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4 - Frankenstein's Lab

Henry drove them to his house, which is where the cab was due to arrive in the next half an hour or so for their pickup. The last time she had been here was when he’d first moved in. She’d brought him a casserole his first night here, and a pie a week later. The pie had been because he’d looked so sad the first day they met. Both times he’d had an unkempt beard and his hair had been much longer then. The place had been a mess. Not just a mess, like someone moving in, but the porch had been falling apart, the roof needed to be replaced, and the siding had been an old yellow wood paneling that had needed to be replaced.

As much as Henry had changed since, so had the house. It was unrecognizable now. Gone was the sunken porch, replaced with a garden room, completely glassed-in but open to see out. The roof was now a pretty, red tin, and the doors matched. The siding was all replaced with white vinyl. The trees had been cleared and a lush green lawn sprawled out from all sides, the gardens around the house and down the drive were perfectly manicured and cared for. The biggest change though was the huge, two-story, four-bay attached garage.

“You really like your cars, huh?”

“Well, I hate cleaning snow off them, that’s for sure. I was spoiled after living in Florida for so long. It was the first thing I did after getting my bearings here. That’s where I started my business, so I’d say it was a decent investment. I still have work on the back of the house to complete, but overall, I think it’s come along pretty well.” He clicked a button on his dash and the first bay of the garage opened. He pulled his little roadster in, clicking the button again to close it. The whole garage was open. A black Lexus was in the next spot, an older-style style black and red truck that was in great shape sat beside it, a collection of large toys in the last. A snowblower, a tractor, and other things. Tools not only lined the back of the entire wall, but the pegboard had shapes outlining each item, showing where everything belonged. Overall, it was kept clean for a garage.

“Wow… if I ever need to borrow a tool I now know who to ask.”

“Yeah, I like my tools. You should see upstairs. I have a whole woodworking setup. If I had the time, I would be able to make almost anything. It was my first choice as a career once I retired from the army, but cars made more money.” He shrugged. “Do you have any hobbies?”

“I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. Then I realized, I stink at art. That was a bit of a letdown.” She giggled. “Now I do family portraits for our customers when they come, and if they want it. In my spare time, which isn’t a lot, I like to read. Sometimes I write. Just short, fun for me, stories.” He unlocked the garage leading into the house, and she followed him in. “You lock your house from the garage?” Rose had never known someone to do that. Not Just the knob, there was a deadbolt too.

“Uh, yeah.” He said almost sheepishly. “I guess my time abroad taught me I can never be too careful. I go a little overboard. Jace picks on me about, it all the time.” His house was tidy and neat. It felt almost bare as he didn’t have a ton of furniture. What he did have was gorgeous. There was a long bench in the foyer with intricately carved designs across the top. The wall on the other side held coats. Most of the pegs were bare. Other than a hoodie, a work jacket, and a winter coat, there wasn’t much else. The floor was all tile and led into the kitchen. The cabinets were made from redwood, and had granite countertops speckled with black and silver, little hints of gold here and there. All the appliances were almost new, and stainless steel.

“Oh! You have a double oven?” She asked excitedly, going over to check it out. “When our oven died a few years ago, I wanted to get one of these. Unfortunately, they were way out of my price range. Do you like it?” She looked back at him and was surprised to see that sheepish grin back on his face.

“I guess? My interior designer picked it out. I don’t think I’ve ever used the second oven. I like the little one on top though. Takes no time to heat and makes a killer tv dinner.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Well, looking at this kitchen, I suddenly have the urge to invite myself and family to Thanksgiving dinner here just so I can play.”

He gave her a sad smile. “Well, then invite yourself away. It’d be a hell of a lot better to have you cooking than eating at the Chinese restaurant two towns over. Which is the only place open on Thanksgiving in the area.”

“You’re alone for Thanksgiving? What about family? You could close the shop for a few days to travel, couldn’t you?” Rose was horrified by the thought that anyone would be alone for the holidays. “What about Jace?”

“Jace invites me to his family dinner every year. Christmas and New Year too. But he has four sisters, and I was really uncomfortable that first year, so I haven’t gone back.” He cleared his throat loudly, “Anyway… would you like a glass of wine while we wait? After hearing about your hobby, there’s a room I would really like to show you before we leave. Also, not by my own design. But I am curious if the home decorator knew what he was talking about.”

