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My mom looks over at me, apologizing. "Sorry, baby. Oh! You brought River too."
I am too busy gaping at the cabin. It has been hollowed out like someone taking a spoon to an avocado and just leaving the peel. My aunt Delta and my mom are stuffing the last of the bedding into trash bags.
"Is there seriously an owl infestation in here again?" I eye the ceiling skeptically.
"No, baby,” Aunt Delta sings out. “We are getting rid of the old furniture and we're going to clean this whole place from top to bottom. My hard-working niece and her husband-to-be deserve to live in more than three hundred square feet."
My jaw drops. "Wait, this is for us?"
"Yes indeed!" my aunt Glory says, marching in through the open sliding glass door in the rear. She is pulling on a pair of bright yellow rubber gloves. "We're going to regrout the bathroom tile and replace the kitchen counter, too."
I glance at River, trying to gauge his reaction. He plays it close to the vest, nodding quietly.
"Are you okay with this?" I ask him.
River gives me a rueful smile.
"I'm actually trying to figure out whether I can get a custom bed to put in here on short notice. I'll bet I can." He holds his phone up. "Ladies, say the word, and I'll have an entire construction and cleaning crew out here. It would be my pleasure to help with that."
Delta drops the pillow she's holding on the floor. "We're absolutely going to take you up on that. In fact, if I had realized that was an option, I wouldn't have even walked in this cabin."
I beam at River. "Are you sure?"
He yanks my arm and kisses me on the lips. "Absolutely."
Aunt Glory strips off her gloves and places them neatly on the kitchen counter. "We have other cabins that need turning over, I think."
River waves her down. "Let my crew do those too. You three look like you could use a day of pampering." He raises his eyebrows at me. "What do you think? There's a spa up by Jekyll Island. I'm sure that they have room to roll out the red carpets for your family."
"Uh, that sounds awesome!" I gasp.
"Now wait a second, here," Delta snaps. "I am coming around to liking you even though you're not what I envisioned for Pearl. But don't think for a second that we are gonna owe you anything just for a day of spa treatments. We are all firmly on Team Pearl, you hear?"
River nods his head solemnly. "I would never think otherwise, ma'am."
Delta looks at Glory. "You hear this kid? Ma'am. I never."
My mom smiles. "That's her way of saying thank you, River. I'd love to go to the spa."
Delta grunts. Glory walks over to Delta and offers her an arm to lean on. Delta hobbles out on her arm.
Mom touches River's cheek briefly. "You treat my daughter good. That's all we need from you."
"Oh mom…" I start. But she just smiles at me and then heads out of the cabin.
I bite my lip, looking around. "It's a nice thought. Not much of an upgrade, though..."
He slides his arm around my neck and kisses my shoulder. “Just wait till you see what my crew does with the place. I promise, you'll be impressed."
I pick up his hand and kiss his knuckles. "I'm already impressed, River. You don't have to do anything special other than just being your own wonderful self."
Thirty-One
River
"Wow. You did an amazing job," I tell Gil, the lead construction worker on the cabin. They've completely overhauled the bathroom and kitchen. Plus they've added built-in bookcases near the sliding doors, and built thin walls to separate the bedroom from the rest of the space. I paid an interior designer to come in after the construction workers finished and deck the whole place out in teak wood and the lush green of numerous potted plants. He also added a huge bed, a sofa with a side table, and a cozy little dining room table built for two. The space doesn't even look the same.
"I'm glad you approve, Mr. Taylor," Gil says. "I know it took a few more days than you wanted, but I think it's worth it."
