A few minutes before ten AM Monday morning, Ben and Evelyn stood outside of One Ashburn Court. They’d received a last-minute invite from General Davis first thing this morning to tag along on a tour of the Spa with Louis Klein and some of his team. The General had been in touch with the man regarding some potential new work, and the Klein Group was decidedly eager to do business with them. Davis was only able to arrange an hour from the SEAL Teams for the tour.
As Ben had yet to contact Louis Klein regarding his desire to have Dominic’s team for the renovations of both his recently purchased houses, this seemed like a prime opportunity to speak to the man and get a feel for how he did business.
The General’s limo and escort vehicles quickly pulled into the wide driveway, followed by a high-end SUV. A silver-haired man in a tailored suit stepped out of the driver’s door and flashed a wide smile at Ben. The driver was probably in his late fifties, but he looked fit.
“Dominic mentioned you lived nearby, and I was wondering if we’d get to meet. I’m Louis Klein,” he said as he extended his hand.
Ben shook it and nodded to the man. “Ben Shepherd.”
Louis’ smile widened as he gestured to another man coming around the front of the SUV. “My partner, Dan Siegelman. He’s also our in-house legal counsel.”
Ben smiled and shook the hand of the lawyer, whose grin was just as wide as his partners.
A slim Filipino man was standing behind Louis, and the company owner gestured him forward. “This is Mark Catapang, our chief designer.”
“It is an honor to meet you!” Mark gushed.
“Oh! Uh, thanks,” Ben replied as he shook the man’s hand.
The fourth occupant stepped around the back of the SUV, and Ben recognized him from the photo on Grace Wilson’s desk. This was Ed… Wilson?
“Finally, we have Ed Walters, our expert on building services,” Louis said proudly. Ed smiled back at the man, then stepped forward and shook Ben’s hand.
“I met Grace Wilson at Jerry Taggart’s office,” Ben said to the big man and watched his eyes light up. “She showed me the picture of your daughters. They’re lovely!”
Ed was nodding happily. “They’re so smart too! They take after their mom!” he said.
Ben chuckled at the man’s pure joy when discussing his children. He knew exactly how that felt. He gestured for Evelyn to step forward. “This is Sergeant Evelyn Killcade. She’s my administrative assistant and liaison for the Military and Government offices I do projects for.” The men nodded to her, and she to them.
General Davis was at their side and nodded to them. “Now that the introductions have been made let’s begin the tour. The SEAL Teams only gave us one hour if we promised to be quiet and not disturb their beauty sleep.” He led the group up to the front door and went inside. Evelyn went with him as she had all of the specs for the building memorized so she could answer any questions that the General or Louis’ team had.
Ben brought up the rear after Ed.
They did a quick walkthrough from the top floor down, Evelyn pointing out the most notable features of each room.
Mark’s eyes glowed with interest as she described the sound dampening features of the sleeping quarters.
When they got to the utilities room in the basement, Ed’s excitement ramped up. He examined every component and how they interfaced with the control center.
“This should be how building services are managed in all new projects. Everything is so neatly laid out, easy to monitor and control from one central point. It would be so easy to manage a building’s needs from here. Climate control, electrical, plumbing, network, lighting, and security can be reviewed and acted upon from this room!” he gushed to Louis. He was enamored by how brilliant the design was as his eyes jumped from system to system.
Ben could almost see his mind working out how to draw each of these systems back to the central point. “Sometimes, the sensors are read remotely, and their digital feedback is the only connection to make it back to this resource hub. It may not make sense to do a plumbing line run to the location of the control room. Remote sensors are used in those cases.”
Ed was nodding as this fit into his mental picture of the design.
Ben watched him with a smile and noticed Louis was doing the same.
They concluded their tour with the General, Evelyn, Louis, and Dan in deep conversation in the driveway. Ben turned to Mark and Ed. “I was just visiting my accountant who moved into that new environmentally friendly development in your hometown. Was that your firm’s doing? Were you responsible for the design and implementation of that?”
Mark smiled proudly as he nodded. “That’s my favorite project so far!” Ed was nodding with a grin.
