Bobbie’s phone dinged and woke her. She rubbed her eyes, found her glasses, and checked the text. It was from Johnny.

“Rise and shine and come down here and watch them make my pool. They’ll be here at 7:30.”

She replied with. “I’ll see you soon. With coffee!”

Fossey wound around her feet while she got her coffee going. Then she fed him and changed his water. She found a couple big travel mugs and rinsed them and then went to put on her work clothes. A few minutes later she was headed down the hill with 2 coffees. One for her and one for Johnny. She handed Johnny his and looked at all the big holes in the ground. they all had stakes and tape around them presumably so nobody would fall in them.

“So, what are all these holes?”

“This one, we’re in front of, is the pool. It’s going to be four feet deep all over and about 4.5 feet in the centre.”

“Good for swimming but not for little kids.”

“I’ll get a kiddy pool. I want this pool for swimming and water volleyball and aqua exercise and stuff.”

“It sounds perfect.”

“The hole behind us is the main house and will get that framed up for concrete and plumbing roughed in later today and tomorrow. And the hole over there is for the shop. It’s a big shop with a two-car garage at the back. The front will have a sink and small bathroom but no shower.”

“So, you’ll have 2 three-piece bathrooms in the main house?”

“Yup. One on the studio floor and one on my living floor. I don’t have enough septic room to have an ensuite.”

Johnny pointed to two trucks coming up the road. He ran toward the end of the drive waiving his hands and they pulled in. A short stocky woman climbed out of the concrete mixing truck. Hi Johnny Gold, we’re here to make you a pool.”

Hi Jean, come over here and meet my buddy, Bobbie.”

“Hi Bobbie, I’ve never met you but we did work with your hubby to build the pool up the way there, for the hotel. I heard he passed. I was sorry to hear about that. He had some cool ideas to automate fountains and stuff in landscaping and pools.”

“Thanks Jean, it’s nice to meet you. We really enjoy the motel pool and we do have syncopated lights and fountains in it, at night.”

“Maybe she’ll do something for your pool too Johnny.”

“We’ve got to get it built first Jean.”

“Too right Johnny.” Jean pointed her elbow over to the 4 guys in the pool with shovels, insulated forms and piping, getting everything ready. “We’ll put the pump system in, below grade over on the north side. You can build a little structure over it to protect it.”

“That’s what we had planned, On the side of that little pumphouse, I’ll have an outdoor shower that will have a grey water run off for rinsing when you get out of the pool.”

Jean went over to her truck and got her coffee and they stood around sipping coffee and watched the progress for a moment. The team had pipes and forms and rebars in place and the well for the pool pump was dug. So, Jean nodded and went back to the truck and manoeuvred it to shoot the concrete into the forms, while her staff directed the flow. In no time the rough inside of the pool was complete.

Jean came back over. “That will dry enough for them to do the lining tomorrow. The weather is supposed to hold so the finishes, like the tiles and stuff will go in tomorrow too.”

“It’s not even noon. You guys work fast.”

“You have an accessible site and half the work was done for us. Usually, we’re manoeuvring around houses and carting away fill for the whole first day of a residential build.”

“What did you do with all the fill Johnny?”

Johnny pointed back towards the road that ran up the side of the mountain. There were neat, 6 foot piles of dirt in a row. “I’m using some in my garden and some to grade the rest of the place but in the end, I’ll have a little berm along the back between the house and that road that’s back there.”

Jean hopped in her truck and the pool people were on their way. They passed Rocco on the road as they drove off.

Rocco backed in and jumped out of the truck. “Do you have a pool already?”

“They’re coming back tomorrow to finish it but they made quick work of it didn’t they?”

“I’ll say they did. I might be starting to see your vision buddy. We’ve got a lot of things to get ready today though. The rest of the foam concrete forms will be here soon and I have the plumbing and electrical plans here. Some of it we can do but we’re going to need the trades in here sometime this week. We can start by unloading these forms.”

“Out of the side of her eye, Bobbie saw Roger coming down the hill.

“I saw all the big trucks and then I saw Rocco and Effie said I could come down here and help. If it’s OK.”

“Roger, I think you’ve saved the day. We’re waiting for the forms that go in the big holes to make the foundation walls for Johnny’s house.”

“Is this your house Johnny? Are you moving out of the motel? Are you going to have a pool too? Is this your pool already? You guys need a wheel barrow or dolly so we can stack the forms up and two people can stack and wheel and two people can put the forms in the right holes.”

“You’re right on all counts Roger. I won’t be too far away and you can come swim in my pool too. I have a dolly in my storage container. I’ll be right back.”

The big truck with all the interlocking forms started slowly driving up the lane. Johnny appeared with his dolly and Rocco went over to talk to the driver.

“With Roger here to help you, I think I’m just going to leave you to it, guys. I’ll come down this evening and see all your progress.” Bobbie waved and started up the hill. The guys were so intent on their work, they didn’t really notice.

It was almost two o’clock. She’d defiantly missed lunch so she decided to have a hot bath and then maybe go down and help with tea. She could talk to Mark about her beans and brown bread at the market plan. And they could have a debrief about Sunday Brunch. She relaxed a few minutes and got out and dressed and went down to the restaurant.

They were bustling; orders were coming in. There was someone from the cheesecake makers, the college kitchen and Cool Beans, the guys with the stand at the market who delivered their coffee. They had made a Water Wheel coffee blend for them and everything.

Mark handed his tablet to Gina and walked over to Bobbie. “Do you have the numbers for the Sunday brunch.”

I got it all into the financial system and it made us almost eight grand so after I paid expenses, I get about three. That’s good for one meal but it seems like a lot of work.” They discussed it a bit more and decided they could open SPOKES and the patio on nice days and they would gain efficiencies after a few Sundays.

“It was a pretty good first try.” Said Mark.

Bobbie nodded her head. “I’m glad you feel that way Mark. I sure don’t want you to take on too much or continue doing something that just doesn’t work.”

“I actually liked to be out front cooking and chatting with everyone. I was exhausted after though. I went to bed really early.”

“Is Brit staying with you now Mark?”

“She’s there most of the time. She stays with Chuck sometimes but he realizes she needs to have better accommodations than the trailer when she’s at school. He said he wants to stay there most of the winter. He can run the white water rafting as long as it’s mild enough. And he wants to keep an eye on the market. Her and Amy are thinking of renting a place nearer the University.”

“That’s right, your sister Amy is in the same program. So is Rose.”

“Rose will probably be a guest quite often.”

“They must be getting excited. I guess Rose isn’t here.”

“No, we’re almost finished tea time and I said she could go. She’s helping her aunt in their little garden. Her aunt has tomatoes, peppers, and a lot of herbs, I think they make salsa.”

“That reminds me, I missed lunch and I’m hungry. Do I smell baked beans and brown bread?”

Mark went over to take out a serving of the beans. “You’ll have to be my taste tester. This is the final recipe that we’re rolling it out at the market next Saturday.”

“I’ll make it an early supper and give you a full report.”