."

"Wow your right I never thought of that," I said. "I will have to ask the Fire marshal to give me a capacity rating for that as well. I also have to call the security company for pricing Monday. So what time do we need to leave in the morning?"

"My flight leaves at 8am which means we need to leave no later than 5am as it takes and hour to get there," He said.

"So what I am hearing is dinner, relaxing and bed," I said.

"Something like that," He said. "But right now I know your itching to do something so I am going to go and move my stuff to our room. What are you going to do?"

"Well we got subs for dinner so I am going to play in clothing land." I said.

I notated to add the barn to the capacity request and went into the ball room and finished the crate I was working on when Charles came home. I moved a now full crate to the entry and opened the next box. When I did I yelled, "Charles."

I heard him come down the stairs as he said, "Amelia what is wrong?"

"Look in the box," I said.

He looked in and said, "Holy shit."

We both leaned over and saw straw and what looked like heads. "Amelia they are pigmy heads and they are quite collectible."

"I respect other countries but nope, that's to much for me." I said laughing. "I have to look through the box help me please."

Charles grabbed a new box and said, "What if I was not here?" 

"Then it would have been put in a corner until you got home," I said as he gently lifted the heads and transferred them to a new box. At the bottom he found another small locked box and handed it to me. I placed it in the box for the ball room mysteries.

"Are you okay," He asked.

"Yes now that it is in the entry way I am," I said as i carried the box to the entry way pile. 

"Okay, I am almost done." He said as he went up the stair he called, "Scream if you find more heads."

Going to the next box I found a box that said, Africa 1920. That explained the shrunken heads. Under the pictures was a bunch of tribal clothing. I found a dress and two shirts and three skirts I liked and placed them aside. I moved the rest to the box of clothing. I found statues and another locked box i added to the mystery pile. The statues were not something I knew I could use and moved them all to a new crate. I was able to get through another crate of clothing and once of linens before Charles came back down and asked, "Are you at a good stopping point?"

"Sure am I just have to bring this pile to the attic and add that pile to my closet," I said.

He picked up the linens and said, "Lets go."

We went to our room first and I hung up the clothing. When he tried to come into the closet I said, "No sir my dress is in here and I want you to be surprised."

Laughing he said, "Oh no preview?"

"Nope I want you to be surprised," I said.

After that we went to the attic and I added the linens to the trunk for linens. As we walked past the window I noticed we could see to the end of the driveway and said, "Do you have your phone?"

"Yeah why," He asked. 

"Look at the gate," I said. "If that was someone here to help Simon then they would be asking to be buzzed in or calling Simon and he would go to the gate to let them in. This car parked before the gate on the side of the road."

He pulled up the camera and said, "Look who we have here."

I looked over his shoulder and I said, "Wasn't she served?"

"Yes she was," He said. "By our favorite officer and her partner."

"Let's see what she does," I said. Before we could say anything else we saw police show up. We looked at each other and he said, "Where is your keys?"

"On my desk in the office," I said and we raced down the stairs. He ran ahead of me as I headed to the door. He ran out the door and we jumped in the car. When we got to the boat house Simon flagged us down. 

"Sadie noticed her while doing yoga thirty minutes ago on the dock," He said. "She tried climbing the wall twice and I came outside both times as we were watching her from the dock. When I saw her go to the gate box the first time I called the police. I am assuming that is the crazy ex."

"Yes it is," Charles said. "We were going to speak with the officers."

Nodding he said, "Carry on if you all need us to speak to the police we will."

I waved and we went to the gate, "I called out to the officers, Good evening everyone."

Officer Greene walked over and said, "We thought it would be a peaceful night and then we got the call out here."

"You can scream all you want dear but he is not coming to see you," She said as she shut the car door and headed to the gate. "Its always a party her isn't it?"

"It sure is," I said. "So you know we were not the people who called. Our landscaper and his wife are staying with us in the boathouse apartment while they get stuff handled from their house. Their home was part of the explosions this morning. Sadie was on the dock doing yoga when they first noticed her. Also this morning he discovered someone messed with the code box hence its new decorations on it. We also put a security camera up today due to that."

"Charles she is being arrested," Officer Rios said.

"Good she has caused so many issues when she was the one who cheated and kicked me out," Charles said. "She is mad I have moved on. Especially after everything she has caused at the store she needs to get a clue."

"Do you have security camera footage," Officer green asked.

"Yes," I said. "Babe can i see your phone."

Charles handed me his phone and I pulled up the feed. I went back further than we had saw her and saw where she tried to climb the wall. I down loaded the files and handed the phone to Charles so he could send the files to the officers. Officer green looked over the files and said, "Amelia I would suggest on Tuesday you go to the station and file a order of protection against her for you and the Manor."

Nodding I said, "I will sir."

When they pulled away with Carlie still screaming in the back seat. CHarles said, "Im sorry."

"For what," I asked.

"Her Drama you do not deserve that," Charles said.

"DO not worry about it Charles," I said. "I am surprised my ex didn't come snooping around since I inherited all of this."

We went back to the car and headed back to the house. "Should I be worried about him being as crazy as her?"

"Nah," I said. "However, We may run into him as he lives in the area and he will try to goad you with comments."

"So he is a dick," He said. "Do not worry I can handle it. Also you looked relieved that you do not have to go to the police station monday, Can I ask why?"

"Oh thats easy," I said. "The fire Marshall is coming at 9 am for capacity of rooms. Then I have to answer a bunch of emails. I am up to about 400 in inquiries. Then after that I will be doing what I do best."

"Find shrunken heads?" He asked.

"I did scream I did not expect to find them," I said. "I guess our new motto should be expect the unexpected."

"Well how about this Amelia," I do need to check work emails so why don't we get our subs and eat and work and then we can go up to bed and relax and watch a movie."

"Will we get through it this time," I said.

"Maybe," He said. "Maybe not."

We sat down to work while we ate and when I opened my email I groaned, "I have 655 emails for inquires."

"Amelia you may have to spend an hour a day on emails," Charles said.

"I know even on the weekend but I want balance," I said.

"You will still have it," He said. "I will help you if you want."

I worked on the emails and ate. I had to send quite a few quotes outs and printed them off and added them to my file. I had one reply from a quote that stated she would not pay until she was here and could take pictures in the house and I told her that was not possible but if she changed her mind I will hold her quote for thirty days. Another woman wanted to do a day of photography and was told she had 3 hours only and I do monitor when they get here and check in at the gate which is mandatory. I had quite a few people ask if they could do pictures even if they do not have a photographer. I told her yes but they would need to provide the name of the photographer coming. I had one woman who asked what if they bring people not listed and was told their appointment would be cancelled as all people who come to the property have to be listed on the contract. 

Then I had my first serious reply, She agreed to the price, Thanked me for allowing a weekday shoot due to her work schedule and asked me to send the contract. I photo copied a contract and filled it out with all the information she provided. Notated the deposit and amount due after. I scanned the contract and emailed her. A copy for her to sign and send back as well as the banking transfer information to send the deposit to. I put that in a file and Starred her email address for any new replies. I replied to a bunch of replies and Charles said, "You finished?"

"I got through a bunch so yes," I said. "A lot of people do not like the rules and I think thats funny. I had one lady that wanted to bring their bridal party and have a whole day of shooting but did not want to time limit or list the names. She also wanted inside the house and said if I could not accommodate her she would go somewhere else. If she replies back I will give her the Manors customer service phone number."

"Customer service phone number?" He asked.

"Yeah I added a second line to my plan for calls pertaining to the manors business," I said. "It should be delivered here tomorrow morning."

"Oh thats a good idea," He said. "Ready for bed?"

Stretching I said "yes."

I put the rest of my sandwich in the fridge and Charles locked the door. We headed up to bed and we changed and climbed on the bed and put on the television. We curled up and started watching the movie. We woke up to our alarms going off. Charles stretched and said, "Its to early."

"I know," I said. "But the sooner you go the sooner we get you back here."

He started kissing me and said, "We have some time don't we?"

"We do," I said. We made good use of our time before we had to get dressed and head out the door. 

When I dropped him off at the airport he kissed me and said, "I will call you when I land in Florida."

When he walked away I drove home. When I pulled up to the gate a UPS driver pulled in behind me. When I opened the window he said, "I know I am really early but I saw you pull in as I was heading to a business delivery."

"Thank you," I said as he handed me my package. As I pulled up the driveway Simon was outside in a suit. He flagged me down and I pulled over.

"Oh good your back," He said. "Did you get your young man to the airport on time?"

"I did," I said. "Now I am going to work on emails and eat breakfast."

"Before you go I wanted to ask you a question," He said.

"Sure thing whats up?" I said.

"How much do you want for rent while we are here?" He asked

"Simon I want nothing," I said. "You and Sadie lost your home and many possessions. It would be criminal to take money from you."

"We are not freeloaders," He said.

"I know," I said. "You go above and beyond and you can stay as long as you want free of charge. Besides you lost a bunch of your tools you have to replace for your business with the fire and explosion. Please do not worry about it."

"Okay Amelia I will let it go but we will do some extra work to make up for it," He said. "Also Monday when do you want to meet up to talk about the outside."

"Do you have jobs anywhere else that day?" I asked.

"No I have to go buy tools so I rescheduled my work," He said. "I am going to use the shed next to the boat house to store my things and lock it."

"Come find me when you get home in the afternoon." I said. "I will be done with the fire marshall by then."

I headed to the house and when I went in my phone rang. Picking it up I said, "Hello?"

"Amelia this is your Dad," the voice said. I inwardly groaned while I set up the phone and put it on charge after I texted Charles from the business phone. I put a sticky note on my second monitor with the number.

"Hello Dad how are you?" I asked.

"Good your mother and I want to throw a party in the Manor," He said.

"I'm sorry Dad the house is not ready for guests," I said. "I just opened up the property to pictures and the inside is packed with boxes. Besides I have to get approval from the fire marshal for the amount of people allowed in each of the party rooms and I am not ready for that."

"Your telling me you can't help me," He said.

"Dad the Manor is my home but its also my business now," I said. "Part of running this business is being responsible and I am not losing my business license so you and mom can have a party. Especially since you have not spoken a word to me since the funeral."

"Well I can see you will be of no help," He said.

"No dad I will not be. Keep and eye on my website and you will see when the barn and patio are open to parties and we can discuss rates," I said. "You would be better to go to a place that offers catering because we do not offer food services. Because even here you have to have catering services put in as we do not allow cooking here."

"We will discuss your behavior later," He said.

"What behavior Dad," I said. "Being a responsible business owner who makes her own way that does not rely on others. Take care Dad I have a lot of work ahead of me I am hoping to open up for events by the spring."

I hung up the phone and went int the kitchen to get the rest of my sub. As I sat down my phone rang again. Again I did not recognize the phone number, "Hello?"

"Amelia what do you mean telling your Dad no?" My mother yelled into the phone.

"Hello to you to mom and as I said to Dad the home is not ready for parties or events," I said. "I am a business owner and my home is also my business and I have to run by rules and regulations."

"This will not do," She said. "We wanted to have a catered party next weekend."

"Well mom due to the nature of the property we do not cater and we will not be opening for anything in the home until the spring at least," I said.

"We who is helping you," She said. "Make this happen."

"Mom," I said. "It will not be happening and right now I just got back from the airport and need to get to work."

"Oh your spending the money your Grandmother left you instead of us," She whined.

"No I was driving my boyfriend to the airport," I said. "But if you ever called me you would know more about me. But its okay I found friends and family who wants to know me for me."

"That boy your with probably wants your money," She said.

Sighing I said, "My boyfriend does not want my money and does very well for himself. Now if you will excuse me I have a bunch of work to do. You know work the thing you and dad will have to do when you blow through the money Grandma left you."

"You will give us money when you are told to," She said.

"No mom remember the will I cannot," I said. "But you have a great day I have work to do."

Hanging up I finally got to turn my computer on and took a bite of my sandwich and answered, "Hello?"

"Amelia are you alright," Charles said.

"Hey Charles," I said. "I am so sorry I just finished back to back calls from my mom and dad."

"Want to talk about it?" He asked.

"I am okay," I said. "They wanted to have me throw a party for them next weekend and provide everything. I shut that down fast but I am the bad guy."

"I'm sorry sweetie," He said. "I have good news. Would you be able to pick us up Thursday around noon?"

"Of course," I said. "Same airport. I will send you a text with our flight details. I would suggest parking and meeting us."

"Now that I can do," I said. "Did you have a good flight?"

"I sure did I slept most of the flight and I came right to the site to make this move faster." He said, "I do need to go though and get back to work I will call you later tonight."

After we hung up I looked at the clock and set my timer for an hour. I went through as many emails as I could and quoted a few prices. When my timer went off I started working on my blog and writing for two hours. I saw comments on the webpage for the pictures and coming soon. A few people I told that we were not doing events and only pictures were causing a stir and I posted a nice reminder on the page about not being able to offer quotes or accept reservations until the room has been cleared by the fire marshal for occupancy and set for renting rooms and explained I was not ready for that yet but to keep an eye out for new things to come.

After I worked on the blog I worked on my new novel for an hour and spent my last thirty minutes working on the picture book or the tree scenery. Since the trees seems to blend in I did put a lot of them into the photo albums. I finished filling an album of the trees and dropped it to the history room when my timer went off. Walking into the kitchen I heated up some chicken tenders and cut up some fruit to go with it. I went to go eat in my room but decided to work on more emails while I eat. As I worked on emails and check for replies to contracts and did not see any. 

Standing up I walked to the kitchen and washed my plate and looked at the pile in the entry way. It will be so much easier when Charles comes back so he can bring the boxes to the store and we will clear the entry way more. I knew I could stack the boxes in a corner of the room but I liked to see the progress of the room. As I looked at the archways in the ballroom I realized they were pocket doors and laughed. Once the doorways were empty we could close the doors and the ballroom would be self contained.

I started working on boxes when I heard the gate buzz. Going to the office intercom I said, "Hello?"

"Hey Amelia its Abby. I know we arranged for a pick up tomorrow but we are in the area and I have boxes. Can we do a pick up?" She asked.

Smiling I said, "You sure can use gate code 111115."

When she came in she hugged me and said, "I am so glad you and Charles are so happy together. I have known him since he was a young boy and he has had a smile on his face since knowing you."

"Thank you Abby," I said. "He is special to me as well."

"Shall we load up the truck Abby," One of the workers asked.

"Before you do," I said. "Abby your not squeamish are you?"

"No why," She said.

"I scared charles when I found these and yelled yesterday," I said placing my hand on the box.

She looked at me and said, "Is it bad?"

"You might want to warn your staff," I said.

The worker with her said, "Well I have been one of the main staff for your stock. How bad can it be?"

Standing back I said, "Help your self."

He opened the lids and jumped back. He started laughing and said, "I can see how that would scare you when you opened the crate."

Abby opened it and said, "Wow these are genuine shrunken heads. You sure you want these to go?"

"Very much so Abby," I said.

Her worker flagged in their helper and they started loading the truck. The other worker brought in more boxes and crates and I offered coffee which they all declined. Abby asked if she should do a pick up on wednesday and I said no as Charled is back Thursday afternoon. I swept the entry and mopped it. I decided that I would start stacking the boxes in the corner of the ballroom. I came across a cabinet and decided to open it. Inside there was a bunch of older romance novels. I packed up the books after making sure there were no more surprises and started to stack the boxes in the first cleared corner. Opening the drawers I found paperwork which I sorted into the mystery box which I filled. After i took the box to the office I grabbed a second one and added the last bit of paperwork. I checked for boxes and hidden compartments. When I was positive there was nothing left in the cabinet I slid it to the corner of the room. I found various pieces of furniture which I checked over and added to the pick up pile and went through a bunch of boxes. I decided it was time to start in the first door way and continued to sort through boxes. I was so into my work I jumped when my phone rang. 

Laughing I answered, "Hey Charles."

"Hey! So what is so funny," He asked.

"I was so into sorting that when the phone rang I jumped a mile," I said.

"Amelia you know what time it is right?" He said.

"No what time is it," I said.

"Amelia its 8 at night," He said.

"Oh wow I was making so much progress it did not dawn on me," I said. "I discovered the doorways to the ball room are pocket doors so as I cleared the doorways I was shutting the doors."

"You have been very busy," He said. "Abby said you didn't schedule any deliveries because I was coming home."

"Yeah that may have been a mistake because I found a lot of furniture and went through a lot of boxes," I said. "I am thankful Abby dropped me off a bunch of boxes earlier."

"Would you like me to arrange a pick up for Wenesday?" He asked.

"If you can try to schedule it in the afternoon," I said. "Till you get home I am doing office stuff and writing in the morning and once you get home we will plan the rest of the week and next week."

"Well I can tell you Grandpa has a Doctor appointment on Friday," Charles said. "Lets see what they say and then we can make the schedule up for the following week."

"Do you want to go with him?" I asked.

"Would you be mad I can pick up my car when we drop him off at his house," He said.

"I would not be mad then you will know first hand what is going on," I said.

"So now your stopping and getting dinner right?" He asked.

"Yes," I said walking to the kitchen. Grabbing two slices of pizza I put them in the microwave.

"Sorry, we sent the first two drivers and are almost done here now. I wanted to see about changing our tickets but Grandpa wanted to check out a few estates to get more business." He said. "He is not a spring chicken and I don't want to leave you more than I have to."

"Charles," I said. "This is your family business and you enjoy what you do. We will find our time and both of us will be happy. Besides I know the plan was for you to help me but things change a bit and I promise you that everything I do will be safe. We can find solutions to all the problems."

He sighed and said, "You are to good to me Amelia. Thank you for being so positive."

"Your welcome," I said. Sitting at the table I sat and ate as we talked. I told him about the new table books and how I was surprised about all the inquiries for stays and pictures. He asked how the ballroom was coming and I told him how I had a good section done and started to close doors to separate the ball room from the hallway. I said, "I really want to get into the basement but I will be honest with you I do not feel comfortable unless I had someone help me. So I think that will be our special project."

"Well I do like the idea of being in a nice tight space with you," He said. "I think we may have a guest when we start there. Grandpa is really looking forward to looking into the wine cellar and seeing all your treasures."

"Its funny except for an occasional glass of wine I am not a big drinker," I said. "I am sitting on something that I may never use."

He started laughing saying, "I am the same way. Special occasions I may have a glass or two tops but besides that I like to keep a clear head."

I yawned and said, "I am glad you called when you did I did not realize how late it is and how tired I am now."

As I locked up and shut the lights off he asked, "What are you doing now?"

I started to climb the stairs and said, "Taking you to bed with me."

"Oh," He asked.

"Yup I just slipped my socks off and am climbing into bed now," I said. "Oh I have to do laundry tomorrow I finally filled my hamper."

"I may have helped with that," He said. "You don't have to do my laundry."

"Its all in the same basket," I said. "Did you empty your pockets?"

"Yes," He said. 

"Good I do not separate laundry unless its like stuff that has to be hand washed or dry cleaned." I said. "I will jsut pop it into the washer when I get up and switch it over when its done. Besides I am sure you will have a bunch of laundry when you get back. Besides I think I need to clean the living areas tomorrow anyway. I like to keep up on cleaning and I really have not since the storm."

"Well then why don't you get some sleep and I will talk to you tomorrow," He said.

"Okay good night," I said and we hung up. I set my alarm for earlier than I am used to and fell into a exhausted sleep.

************************************************************

The next day I decided since the fire marshal would be here at 9am I would get the house cleaning done that I could. I started the first load of laundry and stripped the bed and changed the sheets. After sweeping and vacuuming I cleaned the bathroom and headed to the office and coat room and cleaned there. I then went into the kitchen and gave it a good cleaning and finished up as the gate buzzer went off.

"Hello." I said.

"Hello this is the fire marshal Sam with his assistant becca can we be let in." He asked.

"Sure thing use gate code 111116 and come on up," I said.

I grabbed my jacket and met the Marshal and his assistant outside. His assistant looked at the house in awe and I said, "After business I would be glad to show you around."

The Marshal laughed and said, "I would love that. So why do you want capacity counts for locations and rooms of the house. I know you said we would only be looking into two spots today but you have me curious."

I told them about the loss of the grandmother, My inheritance and my plans for the property. I also asked for no judgement as we go into the house after because of all the boxes. Explaining I am a writer and finding treasures and working as well. As we got to the barn I said, "I hope to make this a successful business and have started outdoor pictures only at this time. The response has been amazing. We have started sending quotes and hopefully will have our first appointment soon. Also before you ask there is no access granted for inside any of the buildings. The main house is to packed and the boathouse is occupied by my groundskeeper and his wife as they were victims of the explosions and lost their home."

Sam said, "Such a shame we had to notify families for loss of life. I am glad your groundskeeper and his wife have a safe place to stay. Now for the pictures outdoors you do not need a capacity amount but remember insurance."

"Oh I have," I said. "All bookings for pictures, events and rooms have insurance added into the quote and I use Greg with the state farm office. He has individual event options and he came highly recommended."

Becca said, "He is a great man and we use him as well at the firehouse. So what's the history of the barn."

"Back in the day this barn held champions as you can see the plaques are on the stall doors. I love animals but do not have the time to raise horses," I said. "But this is building that can be used. I plan on switching out the fixtures and making this a area that can be used for events. All food has to be brought in my an outside vendor and no cooking will be allowed on the premises. It will be the vendors responsibility to keep the food hot or cold. This bar has a bathroom and a storage area. The storage area will not be open to the event as I will be purchasing tables and chairs for people to rent. The stalls will remain secured and locked and will not be for use. So for the space count it will just be the open floor here.in the center going to the walls. The barn had an inspection six months ago and this is the paper for it."

I handed the forms over and they started measuring while I stood back, He pulled out a plaque that said maximum capacity 50 people including staff and vendors. He looked at me and said, "I am approving 50 people only for this building. This is the hard part I have to put it on both entrances."

"May I suggest the doors?" I said. "For this space I have a rule the door must remain open during events."

Sam put both capacity signs up and said, "Thank you for not arguing about the capacity. You would not believe how many people argue with us."

"Your kidding right," I said. "Never mind thinking back to the emails I have had in the enquiries that does not surprise me."

"Shall we go to the patio?" I said.

We went to the patio and I showed them the bathroom and said, "Again the bathroom is here and it has no access to the main house. There is a wheel chair ramp which makes the patio assessable. Again same rules as the barn no cooking on the premises. All vendors have to have a way to bring in and keep the food hot or cold and no storage. Since the patio is covered and sealed I discovered that it does have amazing blinds that can come down for shade or to keep the room warmer. There is also electrical so heaters may be used but no open flames and again no access to the home and in both locations there is no smoking. I do have a question with that. If I was to make a smokers area how far from the house does it have to be and is there a capacity?"

"Will it be covered?" Becca asked

"No," I said. "I was thinking of putting it near the grill area or just using the grill area and adding some benches. The grill area is not open for public use."

"Then no capacity is needed," Becca said. Sam held up a two signs that said maxium capacity 30 people. 

I nodded and said "there are two openings around the railings. Would you like to post them there?"

He nodded and posted the signs. I took them to the front door and I said, "The best part about your visit today. Sam and Becca welcome to Amore Manor."

I opened both the doors and they walked inside. Sam whistled and said, "You were not kidding on a bunch of stuff. What rooms are done?"

I opened the coat room and said, "This coat room and our office is finished. So is the kitchen through here. This entry will hold microwaves so guest can heat up food but there is no cooking except for, me my boyfriend and my eventual staff who may need to make a meal while they are here. There will also be a coffee and tea bar here as well."

"This is the main ballroom and I discovered this week can be cut off from the house all the archways hold pocket doors. So as this pile shrinks the doors are closed up. That pile here is the pile for the estate store to pick up." I said. "There are storage closets and alcoves as well. This half filled alcove is being turned into our history room. There will be no events held here. I have found so many pieces of history and pictures that I am using in my writing and will eventually be displayed in here."

Sam walked over to the photo albums and said, "Alaska animals 1913?"

He looked through the book and said, "Its like you are being brought back in time. Your a writer you said. What have you done with the pictures?"

"I have created table picture books," I said. "I self publish on Amazon. The books have been warmly received and sales have been great."

Becca looked at me and said, "You have the blog a writers life?"

"That is me," I said.

"So I assume you will be posting the patio and barn later today?" She said.

"Would you mind giving us a quote for us for the barn for December 13th?"She said. "Sam this would be a great place for the holiday dinner."

I smiled and said, "Let me get with the security team I am going to use to get rates but I will be glad to give a quote. Will you need tables and chairs?"

"Nope we will handle everything for the party down to clean up," She said. "After you talk to the security please email me a quote. I can tell you it will be 40 people and from what I saw on your site you will need the names for your gate security right?"

"Yes," I said. "Thank you for understanding people have been so pushy with that. SO let us continue on. This is the greenhouse. My groundskeeper Martin has been amazing getting the soil ready for me. As of now its private but it does have a beautiful sitting area so you never know. This door down here leads to the basement. I will be calling you for down here once we start. It has a full bar and pool tables underneath everything. Along the back is the formal dining room, breakfast and tea room and a sports room which i believe was a old cigar room because you can smell cigars when you enter. There are also bathrooms here as well. Taking them around the last hallway I pointed out two rooms and a bathroom and a downstairs suite. As we went upstairs I said, This is my personal room and it is a suite so you may come in and see what they look like. The main sitting room here. Oh and Becca those are all the books I wrote and Sam on the bottom shelf is the table books I created with the exception of one. I am waiting for it to be delivered. Then the bedroom and a beautiful bathroom. My favorite part of the suites are the closets. They are jack and jill style with a storage space in the middle. Upstairs there are also more bedrooms, bathrooms, suites and the library as well as more alcoves."

As we headed downstairs Sam said, "I am impressed with this house. I have been past it so often I never thought it was this big."

"When I first got it I was scared at the size," I said. "But it grows on you. The last area brings us to the patio and this hallway holds the laundry, and three servant rooms and a shared bathroom. When we open for room rentals all bedrooms have a capacity of two."

As we headed back to the entry way Becca pointed to the chandelier and said, "Does it work?"

I walked to the wall and shut off all the lights and said, "It sure does."

I turned the dial and brought the chandelier to life, "Isn't she beautiful."

Sam and Becca nodded and Simon said from behind us, "Do not let her fool you she does that all the time. It is a spectacular piece in the home."

We all started laughing as I said, "Sam and Becca this is Simon my grounds keeper. Sam I am so sorry I did not realize the time I was giving Same and Becca a tour of the Manor."

Sam looked at his watch and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you all and Amelia please send us that quote after you speak with security. Becca we have a meeting at town hall in a hour to get to. Amelia I am sure we will be speaking soon. I a guessing a head count for the ballroom will be 100 but I will not know until its cleared."

They left and I grabbed Simon and I coffee. When I came into the office I said, "How was your first night in the boathouse?"

Chuckling he said, "My Sadie is contemplating selling the property we have and moving to the country it is so peaceful."

"Well," I said. "You and Sadie can stay as long as you want. There is no rush for you."

"I appreciate that especially after having to replace everything," He said. "Sadies brother has her right now and they are trying to salvage what they can in the rubble. She did call me and say they found our wedding album and the box that holds it and it was a little smokey but in tack. I am happy about that for us."

"Well if you need us to clear room in the storage room in the boat house let me know. No need to use another storage unit." I said. "But onto business. First I would like your opinion on parking on the property as we will be opening the property for pictures soon and I just was given the go ahead for events in the barn as well as the patio what are your thoughts."

Simon looked thoughtful and said, "Its your land Mrs Amelia."

"Simon you love this land as much as I do and I do not want to mess it up," I said. "I value your opinion."

"Then in my opinion for now they can park along the wooded area of the property for pictures and events," He said. But after the gate there is that big open area that I have a hard time keeping grass on. Its also the beginning to the trails your guests may want to do pictures in as there is a stream and benches along the trail. I would say we put in a gravel parking lot in. That area is large enough it can hold fifty cars and we can fence it as well."

"I like that idea. How much do you think it would cost?" I asked.

"We would have to pull permits as we are a historical location. But with permits rented equipment and supplies I would say seven to ten thousand dollars," He said.

"How much is your labor going to be," I said. "This is above and beyond for maintance, also do you think we can have it done before we start getting snow?"