“Sure, I'll take a glass.” She followed him out to the glass garden room. The sliding door kept the room separate, and there were locks on it too. “They’re glass doors, if someone really wanted to get in, all they’d have to do is break the glass.” She looked at him funny.

“Easier said than done. I could shoot every gun I have at this glass, emptying every clip and, though it would look worse for the wear, it wouldn’t break.” He said, going to a lovely little nook in the corner. There was a couch and a loveseat, a small table in the middle made from deep mahogany wood, and a matching bar beside it.

“You built your house with bulletproof glass? Lordy, this place must have cost you a fortune.” He grumbled something she couldn’t hear as he poured two glasses of red wine. “It’s merlot, hope you like it. I can’t tell the difference, so I buy the cheap stuff. Well, when it comes to wine anyway.”

“I can’t either. That’s why I stock up during the three-dollar wine days at the farm.”

“Perfect,” he smiled at her again, “That’s exactly where this came from.”

“I know. I have the same bottle at home.” She looked around, “Do you have a gardener?” He shook his head, asking why she would think so. “It’s just that there are so many gardens, and this whole room is like a fancy greenhouse. It’s beautiful, but it must be a lot of work. I would kill to have a room like this.” Rose didn’t miss the way he turned away, or the dark look in his eye as he did so.

“Nah, this is one of the few rooms I did decorate myself. I like plants. They’re alive, but I don’t have to rush home to them or worry about what they need. I’d get a dog, but the town wouldn’t let me bring him to work, so I haven’t bothered.” He let her explore just a bit before putting his hand on her shoulder. “Our ride will be here in about five minutes. Follow me. I want to show you something.”

Placing his hand on the small of her back he led her back through the kitchen. Like every other room, as they passed through the living room, it was just as lovely and finely decorated as the rest of the house. He went to a set of double doors and stood her in front of them. Leaning down behind her, he whispered, “It’s my Frankenstein lab. Be careful.”

“You’re such a goon.” She laughed, “Can I open it?” He nodded. Her fingers hit the latch and she slid the doors open, which disappeared into the walls. “Oh!” Taking a step back, she covered her mouth with a gasp. Since he was right behind her, she bumped into his massive expanse of chest and almost screamed as his hands went to her waist. Leaping forward, she ran into the room and twirled. “It’s amazing!”

A two-story library! There was an amazing honey oak desk with a lush chair and laptop at one end, sitting in front of a wall of the window. The center panels were stained glass, and the setting sun twinkled in, staining the entire room with a myriad of colors and warmth. The wall was only partially filled with books, not nearly a quarter. The rest of the shelves were bare. An elaborate computer system sat at the other end, across the room from the desk, nestled in the shadows where the light from the window wouldn’t bother the screen. There were bean bag chairs spread in the center of the room, and wingback chairs and sofas scattered on either side.

“Henry, you have a book balcony and two library ladders!” She exclaimed, jumping on one and pushing off as she slid partway across the room. As he laughed loudly, it echoed through the room. “But why would you build a room like this if you don’t have books to fill it?”

“Do you remember the old silo that used to be attached to the farmhouse?” She nodded, though she had forgotten until he mentioned it. “Well, I wasn’t going to keep it. The plan was to tear the whole thing down. When Sam saw it though, he had other plans. Asked me if I wanted a room that could make women swoon. Well, of course, I couldn’t say no to that, and boom, this happened.” He smiled as she started going through his books. “It’s good to finally feel like he didn’t completely swindle me on the library idea.”

“Oh please, you probably show this to all your girlfriends. This is the real reason they chase you around town, isn’t it?” She pushed his shoulder, hoping he took it as the joke it was.

He shrugged, “You caught me. What lady wouldn’t swoon over three sets of Encyclopedias, some old war books, and comics?”

Eyes going wide, her head whipped around to look at him. “You have comics?”

“Yeah?” He cocked his head at her. “They’re kept over that way.” He pointed toward the far end, which sat closer to the large computer at the other end of the room. She skipped nearly the entire way and could hear him chuckling as she went. Rose was aware she was likely making a fool of herself, but she just didn’t care. Whether he was laughing at her constantly because he thought she was a fool, or because he genuinely enjoyed her antics didn’t really matter anymore. She wouldn’t hide who she really was.

“Ah! That’s an abomination!”

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