“I’ve purchased two more homes in this neighborhood, and I’m going to replace them with more environmentally integrated buildings like those you built for that commercial development. I’d like to see how it might work in a residential property,” Ben said.
Mark turned to Ed. “Your place was the inspiration for that whole series of buildings.”
Ed nodded to Mark and turned to Ben. “I could ask Zoe if she wouldn’t mind if I gave you a tour. Would you like to see it?”
Ben’s ears picked up the unfamiliar name. “Zoe? I thought you lived with Grace.”
Ed’s face became a little pink. “I do, in Zoe Sandoval’s home with her, her daughter Sophia, Rachel Thompson, and our three daughters. It’s a large home.”
Ben smiled and raised his hands. “Ed, I have a complex home life too.” He gestured to his home up the street.
Eyes turned, and Ed’s widened when he saw the tall structure on the back. “What is that tower for?” he asked in awe.
Ben grinned. “It contains a kid’s jungle gym play zone, and there is a canopy level deck for barbecue parties.”
Ed’s eye lit up. “A kid’s play zone right inside the house?” he exclaimed.
Ben nodded. “Well, connected to the house. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes!” Ed exclaimed excitedly, then looked to his boss apologetically. “Sorry, I forgot we’re here on business.”
“It’s okay, Ed. We’ll finish up with the General and meet you and Mark there,” Louis said.
“Sixteen Ashburn Court. The one with the tower,” Ben said with a grin.
Ben led the way, with Evelyn, Ed, and Mark following. They admired the homes along the way, and Ben pointed out the ones he’d renovated. As they crossed the park, he pointed to Beth’s house. “That one is being pulled down, foundation and all, and I want to build a low rise home based on a similar design to my accountant’s offices. It has to be integrated with the natural setting. The current building is a big ugly blunt brick in comparison. The new design will be ranch-style, but the bedrooms would be in second-story lofts further back, and the single-story living quarters would be in front.” He could see Mark’s expression of interest as the design resonated with him. Ed looked interested as well.
They reached Ben’s place, and Evelyn said her goodbyes as she headed back to her desk in his office.
Ben took his guests around to the backyard. Ed looked up and spotted the wire leading from the tower into the woods.
“What’s that?” he asked.
Ben nodded. “The SEAL Teams asked if they could set up a zip-line to do training exercises during their two-week stay in the Spa.”
Mark laughed. “The Spa? That’s what they call it?”
Ben nodded. “It was named that by the first squads of soldiers who stayed in it, and it stuck.”
He unlocked the back door, and they went inside. Ed stopped and stared at the five-story play zone inside. “Oh wow… my girls would love this…” he whispered in awe.
Ben grinned at him. “They’re welcome to come play in it. The daycare in the neighborhood brings their kids over a couple of times a week to let them burn off some energy. When the weather isn’t great for being outside, they schedule more frequent visits.”
He took the two men up the stairs and pointed out the features of each level of the play zone as they climbed. Then they were on the deck.
“Whoa! What an amazing view!” Mark sighed.
Ben smiled and nodded as he took in the sight of his neighborhood again.
They saw Louis and Dan pulling into the driveway and waited for them to get out.
“LOUIS! Up here!” Mark called out and waved.
The man in question looked up and waved back.
“You gotta see this! Go around the back and climb up!” Mark instructed, and Louis nodded as he headed off with Dan.
A short time later, the two men joined Ben and the others on the deck. Louis looked a little winded, but Dan took in the scenery with a grin. “This is beautiful!” he gushed.
“Could use an elevator,” Louis sighed.
Ben smiled. “The dumb waiter has a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound weight limit, but it wouldn’t be a comfortable ride.”
Louis snorted and shook his head. He gave Dan a sour look as the man raised an eyebrow at his partner’s physical condition. Louis pointed to the zip-line.
“I saw your impressive jungle gym but is that a zip-line?” Louis asked.
Ben chuckled. “That was set up by the SEAL Team for night training maneuvers. It’s not for the daycare kids.”