Lucy and Ben walked back to the daycare, and Daphne was at the front door this time. She smiled with delight as Ben kissed Sam and handed the boy to her. She nuzzled his ear, and he smiled for her.
“Sam is a real sweetie!” Daphne said with a smile.
“As is Gretchen!” Lori said as she accepted the girl from Lucy’s arms. Lucy waved and rushed back to the house to get her day started.
Ben waved, then walked over to Dominic’s home and rang the bell. Sophia answered and gave him a huge smile and a hug.
“How is Dominic doing?” Ben asked.
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Such a grumpy old man!”
“I heard that!”
Dominic walked into the foyer and shook Ben’s hand with a grin.
Ben grinned at the man. “Good to see you up and on your feet. You look so much better!”
“Yeah, funny how having the proper blood flow going through your heart improves the rest of your body. I feel much better, too!” Dominic agreed. They shook hands, and Dominic gestured for Ben to follow him into the living room.
Sophia looked at Ben. “Would you like a coffee? Tea–”
“Or me?” Dominic finished for her as he glanced sidelong at his wife with a raised eyebrow.
Sophia gasped in outrage and gently slapped her husband’s arm as he grinned at her. “You’re such a naughty man!” she scolded.
“Hey! I wasn’t the one caught sleeping with another man!” he continued to tease. “Marcus told me all about the hospital waiting room.”
“Incorrigible!” she gasped again, and her face reddened as she recalled resting against Ben’s broad chest.
Ben held up his hands. “Nothing for me, thanks!” he said with a smile. She nodded and shot her husband another stern look before leaving.
“Diet is the thing I’ll have the most grief with,” Dominic sighed.
Ben nodded. “Changes are required to adjust to your new condition.”
The big man just nodded. “Anything new in the neighborhood since I went into the hospital?”
Ben chuckled as it had only been a couple of days, then he nodded as there had been a significant change. “Beth Wilson is getting married to a fellow from Canada. She’s moving away, and I’m buying her house.”
“Ah! That’s wonderful for her! Honey!” he called out.
“Yes?” Sophia said as she appeared in the entrance.
“Beth Wilson is getting married and is moving away.” Dominic suddenly frowned. “Wait, this seems sudden. Were you aware of this guy?” he asked.
Ben shook his head. “She’s been keeping their relationship under wraps to ensure it wasn’t impacted by the noise surrounding my life. This way, she could tell it was by her and for her. I think that was a smart move for her.”
“Are you buying her house?” Sophia asked.
Ben nodded. “I wondered how I might be able to work with your old team through the company that hired them.”
“Just give Louis Klein a call and let him know what you need. He can take it from there,” Dominic said. He looked at Sophia. “Would you bring me my wallet?” She nodded and stepped away.
“I’ll give you Louis’ card as he planned on calling you this week anyway. You can call him and make what arrangements you can,” Dominic said as Sophia returned with the wallet and gave it to him. He plucked the business card from it and had Sophia hand it to Ben. “Thanks, honey.”
Sophia nodded and left the room once more.
Ben entered the details from the card into his cell, then popped the card into his pocket for the Sergeant.
“Who’s this home planned for?” Dominic asked.
“I thought it would be nice to have a house for guest visits. I’m hoping to work with the architect who did the building my accountant Jerry Taggart is working in to design the home. It will be ranch-style and blend into the forest. I’ll ask Dan if he’s available to work his magic on the home’s utility systems.”
Dominic frowned as he recalled the size of the existing home. “That’s going to be a considerable change from the home that’s in place now. It looks like it was one of the first mansions built on the court.”
Ben nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never liked the design. It’s so blunt and makes no attempt to blend in with the forest at all, aside from the mature trees around it.”
Dominic glanced at the doorway. “So, you’ll be getting those food trucks back for this rebuild?”
“I heard that!” Sophia called out from the kitchen.
Ben chuckled. “If I do, I’ll be giving them instructions to only take your order from Sophia.”
“What?” Dominic complained.
“Thank you, Ben!” Sophia called out.
“She’s not the only one who wants to keep you healthy and with us for a long time,” Ben said.
Dominic sighed deeply. “Fine. I’ll be a good boy.”
Ben smiled and stood up. “That’s good to hear! I should get back home as I have another project to sink my teeth into. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Dominic rose and shook Ben’s hand and followed him to the door.
“Thanks for coming by,” the big man said.
Ben nodded and waved as he walked down the drive to the sidewalk.