"I can hire a crew and that would be hourly. If I hired workers I would say we need to do at least 15 an hour," He said. "I would ask for 22 an hour for myself. You would pay the hourly rate and we would be contractors. Have Martin draw up the forms."

Smiling I said, "I am one step ahead of you on that."

I went into my desk and handed him a form for the 1099. He laughed and said, "Okay let me get some measurements and talk to some people. I will call the permit office as you are listed as a business. We should get the permits pulled fast. How do you want me to pay for the permits?"

Making a copy of the 1099 form I put in $30 an hours as I know he works hard and had him fill out the rest. He gave me a look and I said, "You know my Grandma would do the same thing. You keep a time card for you with all the time you spend on this project including drive time. On fridays you hand in your card and I will transfer the funds from the account I use for the sale of items and my events. I will wire you the money right to your account. When you are ready let me know about the workers and they will come in and fill everything out as well. We can pay them cash, check or a money transfer."

"I will be honest Mrs Amelia," He said, "Most of these guys who work hard would prefer cash." 

"That will not be a problem," I said. "I will arrange to have cash brought here from the bank. I was thinking about that as I never have tip money for delivery's because I use my card and online banking for everything."

On my note book I noted bank cash drop off and order safe. Looking up I said, "As for cost and supplied we have this." I said handing him the card. "I know you will not like holding onto it and I understand. This will be in the wood box by the  door with a notebook. You just fill in the date and time you take it and drop it off if I am not here. Also leave any receipts or paperwork in the box when your done. I will copy and file accordingly."

"Your trust means a lot to me Amelia," He said. "Now what about what that crazy girl did."

"Well," I said. "I am not filing an insurance claim for that but I do have an idea."

I explained to him about building brick planters and reinforcing behind them with concrete. That way if there was an accident we could repair the brick instead of having the wall. I told him this would be an undertaking as we would have to do this to the whole outer wall. Which from the beginning of the property to the river that fed into the lake was almost a quarter of a mile long. I did advise this would be another project and would be hourly and he can hire workers. Then we could fill and plant new bushes.

"Amelia give me a piece of paper and a pencil please." I handed him the paper and watched him sketch out the front of the manor and the design i suggested. He took my idea and brought it to life. As he sketched I worked on emails and when he was done he said, "You would like something like this? I added boxes every 20 feet to give it definition and I think we can put larger bushes or smaller trees to make it pop."

"Yes," I said. "I love it."

"Well with both projects Sadies brother will be happy I will have him work my grounds work I have as he is always looking for work." He said. "I will get this started here. Let me go home and make arrangements and I will get started on the permits and find workers for both."

I handed him time forms and said, "Your on the clock then make sure you fill this out."

He nodded and headed out the door. I got up and went into the kitchen when my phone rang, "Hello my handsome boyfriend how are you."

"Amelia it is so good to hear your voice." Charles said. "I am sitting on the stairs to the house we are packing eating lunch. What have you been doing?"

"Well I am in the kitchen now making lunch," I said. "It has been a very busy and productive morning."

"Oh really," He said. "Tell me about it."

"Well the fire marshal and his assistant came and we are approved for 50 people for the barn and 30 for the patio. After they were done I gave them a tour of the house and they loved it." I said. So much so I have to send them a quote for a party for December 13th for the barn. After they left I arranged with Simon for a new outer wall barrier with built in planter. We also started plans for a parking lot to hold 50 cars right inside the gate as I do not want anyone parking all over the grass. We just finished and I am heating up some of the chinese and having some sushi. Oh and I cleaned the rooms that are gone through and started laundry. Speaking of while my food heats up I have to switch the clothes to the dryer and start the bed linens."

"Amelia you have been busy," He said. "You sound so happy with everything for the Manor."

"I am," I said. "I miss you like crazy but moving forward on everything makes me so happy. Let me send you a picture of our new front wall."

Going into the office I took a picture of the wall design and sent it to charles, "I swear Simon is a genius."

I photocopied the design and left the original on my desk. As charles said, "He has a talent. Does the Manor account have the funds?"

I pulled up the account I have the estate sales going into and said, "Oh I would say it does. Holy moly the estate items are selling like hot cakes."

Charles laughed and said, "I know something you don't"

"Wanna explain how I had a 100grand deposit this morning?" I asked.

"You remember the little friends you found?" He said.

"You mean the heads?" I said.

"Amelia thats your profit from two of them," He said.

I sat down and was quiet and said, "Charles I know I get 75 percent of the sales but holy crap. Neither of the repairs will make a dent in this. Plus up and coming bookings. Right now there is close to a half of million dollars in there."

"Breathe baby your okay," He said. "What did I tell you when we first met."

"History and vintage items sell," I said.

"I would never lie to you," He said. "Grandpa said Abby told him people camp your online page to see what new things are being added. Remember all those poodle skirts you made fun of. You sent over 40 of them and they sold from 100-1000 dollars a piece. Some of those vintage romance novels sold for $100-500 a piece. On the first of the month we send you a invoice for everything that sold and Abby is glad she does have to mail yours as I can bring it home and its only September 20th."

"I feel like this is a cosmic joke," I said. "I am living a good life and being rewarded for Grams dying."

"No not at all baby," He said. "Listen you were given an opportunity and you are doing amazing things. Look at your website have you had an increase in profits from views?"

Looking at the account for my site I said, "Yes."

"What about your book sales," He said.

"They are up and the table books are selling fast," I said.

"Now you have this good luck what would you like to do with it," He asked.

"Help people," I said.

"Amelia," He said. "With what you doing at the manor your creating new jobs. Your doing charity work on the thirtieth with the charity event as well. The bottle has had advertising for less than 48 hour's and we sold out. Do you know how many people will be there for the bidding on the bottle of wine and sales within the store. Your doing great work."

"I guess," I said.

"Well go get your food and sit at your desk," He said. "We are all proud of you and wait till I tell Grandpa about the wall and parking lot he is going to be excited."

Grabbing my plate I said, "Thank you Charles."

"For what Amelia," He said.

"Talking me down," I said. "My parents never stood by me when it came to anything but Grandma did. She saw my passion and encouraged it. MY parents only contacted me because they wanted something."

"You never have to thank me," He said. "We are a team and we are unstoppable."

Sitting down I pulled up my email and said, "Well if we are a team I may have you work some of these emails for inquiry. I have to call the security guy when i get off the phone with you I have to see how that works but from what Martin explained its the same as the insurance after we set up a meeting for the owner to walk the grounds."

As we talked I emailed Becca letting her know the quote will take a little bit of time as I had to speak with security and pricing. I did tell her though I held the date for her. A minute later she said she understood and would here from me by next week. When Charles had to go back work we said our goodbyes and I called the security firm after i finished my lunch. 

After I spoke with their representative they had me create an account and walked me through how to hire staff. The representative explained that they recommend 4 staff members 2 for the gate and 2 for the grounds. If it was for more than 50 people then to go from there. I asked what if they have multiple events for the day and they reassured me they have a large staff and they can always accommodate. I emailed Becca back the quote making sure I included everything and printed it off and put it in my quote binder. After that I worked on the blog and announced the patio and barn are now open for rentals. I added the pictures I had taken for both and the pictures of max capacity. I posted the rules for both as well. When I was done I went over to the email and checked for replies to the quotes and contracts I had sent out.

After I folded the laundry and switched the sheets to the dryer I set an hour timer and started on emails. As I was working on replies Simon walked in. He smiled and said, "Everything is set. I am off to lowes to get the wood to create the forms for the reinforced concrete so I can start building them tomorrow. I have two people who will be calling me back for work in a bit. Receipts in the box as well right?"

"That's right," I said. He came over to the desk and grabbed his original design. 

"Well I am back to Lowes," He joked. "This will be my third trip today."

He waved as he left. I continued on with my email and when my timer went off I stood up and went to the laundry room and grabbed the linens to fold and put away. After doing that I went into the ball room and started sorting again. I found mysteries, items I wanted to keep for the manor and the store pile grew a lot. I was about done for the day when I came across twelve of the same large crates. When I opened them I smiled and slowly started to sort as I found I had discovered Christmas. Some of the decorations were things I loved and some I put into the store pile right away. When I finished the first box to label and bring to the attic I laughed as I had planned on decorating for the holidays and started to plan for real.

I continued to sort the ball room until my phone rang at 730. When I picked it up Charles was on the line and said, "You were still sorting weren't you."

"Well in my defense I did get a late start," I said. "But I made progress and now that I have you on the phone I will stop for the night and make my food while we talk. Then I will take myself upstairs and plop myself in a nice warn bath. What are you doing?"

"Sitting in my room with a pizza," He said. "Grandpa was tired. It is really hot down here."

"He is drinking water right?" I said.

"Yes I am making sure he is okay," He said, "We should be done tomorrow. I tried convincing him to change the tickets but he is stubborn."

"Well I am sure he will be fine and think of it as a mini vacation," I said.

"I want a vacation at home with you though," He said. "I am whining."

"Your okay," I said. "Besides its just means you miss. Just think we will have time together starting when you get home through the weekend."

"No plans?" He said.

"Nah, Friday while your with your Grandfather I am actually going food shopping so we can cook instead of convivence foods," I said. "I plan on getting through all my emails. But other than that I am all yours. However, I was thinking about something."

"What is it?" He asked.

"On the first floor there is a suite," I said. "I am thinking if Bensons health does not get better we get through sorting it and have him stay with us. You told me he sold his house when your Grandma passed and he lived in a 2 bedroom apartment. With one of here all the time if it gets bad then we will be here for him."

"You would do that for him?" Charles asked.

"Yes and for you," I said. "I know how much you worry and he is getting older this would be a solution for him. Besides he wants to visit and this would be much more long term and he loves the location."

"I love you Amelia," Charles said.

"I love you to Charles," I said. "I know we are in it for the long haul."

Standing in the kitchen as I plated my food I could not be happier than this moment. As I dished everything up Charles said, "I wish I could have said it to your face."

"Well when we see each other again you can tell me again," I said. "I won't have a messy bun and wearing jogging pants and a Tshirt this time while dishing out take out."

He let out a hearty laugh and said, "I love your messy bun and dressing down."

"Did you send your flight information yet," I asked.

"Not yet," He said. "Still hoping it may change."

I put the food in the microwave and sat at the table and yawned. "Now I am the one tired."

"Well then eat and get in the tub," He said. "I am going to eat the rest of my pizza and go to bed. I will talk to you tomorrow. Remember Abby will be there on wed morning."

"Okay," I said. "I will talk to you tomorrow."

We hung up and I sat at my computer to answer emails. I replied to inquires and did not open the replies till the morning. When I was finished eating I shut the light off in the office and locked up the house. I headed to the kitchen and washed my dish and cleaned up. Shutting off the light I headed to take a bath.

After I got into the bathroom I decided I was to tired for a bath. I took a quick a shower and went to bed. I put Youtube on and created a playlist and I quickly fell asleep. The following morning I woke up and sent a text to Charles that said, "Good Morning Handsome I love you."

Getting up I changed into joggers and a tshirt and headed to the kitchen. I looked in the fridge and made myself a plate of take out. I also heated up some pizza to go with it. Eating the first of the two pieces of the pizza I went into the office and put my plate down and went back for a drink and started to work I started first with the blog posting an update on the house, I followed that with a quick glance at the pictures and events page and replied to some of the comments. Then I got started on the emails send replies, quotes and replying to people who had further questions. I went to refill my drink and wash my plate when I heard Simon come in the door. 

Coming out of the office he greeted me, "I see you have been busy this morning. I was just dropping off the card as we had to deal with the insurance company when we got back."

"Your fine Simon if I was worried about it I would have called you," I said. "Your starting the forms today?"

"Yes I am," He said. "I have two guys coming to see me today around noon about doing some work. They were recommended by my cousin. I made it clear its temporary work and the pay rate. We will see how they interview. If they do well I will bring them up to work on the 1099 form."

"Alright if I am not in the ball room I will be in the corner suite downstairs." I said.

When my alarm went off at noon I started to get a headache. Going into the kitchen I made another plate of food and took some tylonal. I went into the office and worked on more of the emails from oldest to the newest while I ate. When I finished eating and cleaned up my mess, grabbed a few boxes and I went into the suite I planned for Benson and headed to the bedroom men's closet. I knew there were a bunch of boxes in the room but I figured I could sort the mens closet faster. Using a shoe box I found in the closet I started a suite 2 mystery box and sorted through the closet. I filled the boxes quite fast and when I headed to the ball room to drop off the next box to the pile Simon came in with the two workers.

Simon looked at me with concern and said, "Amelia are you alright you look under the weather."

"Simon I have a migraine that came on this afternoon," I said. "Don't worry I will be fine."

He introduced me to the workers and I had them fill out the contractor agreement. I explained that Simon will let them in every day for work as we keep security a top priority and they both understood. When I explained pay is every Friday at the end of the shift. I asked their preferences and they both said they would prefer cash. I agreed and notated the bottom of each of their files. Then I explained Simon will keep trach of their hours and once he hands the hours to me pay will be paid out within thirty minutes. Once everything was agreed to the worker named Ty said, "Mrs Amelia thank you for the work and once you open the house and hire staff for cleaning please keep me in mind. I do work the weekends at a hotel but the vibe from this place is so much better than the hotel and I would be honored to work here."

"Thank You Ty I will keep that in mind." I said.

The other worker nodded and walked out. When they did I opened the file and notated in TY's file as a possible worker in the house when we started needing indoor staff. When I was about to start back to the room Simon walked in and asked, "I let the guys out and wanted to know what you thought."

"I like Ty," I said. "He gave a great first impression and he seems eager to work. Evan on the other hand does not seem to thrilled about being here."

"Evan is my cousins son," Simon said. "He knows the work but lets just say he is not happy he has to do it. She spoiled him and he expects things handed to him. I have a few more guys interviewing next week but both of them start tomorrow."

The gate alarm buzzed and I answered the intercom, "Thank you for coming to Amore Manor how can I help you?"

"I have a delievery for Amelia Moliard. My name is Chyanne and I am manager for Truist bank," She said.

"Oh Chyanne thank you. Please use the code 111117 for entry," I said. "I will meet you in the entry of the house."

Simon looked at me and said, "The bank?"

"I had them deliver cash for payroll," I said "I have a locked area in my desk I will use for the cash for payroll. Along with a journal to keep track of what is paid as everyone has to sign for the cash when they get it. Did you want cash or deposit we never notated it on your form."

"Oh you can zelle it to be or cash app it to me if you want every week," He said. "I will let you know when I submit my hours incase Sadie has something going on."

"Okay," I said. "I will write on the page payment ma vary."

We walked into the lobby when Chyanne and her guard came in. Simon nodded his greeting and headed back to work. I walked up and said, "Welcome to Amore Manor. Its good to meet you."

"Thank you Amelia," She said. "I do have a question how often will we be doing a payment drop off and will the amounts be the same?"

"If you want we can discuss that in my office," I said as I led them to the managers office. "I had a few questions. The first is how much notice do you need for cash drop off?"

"Twelve hours," she said. "But twenty four hours is preferable."

"Okay for now then I do not believe we will be having a set schedule." I said. "Next week may change as I will be having 1099 employees and they have a choice between cash, money transfer or cash app that I have set up to the account."

"I did notice that account has a large amount of fund in it." She said."If you don't mind me asking what is your business?"

"Well the boxes you see all over the house are from multiple estates from all over the world. Alot of the items goes to an estate house as I sort. Then you will start seeing funds from pictures and events we will be hosting here."

"May I suggest then as you have a large amount of funds incoming you set up a high interest savings account," She said. "Minimum deposit is ten thousand dollers. But with the deposits you are receiving you have more than enough for both and why not earn the interest as you barley touch the account."

"I will think about it thank you," I said. "Now shall we verify funds?"

She opened the bag and counted the money and I signed the verification form. When I did she said, "DO you have a card."

I handed her the card for my website. She smiled and said "come see me at the bank if you choose to open that account."

I thanked her and walked her to the door. My head hurt so bad I left a note for simon on the front door and locked it and headed upstairs to lay down. A while later I heard a knock from my bedroom door. I sat up a bit and called out, "Hello."

"Amelia," a voice called back. "Its Sadie are you okay?"

"Come in Sadie," I said.

"Oh you sweet girl," She said as she came into the room. "Simon saw your note when he came around three to get the card to get the cement for tomorrow. I was taking a walk and realized we have not seen any lights on for a long time. Charles called us because he had been trying to call you since 7pm and have not answered. He was so worried about you."

Sitting up I asked, "What time is it?"

Sadie sat down on the corner of the bed and said, "Sweetie its 9pm."

"Oh my I laid down because my head was pounding and I did not wake up until you knocked on my door," I said. "I must have slept through the calls."

"I got worried because he first called us at 8pm and we came right over to check on you and you did not answer," She said. "We checked the house to make sure you were not hurt in any of the rooms and when we got in here I kept knocking. Sweetie I was knocking for ten minutes before you replied. I was about to let myself in. Now how is your head now?"

"It feels better," I said. "I am also a bit hungry."

"Well grab your phone and lets go to the kitchen and get you some food," She said.

She helped me up and  I went to the bathroom to wash my face and wake up. She walked with me down the stairs and we met Simon in the kitchen. He was on the phone and said, "Its okay Charles she looks rough but she is awake now and Sadie is making her a plate of food from the fridge. We will have her call you once we make sure she is able to be left alone."

He hung up his phone and said, "You have that boy worried to death. You had us worried to do you need us to take you to the Doctors."

I placed my hand on his and said, "No Simon I get Migraines once in a while just never this bad. I promise you both I will eat and take it easy. Tomorrow I will take it easy the only thing I have planned is a 9 am pick up for items in the ballroom."

Sadie looked up and said, "Show me what is to go and I will come up with Simon and meet the pick up crew incase you cannot get up."

I stood up a bit wobbly and showed her the pile to go. When we got back she said "Hand me your phone. I am putting in my number and if you need anything at all you call me and I will be right over. I just thank god Simon had a key to the house. We worried you fell or something."

"Thank you both for being so concerned and checking on me," I said. "I promise I am feeling better now. I am going to eat, Take more Tylonal and drink a bunch of gatorade. I promise you if i start to get worse I will call you both."

"Make sure you do," Sadie said. "We will lock the door behind us."

Sadie and Simon left and I really looked at my phone. I had twelve missed calls from Charles. I took a bite of food and called him back. 

"Amelia are you okay," He asked as soon as he answered.

"Hey, yes I am," I said. "I am so sorry I worried you. I had a migraine come on this morning and it got so bad after the bank delivered payroll I went upstairs and went to bed to sleep it off. I would have probably slept through till morning if Sadie did not knock on my door."

"When I called them and told them I could not reach you they became worried because Simon saw your note about not feeling well," He said. "They came right over with me on the phone. They searched the house and went to your room last as you did not answer when Sadie knocked the first time."

"I am so sorry I worried you all," I said. "I get migraines sometimes but never this bad. Sadie told me she would come by just incase to let Abby in to do the pick up. I knew five minutes into cleaning the suite I offered for your Grandpa that it was getting worse but I did not want to stop. After the bank came by I knew I had to lay down."

"Are you feeling better now?" He asked.

"I feel like I was hit by a bus and I am starving," I said. "I just finished the plate Sadie made me and am putting pizza in the microwave now. I also downed the gatorade and water I took out of the fridge. I believe I will be resting all day tomorrow."

"Good," He said. "You had me so worried. I did not want to call Simon but you always answer right away. Hold on a second."

I heard him cover his phone and him telling his Grandpa I was fine and had been sleeping due to a migraine. His Grandpa said something and Charles laughed and came back to the line, "Grandpa was checking to make sure you were okay and said I should feel foolish for freaking out."

"Oh no," I said. "Its sweet you all were so worried. I feel awful that I worried you all. In all honesty I think it is partially my fault the house was a bit stuffy today. I had the office window open when I was working in there and the ballroom was cool but when I went into the suite I did not open a window."

"Do me a favor," He asked. "Take tomorrow off. After Abby picks everything up just relax. Write to your heart is content or answer the emails. But no sorting till after I am home. Also I am sending you our flight information I am glad I waited because the airline changed our flight we will be arriving at 11am on Friday. Are you still good with that?"

"Of course," I said. "I will leave here about 930 and get to the airport. a bit early and meet you at your gate."

"Once I get you both how about we go to lunch," I said. "I have wanted to go to the seafood cabin since I moved up this way. I used to go there with Grandma every time we went somewhere."

"Oh now that sounds good," He said. "We have not been there in a while."

I heard Benson say, where. When Charles said the Seafood Cabin Benson said we should go there after Amelia picks us up. I started to laugh and said, "Well I guess its a plan then."

"Well another plan is for you to go back to bed once you finish eating," He said.

Washing my plate I said, "I am already on my way back up the stairs to do that. I have some gatorade and water. Tomorrow I will relax and not stress. But I will be going to the food store and farmers market. My diet has been a bit off and I am used to eating more fruits and vegetables. But I will not over do it I promise."

Climbing onto the bed I said, "I wish you were here to cuddle with."

"I wish I was there as well," He said. "No more over doing it Amelia. Like you said we will get a schedule and we will stick to it. We are a team. But we need to get to sleep."

"Okay," I said. "I love you Charles.

"I love you too," He said. "I will check on you in the morning."

After we hung up I put on some YouTube to go to sleep to and rested my head. The next morning I woke up to a text that said, Do you feel better this morning? I smiled as I replied back saying, much but I am still going to take it easy. I showered and headed downstairs to wait for Abby. I unlocked the door and went to get some juice and a muffin. Shortley after I heard a knock at the door then Sadie call out to me.

I called her to the office and she came in and sat down. "You look so much better today."

"I feel so much better," I said. "As I promised Charles I am going to relax and not do much. Although I am running to the farmers market and grocery store. I think my lack of my normal diet may be the cause of my feeling sick. I am used to a lot more fruits and Veg in my diet. I love convience foods but I am used to more whole grains and everything."

"Well I am glad your going to get more fresh items," She said. "Would you mind if an old lady goes with you? I am thankful for what you got us but I need to get the same as you. Which stores besides the farmers market were you going to?"

"Aldi, Trader Joes, Carlies Organic and the meat market last because I love their product.: I said, "Of course you can come with me if you do not mind a longer day."

"Oh I would not mind," She said. "When would you like to leave?"

"After Abby and her crew get here," I said as the buzzer for the gate went off. "Speaking of."

"Hey Abby," I said. "Use gate code 111118"

"Thank you sweetie see ya in a minute," She replied. 

Walking to the door Sadie said, "I will run and fetch my purse and meet you back here in a few minutes." 

Abby and her to crew pulled up and she said, "Now do i need to go Grandma on you about taking care of yourself?"

"I assume you spoke to Charles," I asked.

"No I spoke to Benson," She said.

"I promise Abby after you leave I am going to get some more healthy food and not junk and am relaxing today," I said.

She hugged me and said, "Good and OH my god girl you have been busy."

Laughing I said, "I found furniture."

Her assistant Mack brought in a bunch of boxes and said, "No wonder your falling apart girlie slow down."

As they loaded everything I told Abby that there was some vintage Christmas in that load and she clapped, "Oh that sells so well. You would not believe the inquiries we had about the wine. People are demanding to know who its from. We maintained the privacy you requested and have held firm. Any other goodies?"

"Vintage mens clothes from I believe the 1920's as well as old romance novels," I said. "When I got sick yesterday I had just started the from bottom suite incase we needed it."

"Charles told me about you offering to let Benson stay here," She said softly. "My girl that is the kindest sweetest thing I have heard. Charles adores Benson and worries about him so much. When Benson sold the family home and moved to the apartment we all worried for him. But that apartment is so tiny and here would be a much better option."

"Charles wants to wait until after we clean out the suite and the results come back from his appointment on Friday to offer it to him," I said. "But even if there is not something wrong I hate the idea of him locked inside a cramped apartment."

"Well if you need help convincing him," She said. "I will kick him in the ass. I have known benson since we were young."

Mack came back and handed me a locked box and said," Amelia this came out of a chair."

"Oh Thank you Mack," I said. "I thought I searched all the chairs."

"DO you know what it is?" He asked.

"No clue but I have two full key rings with locks and this is box four,"I said. "When all the sorting is done I will get to all the mysteries. Right now I am working through a box of 1913 Alaska."

"Alaska 1913," He said. "That is interesting."

"Follow me Mack," I said and handed him a box from the pile. "I am on box one right now and I am making picture books with the interesting pictures."

Mack looked through the box and said, "Amelia you have pictures of a public hanging here."

He turned the pictures from the box he showed me and I gasped. "What in the world."

Abby took my hand and said, "That is not uncommon Amelia back them public trials or hangings were big things and almost entertainment. Just think another mystery to research."

Shaking my head I said, "I am so glad I started with the box of animals, tree and landscape."

Everyone laughed and Mack said, "I brought in all the extra boxes. If we do not leave Abby we will miss when the truck from Benson and Charles get here and we need to direct them as Amelia is on her second storage room."

I said my goodbyes and met Sadie as she was walking to the front door. She looked upset as we got in the car, I asked "What's wrong Sadie?"

"I went to tell Simon I was heading out to go grocery shopping with you and Ty sent his greeting and then Evan said something under his breath," She said. "Ty looked at him and said, that woman is giving us a job and you want to be mean what is wrong with you. Simon asked what was said. Ty didn't want to say it in front of me but he told Simon privately and he basically said Rich white people taking advantage of the colored folks. I should not even say that to you Amelia. You are a kind and generous woman and Ty is so thankful for the work. He works hard to support his baby and his Mama as his baby mama took off and left the baby with him."

Nodding I said, "Sadie what is Evans deal I want to understand him more."

She sighed and said, "Evans mom spoiled him from Day 1. When he was growing up anything he wanted he got handed to him. His mama was a single mom and worked 3 jobs  to give him everything. He does not appreciate it. We hoped him working with Ty would show him how lucky he is but I doubt it will."

When we got to the gate we pulled over to admire the work they were doing. I got out and Simon explained They made multiple forms to continue as they worked. Looking over the progress I said, "Wow you guys are moving so fast. I cannot wait to see when this is done and we have trees and bushes in it."

Sadie and I left to go to the market and I asked, "What kind of situation is Ty in?"

"We know them through church. He lives with his Mom and Aunt and son," She said. "That boy is the apple of his Daddy's eye and he would do anything for him. Ty hates to accept charity but for his son he does and helps those people who help him. Hand over fist. Why do you ask?"

"He had told me he works at a hotel during the weekends and would love to work here once we start hiring," I said. "I know the work we are doing now is temporary and I would like to get Ty something more permanent. Single Dads are Rare and hard working ones are even more rare. I may have an idea and want to talk with Charles about it. I know there will be projects on the estate as we change and grow which will keep Simon and from what I hear his brother very happy. But Ty deserves a leg up."

Sadie smiled and said, "Your a good woman."

"I try to be and with everything happening Ty may be the solution to everything," I said.

We drove through town to the farmers market. As we started to shop I switched from a hand basket to a shopping cart and said, "The prices here are so good. This will last me two weeks."

Sadie looked at me and switched to a cart as well. We found so many good food options that I did not think we may need much from the other foods. When we got to the artisian section I found so many pickled items I sighed and said, "Oh my down fall."

I added quite a few items to my cart and when we checked out I laughed and said to Sadie, "Wow the prices are amazing."

We went to all the stores and headed home. When we pulled up to the gate Simon stopped us and said, "Ladies we are about to release the first form we did this morning."

We got out of the car and we watched him release the form. Once the wood was out we were seeing  a full cement wall and I sighed saying, "Oh wow I know we are adding the brick work as well but that looks so much better."

I took pictures of the work and said, "I will be bragging about the work on my website. You all are doing a great job."

Driving in I helped Sadie bring in all her groceries and headed back to the house. When I got to the house I sent a text message to Charles to show him the wall and started unloading the groceries. As I brought the last of the bags in my phone rang. Picking it up I said, "Hello."

"Hey babe I swear simon is a artist," Charles said. "You sound so much better today."

"I feel so much better and I think I figured out my problem," I said. "Before Grams passed I ate a lot of natural foods and a lot of fruits and vegetable's. Since everything happened I been eating way off my normal diet. I think it caught up with me."

