Home Free - Fern Michaels [61]
Isabelle gaped. In her life, she’d never seen such a glorious bathroom. It was a grotto, stone walls with water trickling over green moss down into a giant tub of water that resembled a minilake.
Lighting was set deep in the ceiling and recessed in the far walls. The shower stall, with its thirty-seven jets, made her gasp, as did the carved vanity of exquisite marble. The Jacuzzi that could seat eight was flush with the floor. Blue water swirled.
“It’s self-cleaning,” he said proudly. He opened the linen closet, and Isabelle stared. Shelves of fluffy towels, shelves of toiletries, shelves of soaps and shampoos. More than Walgreens stocked. “Skimpy, threadbare towels at the orphanage. We used soap to wash our hair, strong soap that could take the skin off your hands if you rubbed too hard.”
Isabelle sighed. “I remember,” she said softly. “This is just a wild guess on my part, but I bet you have two freezers stocked to the brim and a refrigerator that is never empty and cabinets full of cookies and everything else under the sun.”
Abner laughed again. “Yep.”
“Tell me about this,” Isabelle said, pointing to the grass she was standing on.
Abner laughed again. “My own bit of outdoors. It has four minidrains that go down to the first floor and the main drain. There’s a built-in minisprinkler. My lawn is boxed in, as you can see. There was no grass at the orphanage, just concrete.”
Isabelle nodded. “Say no more. It’s all so beautiful. I just never saw a bathroom with a real grass floor. But I have to ask, are you happy here?”
Abner’s eyes clouded over. “For the most part. It would be nice to share all this with someone someday. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, then I guess it isn’t meant to be. I’m so glad you like it. You’re the first person I’ve ever shown this to. I have a guest bathroom for company. I’m not sure why I showed it to you.”
“Maybe because I’m an architect, and you knew I would appreciate it, which I do.”
“I guess that’s it. Would you like to see my computer room?” When Isabelle nodded, Abner led her down a short hallway to what he referred to as his lair. He opened the door with another flourish, and Isabelle almost fainted. “It does have that effect on people.” Abner laughed.
“It looks like something from a space station,” Isabelle said in awe. “And you use all of this in your line of work?”
“Every last piece of equipment. The room is climate-controlled, just like my wine cellar, which I have yet to show you.”
As Isabelle looked around, she felt annoyed with herself. “I’m not sure I could have designed this.”
“I’m sure you could if your client told you exactly what he wanted. Everything you see was done to satisfy my particular wants and needs. I made it work for me. I hold classes here twice a week.”
Isabelle gasped. “You mean you actually teach people how to hack?”
Abner grinned. “You said it. I didn’t. I said I teach classes here twice a week. I didn’t say what kind of classes.” He looked down at his watch. “I really have to go, Isabelle. Tell me where I can drop you off.”
“If it’s not out of your way, you can drop me off at the Galleria. I have some shopping I need to do.”
“On my way.”
Back in the family area, Abner shrugged into his jacket and threw his scarf around his neck. Abner held Isabelle’s coat for her. He was so close, she could smell his aftershave. A scent she liked, earthy and pungent.
“So are you going to help us or not?” she asked.
“I’m really not sure. I’ll call you as soon as I make up my mind. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
Isabelle didn’t think twice about the invitation. “I’d love to. Tell me where you want to meet up, and I’ll be there. I’ll take a cab to my apartment when I finish shopping and pick up my car. By the way, when are you going to decorate your Christmas tree?”
“How about after dinner? We could do it together.”
“I’d like that. I can’t tell you when I did that last. I had one of those pre-lit trees last year. It didn’t do much for me.”
Isabelle waited by the door until