Actually, she had no idea what she would do.
“Yeah, right. You’ll be here for years. Remember, this country has more sheep than people.” Gabi said, grinning. “I’ll pick you up after breakfast. Wear something that can get wet.”
“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow. And thanks again for the fish.”
“No worries,” Gabi said with a wave.
She followed Simone into the house. She could hear Gabi’s Jeep tearing back down the dirt road.
Simone took a few steps and then stopped and turned to Ally with a concerned look. “On second thought, let me show you to your room so you can take a bath, have a rest, or just exhale. You’ve had an unbelievably long few days. You can get the tour when you’re ready.”
Ally nodded, looking into the main living area as she followed Simone. It was a long, open room with a vaulted ceiling and cedar beams running across the width. Expansive glass sliding doors ran along the entire length of the back wall, separating the rich wooden floor from the stone patio outside. There was a schist gas fireplace at the far end of the living area that soared up to the roof.
“Don’t you worry about mosquitoes or bugs coming in?”
Simone followed her gaze. “Not really. We don’t have a big mozzie problem. We leave the sliders open all day to enjoy the fresh air. We plant lots of lavender outside and that seems to keep the bugs away.”
“How interesting.” She’d never heard of using that before.
As they walked the length of the house, she admired the sleek modern design and furnishings. She knew from her conversations with her dad that concrete homes were very smart. The thermal mass from the insulated walls allowed for a constant temperature inside, used less energy, and were cost-effective to build and operate. Homes in New Zealand didn’t have central heat or air conditioning, so building them out of concrete made sense.
Simone finally stopped at the end of a hallway and opened a door on the left. “You make yourself at home. You have your own suite, so hopefully you’ll be comfortable here. If there’s anything you need, George and I will be around tonight. The kitchen is at the opposite end of this hall. Anything else I can get for you right now? Tea? Coffee? Something else to eat?”
“I think that bath is a good start. I’m ready to scrub off that airplane smell. I’ll get settled and catch up with you later, if that’s okay.”
“This is your home for as long as you’re here. We’re just happy to have you,” Simone said, giving Ally a warm embrace and turning back down the hall.
“Simone?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for everything. We’re so very grateful.”
Simone walked back over to her and placed her hands gently on her arms. “You’re welcome, but don’t you dare thank me again. It’s how we are here, and you’ll just have to get used to our smothering. Your dad has.” Simone gave her a wink and left.
Chapter 9
Ally walked into her room—noticing her “sliders” were open—and was met with an easy breeze. She looked around at the comfortable room. It was situated at the end of the house with her sliding doors facing the west. There was an inviting, queen-size bed with crisp white linens, white down comforter, and pillows . I better not go anywhere near that bed, or I won’t get back up . Better to work through the jet lag and go to bed local time. It was almost six p.m., so just a couple more hours to go.
A large, oak armoire stood against the wall to the right of the door. She smiled, noticing her luggage in front of it. These people were nothing if not efficient. She picked up her toiletry bag and went to get cleaned up in the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and set her bag on the sink. She glanced toward the inviting tub and noticed a metal bucket sitting in the middle of it. The bucket was filled with ice and a bottle of wine. A wine glass sat next to the ice bucket.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” she said, pulling out
“Yeah, right. You’ll be here for years. Remember, this country has more sheep than people.” Gabi said, grinning. “I’ll pick you up after breakfast. Wear something that can get wet.”
“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow. And thanks again for the fish.”
“No worries,” Gabi said with a wave.
She followed Simone into the house. She could hear Gabi’s Jeep tearing back down the dirt road.
Simone took a few steps and then stopped and turned to Ally with a concerned look. “On second thought, let me show you to your room so you can take a bath, have a rest, or just exhale. You’ve had an unbelievably long few days. You can get the tour when you’re ready.”
Ally nodded, looking into the main living area as she followed Simone. It was a long, open room with a vaulted ceiling and cedar beams running across the width. Expansive glass sliding doors ran along the entire length of the back wall, separating the rich wooden floor from the stone patio outside. There was a schist gas fireplace at the far end of the living area that soared up to the roof.
“Don’t you worry about mosquitoes or bugs coming in?”
Simone followed her gaze. “Not really. We don’t have a big mozzie problem. We leave the sliders open all day to enjoy the fresh air. We plant lots of lavender outside and that seems to keep the bugs away.”
“How interesting.” She’d never heard of using that before.
As they walked the length of the house, she admired the sleek modern design and furnishings. She knew from her conversations with her dad that concrete homes were very smart. The thermal mass from the insulated walls allowed for a constant temperature inside, used less energy, and were cost-effective to build and operate. Homes in New Zealand didn’t have central heat or air conditioning, so building them out of concrete made sense.
Simone finally stopped at the end of a hallway and opened a door on the left. “You make yourself at home. You have your own suite, so hopefully you’ll be comfortable here. If there’s anything you need, George and I will be around tonight. The kitchen is at the opposite end of this hall. Anything else I can get for you right now? Tea? Coffee? Something else to eat?”
“I think that bath is a good start. I’m ready to scrub off that airplane smell. I’ll get settled and catch up with you later, if that’s okay.”
“This is your home for as long as you’re here. We’re just happy to have you,” Simone said, giving Ally a warm embrace and turning back down the hall.
“Simone?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for everything. We’re so very grateful.”
Simone walked back over to her and placed her hands gently on her arms. “You’re welcome, but don’t you dare thank me again. It’s how we are here, and you’ll just have to get used to our smothering. Your dad has.” Simone gave her a wink and left.
Chapter 9
Ally walked into her room—noticing her “sliders” were open—and was met with an easy breeze. She looked around at the comfortable room. It was situated at the end of the house with her sliding doors facing the west. There was an inviting, queen-size bed with crisp white linens, white down comforter, and pillows . I better not go anywhere near that bed, or I won’t get back up . Better to work through the jet lag and go to bed local time. It was almost six p.m., so just a couple more hours to go.
A large, oak armoire stood against the wall to the right of the door. She smiled, noticing her luggage in front of it. These people were nothing if not efficient. She picked up her toiletry bag and went to get cleaned up in the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and set her bag on the sink. She glanced toward the inviting tub and noticed a metal bucket sitting in the middle of it. The bucket was filled with ice and a bottle of wine. A wine glass sat next to the ice bucket.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” she said, pulling out
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