"Your right we have not been eating the best," He said. "So how do we fix it?"

"Well," I said. "I just got back from food shopping with Sadie and I think we need to get a deep freezer. But in all seriousness I loaded up on a lot of healthy options and foods to cook. I am in love with the produce market and their artesian section is to die for. I know the pantry has to be cleaned out with the boxes at the end but I just bought a bunch of grains and healthy food to cook. I am prepping all the veg and fruit I got now to put away but cooking the way I used to will fix the issue. Or it should."

"Oh babe we have been eating crappy haven't we," He said. "Well we will work on that we do not need you getting more migraines. So what are you going to do the rest of the day."

"Working in the office," I said. "I need to talk to you about something serious. Also this serious issue may be a solution to our problems."

"Whats going on Amelia?" He asked.

"Remember how I said things were piling up and you are concerned about me over doing it?" I said. "Especially depending on Bensons health we may have to make some changes."

"Yeah I remember," He said. "What kind of solution do you have."

I told him about Ty and his willingness to work and his living situation that Sadie told me about. Then I told him about his son and how hard he works for being only 18. I had suggested hiring Ty on as my assistant to help me on and off when the construction gets slow or can't happen due to the weather. I was thinking I could train him with emails and office stuff and how he could help me sort on days Charles could not be there.

Charles was quiet for a moment and said, "Amelia I think that is a great idea. I know its your business but could I meet him as well before you make the offer. I may be able to offer him some work as well."

"Sure thing," I said. "I will wait till you come back and when he gets his pay on Friday we can interview and speak with him."

"Perfect and yes I agree you need an assistant." He said. "I like you want to give someone the opportunity to Ty just like Abby did to Mack. So anything interesting happen this morning?"

I laughed and said, "You spoke to Abby about our discovery."

"She said you turned green when you found the public hanging pictures," He said. "She was right though back then they were entertainment. You may not want to use those as a table book. But depending on how many you have and if you can do research you may be able to sell the set if you have the back ground if you do not want them. Or you can do a book about the historical documentation of the hanging."

"You never know," I said. "While your out Friday, I do have to go to Walmart. I am going to pick up a second laptop for the office."

"A new one dedicated to the Manor?" He said. 

"Yeah," I said. "That way when I hire an assistant they can use it for research if it needs to be done and I am on the other one. Well if Ty is such a great kid," He said. "I am sure we will be having a new assistant soon."

"I had another thing I wanted to talk to you about," I said.

"Another new employee?" He asked.

"No," I said. "I love my car I have had it since I was twenty one and I am twenty six now and with the Manor I may need something more reliable."

"Amelia I respect you wanted to speak with me about bringing in a new employee as they will be here often, But baby you do not need my permission for a new car," He said.

"Oh I don't want you to take this the wrong way," I said. "I was not trying to get permission, but will you go with me because when I went last time Martin came with me and Grandma because the sales reps try to target woman into getting girlie cars or stuff they do not want. I want a SUV or van. Something durable especially with the weather around here."

Charles started laughing hard and said, "I sure will but I will hang back and watch the show I think you can handle this on your own."

We talked for a while and then I grabbed a container of the Vegi wraps I got at the organic store and headed to the office. I had just sat down when Simon came into the Manor. He sat down and said, "Amelia do you have payroll yet?'

"I sure do," I said. "Is everything okay?" I noticed Evan was standing in the driveway.

"Yes I need you to calculate Evans wages for today and when you have him sign it make sure it states final paycheck," He said.

I looked at the clock and said, "Simon its 3pm what's going on?"

"That boy is ungrateful and disrepectful," He said. "While we were working I started to talk to Ty about his son. I know Sadie told you his story and she said you may have a solution for his work. But Evan started saying some awful things. Ty kept his cool though and I finally snapped when I asked him how the made it. He admitted to me that even though he did not like it he had his boy on WIC and medical and they received food stamps. So your like every other bitch who was a single parent. I never got so angry in my life. Ty kept his cool and did not say anything. I dragged Evan up here to get him cashed out and called his Mama to come get him."

I brought up my caculator and worked the hours and took out the cash for his payroll putting it in the envelope. Printing out the form I wrote in big letters, Final Paycheck Not eligible for rehire. I showed Simon and told him to bring Evan in I wanted to have a chat with him.

When he got into the door he said, "What do you want?"

"Evan sit down," I said. "I want to speak with you."

"Can I just get my money and go?" He said.

"No," I said. "From what I heard your not used to hearing that but before you get your pay you will sit down and listen to what I have to say now sit your ass down."

He looked shocked someone talked to him like that and sat down, "Simon is firing you, you are aware of this right."

"Yes," He said.

"You are aware why," I asked.

"Because I spoke the truth," He said.

"So you think your mother is one of those bitches then?" I said.

He went to jump at me and I said, "You can try but you won't succeed. Now sit your ass down."

He sat down and said, "You don't know my mama."

"Actually," I said. "I had the pleasure of meeting her today when I was with Sadie shopping and your mother was a sweet woman. We had tea at the organic market and she told me how it was like raising you. She admitted she spoiled you where she could and how she struggled. Do you realize your mom worked three jobs to give you everything she knew you wanted. Or are you so entitled that you think you can live like that now?"

"You don't know me," He said.

"Oh but i know people like you my own parents for that matter," I said. "Like I told them I will not give them anything when the squander away their money. Believe me when I say they already are and will be forced to work for the first time in their lives. You were lucky Simon tried giving you an opportunity where you could make your life right. You don't know me but know I worked for everything I had before this and I only got this because my Grandma died. If I had a choice I would give all this back to have her back."

Simon looked at me and nodded. I looked at Evan and continued, "Ty deserves an apology for you being a dick. But as you said you want your money. So here sign this and go to the gates for your Mom to pick you up."

He looked at the form and said, "No eligible for rehire?"

"No," I said. "You had a chance and you blew it. I hope you realize your mom was proud you finally got a job and started work and now you can explain to her why you were fired."

He signed it and opened the envelope and said, "This is chump change anyway."

Simon pulled him out of my office and out to his truck. I pulled up the camera at the gate and put the microphone on. When Evans mom pulled up and he got in the car I heard her say, "What do you mean fired?"

She got out and went over to Simon and held up the copy of his payroll stub and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

I heard him turn to her and say, "Ask him what he did?"

"Evan what did you do," She asked.

When Evan would not answer Simon told her everything. She looked at Evan then she went over to Ty and I thought i would have to run down there but when he stood up she pulled him into a hug and said, "I am sorry baby. You keep doing what your doing for your boy. I am so proud of you."

She got back to the car and she opened the door and told Evan, "Get out."

When he got out she looked at him and said, "Walk your ass home. When you get here you better believe we are having a long ass talk."

She drove off with Evan chasing after her car. Simon called me and said, "Were you watching?"

"Yeah i was," I said. "I wanted to make sure you did not need me to help you."

"Well I can tell you that boy ran for about a mile before he stopped and started walking," He said. "I am sorry I put you in that position. But I have a good worker here and we will get stuff done until we can hire on more people."

"I trust you Simon," I said. "Don't tell Ty yet but we may have a solution for when he can't work with you because of the weather or we are in between projects. We will be talking with him on Friday after payroll."

"That would be great," He said. "Don't steal him completely you hear me."

I started laughing and let him get back to work. I pulled up my email and started going through all the requests. I did set a new response to all incoming that said due to health and personal matters all responses may be delayed please be patient. Then I dove in while I enjoyed my Vegetable wraps. As I worked I realized that this would be something that Ty would have to be trained for. But I already had a list of tasks he could perform either with the sorting or in the office with mysteries. As I answered emails during the remainder of the afternoon I heard a large thunderclap and realized the sky had darkened due to a incoming storm. I went into the kitchen and made a light dinner finishing off most of the take out which I added some cut up fruit to. Simon walked in and said, "We went and got more cement before we ended our day. Everything is covered up front and we will be starting first thing tomorrow."

I smiled and said, "Okay I will be out for part of the morning hence the reason I am eating and answering emails. I have to go to the airport to pick up Charles and Benson. Do me a favor can you hand me the receipts and leave the card in there so I can file everything."

He handed me a pile of receipts and said, "Get rest tonight."

"I will I am going to work till Charles calls and them Tv and bed are calling my name," I said. "Oh tell Sadie I had fun today and we need to go together again."

Simon let out a hearty chuckle and said, "She thought the same thing and I will tell her you agree. Now do not worry about the front door I will lock it on the way out."

As I continued emails I watched the sky darken and lightening go across the sky. As Charles called I said, "I have been waiting for you to call me."

"Oh Amelia I wanted to call you for the last hour," He said. "Grandpa wanted to go to this steak house here and I could not say no."

"Did you have a good steak?" I asked.

"Best steak ever," He said laughing.

"Well then its a good memory to have with Benson," I said. 

"Are you feeling better?" He asked.

"Yes I did nothing but shop and emails today," I said. "Well except for an incident with the other worker."

"What happened," He asked.

I told him about what Evan did and his comments to Ty and how Simon reacted. Then I told him about the lecture and then his Mom making him walk back to town. I followed it up with, "I felt bad because I met his mom today when I was out with Sadie, which by the way may become a regular thing. But when she found out, you can see it on the security camera and boy his mom was mad mad."

"I bet," He said. "But you can only give someone a chance and if they blow it it is on them. We get that at the store as well."

"I just about caught up the emails, filed all the receipts and now that we are talking I am filling my water bottle and taking you to bed with me," I said.

"Do not tease right now," He said. 

"I will be picking you up soon," I said. "Text me when you go to get on the plane and have fun with your Grandpa."

"I will," He said. "He is looking forward to lunch with us you know."

"Well I bet we can get that suite cleaned out over the weekend and even if he is not sick we can offer it to him," I said. "Abby said his apartment is tiny and he does not like going home sometimes. I want him to be in a healthy environment."

I shut the window to the office and locked it. I saw a flashlight in the woods. I ran to the front door and made sure its locked. I went back to the office and grabbed my other phone. Calling Simon I asked him to look out his window. Charles told me to check the Cameras. Pulling up the security cameras I told Charles, "I think someone broke onto the estate."

Simon called me back and said, "Amelia, lock the office door I see someone in the woods. Sadie just called the police."

Sitting in the office I waited with Charles on the phone. He kept me calm and said, "Just do what Simon said. He is probably watching what do you see on camera?"

"I see someone on the side of the house," I said. "They are dressed in black."

The gate buzzer went off and I answered, "use the key whoever it is is on the left side of the house I have them on camera."

"Amelia its officer Rios where are you," She asked. "We have officers sirens off to catch whoever it is."

"I am in the managers office second window bottom floor," I said.

I saw the cops pull in and i pointed to the side of the building, "Charles I will call you back the officers are here."

"Okay baby do not leave the room till they tell you," He said.

Standing at the door I heard Simon, "Amelia I am here with the officers come out."

I opened the door and ran to the entry, "Officer Rios we need to stop meeting like this."

She let out a laugh and said, "You have been busy."

"Thank you for coming so fast did they catch whoever it was," I asked.

"Oh yeah they caught all four of them," She said. 

"Well who are they," I asked.

Simon said, "Who thought what you gave him was chump change."

"Oh hell no," I said walking to the door. Officer greene was next to a car and i said "which one had Evan?"

"Open the door please," I asked.

He did and said, "Behave."

I leaned down so I could see him, "So Evan you decided to try and steal from me?"

"Bitch I will get what I deserve," He spat out. "You won't do anything."

"Officer Greene I would like to press charges," I said. "This is a former employee who was fired today with a non hirable tag on his file."

"You can't do that," He yelled. 

"You had your chance," I said. The guy next to him said, "You said she was a stupid white woman and this would be an easy score."

"Well why did he think it was an easy score," I asked his buddy.

"There are no cameras," He said. "That and there is so much stuff in here that you would never miss anything."

"Oh we would miss things and the stuff here you would not have been able to sell," I told him.

"What do you mean," He said.

"The only person who is licensed to sell the items is my boyfriends grandfather," I said. "Oh and there are cameras all around the house."

"Now do yourself a favor son," Simon said. "How did you get on the property?"

"Don't say a fucking word man," Evan said.

"Fuck you Evan my girl is going to kick my ass," He said. "Especially with us having a kid coming. I am not going to be a bum and not support my kid like you. Officer can you put me in a different car I will tell you everything."

"Officer Rios please remove him," The head detective said.

I walked over to him and asked, "What is your name?"

"Benji Maam," He said. "Listen I am so sorry I never did this before and I am so sorry. I am just so worried I cannot provide for my girl and our kid coming. But I will say Evan has been casing this house for a long time. The other guys are good guys as well just all down on our luck. Also officer Rios he is the one who broke into the Sistern house last week, All of the stuff is in the garden shed at his Mamas house."

Simon walked over to me and said, "You thinking what I am thinking?"

"They would have to gain your trust," I said. "But I am willing to give them a chance."

"Officer Rios, If I do not press charges on the other ones or Benji can you get them a ride home," I asked.

"What are you thinking?" I led her away and explained what happened today with Evan. I told her I know times are hard but "I am willing to give second chances as these guys were not even near the house and seemed like lookouts. Can I talk to all of them and Evan be taken away."

"You sure?" She asked.

Simon said, "We are sure."

She signaled for Evan to be taken and had the other two brought to us. Benji asked "Whats going on?"

"Have you guys honestly ever did anything like this before?" I asked.

"No maam" the short one said.

"What is your names?" I asked.

"Kyle and Max," They said.

"Can I ask why you agreed to this?" I said.

"My mama is sick," Kyle said. "I can't get work because I have to drive her to Doctors appointments."

"I lost my job at the factory and have not found anything yet," Sam said.

"I understand your desperate so I want to offer you a chance a long with my friend," I said.

"Officer Rios would you please join us in the office please," I asked.

I had everyone follow me to the office and said, "This is your one chance. Let me tell you about myself." 

I sat there telling them about my life and how I came to get the house and the belongings. I explained that I will be doing a lot of work and turning this into a event center and a destination place to stay along with events and  allowing people to do pictures during the week. Then I asked them a question they did not expect, "Do you think you can handle working for me and Simon?"

Kyle said, "I would but I would need to take off for Doctors appointments for my Ma."

"Kyle is that is all that's stopping you?" I said.

"Yes maam," He said. "A lot of her appointments are at 3 and most employers will not hire someone who has to bail for part of their shift."

"Well kyle your in luck," I said. "I am not like most employers. Now so you understand this is starting part time and you have to prove you want to work. Right now its mostly with Simon doing labor as long as the weather holds. Once we start opening up we will have more work. What do you say? You want a job?"

Benji started crying, "Yes Maam I do. Sir I will bust my ass for you."

I handed them forms and had them fill it out after I put $15 an hour on the form. Once they finished filling out the forms officer Rios asked, "How did you get onto the property?"

"The chain link on the property line is weak maam," Max said. 

I looked at Simon and said, "You know the drill Simon. I want it for the entire property I do not care about the costs and we need to get cameras along the fence lines." 

"I will find something that matched the wall we are doing." He said. "I hope you boys realized snow or cold weather we just had another job added in once we finish the other jobs."

"Now it is an hourly job but you show hard work we will always find something even until we open is that clear," I said. "Simon is your foreman and will keep track of the hours. You will get paid on Fridays. You are responsible for your own taxes which is why you filled out the 1099 forms. You can chose cash app, cash or bank transfer. Do you have anything to ask?"

Benji said, "Maam thank you for this chance I will not fuck this up."

Kyle and Max said, "Sam maam."

Simon said, "Okay boys its late, Kyle does your mom have appointments tomorrow or Friday?"

"No sir," He said. "I can have the list of appointments when she has them next week for you tomorrow."

"We will work with that," Simon said. "Benji son. I understand your going to be a dad do not miss out on the appointments you let us know and we will work around that as well. Okay boys its getting late and your boss has to go to the airport in the morning. Do you have a car or do you need a officer ride home?"

Max said, "My car is tucked in the woods sir. We can walk if you want."

It started raining and Officer Greene said, "Boys I wil bring you to your car and come back for my partner. Simon want me to drop you off at your place."

"Yes please," He said. "Amelia I will see you on the way out."

When they left I handed officer Rios my statement and she said, "You did a good thing Amelia. Those boys were scared shitless."

"I know and after Evan today when he was fired I had a feeling when he said his pay was chump change," I said. "I hope this helps them and it works out. I think it will. Now follow me."

"I was going to call you next week but Benson is having health issues and plans to finish the ball room may be delayed." I said. "But when the fire marshal came by he gave a quote of 100 people give or take and you can see more of the room now. Also i discovered all these doors close like those over there." I said.

"Wow I can get a much better picture now," She said. "Yes we still want to get married here. I have known benson forever I hope everything works out."

"Just don't say anything he goes to the Doctors Friday," I said. "I am changing gears to get a suite cleaned out fast incase we move him here with us."

"I would offer coffee but I plan on stopping for some in the morning," I have to pick them up at 11 from the airport."

"Oh when are you leaving?" She asked.

"I was thinking 930 why do you ask," I said.

"Oh I am glad you mentioned it," She said, "They started construction on the road give yourself another hour traffic has been so backed up in morning rush."

"Oh boy okay I will do that," I said.

After she left and I locked the door I shut the lights off and called Charles back. I told him what happened and he said, "You gave the other guys a chance."

"It wasn't that hard to do," I said. "They were all by where the fence was bad and were scared shitless. Evan on the other hand I had arrested and charges pressed. When I offered them a job they cried and thanked me for the chance. They start tomorrow."

"Well I can't wait to see how this works out," He said. "But your on point when it comes to people and your right everyone deserves a chance."

"Oh and I have to leave here between 8-830." I said as i climbed into bed.

"Why so early," He asked

"Officer Rios said there is construction and morning traffic is getting really backed up." I said. "If I get there early I will just get a coffee and wait. I put my tablet in my purse so I can work while I wait."

"Well baby we have an early morning as well." He said. "I will text you when we board the plane. I love you."

"I love you to," I said.

When my alarm went off the following morning I struggled to get up. I took a shower and found a nice outfit to wear. I made sure to do my hair and put a small amount of make up on. I went downstairs and made sure I had my wallet and tablet and grabbed both phones and headed to my car. When I got to the gate I got out and saw all the workers.

Simon looked up and said, "Your leaving this early?"

"Yes," I said. "Officer Rios said there is a bunch of construction going to the airport and traffic has been backed up."

"Oh good Idea," He said. Then he got a bit louder and said, "My team is doing a great job here and also I got the permits pulled and I will be picking them up tomorrow. Also Kyle walked the wall and we may have to put some reinforcements by the river. He said the ground is really soft."

I looked at him and said, "Do we have to bring someone in for that?"

Kyle looked up and said, "No Maam we just have to get some deep rooting plants and that should work. My aunt has a lake near here and thats what we did. But Simon is the master he knows what would work best."

"Great job everyone," I said. Then I walked over to Ty and said, "Could I have a word."

"Sure Miss Amelia," He said. "What can i help you with?"

"After I do payroll tomorrow," I said. "I want to talk to you about something. DO not worry your not in trouble. Can you make some time or do you need to get your boy from a sitter."

"No maam my mom and aunt watch him," He said. "You sure I am not in trouble."

"Not at all," I said. "Trust me on this."

"Okay I can hang around," He said. "I was going to have the car anyway."

"See you all later," I said. I honked and started to the highway. While stopping for coffee I got a text they were boarding the plane. When I hit the traffic the first time I silently thanked officer rios. I pulled into the parking garage and headed to their gate about thirty minutes before they were set to arrive. I sat at a table and then I looked up and saw that their plane switched to landed 10 min early. I put my stuff away and saw their plane pull up. When I saw Charles and Benson walked into the terminal my heart stopped. Benson looked pale and Charles looked at me with a smile on his face. When they got to be Charles lifted me up and hugged me. 

Benson said, "I hope you were not waiting long."

I leaned over and hugged him and said, "Not at all. I am glad I listened to officer Rios I got here 30 minutes before your plane set down."

After we collected their luggage we headed to the seafood cabin. Once we were sat and we ordered we started to discuss my adventured the night before. Benson said I was very empathetic to the guys and he was proud of me. Looking at him I said, "They were all working hard when I left. Sometimes people just need a chance."

We ate and Benson yawned when we were finished. Charles looked at him and said, "Grandpa are we keeping you awake?"

"My boy we just had a fine meal and great conversation." He said. "It does not help we have been up since 430 this morning."

When the waiter bought the bill I reached for it and Benson grabbed it out of my hand and asked, "What do you think your dong young lady."

"Paying the bill," I said.

"No maam you picked us up its my treat," He said.

"But I wanted to go here," I said.

"How about we rock paper scissors it," He said.

We went to start and charles took out his card and handed the waiter the book, "They will go best out of three take this card please."

The waiter started to chuckle as he walked away. Benson said, "You kids are stubborn."

"Like you," I said.

"Amelia," He said. "A lady should never have to pay for their meal when they are with the men of her family."

"Did you try this with my Grams?" I asked.

He snorted and said, "She told me to go do something to myself."

We all laughed as we left the restaurant and I said, "If you do not want to drive home your car. I can bring you back in the morning as I have to go to the bank."

"Oh Amelia is everything okay," Benson asked as we drove.

"Yes," I said. "When Chyanne did a delivery for payroll she suggested that I move some of the funds into a high yield savings account. When I checked my account last night to do book keeping even after Simon getting supplies and pulling Payroll I have a large amount. You have seen my deposits. So I think as we start to take parties and appointments for pictures that I create and account for savings."

"What a smart girl," He said. "Your Grandma taught you well."

"I hope I live up to her expectations," I said. "I am moving a large amount over after I have more payroll withdrawn tomorrow. Especially after upping the employee count. Also I will leave funds for the work being down as well as my car I am buying."

"Oh have you decided on one?" Charles asked.

"I know I want a large SUV," I said. "I want something that will work in the cold weather and snow. I always hate driving in my small car during the winter. From what I saw when pricing it will be between 35k-50k for a new SUV."

Charles leaned forward and said, "We can go on Saturday if you want?"

"Let's play it by ear," I said. "Snow is still a few weeks away."

"Your right we can play it by ear," He said.

When we got to Benson's apartment Charles helped him in with his luggage and when I looked around I saw his place was smaller than the suite I wanted to offer him. I looked at Charles and I nodded. He said, "Hey Grandpa can we talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure kids lets sit in the kitchen," He said.

When we sat down I said, "Benson have you ever thought of moving?"

"Yes I have but I have not found something that I like." He said. "I know this is small but its just me."

"Grandpa," Charles said. "I am worried about you here alone. Especially with your health."

"You worry to much Charles," He said. "Why are you asking me about moving."

"Benson," I said. "This place is small. You looked so sad when I pulled up. What if I was to offer you a permanent suite at the manor."

"Amelia," He said. "Your serious."

"Yes I am," I said. "We have a corner suite which I started working on when Charles told me about your health. Its on the first floor and we can have it ready for you in a week."

"Grandpa," Charles said. "I am not trying to force you to move. You know the house is packed still and we will be working on a lot. But you would be were if you needed anything we are there. You can come and go if you please its about fifteen minutes further to work but its a scenic drive. Plus you know the property and love to be there. Besides I bet Amelia would love for you to work in the green house as we did not start it yet."

"Can I think about it," He said.

"Thats all we are asking Benson," I said. "Besides think about the exploring you can do while there."

He laughed and said, "You are trying to sweeten the pot aren't you?"

"Oh no not at all," I said. "To do that I just have to throw in the wine cellar and you can snoop in the crates that are in every corner of the house. Besides the fact you can fish with Charles whenever you want."

"I promise kids I will think about it," He said. "But you both go home and enjoy each other. Charles I will see you around nine thirty okay."

"Okay Grandpa," He said as we got up and I hugged Benson and said, "No pressure just consider it. Besides I cook."

He laughed as we headed out the door. I looked at CHarles and said, "You want to drive?"

"I sure do," He said. He opened my door for me and I got in the car. When we were driving he asked, "Why did you put off wanting to buy a car?"

"I wasn't but I have a feeling your Grandpa is going to say yes," I said. "So we will need to get the suite done quickly."

When we got to the house we pulled up and Simon greeted us and handed me the mail, "He couldn't get to the mail box because of us mixing everything up. CHarles its good seeing you and I believe we lost our ladies to the farmers market every once in a while."

"I heard all about it Simon," He said. "I guess we will have to go fishing."

He was introduced to all the workers and when he met Ty you could tell he was sizing him up, "Good to meet you all."

We went into the gate and he said, "He is just a kid himself doing his best."

"I know," I said. When we got inside I put the mail on my desk and said, "How about we go take a nap?"

"I was thinking about that," He said. "You sure you don't want to work for a while? I know I have some stuff to catch up on."

"No i think a nap is in order," I said. "I have dinner planned and its a easy shrimp and vegetable pasta so even though I want us to start eating in the kitchen we can eat and work later."

Charles locked the door and we spent the next few hours taking a nap. When we decided to head downstairs I headed to the kitchen while Charles went to throw all his laundry from the trip into the washing machine. By the time he got into the kitchen the vegetable was done and I was ready to add the Shrimp into the pan. Adding the sauce and the noodles to the pan Charles said, "That smells so good."

I grabbed plates and grabbed the rolls I heated up out of the toaster oven. We took out plates and drinks to the office and sat down. Charles took his first bite and said, "Babe this is good. Like really good."

"Thank you," I said. "Its more veg and shrimp than pasta but its more healthy than a large amount of pasta."

We started to work. I went through the mail and put the new picture book in our suite. Did a bit of book keeping from the receipts that Simon left me and then got to the emails. I saw there was not many more replies but I had a bit of replies requesting contracts. I grabbed the Calendar and started sending out the contracts. I made little check boxes on the dates in case we had other requests for that day and time. I heard Charles groan and I asked "what is wrong?"

"I have to go to court," He said. "Carlies lawyer has subpoenaed me for her case, no the store but me."

"Oh no when?" I asked.

"October 10th," He said. I walked over and put Charles out all day on it. "Wow you are going to keep us organized." 

"Well we downloaded the videos of her and you have the videos from the store it should be a clear cut case."

"I hope so," He said. 

We got back to work and after i finished all the emails I said, "Finally!"

"Did you finally finish all of those emails," He asked. 

"Yes," I said. "I sent so many responses to inquiries and follow up questions. I had a bunch of people who were not happy with the insurance and restrictions. I had created a reply that said, I am sorry your not happy with the restrictions. However we are a historic location and want to make sure everyones visit or event is special and not interferred with with larger crowds. As there may be multiple events going on one day. Wenesday I had a person argue and demand to speak to the manager and I gave her the business phone number. When she called she tried playing the Karen card saying that she was told she could do a group of thirty and would not have to pay until the day of. I corrected her and told her I was the one she has been speaking to and in order to come onto the property the rules must be followed and the payment must be made. She was pissed and said she would get her way. I took her name and email after the call and notated that in my calls folder. I also copied all her emails Our call I notated on the back of the emails."

"I think its a good thing that you are keeping track," Charles said. 

"Yeah," I said. "I had a weird idea. I wanted to run past you?"

"Oh I like weird," He said. "Hit me."

"I was thinking our drive way is a little over a quarter of a mile long. I was thinking of buying a bunch of inflatables and Christmas displays and doing two or three weekends in December where we collect canned goods as an entrance fee for the local food pantry. Three cans per car load or a $5 per car donation. We can decorate the outside of the house plus the barn and boathouse and outer buildings. I will hire security and have the workers make sure no one leaves their car. Or we can see if the police do donations to make sure the line continues going. I will block off the dates on the calendar. I already have a event at the barn for the 13th. So I may have to schedule around that. What do you think?"

"I think that is a fantastic idea," He said. "I am sure the community food bank would appreciate the donations as well."

"I will add that onto my list for next weeks calls," I said. "How much work do you have left?"

Looking at me he said, "Just a little bit more."

"Okay meet me in the suite I am cleaning out for your Grandpa," I said. "I need a work out."

He raised his eye brows and said, "You did not get enough of a work out earlier?"

"Well yes but your working still and I have a lot of energy," I said as I walked out the door. 

"Keep some energy for tonight," he called out as I walked away.

