Stage Five

Emma moved in to test out the house. First thing I noticed was that I had forgotten a few things, like smoke alarm, burglar alarm and outdoor lights. Those were quickly added.
Emma chats with one of the neighbors.

The next problem was the chess table. It's hard to see the plays when you're this close.

A little rearranging solved the problem.


Upstairs the easel wouldn't work when placed on the diagonal and Emma couldn't sit in the lounge chairs in the bedroom because the hassocks were too close. Again, easily fixed.


However while fixing those problems, Emma's personal life became more complicated. As mentioned before, Ellery the cabinetmaker had been dropping by frequently whenever he "Just happened to be in the neighborhood" just to "see what you've done to the house lately." Had I mentioned this house is on a dead end road? Those visits had become more and more frequent and lasted longer and longer and Emma didn't discourage them a bit. She seemed to have so much in common with Ellery and he was a really talented and creative craftsman. She enjoyed his company very much. (Three bolts of chemistry here.)
Well, finally everything was done so Ellery had to think up another excuse. A brilliant idea occurred to him. He had been thinking for some time of buying old houses to renovate and resell. He had already bought the first one. Now he suggested to Emma that she become his business partner. With his craftsmanship and her design ability he thought they would do very well.
Ellery makes a business proposal.
Now they were together every day, practically all day. It seemed only natural for him to come by for supper after work and they would share cooking duties.

Then he would usually spend the evening and they would watch TV or play games.

Well, you know what three bolts do to people.

Wasn't long before he was spending the night too.

Just a few weeks later he had a different proposal to make.

And they didn't waste any time planning a big wedding. A small intimate one was all they wanted.

By this time they had their future planned, working together by day, playing together when not working. In a few years they would start a family. A big one, since that was something they both wanted. But three bolts are tricky. They can mess up the best laid plans. It's hard to keep your mind on that TV show.....
With so many distractions.

Yeah, you can get really distracted.


So distracted that you forget all about waiting a couple of years to start a family.

Yep, Casual Romance has definitely interfered with this couple's future. And it wasn't Risky Woohoo either. They deliberately CHOSE Try for Baby all on their own. First time I've had that happen. Emma is having a pretty easy time of it. Only sick once her first trimester. Need bars are staying pretty stable. She's in second trimester now. They are both looking forward to their new family addition though they haven't yet decided where they will put it. Emma really doesn't want to give up her studio but she can't think of any place else to put a crib. Ellery tells her not to fret about it. His grandparents raised eight children in this house. Even had beds in the living room.