The air’s briskness was gone, and the day was shaping up to be another hot one. Parents were dropping off their kids at the daycare, and most took the opportunity to wave to him. He politely waved back though he barely knew any of them.
He sighed happily as he slipped inside his front door and locked it behind him. He walked down into the basement and joined the Sergeant. He could hear her speaking to someone on the phone. She was arranging lab space.
He smiled at her and pulled out his own cell. He’d see if Mr. Klein was available.
Before he could dial, it rang, and he saw it was Rochelle calling him.
“Good morning, Rochelle!” he said with a smile.
“Good morning, Ben! Is this a good time to call you?” she asked.
“It’s always a good time to talk to you!” he said with a grin. “How’s California?”
He could hear the smile in Rochelle’s voice. “So good! We should have opened up a restaurant here years ago! They love our recipes, and business is booming! This brings me to my reason for calling. Sara has joined me in California. She’s setting up our new franchise head office. We need to expand, so I want to sell my home on Ashburn Court. Would you be interested in buying it?”
“Uh, yes, of course. I guess this means your move is permanent?” he asked.
“Yes. Thomas and I got married last weekend–just a small ceremony,” she rushed to add.
Ben nodded to himself. He knew Rochelle needed this. “Congratulations, Rochelle! I’m so happy for you!”
“Thanks, Ben!” she said, her voice wobbling a little.
“Oh! What about Jayden?” Ben asked.
“He said he’d make arrangements for himself. He’s really become such a dependable young man. I have you to thank for that,” she said.
“Please, you gave him a solid foundation of right and wrong. He was just following a poor path out of love for his father,” Ben argued. “Even he understood there was a conflict, but he needed to get to the answer on his own. If he hadn’t had that foundation you gave him, he never would have been strong enough to change his course. You can be proud of yourself for that!”
There was quiet on the other end of the phone for a moment, then a sniffing sound.
“You’re a special man, Ben. I’m so glad you found love as well.”
“Thank you, Rochelle. I guess we’re lucky people,” he replied. “I’ll have Shelly work out the comps and contact you. You and she can work out a price you’re happy with, and then I’ll get involved. How does that sound?”
“Very good!” Rochelle said.
“I found out recently that Beth Wilson is moving to Vancouver, Canada. She’s marrying a man from there. I’m buying her home too,” Ben explained.
“Oh! Are you sure you want to buy mine too?” Rochelle said anxiously.
“It’s not an issue. Of course, I’ll buy it!” Ben said and heard Sara’s voice calling out to her mother in the background.
“Oh! I have to go! Thanks, Ben. I’ll wait for Shelly’s call,” Rochelle said.
“I’ll ask her to contact you today. Have a good one!”
“You too, Ben. Bye!”
Ben hung up and looked up to see Evelyn watching him with wide eyes.
“Is that why Ms. Spencer was here last night? You’re buying Mrs. Wilson’s home and now Mrs. King’s?”
“Yes. That’s the main reason Shelly dropped by last night. Now I have to call her to get her working on Rochelle’s home. I spoke with Jayden this morning, and he said he wanted to speak to me tonight after work. It’s probably related to Rochelle’s request, but we’ll see.”
Ben dialed Shelly’s number. She picked up on the third ring.
“Hi, Ben! I haven’t heard back from Walter yet,” she said with a grin in her voice.
“Actually, I wasn’t calling about Beth’s house. I need you to contact Rochelle King as she just called me to offer to sell her home to me. She’ll need the comps and help working out a price.”
“Oh my god, Ben! You’re going to own half of the properties in the court!” she chuckled.
“Close to it, at least,” he said. He gave her Rochelle’s number.
“I’ll set up a comp report and contact her right away,” Shelly said. “I’ll say it again! You’re my favorite client!”
Ben chuckled, and they said their goodbyes.
He looked at Evelyn with a smile. “Maybe we can get some real work done now! What’s it look like for getting lab space?”
She loved working with Ben! Evelyn smiled at him and pulled up her notes.
-=-
Ben was tidying the kitchen after making lunch for the Sergeant and himself when they heard the doorbell.
“I’ll get that,” Evelyn said. She quickly moved to the door and opened it to see the two Lieutenants standing on the step. Four SEAL team members stood on the driveway with large duffle bags on their backs. “You can walk around the house and wait by the entrance to the tower in the backyard,” she said to the men with the duffles. She looked to the Lieutenants.