I went into the woman's closet and started to sort through the clothes. I stacked the first box in the entry way and went back to continue. I admit I did love a lot of the clothes in there but knew my closet would not hold everything so I added my favorite items. I came across a beautiful pair of silver mini pumps that would go perfect with my blue gown for the charity event. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. I added them to my keep pile. I was in such a groove that I jumped when Charles walked in. He said, "I cleaned up the dishes from dinner and switched my laundry to the dryer. What do you say we head up to bed."

I pointed to the full box on the floor and asked, "Can you add that to the pile in the entry way."

He picked up the box as I grabbed the shoes and clothes. We went into the room and I added the shoes to the closet and put the clothes away. Laughing I said, "You know I have never been a clothes person but since we started sorting I added quite a few things to my closet. Still barely has anything in there but I do have a nice start with what I found."

Charles started laughing and said, "Well think of the money your saving. A lot of these pieces you have sent sell for quite a bit. Depending on how things go I may bring the work van home for the weekend tomorrow so we can fill it. Or a big truck depending on when I need to be there and if Abby has deliveries."

We went to take a hot bath and relax for the evening. After making sure our alarms were set we headed off to a blissful sleep. The following morning we woke up and were off. I dropped Charles off at Bensons and then went to the bank. When I walked in I asked for the Manager and Chyanne came out and said, "Are you here for that savings account?"

"Yes and I needed to pull additional payroll." I said.

"Okay how much in additional payroll?" She asked.

"I was thinking another $15000. Can I get that in large bills please 100, 50 and 20's" I asked.

"Of course and how much do you want to put into the high yield savings account. After your payroll request you have 625,254.00." She said. "I see your doing more work at the Manor. Besides the deposits from the estate store your only other transactions are supplies from lowes."

"Yes we have a lot of things happening there." I sighed. "I have a question though I am going to be doing a large purchase from the account hopefully this weekend or next week."

"May I ask what your buying," She said.

"Oh I am buying a full size SUV." I said. "My car is great when I lived in town but I will be honest living out in the country I think the SUV would be better with the roads."

"That is a very smart idea," She said. "My husband works in the country and he had a large truck. I hate the gas milage but glad he can be safe when driving in the winter. What I can do is issue you a large purchase authorization to your account good for ten days. What is your price range?"

"Between 25 to 65 thousand." I said. 

"Alright I set that up for you," she said. "This is the paperwork for it and this is the phone number for the department if you have any issues. They are open seven days a week from nine am to 8pm. Now how much did you want to transfer to the savings account as I have that ready to go for you as well."

"Lets do 400000 transfer," I said. 

"Alright it is done let me get your card and book. Then we will set up so you can transfer into the account anytime you want." She said as she got up. When she returned she said, "I just need you to sign the bottom here for the opening of the account. This is your new card incase you need it. Your pin is set to the same as the other card but you can change that all on your online banking. Do you have any questions?"

"No you made this so easy for me," I said. "I guess the only other thing is to get payroll."

She smiled and said, "We just need you to verify at the accounts window and I have jerome waiting to escort you to your car."

I finished with the payroll and headed home. When I pulled in I went into the office and got the payroll put away. Then I went upstairs and changed into work clothes and started cleaning up the liveable part of the house. When I was finished I heard the door open and Charles came in. The look on his face said enough and I wrapped him in a hug. Pulling back I said, "How bad is it?"

We sat on the stairs and he said, "Gramps had blood work and tests before we left and they confirmed today he has Cancer."

"Oh CHarles," I said. "It can be treated right?"

Looking at me he said, "Grandpa said he is fighting it to his last breath. The Doctor is coming up with a plan now. I will have to do a bit more time outside of here than I thought between him and the store. I will also be taking him to his appointments starting on wed of next week. I have a list for you."

"We will help him get through it." I said. 

"I know," He said. "I hate leaving you in this predicament though."

"What predicament," I said. "We knew this could happen and we will get through this. Remember we are a team and we have each others back."

"How did I get so lucky?" He said.

"Just lucky I guess," I said. We looked up when we heard a knock at the door. 

Charles called out, "Come in."

Simon walked in and saw Charles, "I take it you did not get good news?"

"No we did not," He said. "But we are a team and we will get through it."

"Whats up Simon?" I asked.

"Oh Mrs Amelia we are finishing up for the day," He said. "We will be done at 4 so I wanted to hand over payroll so you can get that started. All the boys requested cash today if possible and if you wouldn't mind could  we do cash for me as well. I want to take Sadie out this weekend and spoil her."

Charles laughed as he stood up, "If anyone deserves spoiling its Sadie. Is it a special occasion?"

"Its her birthday on Sunday," He said.

"What does she want for her birthday," Charles asked.

"Now do not be going out and doing anything special," He said.

"To late," Charles and I said and I followed it with," I know the perfect gift for her."

"Well I will leave you to it," He said. "Under the circumstances do you want to postphone your meeting with him?"

"No Simon we will need to set this up sooner under the circumstances," I said. "I will tell him he will be working for you but if he gets out early or if you have a rain day he will start working with me."

Going into the office I pulled up my payroll spread and started getting everyones payroll ready. When I was ready I texted Simon I said, "Ready when you are."

A few minutes later everyone showed up and came to the office, "Kyle great work this week how is your mom?"

"She is happy she didn't have to bail me out and i found something that would work around her Doctors appointments," he said as he signed his form. "Thank you Mrs Amelia your a fair boss and I will be ready to work when we have it."

Sam came up next and smiled when I handed him his paper to sign, "Thank you maam my wife is so happy I found something even if its part time. I am going to get the kids some pizza as a treat."

"MrsAmelia I told my girl I had a job and she was so relieved," He said as he signed his form. "On my way home I am going to pick up a pack of diapers and an outfit for the baby."

Simon was next. As he signed he said, "I wish it was less Amelia."

"Simon we have been over this," I said.

"Yeah yeah i know don't argue with you," He said. "I am sure I will see you this weekend."

Everyone left and Simon shut the door, When he saw his payroll he signed and said, "Thank You Miss Amelia you have no clue how much this helps. They cut my hours at the hotel."

"Sit down for a minute Ty we wanted to talk to you about something," I said.

Both him and Charles sat down and I said, "You are a very hard worker and you are aware with winter ahead of us the construction may slow down right."

"Yes maam," he said sighing. "I will tell you I am worried about it."

Charles spoke up and said, "Well we do not want you to worry please. That's why we wanted to talk to you. What did you excel at in school."

"English and history," He said.

"Well we know how difficult things could be," I said. "I wanted to offer you an opportunity. Due to a family business issue Charles will have to be working a lot more in town. In order for me to keep progressing in the house I need an assistant. On the days your called off due to weather or the days you get off early until 6pm I want you to work for me. Now obviously if you have things for your son he comes first but on the weekends you will be off unless we have an event and your not working at the hotel and we have something we need to finish."

"What kind of work will I be doing?" He asked.

Charles picked up and said, "Depending on the day and time block you will be helping her or us. Part of the day we are in the office and you may be researching things for her or doing tasks for her. If we are working on the sorting you will be sorting and boxing what we have. We may be leaving a van here to load so I can take it into the shop when its full."

"You essentially will be my assistant," I said. "I would suggest bringing a change of clothes with you incase you do half and half with me and Simon. But it would be full time work. You will get the work experience and when we start having events you will have opportunity with that as well or to be my representative on the weekends if you want extra time. You will be getting a bunch of work experience."

"This is for real?" He asked.

"Yes it is," I said. "What do you say?"

"Yes," He said. "Thank you amelia and charles I will not let you down. Oh man I am taking mama and auntie to dinner tonight to celebrate."

"welcome to the amore manor family Ty," I said and handed him a second envelope.

"What is this?" He asked.

Charles said, "Consider it your signing bonus."

Charles opened the door and I saw simon move to the stairs. Ty said good night to him and left to his car. When he was driving away Simon said, "Signing bonus?"

"Sadie said he would not accept charity," I said. "But he would accept a signing bonus to be my assistant."

"Thats what you girls were talking about earlier?" He said.

"It sure was," I said. "You will see us on Sunday when I drop off Sadies gift."

"Incase the boy says something to me," He said. "How much was his bonus?"

Charles said, "Five hundred."

"You two are something special you know," He said as he walked to the door. "I would tell sadie but I assume she knows everything. Have a good weekend you guys."

When Charles shut the door he asked, "Sadies birthday gift?"

"When we went to the farmers market there was a vendor who sold hand crafted wool scarfs and gloves," I said. "When her back was turned I had the vendor add the scarf and gloves she liked to my bag when she was not looking. I was thinking Christmas but her birthday is now."

I heard his stomach growl and I asked, "You hungry?"

"Yes," He said.

"Good I have to just cook the chicken tenders I got from the meat market for the Cobb salad I made earlier," I said.

"When did you cook?" He asked.

"When I got home from the bank I cleaned and put the salad together so all I had to do was cook the chicken fresh as it has a bread crumb coating." I said. "Oh I folded and put your laundry away already. By away I mean I put it in a basket in your closet."

He laughed and said, "You didn't even have to do that for me."

"I was cleaning do not knock it," I said.

"Never," He said as I put the chicken in the toaster oven.

"Well then while that cooks," I started to say when Charles phone rang.

"Hey Grandpa," He answered. "We will be home all night is everything alright?"

I listened to him while I went to set the table and he said, "One second Gramps."

I saw him mute his phone and said, "Do we have enough for three?"

"Sure do," I said. "I will put some rolls in the oven."

I went to set the table for three and I heard Charles say, "Yeah come on over we were making dinner and Amelia said come hungry."

When Charles hung up I asked, "Is everything alright?"

He said, "Grandpa wants to talk with us he said."

I walked over and started to hug him and said, "No matter what we have this Charles."

We walked into the breakfast or tea room and I said, "Yesterday while cleaning I realized how beautiful this room is in in the morning. The sun makes it bright and  sunny and works so well with the wall's color's. After we clean your Grandfather's room I think it would be nice to clean this room out. I counted seven tables with chairs and a warming board and of course those fabulous hidden doors."

"Your sure Grandpa is going to say yes," He said.

"I sure am," I said. "Your Grandpa knows he needs to be with people with what's coming with treatments and Doctor appointments. But he cannot feel pushed or pressured for him to come to us."

We heard a knock at the door and Charles went to let Benson in. When I came to the entry way he walked over to me and hugged me saying, "Amelia I hope you don't mind me inviting myself to dinner."

"Not at all Benson you got here just in time," I said. "The Chicken is cooling now so I can add it to the Cobb Salad. Come into the kitchen." 

We headed to the kitchen and when Benson at down I finished preparing the salad and brought it to the table along with the rolls. Charles grabbed us all drinks and as we made our plates Benson said, "So Amelia you are aware of my diagnosis."

I nodded and said, "Yes."

"Good," He said. "The Doctor said it Stomach Cancer and he said we caught it early. I have to have some more tests done and then they are scheduled the surgery for two days after the charity event."

"We will be there for you for whatever you need Benson," I said.

"I know sweetheart," He said. "Charles will be a my shadow I am sure. But that is why I am here today. I am a stubborn old man I will not deny that but I know that what is coming is going to be a big change. You and Charles are ready to do so much for me I feel awful the progress you have here will be slowed and he will have to be at the store more to pick up my slack."

Charles chuckled and said, "Well Grandpa we took care of that this afternoon."

Benson gave a look of confusion as I said, "I hired Ty on as my assistant full time today. On days there is no outdoor work or his outdoor work ends early he will be my assistant and helper here. Simon and I were talking and we both know the weather may be rough soon and they may only be able to work half days. The new workers he has now are thankful for whatever work they have and when we offered the additional work to Ty he was so excited to have the opportunity."

"But what about your time frame with getting the estate ready for events?" He asked.

"Benson that is fine if its later," I said, "I have people enquiring about events and pictures already with just the Barn and patio for events. Plus I am going to be doing a little advertising this Christmas myself to help them along."

"Oh now I am interested," He said. "Do share."

"We are going to have a Christmas display that is drive through," I said. "$5 a car load or 3 cans of food to get in and do the loop of the driveway. I have 1 event booked as of now and we will not have the drive through that night. All proceeds will be donated to the community food bank. I also decided Amore Manor will match all food and cash donations raised. My way of helping the community."

"Amelia that is amazing," He said. "I love Christmas and will be glad to direct and help as much as I can."

"Well that you can do," I said.

"That comes to what I wanted to talk to you about," He said. "I want to take you up on your offer."

I nodded and said, "Well, we do not want you to feel pressure."

"No pressure at all Amelia," He said. Then he chuckled as he said, "Besides if we eat this good every night you will never get rid of me."

"Grandpa," Charles said. "I am glad your going to take us up on this offer. We can have the suite cleaned out this week. Amelia already started it. You just have to let us know what furniture you don't want in there and we will move it out."

He smiled and said, "We can look at it and I will tell you after we eat. Now we also need to speak of rent."

"No we don't," I said. "You living here is to focus on your health. I will not take a cent. Like I told Charles if you feel so strong about it you can buy groceries when we go to the farmers market or the grocery store."

"No arguing with you is there," He said. "You know I will be here all the time once I start treatment."

"That's fine you can work in your suite or if you want to get out of there come into the office. Also with you here and charle's at the store I may just pick your brain on things I may find. My own personal Benson encyclopedia." I joked. "Also you have plenty of places to go in the house and the property."

We all started to laugh as we ate and talked. When we were finished Charles said, "I will clean everything up after we show Grandpa what we did so far."

We walked and showed him the coatroom and the office. He smiled when I showed him the work done in the ballroom and then the pocket doors I found all over the house. He said, "These doors are quite rare and so beautiful, the carvings on them are exquisite."

We went to the doors to his suite and opened them. He looked at the half empty closet and ran his hand over the long dressor. He looked at the fireplace and saw all the furniture he said, "In the bedroom I would like to keep the chair in the corner the long dresser and the bed. The rest I cannot use especially with those two large closets. I would love to keep the seating in here as well as the chair and table next to the window and the writing table. I have a few pieces I want to bring in from my apartment."

"Okay Benson we will get the room ready for you," I said. "That way we can be ready for you to come home from the hospital after your surgery. Now lets move onto something I know you want to see."

I grabbed my sweater out of my office and Charles handed Benson his jacket. We went down to the basement and I moved the boxes away from the Wine Cellar door. Opening the door I stood back and Benson walked in. He ran his fingers over labels and he said, "Amelia you are sitting on a gold mine."

He got to a barrel and said, "Oh my god."

We came up to him and he said, "Amelia this is a barrel of wine from the seventeen hundreds. The last one I have seen was worth over a million dollars. This collection borders on insane."

"Well Grandpa," Charles said. "Wait until we get behind the bar. I am almost willing to bet that there will be some surprises there as well."

He shook his head, "I will be honest with you both. When Constance was passing and had all the estates sold and items moved here she never mentioned this room. If you would take an old mans suggestion we need to make a fake door here. A bookcase or a billiards rack. We do not want anyone to know what is in here."

"I agree," I said. "I will add that onto a list for Simon. When things slow down I am going to have him do some work in the home in preparation for turning it to a resort."

As we went upstairs Charles asked, "What type of projects?"

"Well the fake door to the wine room," I said. "But also I want to put a patrician to the kitchen. When I start welcoming guests I will not be offering meals or cooking. If you first go into the kitchen there is that open alcove. Both sides have electrical and I am going to offer microwaves so people can heat up food but no use of the kitchen. I am also going to offer tea and coffee via a Keurig or two plus some snacks and a mini fridge that will hold some soda and water. After research that would be something more cost effective and most historic room rentals do not offer meals just snacks and drinks. That does not mean we cannot do something here and there but no obligations."

"That is a great idea Amelia," Benson said. "I have been to quite a few that did that and they had rooms like your breakfast and tea rooms people could enjoy if they were not used for events or meetings. You have been doing research. Last year I went to one in philidelphia that offered just what you said with a hotdog and hamburger BBQ outside with a small buffet for the forth of july. AFter that we saw the fireworks from the river display."

Benson handed Charles his coat and took his own off the kitchen chair and said, "Well you both this has been fun. I think Charles we will make a schedule when you come into the office on monday morning. I should have him back to you by one Amelia."

"Its okay Benson," I said. "We will work around everything as long as you take care of yourself."

After he left Charles said, "An hour in the office and then we head to the room?"

"Sounds good to me," I said. "I just need a drink first that basement is so dry."

"Go in I will grab you a gatorade," He said.

I went into the office and started emails. Becca replied to me and asked if they could change the time on the contract to a lunch time party till 4 with them setting up at 10am. I said sure and sent her a new contract. I also sent a message telling her what I was going to try to do to help the food bank and she replied saying that is an amazing idea and she has the people's names to contact and would get me their information on monday. I continued on and had a woman I sent a contract to reply back are we good for the appointment. I told her the date will be held for her when she signs and send back the contract and sends the deposit. To fully guarantee the booking it has to be paid in full and that is stated that this is a firm rule.

I had two contracts returned and checked and saw both sent the full payment ahead of time. I grabbed my calendar and added the picture appointment. I also had two enquires about baby showers in the barn which made me smile. After replying and printing everything I said, "Well all my emails are caught up. How much more do you have?"

Laughing he said, "Trying to get me to bed so soon?"

"I will be ready when you are. I was thinking with everything starting to move fast maybe we should go shop for the SUV tomorrow," I said. "That way if the weather turns you have a larger car to take Benson to the Doctors. I would want him moved in before that and that is also in two weeks."

"Did you figure out how you can get the funds?" He asked.

"Sure did I have a one time large purchase release on the business card." I said. "Simon returned the card and I took it with me to the bank earlier incase they needed all cards related to it."

"We can take our time getting up though right?" He said.

"Yes," I said. "We both need it."

"Okay there is a Dodge, Chevy and Toyota dealership heading towards the airport," He said. "We can look at all three and then you can decide."

I grabbed the remaining tree pictures and added more to the photo albums. When I realized I did not have enough good pictures I added the remaining tree pictures to the next box and continued on with the pictures of the old hunting cottage. I sorted pictures to inside and out and then started to create piles of thrity pictures each for table books. I wrapped each of the piles and added the remaining pictures to a new Album. I ran to the history room and added my third album to the history room going back to the office. When I walked in Charles said, "You know its only 8pm and I am not tired. Do you want to work on Grandpas room for an hour?"

"Sure," I said. 

We went into the suite and Charles said, "Where do you want to start?"

"That closet is all mens clothes if you want you can pack that all up. However if you see any sweaters or flannels let me know I may want to keep them I love oversized shirts." I said. "I am still going through the womans closet. Also that show box is for pocket mysteries for whatever we find in the pockets. Any bog mysteries I have the crate there."

Since I was halfway through the womans closet I was finished faster than Charles. We both found journals and items from pockets. I finished and took the small pile of clothes I had and added them to our closet. When I got back Charled said, "Look what I found?"

He held up three sacks and poured out a pile of old coins. He said, "This are silver but some have the manors logo on them. Something to look into."

"Wow those are pretty," I added them to the big mystery box. 

I opened another box and found so many random older novels. I moved then to another box after I searched for things hidden inside the pages. I went through two more boxes and another box of old dolls. Moving them all to sell boxes I continued on and charles said, "I have 4 boxes of mens clothes and you have a bunch of boxes as well. You keep going on with what your doing and I am going to move these boxes to the van. By the time he got all the boxes we had filled I was just finishing going through another box full of nick nacks I knew I would never use. Looking athe the mysteries box I grabbed another empty shoe box and added a label to Benson rooms mysteries to the shelving in the office.

I just went into Bensons room and shut the window when Charles said, "Amelia where is your camera?"

"On my desk why?" I asked. 

From the entry way he said," Grab it and come here you have to see this."

I grabbed my camera and got to the entry way and he put his finger to his lips. He pointed to the side of the garage and said, "Look."

Stepping out there was a herd of deer grazing in the grass by the garage. I took the cover off and started taking pictures. I moved out of the door and kept taking pictures focusing on multiple deer including some babies who could not be more than a few weeks old. One baby got brave and walked towards me. I knealt down and kept taking pictures. I got a bigger surprise when its mama came up to me as well. I put my hand out and the mama rubbed her face on it and let me touch her. They both joined the herd and we sat on the stairs watching them until they went off into the woods. He said, "Check your phone."

While I was taking pictures Charles had started filming and caught the entire I had with the Mama and baby. I kissed his cheek and said, "Thank you. I am so glad we caught that and you filmed that. That is going to be one of my core memories forever."

"You know," He said. "While we are out tomorrow we can stop at the feed store and pick up some feeders and feed for the deer to encourage them to visit."

"We will have to go before we shop for the car," I said. "You ready for a bath and bed?"

He stood up and helped me to my feet and said, "Lets go up."

We locked the door to the estate and headed up and took a bath and headed to bed. As we laid in bed snuggled up I fell into a peaceful sleep. The following morning I woke up and saw that it was only six in the morning. I left Charles to sleep and headed to the kitchen to get some coffee. I came upstairs and got dressed for the day. I was in the bathroom doing my hair and makeup when he came in and said, "You got up early."

"You were so tired so I made coffee and got some fruit and muffins ready for breakfast," I said. "You have been so busy I was trying to let you sleep."

Kissing me on the cheek he said, "Thank you. I will get ready after we eat. I am hungry."

Laughing I said, "Take your time I am doing beef tips in the crock pot for our dinner tonight. I can put that together while you get ready." 

We headed down to the kitchen and ate breakfast while we made a car buying game plan. I had my bag on the table and checked for my cards and the paper from the bank in case there were any problems. After we ate I prepared dinner in the crock pot with tiny potatoes and cleaned up the mess. While I waited for Charles I headed back to Bensons suite and continued with the boxes in his room. We could have taken the whole day to clean it out but I wanted the car situation handled incase we needed it.

I kept sorting and boxing filling two boxes full when Charles walked in and said, "We should really do this but I agree about the car. I am used to driving distances in my car for work and meetings but with Grandpa and you I will feel better with you having a larger vehicle."

"Well lets stop and get the deer feed," I said. "Then we can see how these sales people go."

We took my car and headed to the farmers store. We grabbed some feed and a few feeders for the deer. Then we headed to the Toyota dealership first. When we walked in a older woman walked up and said, "Hi I am Caroline are you looking at new vehicles?"

"Hi Caroline," I said. "I am looking to buy a large size SUV. I will make it easy for you I want to see what you have and I am paying cash. Well card and its already been set up by the bank."

"Okay well you came in at a good time." She said. "We are having Toyota days. Even though we give great financing options we also offer great cash pay options as well."

As we talked another man came over and said, "Caroline you have a call."

"Thank you Jack," Caroline said, "Amelia would you mind giving me a moment I will be right back."

As soon as she walked away the guy said, "Sir I can take you around to shop if you want."

Charles looked like he was trying to contain himself and said, "I'm now buying a car, my girlfriend is and we would rather wait for Caroline."

Caroline returned and said, "I am so sorry about that the call must have disconnected while on hold. Now Amelia what are you and your boyfriend looking for in term of what you will be using it for?"

Charles said, "Amelia I think your in great hands with Caroline I am going to hang back for a moment while you start to look."

I nodded and he sat down, "Well Caroline I own Amore Manor. Currently we are in the process of turning it into a historical get away and event center. I wanted something larger than my Camry I drive now to help transport guests, supplies and such. Also being out in the country and you know how bad snow can be I want something a little more weather ready."

"Oh I have driven past the Manor do you have a website for it?" She asked.

"Here is my website as I am a writer and there are posts about the Manor," I said. We current offer pictures and events on the patio and barn. All the big announcements will be on the site as well."

She tucked the card in her pocket and asked, "Are you ready to find the SUV that suits you?" 

Charles said, "Amelia I will be out shortly."

As we walked the lot she showed me a few larger mid size SUV's and then she said, "If you want my opinion I recommend the Highlander. Heated seats for the cold days, All wheel drive and as you will be using it for your business can tow up to 5000 pounds. You can connect your phone for safety and we offer a wifi subscription service as well if you would like that when you start having guests. Also back up camera for safety as well as anti theft. I would suggest the XLE it is all gas, gets 22 mph in the city and 29 mph on the highway. The XLE comes as a hybrid as well if you want both options. However the hybrid only comes in front wheel drive. Also all the Highlanders come with all terrain tires. plus a 50000 mile warrenty for the vehicle and a 15000 mile warrenty on the tires, And all your oil changes for the first year for free.. Also as its toyota days if you do purchase today you will get 20% off all services and 40% off all parts for ten years."

Charles joined us and said, "Wow Amelia what do you think I heard the specs on my way over while I looked at a truck."

"I like this SUV," I said. "I also love this one that is Dark Green as well."

Caroline said, "Would you like to test drive it?"

"Yes I would," I said. "Should we wait here?"

"Of course," She said. "I will be right back with the keys."

After she walked away I said, "What did you do?"

He gave me an innocent look and said, "I hate people who try to poach sales. I spoke to the manager and told him my thoughts on it and how that Jake guy assumed I was buying and not you when your the one who started talking to Caroline."

Caroline came out with a gentleman with her and she said, "Amelia this is my boss Max and I told him you owned Amore Manor and he wanted to meet you."

"Amelia," He said, "Thank you for coming in Caroline was telling me about you when she came to get the keys so you can test drive. I hope you love the highlander I just got this same one for my wife. Also do you have a spare card I would love to see pictures of the Manor I have always been curious about it."

I handed the card to Max and he said, "Enjoy the test drive and have fun if you go on the terrain course."

Charles said, "I will wait here you enjoy your test drive." 

As I pulled away I saw Max and him talk and walk back to the showroom. While we were driving Caroline and I talked about the possible upcoming Christmas drive through and she said, "I love that idea I will look for the advertisement and when it happens I will take my Daughter and Grand children through."

We went on the terrain track and I loved the Highlander. I said, "Caroline thank you for being the best sales person ever. I am taking her where should we park?"

"You can park right next to your car. Now she is priced at a little under 46 thousand but I will talk to Max and see what we can do on top of the toyota days cash price." She said. "Now as a Grandma do you have a way to add it to your insurance?"

"I sure do," I said. "I brought my tablet with me and can log in to add her."

When we walked in Charles joined us and said, "What do you think?"

"Well we can get back home after this I am buying her," I said. "I am in love with the highlander."

"Amelia," Caroline said. "If you will give me about ten minutes I will be getting the paperwork ready." 

Charles and I sat in the lobby and I said, "Looking at trucks?"

"Believe it or not I get a small percentage of the sales from everything your store sells until we are done with the estate," He said. "It states it in the contract I think its like a half of percent. I may trade my small car in in a few months. I knew you could handle this with Caroline so I wanted to hang back. I looked over the stats while you were test driving. Besides it was fun messing with Jack when I looked at the pamphlets for the trucks and SUV's. I will definitely come back to Caroline when I am ready to buy a truck."

Caroline came out and said, "Amelia if you will follow me. Charles will you be joining us?"

"Nah I am comfy here," He said. "This is all Amelia.

We went over all the paper work and she was able to get the price to $41000 after taxes and fees. She handed me a paper and said "That's all the information you need to add the insurance on her. Also this paperwork here is for the warrenties, Also for your oil changes and parts and labor discount for the next ten years. I do need to have you sign these as well so I can add this all to your sales file. Everything your signing today you will get paperwork for. The last part I need from you is payment."

I handed her my card and ID. She ran the payment in the system and said, "You were so smart to arrange this before you came. Your payment has processed and you are now the official owner of the Highlander."

She walked me out to my car with a camera and had me take a picture holding the keys. Charles asked for her card and we both thanked her. She went inside and Charles said, "Do you want to go to lunch? There is a great diner around the corner and we can get home after this and get to work."

I followed Charles to the diner and when we pulled in he asked, "How do you like driving her."

"I love it," I said. "I was going to say if you want after we get and drop off my car we could drive to the farmers market and see if there is anything you like and then come home. You could drive her to the market."

After we ordered he said, "Why not we have all weekend and you took care of dinner already. Those rolls you got did you get them from the market?"

"Yes I did and their bakers had so much I had to hold back," I said. 'I may go a bit overboard this time but I froze the rolls and they heat up so well. So I might try that with some of the other breads. Besides they had a lot more cheeses and dairy I could not get due to going to other stores and I did not want to let them get warm."

"I cannot wait to go myself," He said. "I will admit Grandpa and I do enjoy artesian foods so we might as well stock up. Just please do not argue with me if I go to pay."

Laughing I said, "I will not argue with you. Remember though I am independent and I was used to doing everything myself."

"Deal," He said. "I tend to be a bit traditional. Not like I am a man I make decisions. But you won't let Grandpa and I pay rent so I like getting what I can."

Our food was brought to us and we ate. While we ate and talked about the upcoming week. When we got home we brought the deer feed and feeders to the garage and when we opened the door Charles said, "WOW."

I walked through the garage and said, "Yeah Grandpa really liked cars and old cars. I cannot believe they have so many boxes in here as well. That door there goes into the house next to Bensons suite."

We shut the door and I ran into the office to put my paperwork on my desk. When I came out Simon was talking to Charles. I locked the house and joined them and Simon said, "Amelia I love your new car."

"Thank You Simon," I said. "I wanted to get something safe to drive in the snow." 

"Well that will do it," He said. "When I came outside while Sadie was getting ready I could not figure out who it was."

"Where are you taking Sadie now?" I asked.

"This morning I took her and let her run wild at the farmers market," He said. "She was so sad the scarf and gloves she wanted were sold out. But now we are going to the new dine in movie theater."

"Well have fun and we will stop by tomorrow to wish her a happy birthday," I said. "When would be a good time?"

"How about we swing by here," He said. "Only because we have church in the morning and then We are going out with family for lunch. I will see you both later."

I handed the keys to Charles and said, "Shall we?"

He walked over and opened my door, "Lets go to the Market."

We drove to town and parked at the entrance of the farmers Market. We got out and he handed me they keys and said, "Man I want a truck but I will be honest with you I loved driving that SUV."

I laughed as we grabbed a cart and headed to the fruits and vegetable section. As we went vendor to vendor we picked up different fruits and vegetables. We picked up some more stuff that we knew would hold when stored. We got to the bakery and I stopped at the vendor that had the rolls we liked to heat up and bought the last of what they had. We also got artisian pizzas and bread. We went stall to stall and came to a stall that had decorated cakes to share. I picked up one for Sadie for tomorrow and we went to the vendors with pickles and jarred food. By the time we got to the meats our cart was getting very full.

 We laughed and Charles said, "Well we said we may buy a bit so in all honesty we are doing really good."

As we walked vendor to vendor we purchased here and there and by the time we were finished getting meats, cheeses and some cold cuts we had a over flowing cart. We walked through to leave and Charles said, "Oh no."

"Whats wrong," I asked.

"Carlie and her mom are at the entrance," He said.

"Should we head to the side entrance?" I asked

"Would you mind?" He asked. "If you thought that she was bad you have not met her mom."

We went to head towards the entrance and I heard, "Amelia is that you?"

I turned around to see officer Rios walking towards us. Charles let out a sigh of relief. We walked up to her and said, "Officer Rios you are a sight for sore eyes."

She laughed and went to say something and we heard, "Young man you better explain yourself."

Charles said, "Officer Rios Carlie and her mom were coming in when we were leaving. When we first saw her we went to go to a side entrance."

Carlies mom stomped over to us and said, "What did you do to my daughter?"

"Susan," He said. "I am not doing this with you. Since your daughter broke up with me I found out she was cheating on me the whole time we were together and was using me for my money. When I moved on she has harassed my girlfriend and damaged her property. Then she tried to come into my families store and tried to use pull as my girlfriend to get free stuff my now girlfriends items. Thankfully my staff knows better and personally knows Amelia. I thought i was generous to give her a month to get the utilities and phone put in her name before they were shut off. Now your daughter has a restraining order against her because of everything she tried and we want to leave so please leave me alone."

"You abandoned her," She said.

"Really?" He laughed. "Is that what she told you? How about I went to work. I did leave early as the owner had a lake which I was given permission to fish at until the job started. When she saw the person I was working on the estate with outside taking pictures while I fished because she used binoculars from the gate she accused me of cheating. I came home to all my belongings in garbage bags and I am still missing clothes and my Xbox as she would not let me in. I was just thankful I moved all my important things to my Grandpas place earlier in the week as I was planning on leaving her and trying to not hurt her. But no I came home to everything I had there in the garage. Then as I loaded everything in my car and made arrangements for a place to stay she had a guy come over and as I left they were having sex in front of the windows with the blinds open. So no I did not do anything wrong. I moved on and I am happy something your daughter never wanted for me."

Officer Rios was trying to drink her drink and not laugh. She said, "Maam if your daughter sent you over to Charles she would be breaking the retraining order. I would suggest you let him and Amelia be."

Susan turned and walked off to Carlie in the parking lot. She said, "Well now that that is over before we start our shopping let me introduce you to my fiancé James and we will walk you out to your car so she does not follow you."

James said, "Amelia I cannot wait to come out to see where Kayla wants to have the wedding. She has said it is a magical place."

"James here is my card and you can see some of the pictures I have taken," I said. "We have some personal stuff coming up but as soon as we get more things done we will have you come out."

They walked us to the SUV and Kayla said, "This is new."

"I just got her today," I said. "With things progressing at the Manor I wanted to get something to brave the bad weather and help me with what I need for the estate. Thank you both again we are heading home."

We headed home and when we pulled in and the gate closed we saw a car slam on the brakes almost running into the gate. We stopped and turned to look at the gate and Carlie and her Mom were standing at the gate yelling at us. Charles pulled out his phone and said, "Should I call."

"No," I said. "Lets go home and if they don't leave then we will call."

We pulled up to the house and Charles said, "I will get everything out why you start prepping and putting everything away."

I started sorting everything in the bags and putting things away. Charles kept bringing in bags and when he was done he said, "I am calling now they are still there with binoculars."

He made the call and said, "When the police gets here I will take the old car down. I do not want to risk her doing something to your car."

When the gate buzzer went off he went down and Carlie was arrested for a second time. Her mom was given a citation and she was followed to town. When Charles came back to the house he said, "Well that is handled again."

"I am so sorry you had to go through that," I said. "But onto better things."

"Oh," He said.

"Yes," I said. "Dinner smells so good and all the groceries are put away."

He laughed and said, "Shall we change and head get that suite started?"

"You took the words out of my mouth," I said. 

We went up to get changed and headed downstairs. When we got to the office Charles said, "Mark on the calendar that at least Monday and Tuesday I will be in the office in the morning and Wednesday I will be out all day. After this visit we should know a bit more."

I notated everything and we started on the suite. Charles finished the closet and Charles opened a tall dresser and said, "I will knock this out it looks like mens clothes from the 1920's. I kept going through boxes and came to four identical trunks. I opened the first one and said, "Wow."

"What did you find?" He asked.

I pulled out the first wedding dress and said, "Do vintage wedding dresses sell?"

"Yes they do why?" He asked as he sorted.

"This tag in the dress says Chanel 1926. It is not a party dress it is a wedding dress," I said.

He came over and helped me open it up and said, "Amelia these dresses are very sought out. They also hold a high ticket price tag. I have some professional formal wear boxes in the van. Let me get them so we can box these up right."

He came back and laughing said, "So do you mind if we run to town?"

"Is the van full?" I asked.

"Yes it is and I do not have the boxes but I have some longer boxes I can bring back," He said. "Do you want to go to the shop with me?"

"How about this its 430 now," I said. "Why don't you go get them and unload and I will continue to sort as i see colored gowns as well. That way i can continue on. But your right I would hate for these to get ruined in a regular box."

"Okay I will be back in a hour," He said giving me a kiss. After he left I kept sorting and piled gown upon gown on the bed. At the bottom of the first trunk I found shoes and accessories. When I opened one box I found the perfect tiara that I wanted to have for my own wedding day and ran it upstairs. I grabbed a laundry basket to hold what every I decided to keep in my searches for myself and kept sorting. 

By the time Charles returned with the special boxes I sorted all the boxes and trunks and said, "I have a funny feeling you may have a load or three by tomorrow." 

He saw multiple boxes stacked for the van and he said, "You have been busy?"

"Yes I have," I said. "Those boxes there are ready for the Van. Those dresses on the bed are ready to be packed up. Some of them are beautiful but to be honest not my style. However I did find some beautiful signs and some vintage table markers which I am going to keep for wedding events. Those are in that labeled trunk and I have to add that trunk to the keeping pile in the attic. There are many old wedding things in these boxes so far and I am guessing as I see more matching trucks we may find more."

Charles got to work and after he brought all boxes to the van and the trunk to the attic he said, "The way we keep going I may have to do a run first thing in the morning or another later tonight. When I got there Abby was adding more things to the website. I told her what you found and she got a giddy look on her face and said for me to move my ass so we can get them back here. Amelia if you get hungry let me know and we can take a break."

Laughing I said, "I will and I was wondering who was posting because I have my tablet loaded with my sell page and every time I check I see it changes and different items."

"You look like you want to ask a question?" He asked. "What is wrong?"

"Does she know about Benson?" I asked.

"Yes she does," He said. "We can thank her for talking to him about moving in with us. She gave him a ear full and tomorrow she has Mack working on sales and pictures and she is going to go help Grandpa start packing. He is going to be putting some of his collectibles in the store and Abby is handling it personally."

Sighing I said, "He does not have to give up anything you know he has plenty of room here."

"I know that and he knows that but I think he is ready for a change," He said. "When Grandma passed and he moved the first time he brought a lot of things to the store and filled a stock room but he has high prices on the items incase he ever changes his mind. But lets be happy you know Grandpa is going to love being here and I am going to put one of the three deer feeders up tomorrow for him to watch from the window. Back in the day Grandpa used to be a hunter and I think seeing the deer will make him happy. Plus he loves to fish as well so I know he will utilize the lake when he feels up to it."

"So what I am hearing is if you both go missing I can find you somewhere a long the shore line fishing?" I asked.

He laughed and said, "Yes that's about right."

"Well if we can fill the van again I will take the ride with you," I said.

We kept going through and Charles said, "Oh Amelia, there are 5 more journals with Bernard on the covers. Oh and two more locked boxes."

We kept going and I found boxes full of blankets and bed linens. I ran up to the attic and then filled a trunk and found I needed a new blanket trunk. After I added a new trunk and set the linens which were separated into full bed sets were added everything. When I got back Charles had all our full boxes into the van and said, "Well I cannot fit two. Should we go?"

I grabbed my bag and said, "Sure thing."

We rode out to the store and when we got there Abby came out and said, "You know what I want."

Charles pulled out the two large boxes with the gowns and another three with the wedding items. She looked through and said, "Ohhh these are exquisite. I am going to have to do some research for pricing but oh my these Chanel gowns are statement pieces and that means they are worth a large sum. Amelia your page have been popping all day. Charles help the boys so you can get back."

He gave a mock salute and went to the dock. Abby took my hand as she packed up some of the books I had sent over. "Sweetie I know Charles told you I am helping Benson tomorrow. He is insisting on sending a lot over for his own personal lot but I will try to talk him out of many of them."

"Good," I said. "He will have plenty of room once we clear everything out. We finished the closets today and are going through the bedroom now I an guessing we can have most of the bedroom and bathroom done before the end of tomorrow."

"You are really moving fast," She said.

"Yes but its because I want Benson settled before the charity event and surgery," I said. "Did Charles tell you I hired on a assistant when he is not doing work with my grounds keeper?"

"You think he has potential?" She asked.

"Yes I do," I said. We talked and I told Abby about Tys background and how I was going to train Ty for the main house and give him research experience by helping me during time in the office. 

She started laughing and said, "That's how Mack started with me. He was a young man looking for any type of work and came in. I offered him a chance and he worked so hard and learned so quick. He has been with us for almost eleven years now. Best decision we ever made."

"I think this will work out well," I said. "You should have seen how excited he was when he went home on Friday. When Charles and I spoke to him his eyes lit up because we had faith in him."

"That is all someone needs sometimes," She said.

Abby took out the first formal and looked at the tag and placed it into a search system and she gasped. "Oh my Amelia do me a favor and do not look at the items pricing because this gown alone is worth a small fortune."

"Abby I do not care about the pricing those dresses are not my style at all," I said. "I found a few beautiful shoes though."

"I get it it must be a unique experience finding all these beautiful cloths and deciding which pieces you want," She said.

"I am going antiquing and Vintage clothing shopping in my own home," I said.

"You have your dress for the event right?" She asked.

"Oh yes," I said. "Vintage, elegant and a little outside of my comfort zone."

"Well I cannot wait to see it," She said. "Was it from the estate?"

"Yes it was," I said. "I found it in the ballroom."

Charles walked in and said, "Found what?"

Abby said, "Oh we were talking girl things like clothes."

He held his hands up and said, "I can take a hint. Amelia I put new boxes in the van and I am ready to go. Abby have fun with the dresses I am sure you will."

We both hugged Abby and Charles opened the door to the van for me. I looked at the pile of boxes and asked, "Are you sure you dropped things off?"

"Well I wanted to make sure we had enough," He said. "I was unsure if you wanted those trunks in the room and when we get home I am asking to eat and then we can get started again. Unless your done for the day."

"No food and back to it works for me," I said. "I think we can fill the van before we go to bed tonight."

When we got home we headed to the kitchen and I smelled the air, "Oh my that smells so good. I figured we can have the salad from last night to go with the meat and potatoes and of course I left rolls out when we got home from the market to heat up."

Charles took the crock pot to the table and grabbed us plates as I heated up the rolls and grabbed the salad and dressing. When we sat down he said, "Now I will say I can cook same day meals but crock pot meals always fascinated me. Grams loved her crockpot when she was with us still."

"My old roommate worked hours so when I knew she was going to be late I always had a meal ready for her," I said. "Besides when you use the liner like I did it makes clean up so much better. You may see a bunch of boxes of the liners in the pantry I ordered many of them when I did my last Wal-Mart order."

He took a bite and said, "Well this is delicious and this gravy. I could eat the bread and gravy by itself."

Laughing I said, "Its all the herbs I put in it. When I said I like fresh herbs that is why. Tomorrow I am planning on making a sheet pan meal so all I have to do is throw it on a pan season and cook. That way its will cooked an hour before we are ready to eat."

"Ohh what are we having?" He asked.

"Sausage, cabbage and broccoli with a small side dish of the white sauce covered perogies I got at the farmers market today," I said.

"That sounds interesting," he said. "I do not think I ever had something like that."

"You will like it," I said. "Also when you go with Benson to see his Doctor you need to ask if he will need a special diet. I do not want to cook something he cannot eat."

We finished our food and I put the leftovers in the fridge. Charles washed up the dishes and said, "Man if I get hungry later I know that is there."

We both laughed as we headed back to Bensons suite. Charles opened the window and said, "You start I am going to get the boxes."

I continued on with the boxes I was working with and Charles brought all the boxes in and placed them on the bed. He finished the dresser and said, "This one is supposed to go. The next dresser is all female clothes. This book shelf here is books do you want to look and see if anything interests you."

I knelt down and took two books and said, "These can go to the library. There is a bottom shelf on the left hand side that has a few books on it. They can go there. The rest can be packed up just flip through it to make sure there are no surprises."

We continued on and when I finished the pile of crates I was working on I went through the dresser. I made sure I checked for hidden boxes and made a tag for the long dresser and book case. I went back to the boxes and when Charles came back in from loading up what we had got packed. I pointed to the trunks and he loaded them as well. When he got back he said, "How about as you sort I pack. That way we can have a assembly line going?"

We quickly finished the long dresser and we went back to boxes. I started laughing when I got to a new pile and said, "Oh this is going to be fun." 

I grabbed a garbage bag and stuffed it with the packing and handed Charles more dolls. As Charles packed a few boxes and would bring them to the van. After his last load he said, "Well Amelia the van is full. Its only around nine so do you want to check emails and work for another hour in the office?"

We locked the window and headed to the office. We checked our emails and I filed away my my car's paperwork. After I finished I looked at Charles and he said, "I need about ten to fifteen more minutes."

"Okay just let me know when your done everything else I can do can be stopped." I said as I went to work on the blog. I made a new post and answered some of the new comments posted. I pulled up my new novel and started to type. 

After about another twenty minutes Charles said, "I'm done do you need a few more minutes."

Looking up I saved my work and said, "No but thank you. Ready to lock up and head to bed?"

He nodded and said, "Well I am ready to go to our room."

We locked the front door and shut all the lights off and headed to our suite. When I walked into the bed room Charles spun me around and started kissing me. Later that night we laid in bed talking and he said, "Thank you Amelia."

"For what Charles," I asked.

"For being you," He said. "I never met a woman who was so selfless and giving. I promise you I will always do by right by you."

Curling up next to him I said, "Same."

We went to sleep and when our alarms went off the following morning he leaned over and said, "DO you want to sleep until I get back from dropping off the first load?"

"No the sooner we get it done the sooner we can get to helping your Grandpa moved in," I said. "I have a feeling we are going to be very busy leading up to the charity event and his surgery."

"Same," He said. "Well how about this why don't you lay in here until I get some coffee for us?"

"Okay," I said. I closed my eyes and opened them when I heard. "Amelia here you go."

I sat up and took the coffee and said, "Well when you leave I am going to start sorting I am hoping we can finish the bedroom today then go through the bathroom which is packed floor to ceiling. We will have to arrange for the furniture pick up."

He looked at me and said, "How about this I will arrange with Abby for a Wednesday pick up what furniture is ready to go?"

"That sounds good," I said. We started getting dressed and I looked at my closet and said, "I know your going into town but I am so dressing down today."

Going to my dresser I picked out work out clothes and got dressed. I went into the bathroom and washed my face and pulled up my hair in a messy bun. When I walked out Charles said, "Well I guess you are ready."

He was dressed in jeans and a nice shirt and I said, "You look good."

He said, "Amelia I wish I could be in gym shorts and a tank but the store is open and I am sure I will get pulled somewhere in the store. Oh while I was in the kitchen. Look at your store page on your tablet."

I pulled up the page and saw half the dresses sold and I looked at the prices and gasped, "Charles some of those dressed sold for over fifteen thousand dollars."

You are not seeing the ones that were already packed," He said. "Just know they were quite expensive dresses."

Walking down to Bensons suite I opened a window and packed the items that we had already went through. I decided to see what I could get done in the bathroom and pulled the first box. Opening it I laughed as I sorted more clothes that looked like they came from the time of little house on the prairie. Adding all the clothes I found to new clothing boxes I checked for pockets and kept going through the boxes. When Charles came back home I told him what I found and pointed to a pile of fur coats on the bed and said, "I cleared the pockets and they are homemade. I am guessing they may come from the Alaskan pictures I have."

He looked at the jackets and said, "Wow it is amazing what you have here. I am sure PETA will be pissed but these are historic. You are right though even though these re handmade the have a tanners stamp at the bottom of the coats and they all say Anchorage 1913. These are collectors items for sure. Which boxes are ready for the van and we will start our system like we did last night." 

I pointed to the pile of ten boxes and he started to take them out to the van. When he was done he set up a box and said, "Any clothes you get put in here and I will go through the pockets. I cannot believe all the wallets and makeup bags we have found. We have filled 3 boxes so far for mysteries. Your first book case may be full if we find more."

"We can hope," I said. "Ty is going to learn hoe to do a lot when it comes to research."

When he came back he started packed up the fur coats and worked on the clothing and item pack piles. I found another set of journals from Sarah an he ran them to the cabinet. We were working at a steady pace and made great strides to get the bathroom when I found stools stacked in them. Charles saw them and I pointed to the door and he added them to the van. He took another box out and came back saying, "Well I am off again I will be back soon."

When he left I packed up what he could not take and filled two more boxes. I realized the clothing box was getting full so I grabbed a second box just in case. Continuing on I found more tea sets and china sets I knew I could never use. Going through the boxes to make sure I did not miss anything I  made sure to check the silver sets and found a lot of old tin dishes. I did take some of the tin bakeware and brought it to the kitchen. I put them into the Butlers pantry on the counter and came back to sort through more. Going through everything was learning about how my descendants lived. I looked around the bathroom and realized how much I had done while Charles was gone and saw a message on my phone. Looking at it I read, Grandpa found a few boxes of my things I am running to get them and I will be back soon.

Smiling I kept sorting and boxing and realized I had filled a lot of items. By the time Charles got back he went to filling the van again. He said, "I am so sorry that I got caught up with Grandpa. He found some of my belongings and wanted me to get them before he mixed them up with packing his apartment up. Poor Abby is helping him but he wants to send so much to the store."

"Do not worry about it I have gotten so much packed and done," I said. "I did however leave all the clothes for you to fold and check the pockets."

He laughed and said, "Is that why there is a stack of boxes?"

"Sure is," I said. "I am getting more done but I think when my alarm goes off at noon I am going to make us some vegetable paninis for lunch."

"That sounds good," He said. "But I think I may have another trip before noon."

Opening another box I found more vintage boots which I added to the box I was adding items to. Opening a trunk I said, "Charles you have to look at this." 

I pulled out an outfit from the seventeen hundred complete with bustle skirt, jacket, shirt and all the items that go with it. There were four more trunks holding four outfits each. He looked at me and said, "What a find you do not see these type of outfits put together so well. Thank goodness I grabbed more dress boxes. Are you keeping the trunks?"

"I like the brown ones for storage as they are stackable but the black ones do not stack," I said.

When he came back he joked, "We still have room."

He went back to packing clothes as I found a few more pieces of clothes. I found a few items that I had him add to my laundry basket and he said, "You may want to go hang these up your basket is full."

I stretched and said, "I will be right back."

Making quick work of hanging everything up or putting it away I made my way back to the room and Charles came back in. He said, "We can fit a little bit more. Is that package on the counter Sadies birthday gift?"

"Yes it is I found a couple packages of wrap and put three in the office storage cupboard," I said. "I thought why not."

"I love that wrap," He said. "I agree why not."

We continued on until we filled the van. Charles said, "When i get back should be when your starting to make lunch. If you want do not start them till i get back. While your cooking I will load what you get done."

"Okay," I said. "That sounds like a good idea. The paninis taste better fresh."

We kept going and we had made a lot of progress. We found a lot of vintage camping gear and I packed all of it for the store. After Charles added more to the Van he said, "I should be back around noon."

"Okay see you soon," I said. I saw that there were still two boxes left that were full. I kept adding items from the camping gear and came across a box full of invoices and ledgers. I moved those to the office. I came back and found a box full of coin bags. I checked to make sure they were empty and added them to the store box. I found two boxes of empty journals and noticed they were very old. I checked to make sure there was nothing written in them. Moving on I found old quill and ink sets with trays. I found more novels and checked them and added them to the box. Then I found clothing dated from around the turn of the century. Adding them to the box Charles had been filling I kept going and checking for pockets. 

When Charles came back he found me going through the box of clothes I already sorted and he said, "Amelia you are moving very fast. Why did you start this box?"

"Because," I said. "I found a few boxes labeled from Africa and I was afraid there may be more shrunken heads."

He looked at me and laughed and said, "Okay I get it. Well let me add all this to the van while you sort that and we will go till noon right?"

"Thats the plan," I said.

When he got back we finished all the items in the clothing box and started a new box of clothing when our lunch alarm went off. I stood up and he said, "Lets close the window for now as it was starting to rain when I drove back home."

We went into the kitchen and I grabbed the ingredients for the paninis and started to make them at the stove. Charles watched while he looked at the store site and said, "I cannot believe how fast your page is selling through."

"I have not checked it since this morning," He said. "I am willing to bet you made back your money from buying the SUV already."

"Well every few days I move some over to the savings account I had opened, "I said. "I know when we start other rooms I will be adding in door work soon enough."

"You really are adding a lot to savings aren't you?" He said.

"Yeah its for the Manor and anything that may need to be covered," I said. "Better safe than sorry."

I put the paninis on plates and added a jar of pickles and a jar of ranch to the table. He took a bite and said, "Wow this is good."

"These are so simple to make and the cast iron panini pan helps cook it so well." I said. "These are one of my favorite foods to make."

"Well I think Grandpa will like this as well," He said. 

"Okay well if you will be home by 1 tomorrow I will make lunch when you get here," I said. "Before we start back to sorting I am going to prep dinner. So we can just throw it in the oven when we want it to cook."

I got up and grabbed a big sheet pan and lined it foil. I grabbed a jar of garlic and cheese sauce and the perogies and added them to a baking dish and put them on the corner of the pan. I cut up the cabbage and brocolli and added them to the pan and topped with spices and butter. Then I added four chicken sausages to the pan and covered it all in plastic wrap and put it on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Charles looked at me and said, "Thats it?"

"Simple and easy," I said. We were about to go back to work when we heard a knock at the door. Charles answered it and Simon and Sadie came in. 

"We are on our way to a church function but I told you I would bring Sadie by," Simon said.

"Happy Birthday Sadie I hope you had a great weekend," I said. "I know you have someplace to be but Charles and I wanted to give you your Birthday gift. Wait here."

I ran into the kitchen and grabbed her cake and gift and brought them out to her, "Happy Birthday."

Sadie said, "You two did not need to do this."

"Oh hush," I said.

"Oh this is beautiful wrapping paper," She said. "Simon hold this cake please I want to keep the paper."

Sadie opened the paper carefully and found the scarf and gloves inside. She looked at me and said, "How did you know? I went back yesterday and they did not have it. I got the matching hat."

"Well you turned around I had the vendor add it to my bag." I said, "I was thinking for Christmas but I your Birthday was first."

She hugged us both and said, "Thank you both. I want to stay but we have a church event we are going to."

"Have a great rest of your day Sadie," I said. "We will see you soon."

After they left we got back to work. Climbing back into the bathroom I found even more stools with intricate art work. I handed them out the door and he brought them to the van. We were almost finished when we heard the first rumbling of thunder. Charles shut the windows a bit and we kept working. After he added more boxes to the van he said, "Well it is about 4pm now. I am going to take the load to the store and be back soon. Do you want anything before I go?"

I climbed out of the bathroom and said, "No we are almost done in here. I am going to take a break and refill my water bottle. When you get back you know where to find me."

I walked him to the door and gave him a kiss. When I went into the kitchen I looked out of the window and saw the storm clouds rolling in. Filling my water bottle I went back to the bathroom and continued on. I opened a box full of letters. Looking at the ribboned stacks I saw to mother from Clara. I added them to the mystery pile and continued on. I found boxes of mens clothes which I searched and packed up. I knew they were from at least the 60's as they were corduroy. I came across a bog crate and when I opened it there was a large amount of artwork. I pulled them out and looked at them. I knew I was sending them to the store but I left the. leaving against the bed so Charles could see the art. Continuing on I found box full of wedding pictures and lose pictures. Moving that to the office I cam back and just opened a box with more novels when Charles came in.

Looking into the bathroom he said, "Wow your almost done."

"Yeah that whole stack is for the store as well as all those pictures." I said. After getting the last few boxes and crates out of here all I have to do is go through the cabinets and drawers and this room will be done."

Charles looked at the paintings and boxed them back up and brought all the items I packed back to the van. I continued to sort the remaining items which contained mostly baby gown, decor and various wine glasses which I did not need. Getting into the last two boxes I found two full boxes of beeswax candles. The ones I found in etched jars I packed for the store. I kept the plain jars and a few tapper candles and all the votives. Charles ran them back to the pantry and said, "I added them into out basket of candles. What else do we have left in here?"

"The cabinets and drawers,' I said. "All the towels and was rags I am going to add to the trunks upstairs as well as almost all the linens that are here except three sets as Benson wanted to keep the bed and Mattress. 

We found vintage make up and I was going to throw it away when Charles said, "Do not throw it away. Add the pieces to the mystery boxes. We can empty the make up from the containers and clean them and the old containers sell. Lets bring all these towels and linens up to the attic and finish filling the van."

We brought the items up to the attic and when we came back to the room I leaned under the bed and said, "Charles there is a bunch of paintings under the bed."

We pulled them out and I found one of the Manor dated 1723. I said, "Oh that would go great in the history room. There is an open space between two book cases in there. However the rest of these can go to the van I am not very fond of them."

Charles brought them to the van and when he got back we started to go through more boxes. We came across three large crates and when he opened them we cane across old shotguns from the 1800's as well as old hunting traps and snares. We carefully went through the boxes and found 3 more locked boxes. I took the boxes as he repacked the rest. The following box contained large heavy coats. I took two I liked and after we cleared the pockets he added them into the van and came back and said, "Well Amelia the van is full. How about I put dinner in the oven and we work in the office until it is done?"

"Alright it has to go in at 350 just take the plastic wrap off first," I shut the windows and headed to the office."

After checking my emails and responding to the emails I made a office to do list room to do list. After I finished writing out my lists. When Charles came in he said, "While I was in there I set the table and got some bread cut up and put it on the table with butter."

Smiling I said, "Team work!"

He sat down in front of the desk and said, "It has been a long weekend."

"Yes it has," I said. "We made good progress. When you get back tomorrow We will have lunch and continue on with Bensons room. What time are you thinking about leaving in the morning?"

"I was thinking about leaving at 7am because Grandpa will be at the store by eight," He said. "That way I can get things started and then I am sure he has a list of what he wants to go over with me. What is your plans tomorrow?"

"Wake up, Clean a bit to keep the house going and be in the office by 8:30." I said. "I will be making crock pot chicken soup for dinner so that will be going all day. It will be easier for us in the long run."

We sat talking and I jumped when I heard a loud crack of thunder. Charles chuckled and said, "Well I am going to bet Ty will be here tomorrow if this rain gets bad. What do you have planned for him?"

I pointed to the boxes from Alaska 1913 and said, "I am going to have him go box by box and separate the pictures by type trees, cottage, port, water, mountains, and anything else. I know that seems like busy work but it took me three hours to go through the first box and with him doing that I can go through the individual stacks faster one he is done. I still have seventeen boxes to go. Also have a list of calls to make tomorrow for the Christmas event I am planning. Becca from the Fire Station sent me the phone numbers I needed and I printed them off and what is required for the event. It will be three weekends of Friday and Saturday. I have to get with Simon because they will be doing a large amount of set ups and I have to see what I can order for displays. When Christmas is over I am going to store everything in one of the outdoor sheds. Becca was also kind enough to give me the phone number to a man who plays Santa for their events. She told me they can have firefighters run candy canes to the kids as Santa's helpers as a way to bring the community in."

"What about their party?" Charles asked.

"They would like to do it as a Sunday brunch instead." I said. "I had to redo the quote and contract for that day due to scheduling issues on their part. I already blocked off dates for the events and the Charity event for here so I do not have to worry about people tripping over cords and displays."

"I cannot believe next weekend is your Charity event," I said.

"Do you have a lot of cards?" He asked.

"I sure do," I said. "I ordered in bulk for my website."

"Good make sure you add a stack to your handbag because I will do my best to be with you during the whole event," He said. "But depending on issues that may arise I may have to put out fires."

"I will be fine," I said. "Honestly I hate to mingle, but I get that it will be a great opportunity to meet and greet and get the manors name out there as an upcoming event center."

"Do not worry," He said. "Abby feels the same way so she may grab ahold of you and will not let go. Grandpa wants to walk you around as well as he refers to you as his almost Granddaughter. Besides I believe Mack wants to discuss those heads with you."

"I am never going to live that down," I said. "Am I?"

"Probably not," He said.

I checked my sell page and I saw all the dresses that were posted were sold and I saw the fur jackets were posted now, "Wow all those dresses sold and the fur lined coats are all sold or being looked at."

I pulled up my bank account and gasped at the amount and closed my eyes and said, "Oh my god."

"Remember what we talked about Amelia," Charles said. "You deserve all the good."

"I know," I said. "It is difficult to know we have this much money in a account like this and we barely scratched the surface." Looking at the balance I moved half to the savings account. Even with what Simon spends and I spend on Christmas decor we will be fine.

Charles looked at his watch and said, "We have about twenty minutes till dinner what do you want to do?"

"Wanna help me order some Christmas displays?" I said. "Lowes has them online right now from last years stock?"

He came around the desk and sat me in his lap. The first thing we agreed on was a Santa Sleigh and Reindeer. I added that to the cart and we picked up thirty boxes of lights from last years stock for the main house as well as a few large wreaths. We continued to look through and found snow globes with different Santa workshop and village scenes and we picked out five. We also found four nutcrackers that are seven feet tall and ordered them as well. I placed the order and printed the invoice when Charles timer went off and we went to the kitchen for dinner. Looking over the invoice I said, "We got really good deals. The Reindeer and sleigh was originally two thousand and we got it for six hundred. According to this the order will arrive in six days."

He asked, "Where are we putting them when they get here?"

"The big shed next to the garage," I said. "It should hold all of this and anything else we get."

I took the pan from the oven and placed it on the table. Charles looked at it and said, "Wow you were right this was an easy meal. I do appreciate how creative you are in the kitchen."

"I try but I will be honest with you," I said. "Sometimes I would make these and just grab food until it was done while I was working on my novels. It does sure help though with work life balance."

He raised his glass and said, "Here is to work life balance."

"Oh while you were gone I found this for when Benson is recovering after surgery," I said getting up. Grabbing a oak tray out of the pantry. "Its an old bed tray for meals. I love the carvings on this."

"That is a beautiful piece I am glad you kept it," He said. "Are you going to be okay with him here recovering. You know you may have to help him get in and out of bed if I am not here."

"Of course I am okay with it," I said. "I will talk to Simon when we have our Monday meeting about possibly loaning me Ty the first week to make sure I can help Benson when your not here. Then once he recovers more we can go back to our normal plan."

We finished eating dinner and started cleaning up. When we were almost done my phone rang, "Hello?"

"Hey Amelia, It Simon is this a bad time?" He asked.

"Not at all is everything alright," I asked.

"Yes it is," He said. "I am still at church with Sadie and Ty was here for the service and I think we may be calling the boys off tomorrow because of the weather so what time did you want Simon to show up to the house?"

"Oh 8am is fine," I said. "Why don't you come up then as well and we can have our weekly meeting we have a bit to talk about."

"Sounds good I will let him know," He said..

"Oh tell him we are not fancy he can dress casually," I said. "We will be in the office and working on Bensons suite but this will be a good day for him to get his feet wet as we have a bit to go over."

"We will see you then," He said and ended the call.

Looking at Charles I said, "Simon is calling everyone off tomorrow because this storm is supposed to go through late afternoon."

"Oh man I feel for them they are hard workers," He said.

"We will take care of them," I said. "Not full pay but something for being called off due to the weather."

We headed upstairs and fell to sleep. When our alarms went off the following morning, I said "It is way to early."

Charles chuckled and said, "Okay I will get us coffee before I shower. You wake up slowly."

When he came back with my coffee I took my first sips and said, "Hey babe this storm is something."

The rain outside was coming down hard and as I opened the curtains I hoped it would pass quickly. Charles came out of the bathroom and said, "I am glad I am driving the Van today."

I jumped into the shower and when I got out I noticed our laundry basket was empty and our bed was already made. I grabbed a long sleeve shirt and jeans and pulled my hair back. When I came out again charles came in to the room with a refil of coffee for me and the vacuum. I gave him a look and he said, "We are a team right? I started the laundry and made the bed. I took out the crockpot when the coffee was brewing. I also swept the office when I grabbed my laptop for work. That way all you have to do is clean up the kitchen and switch the laundry over when its ready. I am going to wait ten minutes and see if the rain slows down, so I can vacuum in here."

I kissed his cheek and grabbed my mug as I headed to the kitchen to make some chicken soup. When he came down I was halfway through adding everything in the crock pot and he grabbed his bag and coat and said, "Its not slowing down but I do need to head out now due to the weather. I put the vacuum back in the laundry room and the laundry is in the dryer."

I leaned over to hug him and said, "Please text me when you get there so i know you made it safe."

"I will," He said. 

When I looked at the clock it was just before 7am. I went into the office and pulled up the blog and posted a blog post explaining there has been a family issue we have to deal with and gave some information on our up and coming Christmas events. When that was finished I replied to all my emails and stretched I looked up and saw Ty pull up with Simon in the car with him. I walked to the door to meet them and said, "Ty welcome to Amore Manor! Simon I hope Sadie had an amazing birthday."

Simon said, "She sure did and she loved her gift. After our meeting I am going to take her to her sisters in town until I get back and start anything you may have for me here."

"Prefect well lets get our meeting started. Ty your going to sit in with us for the meeting and when I bring Simon around for what few things I need done here," I said. "After he leaves I will get you on your first project."

Ty nodded and both him and Simon took a chair by my desk. "Simon out front is looking amazing and I cannot wait to see the brick work do you think the erosion issue can be fixed or do we need to get a company out here that specializes with that?"

"The erosion problem can be handled by us. I was thinking even though it will be cold and wet we can build a small retaining wall with stone," He said. "Stone is more in cost but if we do cinder blocks it takes away from the manors old time feel."

"That is fine. As our property goes around the lake please check and see if we have anymore erosion issues popping up especially outside the hurricane. I would like that dealt with before the fence. That and when the snow hits. If we can do a temporary fix on the fence and any open spots I think we can do that for now and some private property signs along the fence area." I said.

"That sounds like a good idea the weather should clear by wednesday at the latest," He said. "But tomorrow should be a light rain so I may have the boys come out for a while and we can do the walk of the lake and the fence. Ty today and tomorrow you will be with amelia here and you will join us back outside wenesday I would love to finish that wall."

"Yes sir," He said as he Notated in a note book. When he saw me looking he said, "A smart person takes notes maam."

"I agree Ty," I said. "Now we have our first events planned here for pictures and events. But as we are blessed with the good fortune the manor had given us we will be doing something for the community."

"What did you have in mind Amelia?" Simon asked. 

"Oh Simon I think you will love this," I said. "I drive through Christmas display. Entrance to the display will be 3 canned goods per car or a $5 cash donation. The Manor will match all the food raised as well as cash donation to the community food pantry."

"That is a great idea," Ty said. "So many people are struggling this year."

"I know that is why I thought this could be a great way to give back as well as let some of the community see the property," I said. "There will be extra work for the workers and of course you all we be able to go first with your families. We will also have santa and his elves handing out candy canes to cars from the porch of the house." 

Simon had a big smile on his face and said, "I love the idea."

"Now last night Charles and I ordered some decorations and will be ordering more this week. Simon I will be using your knowledge for safety and grounds to know what we need or want as well as getting the estate set up," I said. "We will be having security as well as possibly the fire department here as well so everything runs smoothly."

I handed him the paper with everything I had ordered and said, "That's your copy we will be storing this in the shed next to the garage when it starts to arrive. I got that from lowes.com if you want you can take the card and see if the store has different stuff tucked away and see what you can get. Also check out the other stores as well. That would be a great thing to do as its raining. Just please fill out your form and mark rain days for the other guys on their time sheet. I got Ty notated for his hours today. On his form you have just notate house."

Simon nodded and said, "I do not think your your done with me are you?"

"Nope lets go to the kitchen," I said. When we got to the alcove we stopped and I continued, "Most historical room stays do not offer meals. I think I am going to follow that plan. What most offer is teas, coffee, assorted drinks and snacks. What I would like to do if possible is to make a doorway here as it is a natural separation and add built in cabinets which we can lock to store snacks and coffee as well as drinks. This side I would like to hold 3-4 microwaves as well as sapce for baskets of napkins, and cutlery that is disposable. with cabints on the bottom for storage of the extras. On both sides I would like to have small shelves that can hold baskets of snacks and treats. and on this side I want to add counter space to hold two keurigs, creamers, sugar spoons and coffee pods and tea bags. plus again storage under inside of cabinets. Do you think you and your workers can do that."

"I am sure we can," Simon said. "I just have to make sure it will hold up to historical standard."

"Ty the sheer amount of stuff we have scaring you yet?"

He laughed and said, "I feel like I am in a hoaders episode historical edition."

We all laughed and I said, "Lets go to the next project I have for you and your team simon." 

I took them into the basement and said, "This is a bar and billiard room. I found something down here and it must remain a secret between us."

They both nodded and I moved the boxes away from the wine cellar door. I opened the door and Simon said, "Well shit."

"Yeah its a lot more than that," I said. "These bottle range from a few thousand to a million dollar wine barrel."

"Miss Amelia you should have a vault put in that door," Ty said.

"Well that is the plan," I said. "Kinda."

"What are you thinking Amelia?" Simon asked.

"Can you design a false front that will function as a billiards rack to cover the entire doorway and part of the wall?" It can hold the balls, cue sticks and racks. Then inside a locked drawer we can add a switch that will swing it out so we can access the door. Once we finish Bensons suite this week we will be starting down here."

"Who is Benson?" Ty asked.

"You have not met him yet but he is Charles Grandpa. He was just disgnosed with stomach cancer and will be moving in as soon as we finish his suite." I said. "I believe you will like him. He is full of knowledge and we want to make sure after his surgery he can come home to a comfortable place instead of his old apartment."

We headed upstairs after we hid the door with boxes. When we got back to the office Simon said, "I am taking the card and grabbing Sadie and going to see if the local stores have anything for the Christmas and I will work on some designs for the door cover and the kitchen. As well as get pricing on stone for the areas that have erosion. Ty you listen to what Amelia teaches you and you will go far."

After Simon left I said, "Okay Ty I have calls I have to make to get started on this Christmas drive through. The project I have for you you may find a bit weird. See this cart these boxes are listed Alaska 1913 and am making table books for my amazon sell page. But these boxes are all mixed up. I want you to go box per box and separate them into 6 seperate piles animals, trees, cottage or main building, port, water, mountains, anything else. Now be forwarned you may see something your not ready for. In one box there is a public hanging. Please understand that this was something back then. I have only worked one box so far which is on my desk. Also if you come across doubles which I have found many off separate the doubles and we can add them to the albums i have for the history room."

"That sounds easy enough," He said. 

"I know it is not the hardest thing but all the selves and cabinets are full of mysteries," I said. "You doing this helps me get all of this done."

"Miss Amelia this is awesome," He said. "I love old pictures and if it helps you I am all up for it."

"Also feel free to help yourself to kitchen we have coffee, drinks in the fridge and any of your full days or even short days you are welcome to have lunch with us here." I said. "We will be working in here till lunch, then we get to Bensons suite once charles is back and we eat."

Ty came over and took the cart from next to my desk to the table as he started I pulled out the list to get everything set up for the Christmas drive through. My first call was to the community food pantry. I spoke with the director Charlotte and told her what I wanted to do and she was shocked and grateful. She told me that they were struggling this year with the need being at a all time high. She told me donations had slowed. As we talked I pulled up my bank account that had my sales I gave a smile and went to the community food bank website and did a donation in Grandmas honor as I spoke to Charlotte. I told her I believed she should check incoming donations and said, "You did not have to do that."

As I printed out the donation page for taxes I said, "I know."

We talked and she said she would send the forms over for me to sign so I can post on the sign all donations go to their particular food bank. I signed the form electronically and she verified she had it. I told her all the dates and asked if they could be there to accept the donations and keep track of what they receive. I called the permit office next and once they took payment they sent me a copy of the permit via email and advised me I would need that for the insurance. Calling my insurance provider I spoke with my contact and he said that had to be done over the phone but I set up the insurance and paid for the event. After an hour and a half everything was set up and I sent Becca an email and thanked her. She replied back and said they can have members there every night and told me to call the sheriff office contact she gave me and for a fee they could have people out there to direct traffic. I did that as well and started making the flyers for the event. I finished the flyer and asked Ty, "What do you think?"

He took a copy and said, "Oh man this is happening. We don't have anything like this around here and people are going to go crazy."

"I am ordering copies of flyers and we will have to call out to see if we can get them posted as well as making banners for outside of the property," I said.

"Thats a lot," He said. "But I will say I know a lot of people who use the pantry and they will be so grateful. I cannot wait to take My son through he will love all the lights."

"Does he like trains," Simon asked from the door. "Because I scored us the complete lighted train set up that follows a track for a fraction of the cost. Since I did not have a printer I emailed it to you Amelia. That and extra lights for the barn and the boat house. I found enough white lights that fade to blue for the dock and its cover at the local lowes. The train is being delivered on Saturday and I will meet them at the gate. I also ordered some inflatables that are disney from home depot. Mickey, Minnie, DOnald and Goofy and they are like carolers. I sent everything to your email and here are the other receipts."

I took the reciepts and said, "Keep the card incase you finds anything else. I would love a manger scene by the barn if we can find a set up. Also I would like a small word Christmas but I have yet to find it." 

"I am searching for those candy canes that are not lighted. We can line the driveway with them and use Zip ties to attach the lights to the curve." He said. "That way it will  show they cannot pull over and keep people off the grass."

"That is a great idea," Charles said from the door.

"Hey," I said. "I thought you were working at the store till 1pm."

Charles laughed and said, "Amelia its 130pm."

"Oh," I said. 

Ty looked up and said, "Wow we were so caught up i what we were doing we lost track of time. Amelia I got through almost the whole box and have the lid holding the doubles. Should I just wheel this back for now. I will use the ribbon to tie off what I got sorted and man when my boy is older we will visit alaska for sure. The pictures are beautiful."

Simon turned and said, "Well that explains why I am hungry. See you kids later."

"Come on ty lunch time," I said." We headed to the kitchen and I said, "Ty we have food here is you want what we are eating."

He laughed and said, "Thank you for the offer but Mama made Paella last night. You do not mind  seafood smell do you?"

Charles laughed and said, "Go for it. Amelia I am heating up the beef tips from the other nights dinner. Do we have rolls left?"

"In the fridge," I said. "Oh grab whats left of the perogies as well."

"Yeah there are no perogies left," He said. "I ate them on the way to work. I have the bowl in the sink."

"That does not bother me," I said. "I hate food waste. Ty you want some rolls with your food there is plenty."

"Are those the brown rolls from the farmers market?" He asked and nodded "Man they are my favorite. Yes please."

We all sat and started eating when Charles asked, "So Ty what do you think about what Amelia has you doing?"

"I will be honest," He said. "I thought I would be bored. But it is a lot of work and I like it. I know this is just one task but I am enjoying the work. Now after this we start in the suite for your Grandpa right."

"We sure do," Charles said. "Amelia grew up here so she knows a lot of the history. But if you have questions as and I will give you the information I have for something if it interests you."

"Thank you," Ty said. "My boys mom god love her didn't want to do better. When Micheal was born she was not a attentive mom and my mom picked up the slack. One day I told her I was going to enroll to take classes online for business management. I can get the grants to do it. She threw a fit. Told me I thought I was better than her and the next day I came home and ma was holding michael with a letter. She was signing away her rights and was going to dance in vegas. I got a letter a week later from a lawyer and she abandoned him."

"Ty do you want to go back to school?" I asked.

"I am considering it," He said. "If you keep me on long term here I can do classes after I get off of work and get Michael to bed plus some on the weekend. It would be very beneficial here. Besides I can work on schooling during lunch as well."

We cleaned up our lunch and Charles said, "When we do this Amelia takes the lead and we pack up what she does not keep. The white basket on the bed is for any clothing she finds as we have found clothing dating back to the 1700's. The show box is for when we look through books and pockets and bags and find any items. The crate which you can see has journals and stuff is her mysteries of the estate. In the office all the shelves and filing cabinets are going to be for the mysteries."

"Man," He said. "My Mama would love how organized you are. When I took her and auntie out to dinner and then food shopping I told her what I was going to be doing and she was so excited. She said that if this works out I should leave the hotel to have weekends with Michael."

I looked around the room and said "lets get started."

Opening the crate I said, "Ok Charles we found more friends."

"Seriously?" He said as he pulled out the packing and handed me another locked box. 

Ty looked and said, "Is that a shrunken head?"

Charles said, "Yes it is. Amelia go to the next box and I will search the crate for you."

CHarles moved the crate and when I opened it I gasped and said, "Oh these are beautiful."

Ty looked and said, "Those are south African baby blankets. My grandma still has hers and the colors are made from local plants."

Charles looked over and said, "Your right Ty. Amelia those are beautiful."

Looking through I found three that I decided to keep for a future baby and placed them in my basket. I directed ty to pack the remaining blankets up and opened a long crate which held spears, darts and a dart blower. I stepped back and said, "Babe this is a you crate."

He walked over and said, "Did you touch anything?"

"No," I said. "We just lifted the lid."

He gave a sigh of relief, "Good. Amelia I am going to make a note caution on this box. There could be a possibility there is poison on the spears and darts. Especially with the weapons being this old. I am going to notate if there is anything in the box other than the weapons to check with me before they put it to sell. This has to be sorted with specialized gloves."

Charles took the box and moved it to the bed to add the note and secure the crate. Looking at Ty I asked, "Having fun yet?"

"You bet I am," he said. 

Opening the next crate I found books. I showed Ty how to breeze through the books to see if there is any papers or pictures in them and had him start to check and repack. I opened another box and found clothing which I started stacking onto a chair. I saw Ty making a stack as charles come over and start to pack the clothing I was sorting. Within an hours time we found 5 more journals from Hank and a box of pictures that said African safari 1935. We finished the bedroom and moved all the sorting crates and boxes to the main living room. The last thing we did was tag all the furniture for Abby to pick up on Wednesday. 

When we got into the living room I said, "Ty how about this there are a bunch of book cases in here you can see I already pulled the crates away from them. I pulled the books I wanted already and you can go through the remaining ones and check them and pack them working from one side to another. I left the shoe box for anything found on top of the first shelf."

"I am on it." He said as he sat on the floor and started sorting.

I opened the next box and said, "Babe do we have more gown boxes or your going to have to be creative on this."

"What did you find?" He asked as he looked in and said, "Holy crap."

We started pulling out ball gowns after ball gowns and laying them on the couch. When we were done Charles pulled out shoes and accessories which I went through and handed him back what I did not want and he added the dresses back into the crate and said, "Ty help me get this to the van Abby is gonna have a field day. Amelia I will send Ty back in when we are done and I am going to run the van to the store. I have just enough room for this crate."

When Ty came in he said, "We had to move a few boxes to the passenger seat but he got it in. So how does it work they sell it all in the store his Grandpa owns?"

Nodding I said, "That and on their online store as well. Some items do not even hit the stores sales floor. Look at this."

I showed him the Manors sell page and he said, "Wow that's insane. The pages refreshed three times while we looked at it for things being sold."

"When we first started Charles would post items from here and bring them to the store at night," I said. "Abby you will meet sooner or later is a long time worker and took it over when the hurricane hit. Now she handles all the online posting. Any new stuff we get now we will stack by the bedroom door to be loaded when Charles gets back." 

"May I ask how many rooms we have to go in the house?" He asked. "I am not complaining just curious."

Laughing I said, "Not including Bensons suit. We have 3 master suites with a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom, 2 closets in each each. 8 additional bedrooms, 8 additional bathrooms, a ball room, music room, library, laundry room, pantry, butlers pantry, formal dining hall, breakfast/tea room, sports room, 5 alcoves with seating, a formal sitting room upstairs and downstairs. 3 lounges and 15 additional storage closets, garage, basement, greenhouse and attic and three normal staffrooms off the kitchen with bathrooms attached, center of the house/ball room.4 halls on first floor,4 halls on second floor,1 halls to the attic floor, and 2landings."

Ty looked at me shook his head and said, "That does not include all the research I am helping you with and normal daily operations. Plus you writing your books and events. Man I love this job it sure is interesting."

"I am glad you like it Ty," I said. "Oh before you leave I need to have you fill out a second contractor form for when you are here."

"Alright," He said. "I have my alarm set for 6 so I can get home to my boy. He is trying to push himself around everywhere now. Before I know it he is going to be crawling."

"He is lucky to have you," I said as we continued to sort through the boxes. By the time Charles returned and him and Ty loaded up the van and Ty's alarm went off. I had him fill out a new form for when he was at the house and bumped his pay for here to $20 and hour. He filled it out and I added it to his file. 

"I will be here at 8am Miss Amelia," He said. "You both have a good night."

Charles looked at me and said, "He is a very good worker."

"Yes he is and he is willing to learn," I said. "$20 is more than fair per hour."

I heard a knock at the front door and Charles came back with Simon. "Man I will tell you that boy has not looked that happy since his baby was born."

"He is a great worker," I said. "He picks everything up fast and is willing to learn. He is going to do great here when we go full room rental and event center. Do me a favor Simon?"

"What is it?" He asked.

"He talked to us about wanting to do online college," I said. "He wants to improve himself and you have a good relationship with him. Maybe speak with him and give him good uncle advise."

"I will do that for sure," He said. "Besides you will have him more than I do soon. I think the three i have will be better off outdoors and Ty would be better off in here with the weather being wonky there may be a lot of short days coming."

"Just keep track of those days Simon," I said. "We may need snow shoveled and such and of course everything coming up. We will come up with something."

"Well i have all the men on call for tomorrow depending on the weather," He said. "Kyle gave me his schedule and will check in with me after his moms doctors appointment. But if it clears up they all will come in even if its in a light rain. Do you have anything else for me on my to do until after tomorrow after noon? Sadie has dinner going for us now so I am heading home."

"Actually yes," I said. "Get the guys sizes and order rain gear for all of you and a few random extras. Include water tight work boots. Also order a cupboard you can put inside the actual boat house for them to store their belongings and the gear when not in use. Also get a table and some chairs so you all can sit in there if you need to plan. The room before the water should be good. Also get a coffee maker and pods or coffee ., sugar and creamer and some mugs as there is a bathroom in there. That and a cabinet to hold it in."

He nodded and said, "Will do. So rain coats, pants and shoes. I will do a run to the hunting store for those and see what I can find for the rest. You both ahve a good night."

Charles sat down and said, "So we have a lot of room in the van wanna knock out more of the suite?"

"Of course I do," I said. "We are almost done and when we are we can get back to our normal routine."

"Okay but first," He said. "I am changing and I left you something in the kitchen."

Following him out of the office I walked into the kitchen and found a bouquet of carnations on the counter with a small teddy bear. I put the flowers in a vase and added them to the kitchen counter. I took the teddy bear and placed it next to the flowers. Charles came in and said, "Its just a little something to show you how much I love you."

"I love them," I said.

We headed back to the suite to start working and I said, "It has started to get chilly more often. I am going to order a stand heater for the office and kitchen. I do not want to run the heat through the entire house if we are not using it. What do you think?"

"I agree I would say order one for Grandpas room and ours as well," He said. "I know Grandpas would prefer the fireplace and Simon had mentioned the guys thinning out the trees and going through the property for wood for them as well as us for the winter." 

"Okay I will place the orders in the morning and will mention it to Simon when I see him again." I said.

We spent the next two hours filling the van and when we were done I said, "We may be able to finish in here by tomorrow afternoon." 

"I hope so because when Abby comes by on wed she can take everything," Charles said. "I have to pick Grandpa up at 9am for his Doctor's appointment. If it is done than we can start moving him over. Abby has been back and forth helping him but I may have to pick up the remainder of the slack to get him in by the end of the weekend. At least that's the plan."

We finished our night by eating dinner and heading to bed. I woke up around five in the morning because I could have sworn I heard a dog barking. Charles woke up and asked me," What is wrong?"

"I hear a dog barking," I said. "Can you hear it?"

He sat listening for a moment and said, "Yeah I do."

I put on a jacket and shoes and said, "It sounds scared."

I grabbed a flashlight I kept in the bedside table and headed downstairs. When I got outside I found Simon and Sadie searching with a flashlight. He looked at me and said, "You heard it to?"

I headed to the lake and started to shine the light and I heard the barking again. Then I saw it a animal crate a few feet from shore. "Here I yelled."

I took off my shoes and jacket off and ran to the shore jumping in. Making it to the crate which was taking on water I pulled it to shore. When I got to shore Sadie wrapped me in a blanket and Simon said, "They pad locked the fucking door." 

Charles ran to his work van and grabbed bolt cutters and cut the lock off. Inside was a dog who had seen some years. Sadie brought towels over and started drying her. "Who would do this to her."

The dog came over to me sitting on the ground and started rubbing against me. I opened the blanket and held her. "Its okay girl your okay."

Looking at Charles I said, "Well I guess we own a dog." 

Sadie said, "She seems a bit older maybe nine to tens years old."

"Babe," I said. "Get your phone and call the non emergency line. The Camera by the lake house point towards the bridge. The gate camera may have caught the car and plate."

We moved to the Manor and I said to Simon, "Your first job today is to get another camera and point it at the bridge and post a big ass sign. We rescued her but who knows how many others may have been dumped there over the years. Especially if the tide changed into the river system."

Charles came down with stack of towels and said, "I called and they gave me the number to an emergency Mobile vet. I called and Doctor Carson will be here within the hour I am starting coffee and do you own a hair dryer we need to get her dry."

"Under the sink in the bathroom," I said.

Sadie said, "I'll get it you guys get her as dry as you can."

I sat on the floor with our newest family member and said, "She is skin and bones."

Going into the fridge I took out the hamburger I was going to use for dinner and said, "Look up if she can have hamburger or if I need to cook it first."

Sadie came in and said, "My mama would par cook it but wait on the burger and make her some fresh scrambled eggs. Start with two we do not want her to over eat before the vet gets here." 

I scrambled the eggs and put them in the fridge to cool. Sadie looked at me and said, "Sweetheart go take a warm shower we will stay with her."

When I came back down officer Rios and Greene were sitting in the kitchen. The eggs were on the counter and I took them and brought them over to our new dog who was laying on the blanket next to Charles. When I put the plate down she started to scoot to the food and I rubbed her head and said, "Its okay girl we got you."

She ate slowly and the alarm for the gate went off. I walked over and said, "Hello?"

"Hi this is the emergency vet Dr Carson," The voice said.

"Hi Doctor Carson please use gate code 111119 to come in," I said.

Sadie said, "I will go meet the vet."

She left the kitchen and I took the now empty plate and put it on the counter. After a few minutes she returned and Dr carson was an elderly man with a kind smile. "Well lets meet our patient shall we?"

I focused on Dr Carson and the dog and said, "We do not know how long she was in the water. We all woke up because we heard a dog barking. We started searching I saw the crate in the water and jumped in. The pad locked the cage and we had to bust the lock to get her out. Is she okay and is there any information you can give us for her."

"Well lets go to my mobile van and we will check her out," He said. "Officers I will have a report for you shortly if you have to leave let them know where I can email it."

Once we were in the van and put her on the exam table he asked, "Do you have a name for her?"

"Not yet," I said. "I think for your records lets name her Hope."

"I like that," He said as he took a machine out. "This is a machine that checks for a chip. Which after searching their does not seem to have one. You poor girl your skin and bones who did this to you?" 

He continued to exam Hope and there was a knock at the door. Officer Greene came in and said, "Doc we were able to pull Video footage she was in that cage for about an hour and when it first went in it was under for about a minute."

"Where you able to get the make and model as well as a plate?" Dr. Carson asked.

"Car type yes and a partial plate," He said. "How is she doing?"

"Well Amelia here rescued Hope just in time," He said. "Her temperature is a bit low but I believe she will make a full recovery."

"Hope I like that," He said. "It fits well with the Manor and Miss Amelia," He said. "Now the big question Doc how old is she?"

"From everything I can see our girl here is about ten," He said. "Amelia I have done blood draws on her and she did poop a little while examining her I am going to take them back to the clinic and send them out for testing. I do see she has some dental issues though so I would suggest one of the dry food on the list and any wet food will be okay."

Charles popped his head in and asked, "DO you know what kind of dog she is?"

"I believe she is a Australian Cattle Dog," He said. "They live between twelve to sixteen years. But the oldest one on record is 29 years old. Amelia you said you gave her some eggs before correct?"

"Yes was that a bad thing?" I asked.

"No you did fine," He said. "This is a vitamin you can add to her for just a teaspoon powdered on her food. Start her on them once she is eating full meals. But as skinny as she is I would start with half cup meals every few hours. Then as she stabilizes she should be eating three to four cups a day. I will come back out in two days to check her. She is only about half the size she should be. I also want to check once she has eaten more and is not so stressed if she was fixed."

"Okay Doctor Carson," I said. "Oh how do we pay you."

"We can handle that when I come back in two days because of the labs and if we need to do more," He said. "I would make sure for the next couple of days to just do short walks and let her eat and drink when she wants. Also give her a nice warm blanket or bed to sleep on."

We took hope to the yard and let her pee and when she pooped more Dr Carson collected that and said, "That is a better specimen." 

When Doctor Carson left, we went to go inside and I said, "Come on hope you come in as well and she walked slowly with us." 

Simon and Sadie left to get ready for their day and both officers said they would et us know when they found out any information. We sat in the kitchen and Charles said, "The local tractor store just opened I am going to take your car and get what we needs for Hope I will be back in the next hour I will call Grandpa and let him know I will be at the office a bit later." 

"Okay," I said. "Hey get a good dog brush. She needs a bath but I will not do that to her right now. I think she has had enough water for today."

"I will get everything our girl needs no worries," He said as he leaned to kiss me and hope barked at him.

Kneeling down he said, "Don't worry Hope you have us now and you are going to be spoiled rotten."

When Charles left I grabbed all the towels and blankets and said, "Hope want to do some laundry with me?"

She followed me to the laundry room and I started the load from her rescue. When we got to the kitchen I put a mixing bowl of water on the ground for hope to drink. I started to clean up and realized I had to go upstairs. I called her to follow me and she walked right up the stairs to our room. I cleaned up while she laid where the sun was coming in. When I was done and swept up the floor we headed down stairs and Charles was coming in the door.

Hope walked to him to greet him and he said, "You know this is all for you don't you. Well they had to special order a big bag of your dry food because its a specialty food but they did have two medium bags to get you through with a bunch of wet food."

He put everything on the counter and said, "There is more hold on."

He walked out and she waited for him next to me. He came in loaded with multiple dog beds and a few more bags of things."

I looked at him and he said, "I know I went over board but can you blame me?" 

Trying now to laugh I said, "No not at all."

"Why don't we feed her a can of food while we unpack this all," He said. 

He pulled out a brand new dog dish and rack and put it next to the pantry door, "That hold her food and water that way she does not have to bend down. I got her one for here and one for your office. This pile of fluffiness is for her to sleep on. One for our room, one for the office and one that we can bring into whatever room we are working on. I do not want her to be left alone for a few days. But we should let her wander if she wants so she feels at home just making she she does not have accidents."

"Speaking of walking I got her a nice new collar," He said as he bent down to put it on her. "Plus a bunch of leashes. Everything else in there is for once she recuperates a bit including dog wash for longer haired dogs and toys. This one she can have now though. He called her over as he took a teddy bear out of the bag. Hey Hope this is for you."

She barked and took the bear and laid down with it. There was a knock at the door and Hope got up and went to the kitchen door. As he walked past he petted her and said, "Good girl."

"Hey Ty come on in," He said. "Sorry man we had a crazy morning."

"Everything alright," He asked as he came into the kitchen. He looked at hope behind me and said, "Well hey there are you the reason for the craziness?"

"Yes she is," I said. "Her name is Hope. Your okay with dogs right?" We proceeded to tell him about how we found her and Hope made her way to Ty. 

He gave her his love and attention saying, "Well hope you hit the big time now with pet parents who are going to spoil you. I love dogs and we are thinking when Michael is older to get him one. But not quite there yet." 

Charles said, "Well Hope you have won everyone over it seems. I told Grandpa what happened and he was floored something like that would happen and then got really excited and said, We have a dog."

We all started laughing and Charles said, "Where are the towels and blankets?"

"I have to switch them over," I said.

"I got them, you guys get to work." He said. "After I do that I will walk hope and then head out to the office. By the way I put the food cover for the wet food on the can we gave her earlier. I would set a time for 2 hours to give her more."

He walked out of the kitchen and hope followed him to the laundry room. We went to the office to get started and Ty said, "What kind of monster would do that to her. She is skin and bones."

"I know," I said as Ty moved the cart to the table. "The vet will be coming out sometime Thursday to check up on her again."

"Who is her Vet?" He asked.

"Dr Carson," I said. "The non emergency line gave us his number."

"Oh Doctor Carson is awesome he goes to our church," He said. "A very nice man and a great vet."

"That is so good to know," I said.

"Know what?" CHarles said coming back in with Hope. She had her bear and went to lay on her bed.

"Doctor Carson goes to Ty's church," I said.

"Good to know he is a good man," He said. "She went out and I am off to see Grandpa. I fI am not back by 1pm go ahead and have lunch and start the suite."

We both waved and Charles left. As I answered emails and worked on the blog as Ty continued to sort the Alaska pictures. I saw him tie up the pictures and he said, "These are all the doubles. Where would you want these."

"The doubles you can put in the photo albums here. I have them labeled so you can just sort and put them in the perspective album," I said. "I have extra albums if you need a new one then do you remember the history room you just add it to the shelf in there once its full."

"And I out the wrapped piles back in the box right?" He asked.

"That's right you can put the sorted ones on the bottom shelf once your done," I said.

Watching I saw him adding pictures and he got up and took two Albums to the history room. He came back and moved the albums to a pile and started to sort his third box. I saw him lay the albums down with the labels facing him and he put random pictures on them. Every once in a while when a pile started to get big he would add them to a album. He said, "This box has a bunch of doubles."

I said, "Sometimes they will. Its okay though because then I can sort from there to see what we can use for table books."

After i wrote for an hour I took my cottage pile out and continued to work on the next Table book. After completing the book and sending it to publish with a copy coming to me I took the pictures I was done with the pictures for the cottages and added the rest of the pictures to Ty's pile to put in the building's album. I sat down and worked on my next novel when Hope started whining. I looked up and she was standing next to me. "What's wrong girl do you need to go out?"

When I said out she ran to the door. I grabbed the leash and told Ty I would be back in a few. I put hope on her leash and she dragged me to the tree line and started to go to the bathroom. When she was done I walked with her on the property. I noticed her cage was gone and I silently thanked Simon. We were on our way back when I heard Simon say, "Amelia we were just coming to check on Hope."

He leaned down and started to scratch at her ears. Sadie said, "She looks very relaxed."

"She has been sleeping peacefully with her teddy bear on her bed in my office while we work in there," I said. "She is calm and peaceful and when we get inside she gets another small meal to get her belly used to food."

Simon said, "I was coming to tell Ty I am going to have him work for you mostly up here for now. Especially with Benson your going to need all hands. But I am going to let him know there will be extra projects coming up so there will be some weekend work and I am going to give that boy a reason to quit that dreaded hotel." 

"Alright tell him when he comes in I will be in the kitchen feeding Hope and starting our lunch," I said.

Sadie smiled and said, "He has the guys coming in at 130 so he will not be wrong. He spent the morning getting the rain gear and the employee room ready. He left the receipts on the counter at the house so I am sure he will drop them off soon. He is used to working in the rain so he excited everyone has gear. He got the extras in a few different sizes in case we hire other workers."

"We went to walmart and got the coffee pot and everything else. We decided to do foam cups and loaded up that way they can take the coffee with them," SHe said. "He got a mini fridge and put the creamer in there and the boys have room to store their food and a microwave. He is proud of these boys and knows they will be hard workers." 

We walked in and Ty and Simon were talking when we went in I grabbed a pot out and added the soup from last night to heat up. While that was heating I fed Hope some more and she ate so slow that it broke my heart. I said, "Slow hope and when you feel better you can have bigger meals you have all the food you will ever need here."

Hope looked up and went back to eat. As we were talking Charles came in and said, "How is our girl doing?"

"Eating very slow," I said. "She has been eating for ten minutes and she is taking her time. I am worried about that but we will ask Doctor Carson when we see him."

I took out the packages of cold cuts and bread. I placed a little of each and some lettuce and tomato on a plate. Sadie said, "Well let me get Simon because the boys will be here soon."

I saw Simon leave and Ty walk over to the history room. He joined us and said, "I put everything up before I came in here." 

He washed his hands and said, "Can i help with anything?"

"No I have everything," I said. "But thank you for asking grab a drink and a seat and we can eat."

We sat down and Ty asked, "Did you know Simon was going to have me work here instead of the construction?"

"We had talked about it," I said. "He told me he is sad to hand you over but he wants you working up here and knows I could use the help. But he does have some projects coming up that may require weekend work if your not at the hotel and you can still do both."

We ate and he said, "I put my notice in with the hotel. Honestly it felt good to do that but I was responsible and said I could work for two weeks and the owner said to pick up my final check today when I am done here. Which is fine by me I get to have more time with my boy. That and to be honest my working 1 day here was my full check for the weekend of working there."

Charles said, "Well if they did not want you to stay the two weeks its on them. I drove past the hotel and they do not seem like they do a lot of business."

"They have questionable customers," He said. "Of the hourly rate."

"Well I am glad your no longer working there then," I said.

We finished eating and we put our dishes in the dishwasher and I straightened up the kitchen as Charles took Hope out. Ty and I went to Bensons suite and I had him continue on with the books as I opened a crate filled with mini locked boxes. By the time I pulled them all out and put them in the mysteries crate I found twenty of them. Underneath I found 2 boxes of pictures labeled Great Aunt Emilys wedding 1945. Moving them I found various wedding decor running some up to the wedding crate in the attic and the rest went to the store pile. I got caught up in the 1920's clothing I was sorting until I felt a bump from behind and looked down to see hope next to me. I knealt down and gave her ears a good scratch as Charles brought in her bear and bed. I pointed to a sunny spot on the floor and he placed them there. She laid down and basked in the sun while we all continued to sort and pack.

Ty was just about done when he said, "Amelia I found two more of those locked boxes. What are in them?"

"Honestly Ty," I said. "I do not know. I have two massive key rings in the office and one day we will try to get them open."

"Another mystery I guess," He said after he placed the boxes into the mysteries crate. He went to flip the next book and said, "Hey this book is rattling."

Charles took the book and opened it and said, "Its a treasure book. Amelia you will have to go through it. The Jewerly looks like costume but I would date it to the 1930's. Ty if you find more just give them to the boss lady she will have to sort the contents."

After two hours we finished sorting all the boxes, furniture and pulled made sure to check for surprises and Charles tagged all the furniture going. Ty finished the books and then helped Charles load the van. When we were done I grabbed a vaccum and Hope laid in the sun while I finished cleaning and moving the partially filled boxes and crates to the hall, while Ty check on his baby boy as he had a cold.

Charles came back in and said, "Wow this suite looks so different!"

"I know," I said. "How much room is left?"

"A little bit," He said. "Do you want to start the tea room or head to the basement?"

Looking at hope I said, "Lets work on the tea room for a while. Hope is still getting used to everything and I do not want her to have a chill in the basement." 

Looking over at her I said, "Hey Hope lets go."

Her head popped up and she walked over to us with her teddy bear in her mouth. Charles grabbed her bed and we headed to the tea room. As I opened the curtains a bright patch of light streamed in and she stood in it. Charles laughed and placed her bed on it and she fell to a content sleep again.

Ty walked in and said, "I thought we would do the basement next?"

"Good memory," I said. "We are but right now I do not want to leave Hope Alone and I am sure you remember how cool the basement was. I do not want her sick."

"Man I get that," He said. "Poor Michael has a bad cold. Auntie took him to the Doctor just in case. I have to pick up his prescription on the way home his cold gave him an ear infection."

"Oh poor baby," I said. "I used to get ear infections till I was in my teens I hated it." 

We started on the boxes in the entry of the tea room and I found piles of white lace table clothest. I sorted through and said, "Who needs this many table clothes? Can we see how many tables are in here?"

Ty started going around trying to get a count and said "I see 5. But I am noticing there are many boxes on them so I would estimate the room can hold 7."

"Ok there had to be 100 in this crate so lets sort them and make sure their all table cloths and we will keep some and sell the others, After confirming they were all just table cloths charles ran a stack of twenty to the attic and we went on to the next crate. 

Finding more tea sets I groaned and had charles transfer them to a new box so we could send them to the store. Opening more boxes we came across six boxes of books and Ty sat on the floor sorting and repacking them. When the van was full Charles said, "Did you decide on dinner?"

"Yeah I am making burgers with the meat in the refrigerator," I said.

"Ok I will cook tonight you get a break," He said. "I will be back in an hour or so. Remember stack anything  for the store in the entry way now for Abby to pick up in the morning with the furniture."

Hope woke up and stood next to the door and I took her outside while Ty sorted books. When we came in I made her a plate and she she started to realize we have the food for her. I went back to join Ty while she was eating and she sat watching us and sniffing around. She would go between both of us and we would pet her. We continued sorting until Ty's alarm went off and he went to leave.

"See you tomorrow Amelia," He said. "Eight in the morning from now on?"

"Yes and remember we will have meals here," I said.

He nodded and left. Hope looked bored so I said, "Girl you want to explore the house?"

We walked through the house and I let her sniff and look around. We went up the stairs and made it to the attic and she ran to the end of the hall barking. When she ran back to me we went back down. She seemed to be getting used to the main house and looked happy. We were doing another lap downstairs when she took of trotting to the door. I heard Charles say, "Hope where is your mommy?"

I came around the corner seeing Benson with Charles and said, "After Ty left I took Hope around the house letting her exlpore. She has such a curious nature about her. She seems like she is doing better."

Benson knealt down and said, "Hi Hope."

Hope rested her head on Benson and I said, "I think she likes you Benson."

"Well I am sure we will be fast friends," He said. "I cannot believe you got the suite done so fast. Charles and I will be moving boxes and his car here tomorrow after my doctors appointment."

"Well lets look and make sure we have everything you want out tagged," I said.

We walked into Bensons suite and hope took her place on the rug where she laid earlier. After a moment she got up and left the room coming back with her teddy bear. Benson chuckled and said, "She knows she is home."

He saw the book cases and had us keep the corner set and then added the tag onto the coffee table. He went into the room and looked in the closet and the bathroom. I asked, "Do you think you have enough room?"

Walking over to me he said, "More than enough. Once the extra furniture is taken out I will have plenty of room. I have all but a few pieces of clothing ready to move over as well as all my books. You know what that corner book case will hold them all. However could I move that small bookcase there to the bedroom. That would be great for some of my other books and photo albums I have."

"Sure Grandpa," Charles said as he moved the book care to the bedroom. "We tagged the night stands to go as well as the lamps. You sure you do not need those?"

"No I have mine from the old house," He said. "Abby has been a doll helping me sort and pack. She is coming over early tomorrow to help me before we go to the Doctors. I should be moved in by Friday."

Hope barked to show her happiness. She stood next to me and I asked her, "You want dinner?"

She barked and Benson said, "Yes."

We headed to the kitchen and I prepared more food for Hope while Charles started dinner. While he made dinner I took out the crockpot and added everything for the stew I was making for dinner. Benson came over and said, "Traditional beef stew?"

Nodding I said, "Grams used to make this all the time. Now I do not have to worry about dinner while you are moving in and we can eat when you are done unpacking and moving things over."

We sat down at the table after I grabbed my tablet and said, "Hey what happened with those spears and darts?"

"Well," Benson said. "I know a collector and he brought the whole lot. It is a good thing you did not handle them a few pieces had a toxin on them they use for hunting. Even after 100 years it was still active."

"Oh my we will be extra careful," I said. "I am glad it out of the store I would hate for someone to touch it."

"Me to," He said. "Charles said that after hope settles in you all will be heading to the basement?"

"Yes I do not want her to chill," I said. "I would like to beat the previous owner for what they did to her. She is such a sweet girl."

We chatted while I pulled up Amazon and found a heated dog bed and I ordered it. Charles looked at me and asked, "What did you buy I know that face?"

"I got our girl a heated dog bed for the basement," I said. "That way she can rest on it and still get up to explore the house. She knows she is home and I think she would be fine if she explored on her own. At night she will be in our suite but during the day this is her home to I do not see why not let her roam. We just need to make sure we keep the doors shut and secured."

There was a knock at the door and Simon appeared in the kitchen, "Hey Amelia, Oh hi Benson ready to move in?"

Benson got up to greet Simon and said, "Simon its been a while good to see you. I sure am and if the kids cook this good all the time they are never getting rid of me."

Simon laughed and handed me a envelope. "Its the receipts plus the designs I came up with for the kitchen and the billiard fool ya rack. Also I had to purchase some extra stuff for the property. We got 2 chainsaws and some hand saws. As we have rain gear and plenty of coffee we start the tree maintenance this week when we cannot work the other projects. Your wood shed and ours will be full soon enough. As the boat house will be getting ready to be shut down for the winter next month I am going to stack some extra in there as well as in the greenhouse. I also told the boys they can take some home if they have a fire place. There are tree limbs down all along the lake and fencing. There are also quite a few trails around the property blocked. Also just so you know the trails are rough and to let guest use them I would suggest borders along the trails and a stone pathway. Max found 4 spots where the trees broke the old fence. We patched up the areas until we do the big job. We also have the parking lot plan being gone over by county and will hear back next week. When the ground settles we will be able to see all the spots with possible erosion and will be getting the stone for that."

"Simon you have been busy," I said.

"Sure have and here is receipts for more Christmas stuff. I found the candy canes," He said. " Walmart had an early sale and I bought enough to go along the entire driveway as well as some incase anything breaks."

"Thank you Simon," I said. "Well if you think the paths are rough we will not go against your judgement. When you say stone do you mean pavers or bricks?"

"That I was going to check about," He said. "Bricks are more historically accurate to match the manor. Also they would be better for anyone with mobility issues as they can have wheel chairs and scooters driven on them. But we also have 10 miles of pathways and edging to build which means we may have issues getting all the same color."

Benson said, "Why don't you just change the color depending on the location of the trail? Also remember solar lights for the paths to be lit as insurance may require them due to being an event center."

Simon took out his notebook and said, "Good Idea Benson."

"Now that you have the gear Simon," I said, "How do the guys feel about working regardless of the weather?"

"They are excited," He said. "Kyle more than anyone because of his Mama. He is so happy because now that he is working here his Mama is not so stressed when he takes her to the doctors. Benji as well because he can go to the doctor for his baby appointments and when his wife dropped him off she had a big smile. Max is max he is happy to be working. Their all good boys and they are thankful for the manor."

Hope barked and I said, "I believe hope agrees."

"Well she should you jumped into a freezing lake without a thought to rescue her," He said.

Benson looked at me and said, "You jumped in to get her?"

"Grandpa I did not tell you that part so you would not worry," Charles said.

"Benson I would do it again in a heart beat," I said. "She is worth it."

Charles handed me a small plate and said, "Its not seasoned and cooked medium she can have little bites. It is cool hers was the first I cooked and I made extra for you and Ty for lunch tomorrow."

Standing up I grabbed plates and said, "Simon you want to get Sadie and join us?"

"No thank you," He said taking sadies blanket from me. "Sadie made baked potato soup and rolls. I am going to have dinner with my love while we watch a movie."

He headed out as I set the table and grabbed the Salads I had got. Looking in the fridge I also grabbed the pickles and condiments. Looking up I said, "Does the Market allow dogs?"

"Not sure why?" Charles asked.

"I was going to go get some stuff on the weekend," I said. "I do not want to spook her though."

Benson said, "Amelia I will be here this weekend with Charles I can keep an eye on her."

"Well you know guys," I said. "I can go to the Market early and get stuff for a picnic while you fish on shore with little miss and when I get back you can take a ride in the boat. We can see if she wants to go in the boat and if not I can come back and write or do whatever here."

Charles and Benson looked at me with smiles and said, "Okay."

Laughing I said, "Just be careful Simon was serious there are erosion problems along the shore and we are fixing that issue."

"Should you file an insurance claim?" Benson asked.

"Not for this," I said. "Simon did his research and since it just softened the ground in spots the rocks will fix the problem."

"Well who is hungry?" Charles asked bring the burgers to the table and hope gave a bark. "Is Amelia doing what the doctor said and giving you a little at a time? Hope you need to eat slow girl for your belly."

She laid under the table and took the bits we offered as we ate. When dinner was done Charles took her on the leash walking Benson out and I cleaned up dinner and grabbed the towels and blankets to fold. I headed to the office to put the papers on my desk. Charles came in and said, "I am beat."

"Same" I said, "I think its bed time. Being up this early got me."

We headed to bed and I called back, "Hope get your toy."

She came following is holding her teddy in her mouth. I walked up the stairs next to her and she went into our suite. As we got ready for bed she sat next to the bed. I pulled her bed right next to ours and she laid down and curled up. We put the TV so we had something to fall asleep to. When we woke up the following morning I felt something heavy across my feet and looked down. I nudged Charles and he opened his eyes and asked, "You okay?"

Smiling I said, "Look down."

His eyes went to the bottom of the bed and he laughed. "I think she was lonely."

Pulling my feet out from under her I moved to the bottom of the bed, rubbed hopes ears and said, "When did you get up here?" 

We got ready for the day after quick showers and I headed to the door asking her, "Hope you want to go out?"

She bounded out the door and went down the stairs. When I got to it I grabbed her leash meeting her at the door. When we went outside she pulled me to her spot so she could go and when I got back she ran to the kitchen. Laughing I put the light on and said, "Okay girl I get it you want some breakfast."

I filled her bowl and made the coffee. Charles came down and grabbed the crock pot from the fridge putting it on. He grabbed some coffee and said, "Hope seems to have more energy today."

"I think she is starting to feel good. She is eating better today." I said. "When we came back in she ran right to the kitchen."

We were sitting down drinking coffee when Hopes head popped up and she barked running to the door. I looked at my watch and said, "Its to early for Ty."

When we heard a knock hope barked again and Charles got up. As he got to the door he said, "Hope who did you hear?"

I came out as he said, "Officers Greene and Ricos how are you this morning? Would you like some coffee?"

Officer Greene said, "We will never turn down coffee."

They came in and officer Ricos said, "We came to give you an update about our new friend here."

Coming out I asked, "You found them?"

She nodded and said, "Oh boy we sure did."

We went into the kitchen and hope sat next to me as Charles poured coffee. Officer Greene said, "We were able to get a match from the partial plate and the car type. The dirt bag who did this had a make shift dog fighting ring. All the animals have been moved to a no kill shelter and are receiving treatment for malnutrition and injuries. When we asked him why he dumped hope he said she wouldn't fight only play. We asked him where he got her and he said he got her from a pound in New York. He bragged how he went to all the kill shelters and he got the dogs on the put down list. We checked into his story and she was picked up from the shelter over a month ago. She had been placed at the shelter because her original owner died. Everyone that we arrested this morning is banned from all shelters in the surrounding states now and are facing multiple charges."

"Good," I said.

"He asked who ratted him," Officer Greene said.

"What did you tell him?" I asked.

"I told him his ass was stupid enough to dump her on a bridge with a Video camera and she was rescued from the water." He said then Officer Ricos couldn't help it and said, "Thanks to you that dog is living in the lap of luxury and her owner already said you come near her you will never be found."

"Well you are not wrong," I said. 

"So she is yours and we did get her original adoption paper work for you," officer Greene said handing me a copy. "I am sure Doctor Carson will want those for his records as well there is two copies."

Hope ran to the kitchen door and barked again. This time Ty came in and said, "Good Morning Hope where is your Mom."

"We are in here Ty," I called out.

He came in and said, "She looks so good today."

Charles laughed and said, "She is doing a lot better."

The alert for the gate buzzed and Charles said, "That would be Abby. She is here for the furniture and she wants to meet hope. Come on girl lets go outside."

Charles put hope on her leash and they headed out. Ty came in and poured a cup if coffee and said, "I am going to set up and start the day. Same project right?"

"Yes," I said. "When Abby comes in I want to introduce you."

"Okay," He said heading for the office. "Ty is my assistant. Best worker I know and such a good person I am glad he is part of the Amore Manor Team." 

Charles came in with a package saying, "You overnighted the bed for hope?"

"It was free next day," I said.

Officer Ricos looked in the hall and said, "You have a bed in your office I see it."

"Yes," I said. "But it is a heated dog bed. Now that Bensons suite is done we are starting the basement and its cool down there. After everything Hope has been through I did not want her to get sick. Speaking of where is she?"

Opening the box Charles said, "Abby signed for this when she got here so the delivery driver could go. Hope is making friends with her and Mack."

Officer Greene stood up and said, "Well thank you for the coffee and I am sure we will see you soon."

"Oh wait can i give you some flyers," I asked.

"Sure for what?" Officer Rios said.

"You'll see," I said. I ran into the office and opened the flyers and grabbed a stack for them to bring to the station.

When I came back out officer Rios took the flyers and said, "Your the one who is blocked out for traffic control. Oh man what a great idea. All proceeds go to the community pantry of that will help them so much."

"They will be here every night collecting all goods and cash," I said. "At the end of the night they are going to give me the totals and we will match both cans and cash."

The said their goodbyes and Abby walked in with hope. She looked at me and said, "I would say I would fight you for her but she knows she is home."

Charles came out from the basement, kissed me and grabbed his bag saying, "Her bed is plugged in and I am off I have to get to Grandpa by nine so we are not late. We will get the first load and he is driving my car out here so its here and we should be able to get a bit moved in."

After he left I saw Hope go to the office and sit on her bed. I asked Abby "How bad is it?"

"We  got a lot packed yesterday," She said. "I know Charles is going to load while Benson continues to sort and pack."

"Okay I wanted you to meet my assistant Ty and give you some flyers for our event," I said. We walked into the office and I said, "Ty this is Abby and Mack. They work for Benson and Charles."

He stood up and shook their hands saying, "Nice to meet you both."

"Does Amelia have you sorting pictures?" Mack asked.

"Yes she does and I think this box should be labeled hold my beer," He said.

"Why do you say that," Abby asked. 

"This stack of pictures of a scope with a gun barrel and a animal in its target," He said.

Mack walked over and looked at the stack and said, "Wow your not kidding."

He put the pictures down and said, "Amelia those would be a great 'hunters' book."

Laughing Abby said, "Oh lord. Ty it is great to meet you and I am sure we will be seeing you soon. Come on Mack get Jerry we have to get back for online sales."

I walked them out and said, "Those boxes stacked there. Plus all the tagged furniture in Bensons suite which is here."

Walking them to Bensons suite I flipped on the over head lights and showed them the tags. Abby looked around and said, "This suite is bigger than his apartment."

They got to work clearing the extra furniture and when they were done I filled their coffee and put another pot on. Going into the suite I vacuumed where the furniture had sat. Walking back to the office I found Ty sorting the third box and he said, "Not many doubles now but some really awesome pictures. I kept the stack of scope pictures separate in case you wanted to do something with them."

"Thank you Ty that attention to detail comes in handy," I said.

Sitting at my desk I sighed and he said, "You alright?"

"Yes I am fine," I said. "I try to keep myself on a schedule but with everything here I feel like I am not on one. Its okay though when my Grandma passed I knew things would change and I will be honest with you I never thought things would change like this."

"I get it," He said. "When Simon asked if I wanted work I could never had dreamed I would have this amazing opportunity and now I can do better for my family. Mama asked me last night now that I am making money if I want to move out and I asked her if she wanted me to. She said no. Michael is happy and I can take care of him Mama and my Aunt. That is a great change not to worry. Oh I marked on the calendar a few days I need off or come in late or eave early. Was that okay?"

"Sure is," I said. "How is Michael feeling?"

"Oh he is cranky," He said. "But he is a baby and has a ear infection and a cold plus teething. Poor kid will be okay Mama and Auntie are spoiling him."

We continued on with the office work. I had just finished working on my new book and was starting pictures when Charles and Benson pulled up. Ty looked up and asked, "Would you mind if I help them unload? That way Charles does not have to do it himself. I see you just pulled more pictures to decide on."

"Thank you Ty," I said. "I would appreciate it."

He went to leave and said, "I am going to shut the door so Hope does not get under foot."

Hope walked to the window and watched while they unloaded the van. Twenty minutes later Charles came into the office. Walking over he kissed me and said, "Hey you."

"Hey," I said taking his hand. "You okay."

"Yeah,"He said. "This is a list of all of his Doctors appointments pending any issues during the surgery. I cannot believe how much ready to be moved. Abby was meeting us there next trip to help him pack more. If Ty can help unload when I get back I will leave Grandpa there and just go back and forth."

"Okay," I said. "Do you want me to make you lunch to eat when you get back? I can make you a burger and leave it in the microwave."

"Yes," He said. "But not on a plate just leave it wrapped in foil and I will eat on the way back there."

"Okay," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too," He said walking to find Benson. When they left our alarm went off and we cleaned up and headed to the kitchen to eat lunch. I heated up our burgers and one for Charles and wrapped it for him. We sat eating and when we were done I said, "Time for the basement."

Grabbing the mystery box and a empty shoe box for papers we headed to the basement with Hope following us. I pointed to  her bed and she laid down. We went to pull the first crate and Ty said, "You said that was a heated bed?"

"Yeah," I said. "Why?"

"Look," He said nodding at hope.

She was laying flat on the bed enjoying the warmth. Ty walked over and placed his hand on it and said, "Man I want a bed like this is not to warm and soft."

He joined me and we started with the crate next to the door. We bag a bunch of filling and found a lot of silver platters. Pulling them out I said, "There is no way I need all of this."

We sorted the silver pieces and I did keep some pieces and Ty and I ran upstairs to start a crate with some of the pieces in the attic. I explained why I kept some of the items and we created a new labeled crate. We moved the boxes around so all the like types were put together. We got back downstairs and Hope was so content she was still sleeping. Moving on we found another box of silver. I grabbed a empty basket I saw and added a few more items to it. Ty moved the full items for Charles upstairs into the entry way. Sorting through I found more clothing from the seventies and Ty searched and folded them to a new crate. I made a pile for myself on a chair. When Ty ran the next crate up he brought me back my trusty basket. Putting the basket on the chair we continued on. I found a few boxes of books and looked through the pile as Ty searched for papers. We continued on and Ty kept bringing boxes up as we filled them. I knew it was a good choice hiring him as my assistant. When his alarm went off at the end of the day we could see we made a difference. I grabbed my basket and unplugged hopes bed and called her as we went up the stairs. She followed us up and Ty got his belongings and said good night. 

Heading up to our room to put away the things I decided to keep Hope looked out the window. I knew she had been doing better and was thankful. I put the basket on the table and said, "You ready to walk around girl." 

She went to the door and I hooked her on her leash and walked her outside as the sun started to set. She barked when she saw the van come down the driveway along with the company truck. She pulled on the leash to get to Charles when he stepped out of the van. "Hey girl you can go see him relax."

He walked over and knelt down to rub her head. "Did you miss me girl?"

She jumped on him and he fell on his butt and started laughing as I said, "I think she did. Did you finish packing the apartment?"

Benson walked over leaning over to pet Hope and said, "We sure did. We even cleaned it and all I have to do is hand my keys in tomorrow. Thankfully all my mail goes to the store so I never had to worry about that."

Abby walked over from the truck and said, "Well guys lets get everything inside. We moved everything Benson did not want to the store already. Amelia if you have a pile we can load it and drop it off as well."

"Well Abby we do have a decent pile," I said. 

As she carried in a bag of groceries she said, "I have a few bags from the Bensons apartment and I will bring them in as I see little miss is waiting by her food dish."

Laughing I said, "Okay hope you know what time it is and Doctor Carson will be here at 8 to see you before he goes into his clinic. Hopefully we can give you a bath tomorrow. Especially since we snuck up on the bed last night."

Benson walked in and said, "Well she must have wanted company. Is there any coffee?"

"There should be some left," I said as I mixed the stew and turned the crock pot to keep warm. I set the table and got it ready for dinner. 

"Amelia," Abby called.

"Yes," I said coming out of the kitchen.

"This is all for the store?" she said.

"Sure is," I said. "We got into the basement today and let me tell you we got a lot gone through. However we made no dent. Before you leave did you all want some food? I made stew for dinner."

"Oh your so sweet Amelia," She said. "No Mack has to get home to his wife and my cat is probably destroying the house because her dinner is late. We will have to get together soon though and have a ladies day."

"We sure will," I said giving her a hug. 

When they left charles came up to me and said, "I have missed you today?"

"I missed you to," I said. "But no worries we can spend some time together after we head to the room. I think our tub is calling us. Dinner is done did you guys want to eat now or a little later?"

Benson walked into the kitchen and said, "I just want to unpack a few things before we eat if thats alright?"

"Sure Grandpa," Chatrles said. "Do you need help?"

"No I am alright," He said. "Just a few things to get myself settled for tonight."

"Take your time Benson," I said. "I am going to get some office work done."

Benson walked to his room and I said, "You sir are stressing. Go get your running shoes on and go for a run up and down the driveway."

He gave a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you."

I watched him go upstairs and I called for hope and she joined me in the office. I went through some emails and looked to see if I could find anymore Christmas decor. I did find a Merry go round in the christmas theme and I could not resist. I placed the order and as I was printing the receipt there was a knock at the door. Looking up Benson was standing there.

"Hey Benson," I said. "You doing alright?"

Coming in and sitting down he said, "Where is Charles?"

"I made him go for a small run on the driveway," I said.

"I am worrying him," Benson said. 

"A little," I said. "But he will be okay and so will you."

"Thank you sweetheart," He said. "So what were you printing I saw a piece of decor."

I handed him the merry go round print out and said, "I could not resist."

"That is an amazing piece," He said. "Did you order a Christmas tree yet?"

"No because I am a fan of real trees and I am still debating on which room we will put it in," I said. "I am hoping that we may have the Formal sitting room cleaned out soon."

"You know my dear you should do what makes you happy." He said. "Also the seating area next to your office would be a good place to but you have plenty of time. If your anything like constance no tree goes up until after Thanksgiving."

"Thats true but I think we will have to set up the Christmas display starting at the beginning of november," I said. "I would rather have it done early instead of to late."

"So true," He said. "How is hope doing?"

"She is doing good," I said. "Doctor Carson will be here in the morning to see her and see how she is."

We chatted for a while and Charles came in saying, "I needed that."

Smiling I said, "You will be great after your fishing day this weekend."

"Yes I will," He said. "You ready for dinner you two. After this run I am starving."

Heading to dinner we sat and ate. Afterwards we cleaned up and Charles took hope out one more time. When he came in we locked up and said good night to Benson. Benson said good night and headed to his suite. We headed upstairs and started a bath. We talked while in the tub and Charles agreed with Benson that the basement could wait. He thought the idea of the lounge would be nice and we would all have a place to go instead of our rooms and the kitchen. 

Leaning against him I said, "maybe."

We spent some time just enjoying being with each other and when we went to bed we found hope curled up on the bottom of the bed. Looking at each other he said, "She feels safe. I do not mind if she is up here with while we sleep."

"Me either," I said. Hope hoped down and walked to the living room and laid down on her heated bed I plugged in near the windows with her teddy bear. 

He kissed me and said, "I think she is giving us some privacy."

When we were about to fall to sleep and we shut the lights off hope jumped up on the bed a snuggled by our feet with her teddy bear. We woke when a storm started rolling in and Hope dove up between us. I put my arms around her and said, "Hope its okay we are right here." 

Charles ran to the living room and grabbed our heavy blanket. When he got back he laid it over hope and wrapped it around her. She calmed down and snuggled us a she settled down. We fell back to sleep and woke up in the morning with a blanket between us and hope at the bottom of the bed curled with her teddy bear. 

Leaning over the blanket he kissed my cheek and said, "I will take Hope out after I get dressed. Its only 6 why don't you try to sleep for another hour."

"Okay," I said as I curled down in the bed. I heard my phone bing. Grabbing it I saw a message from Ty. I read, Miss Amelia I hate to ask but could I take a sick day. Mama and Auntie caught that stomach bug and Michael is being a handful and has been up half the night crying because his ears are still hurting him. I may need to take him to the Doctor. I am waiting for them to open to see if they can get us in. If you want I can make it up this weekend.

I smiled thankful I had put 14 yearly sick days on Ty's form for inside. I replied, "Use this as a sick day. I will notate you for 8 hrs today and your okay. I hope everyone feels better and if you need anything call us okay.

Streching I got up and got dressed. I headed downstairs as Charles came in and he said, "Baby I thought you were going to sleep in?"

"I was," I said. "I got a text from Ty. He asked for a sick day as everyone including the baby is under the weather. He is waiting for the pediatrician to call him back when they open. So it is just me. I am going to do some office work and walk around the house and decide what I want to do after Dr Carson looks at hope."

"Oh man," He said. "I know we have workers out with that stomach bug going around."

I sat sipping my coffee and Benson came in and I said, "Benson, No one should be that awake and cheerful this time in the morning."

He laughed and said, "My dear girl, I slept so well last night. I was up at 5 this morning and when the rain stop I took a brisk walk on the property and came in to get ready for the day."

"You slept through the storm last night?" I said.

"I sure did," He said.

Charles explained how hope climbed between us last night and how we had to calm her with a heavy blanket. Benson laughed and said, "Oh poor girl she probably has been outside all this time. You did the right thing. Maybe I will sneak and get her to walk with me sometimes once the doctor gives her the all clear. Now I am heading to the office and will be back later. Charles you are off today. You and Amelia went above and beyond this week. If you want to work, work from home today and both of you relax."

"Grandpa you sure," Charles asked.

"I don't need to repeat myself," He said. He filled his to go mug and headed out the door. 

We both laughed and said, "What is your plans then for the day?"

The buzzer went off and I answered it, "Hello."

"Good Morning Amelia," The voice said, "This is Doctor Carson and I am here to see Hope."

"Use the gate code 111119 and we will see you at the house," I said.

After I disconnected I turned to Charles and said, "First things first we see how our girl is doing. Then I will decide about the day."

We put Hope on her leash and met Dr Carson at the front of the Manor. When he got out of his mobile clinic he asked, "How is she doing today?"

She gave a bark and I said, "She has been doing so much better. We discovered last night she hates the storms. But she is eating and going outside without any issues. She wants to run when she is outside but we have been putting that on hold until you see her. Also they found the owner and this is the police report pertaining to that incase you want to look before you look at her."

Dr Carson looked over the paperwork and said, "I treated some of the animals from this bust. Such horrible conditions but we will find them rescues, fosters, homes and treat them like they should. Now Hope lets get you checked out."

He opened the back doors to his mobile clinic and Hope jumped right in. We followed and after Dr Carson checked her he said, "Well your girl here has no issues with the blood work or the analysis on her stool. I see from the records from the police report she is fixed so you do not need to worry about that. Now that she is in better shape I would say she is able to eat at will and you can give her treats. She does seem like she wants to play and run. Start slow and let her, her breed does like to be active. I know she needs a bath but I would suggest a shower instead of the tub just because of the lake incident."

We both nodded and Hope looked very happy sitting between us. I asked, "So she should not have any physical issues then and when would you like to see her again?"

"How about a two month time period?" He said. "Unless she has a problem go ahead and make an appointment with my clinic to bring her in then. Remember she had a traumatic experience so she will sometimes need the extra love and attention. For treats use soft treats and cookies. My own dog gets the pumpkin treats from the farmers market in town. The stall is called everything for my pet. They are amazing."

We climbed out of the van and Charles filled out the payment form for Dr Carson. When they were done we took her for a walk around the estate and Charles said, "I know you over did it and want to get stuff done. How about this why don't you take a break, go get a coffee and go to the Farmers Market. I found out we can bring Hope but while your gone I am going to give her a bath and dry her off and when you get back we can work for a while in the office. Then we can spend all afternoon together. Also you have been cooking so why don't you let me cook tonight as well."

I leaned against him and said, "That sound like a great idea. Do not be surprised if I come home and want to go take a nap for a while. I walked inside to grab my purse and wallet."

Hope was following me around while Charles got coffee and I knelt down next to her and said, "I am going to the market and I am getting you some treats when I go. Charles is going to give you a bath okay. Be a good girl and when I get back I will have a surprise for you. Next time we go you will be able to come with us alright?"

She put her head against mine because she understood and I went to leave. I waved to everyone as I left and I drove to the market. I stopped at the coffee stall first and got a large coffee to drink while I went to shop. As I was walking through I heard a voice say, "Now I thought you were supposed to be resting my dear."

I turned to see Benson, Abby and Mack. Laughing I said, "I am. Hope just got cleared by Dr Carson and told us about the pet stall and I came to get a few things from the Market while Charles is bathing Hope."

Putting his hand on my arm Benson asked, "How is our girl?"

"She is fine," I said. Patting his hand. "He said she is good to go and just needs to gain back her weight. Hence the reason I am here to get her treats to go with her food and some goodies. After I do some food shopping I am going home and probably taking a nap."

"Did you want me to get some take out for tonight?" Benson asked.

"No," I said. "Charles mentioned cooking as we walked hope near the grill. He told me he wanted to see what we needed for it. I think when I am napping he is going to bring her back to life."

Benson looked at me and said, "When you get to the meats pick up some steaks I know he loves a good steak. I will convince him to grill them up tonight."

Laughing I said, "I will sure do that."

He went into his wallet and handed me cash, "Do not argue with me grab some groceries with this. I would suggest some cold cuts too with the charity event next weekend we may be very busy and sandwiches may be our go to. By the way that bottle has brought in a lot of business. Abby and Mack did a small video and put it on our website and people have come in to shop."

"I am so glad," I said. "I am not a big drinker so I hope whoever gets it enjoys looking at it or drinking it. The kids will be having an amazing Christmas. Oh Benson do you think we can arrange with the orphanage a special viewing for the kids to come out when we are set up for Christmas? I was going to make some treat bags for them if they can and have Santa's Elves hand them out one night."

Abby started bouncing and said, "I will talk to the director about getting them out there. I have a list of all the kids and we can go shopping and make the bags one day at the Manor!"

"Its a date then," I said. "Abby call me and let me know. If we need insurance let me know and I can get special insurance for them to come out as well. We can also make it a special night and I will order Pizza for all the kids and get a bunch of cupcakes as well. The director can use that as a post trip celebration if she wants."

"After our meeting I will call," She said. "I will email you on what day she would like to do it and we can arrange it."

After talking for a few more minutes we said our goodbyes and I continued to shop. I grabbed a few different steaks as well as different meats and cold cuts. I shopped for various items in the food area and the specialty shops and then came up to the pet store Dr Carson told me about. I met the owner and told her about Hope and the events on how we got her. She helped me find all the items I needed as well as gave suggestions for future purchases. I spent a small fortune on dog supplies and headed home after.

When I pulled up under the porch cover Hope came running at me at full speed. I bent down and said, "Oh boy your fast. I bet you knew I had treats for you didn't you girl."

Taking a treat out I said, "Sit."

Hope plopped her but down and I fed her the cookie as Charles ran around the corner. Looking at me he said, "When we saw you coming down the driveway I had to hold onto her because she wanted to meet you. When I heard the car door open I let her go. She is smart she knew you had a treat for her."

Taking another dog cookie out I fed it to Hope and said, "Of course she did. She is a good girl. I am filling that crystal container on the counter full with dog treats. How did her bath go?"

"She did amazing," He said as he helped me grab the bags from the back of the SUV. "I already washed the towels we used and then came out to fix the grill. While you were gone Hope and I did go to the hardware store to see how she would do in public and she was amazing and we just finished fixing it."

"Oh good," I said. "I ran into Benson at the  market and he had me pick up steaks and more food for the week requesting cold cuts. He handed me cash and told me not to argue. So now you are grilling tonight."

When we got everything inside he looked into the meat bag and he said, "Amelia there are like 4 different types of steak here."

"I know," I said. "I like mine right past rare to medium rare. But I could not decide what to get so I got a few different types. I also got a few different roasts. Along with burgers, hot dogs and various other meats. Benson said you all might be busy next week before the event so I wanted to make sure we were stocked."

He picked out a pack of steaks and put them in the fridge saying, "These will do nicely." 

"The day of Bensons surgery I am going to have Ty here and he will be doing office things the whole day. I can work on my emails and do stuff while we are waiting," I said. "But some of  the meat is for soups and stews once he comes home as well."

He hugged me and said, "You are so much more prepared than I am for this. Thank you."

Yawning I said, "Your welcome. Now I am going to put everything away and go take a nap."

He laughed and said, "How about this go take a nap and I will put it away. I will bring hope up after I walk her again."

Giving him a kiss I headed upstairs and changed. Then I laid down to take a nap. When I woke up I felt a weight against my back and when I turned over hope was curled up against me. Lifting my arm I scratched her ears and said, "Hey girl when did you sneak in here?"

Hope leaned against me and I wrapped my arms around her. Both of us dozed off a bit more not waking up until Charles climbed on the bed and said, "Hey sleepy head are you going to sleep all day?"

Hope barked at him and I said, "What she said."

Smiled he curled up and said, "You fell asleep fast. When you headed upstairs she wanted to be with you. I took her out and then when we came in she ran up the stairs so I opened the door an she climbed right up and lay next to you. I washed up and when I came out of the bathroom you both were out cold."

"I should thank Ty for calling out because I feel so much better sleeping today," I said. 

We climbed off the bed and Hope followed us downstairs. I looked at the clock and it was a little past one. My stomach growled and Charles said, "Do you want me to make you lunch?"

"I was going to make myself a vegi wrap," I said.

He looked at me and I said, "I will make it no worries they are simple to make ."

I spread some onion and garlic cheese spread on a fresh chive wrap. Then I layered Lettuce, Spinach, tomato, avacado and thinly sliced roasted red peppers. I made it into a wrap and cut it in half. He looked at me and said, "No meat?"

"No why?" I asked. "Sometimes its nice to have something light."

Hope got and ran to the front door. We heard Benson say, "Hey girl. What are you doing? Do you want to come with me?"

We heard them go towards Benson's room and Charles said, "You know she likes following him."

"I know," I said. "She is a wonderful baby. Speaking of I had been thinking of what Benson was saying about having a room to relax other than our suites and the kitchen. There is a sitting room next to our office and next to Bensons Suite. Wanna do some paperwork and then we can look through boxes?"

Nudging me to the office he said, "I will grab us drinks and be there in a few minutes."

Making quick work of emails and inquiries. Charles joined me and we continued to work. After a bit Benson joined us in the office and sat down with his laptop. After doing paperwork and working on some writing I shut my laptop and turned off my monitor and said, "Its about 4pm now. The sides are in the fridge and I am going to the sitting Alcove next to Bensons suite and I am going to play in boxes and crates. But first I need a refill and have to get my laundry basket."

Charles stood up and said, "Go in and I will refill and grab the basket. Just grab the mystery box."

Looking around I asked, "Where is Hope?"

Benson followed me out and said, "You know where the sun comes in. She fell asleep while I was unpacking I left the door open for her."

Going to the sitting room I said, "This should be easy in here. This will be a good room for the holidays."

Benson patted my arm and said, "I will get out of your way for a while I am going to work on my unpacking a bit more."

Grabbing a crate I dragged it next to the first stack of boxes and opened the box. Looking at the first box I said out loud, "At least its not shrunken heads."

Charles walked into the room and said, "No more shrunken heads? What did you find?"

Lifting the first piece out of the box I said, "Looks like someone liked taxidermy. There are a lot of boxes and crates with the same marks." 

I started to pull the smaller animals out and place them on top of crates. Charles said, "I need to get Gramps he will love this."

He went to get Benson while I opened all the smaller boxes and when they got back I was opening the fourth box. Benson started to look over the items and said, "Spectacular. You know Amelia you have one full stock room and another one about half way full. I am guessing your little friends are not staying?"

"No I have Hope I do not need the woodland forest to go with it," I said. Charles started packing the animals they looked at as I pulled more out. 

Opening a box I said, "Nope babe that is yours I do not do snakes."

Charles started lifting stuffed snakes and Benson looked like we had struck the mother load. Charles handed me two more boxes and I added them to the tressures boxes. As he repacked the stuffed animals my phone rang. Looking at the screen I  saw it was Ty and answered the line, "Good afternoon Ty, how is Michael feeling?"

"Miss Amelia," He said.

"Ty what is wrong you sound bad," I said.

"I am at the hospital," He said. "My Aunti got worse and we think she may have had a stroke. I am sorry I need to take some more time off. I can't leave Michael alone with Mom with her being sick still and me going back and forth."

"Ty slow down," I said. "You have plenty of sick time. Take care of your mom and keep us updated on your Aunt. If you need to bring him here for a few days we can make a big play area with boxes till everyone is healthy or you can just work office time and limit the hours we will work it out."

"Thank you so much," He said. "I will call you tomorrow afternoon."

"Ty take care of your family and remember to eat," I said. "If you need anything call me."

As I hung up I heard Simon call out. Charles called out, "We are back here."

He walked in and said, "I need to talk with you about property business if you have a moment."

"Okay," I said. "I need to talk to you as well. What's going on?"

"We got approved for the parking lot," He said. "So they boys will be working up to the forty hours a week if not a bit of overtime if your okay with that?"

"Yes and yes," I said. "Time and a half is okay."

"What about your news?" He asked.

"Ty will be out for a bit," I said. "He is at the hospital. They think his Aunt may have had a stroke and his mom and Michael is still sick."

"Man that poor kid he cannot catch a break," He said. "I am gonna grab Sadie and do a store run to get them some prepared meals. If Mama is sick she is at the house."

Charles walked over and handed Simon some money and said, "Use some of this to load them up. I know Gatorade and Pedialyte is expensive. Get them set up. We will make sure things are okay."

Simon said, "I hope Estal is alright her health has been bad lately and if she passes his Mama will be devastated."

W T F S28 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S11 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S 

M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S

M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S

111119 September (Sept 28 charity auction, October pics 11, 15th, First event dec 17, Christmas event FD)

1904 Chateau Marci, white wine from the personal vineyard of the owner with the wax covered cork

Officer Ricos wedding

Barn 50 people, Patio 30 people

18 boxes of Alaska 1913(*animals, *trees, *cottage, port, water and mountains, anything else)

Amelia- Main  Charles-Co main Constance Moliard-Grandma who died  Pastor Chris-Saint Mary's Church-- Ty(Michael)(13/14))Florence/Estal

Martin- Grandmas lawyer and best friend --- Benson historical item salesman Charles-Heir and Grandson  Simon- Grounds keeper Sadie his wife Abby-Older woman at bensons store Mack her assistant

Workers-  Benji (kid), Kyle(mom) and Max(Laid off)

Fence, wood cutting, wall and parking lot, kitchen, hidden door, retaining wall, christmas display

Carlie- charles ex

fire marshal Sam with his assistant becca

Melissa and Scott - Siblings Melinda-Mom Mitchel-Dad

officer Kayla Rios fiance james and this is my partner officer Greene

Chyanne and I am manager for Truist bank Dr Caron- Vet

 locked boxes- 32

journals with the name Emily, hippy shoe box full of memo and pictures, Africa 1920 pics, Ball room mystery box 3, Journals from bensons rooms, Coins, 5 more journals with Bernard, 6 journals from sarah, box full of invoices and ledgers, ribboned stacks I saw to mother from Clara. box full of wedding pictures and lose pictures. Old makeup containers. 5 more journals from Hank, box of pictures that said African safari 1935, 2 boxes of pictures labeled Great Aunt Emilys wedding 1945.

2 boxes Office paperwork and pictures from shelves. 10 picture boxes inside and 6 VHS tapes. two jewerly boxes, momentos from clothing in the office, letters between grandparents. another box of papers. Pictures of my grandparents in 6 boxes. 

Engraved wedding bands, jewerly boxes (7) Love letters between Sarah and conner, Baby boxes(7), Wedding dresses(3), papers, movies, family jewerly, documents, Ledgers letters between a ben and maggie and I found a pile of journals from lucy

Katies wedding 1935, Amore Manor 1931, 1935 and 1938 (1 more book left), New years ball 1945 and 1940, Christmas pictures from 1931-1938 as well as 10 different balls 1910 1917 1924 1925 1928 1930 1942 1943 1948 1950

5 boxes of paris 1920, 4 boxes of rome 1962, , Oh wow Charles look there are videos in here as well. 15 from alaska, 10 from paris and 5 from rome. Oh wait there is another 5 boxes of pictures from England 1942

picttures Fall a-f winder a-z spring a-e summer a-z no dates

3 master suites with a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom, 2 closets in each each. 8 additional bedrooms, 8 additional bathrooms, a ball room, music room, library, laundry room, pantry, butlers pantry,* formal dining hall, breakfast/tea room, sports room, 5 alcoves with seating, a sitting room upstairs and downstairs. 3 lounges and 15 additional storage closets., garage, basement, greenhouse and attic and three normal staffrooms off the kitchen with bathrooms attached, center of the house/ball room. 4 halls on first floor, 4 halls on second floor, 1 halls to the attic floor. 2landings

FAMILY TREE

Millie Carver(Cousin) + William James

Sally, Miles, Susan, Connie

                                                      Constance Moliard +

                                             Mitchel Moliard + Melinda Wilson

                                                Amelia, Melissa, and Scott