Chapter 12: Morning Woods

Rays from the rising sun passed through a high window and painted Gabe’s face, waking him. Beside him, Mia slept peacefully, and he didn’t want to wake her. He slipped out of the bed and found his warm clothes and puffy jacket, finishing with a knit cap and sunglasses.

The rental house was in the middle of an alpine canyon with lots of evergreen trees along a river. Gabriel was wanting to get a sense of the neighborhood, thinking that (if he won the lottery or something) he would want to buy a second home in this mountain area.

So, he was curious, and he wanted to get some exercise after being cooped in behind the driver’s wheel for so long the previous day. There was no possibility of getting lost; he simply walked along the stream uphill (against the current) to check out the various properties.

Because of the thin air, he set a moderate pace, slower than usual for him.

“Oh, this house is for sale, I wonder what the price is? I’ll remember the address,” he thought.

Part of the area’s charm was that the houses were surrounded by various mature trees, including pines and firs. Underfoot the carpet of needles made for easy walking.

Altogether, Gabe was gone for about an hour. When he walked back inside, he found his mother-in-law in the kitchen wearing only an apron and pants.

“How do you like your eggs today, Gabe?”

“Scrambled’s fine. Is Mia up yet?”

“Haven’t seen her.”

“OK, I’ll get her down here so we can eat. And thanks for making breakfast.”

“De nada.”

“Mia? Mia, sweetie, wake up. Your Mama is making breakfast.”

She was still a little foggy.

“You’re dressed?”

“I went for a walk already. Come on, you’ll feel better with some breakfast in you.”

“Coffee?”

“Yes, coffee.”

That word was the tipping point. Mia lurched to her feet and swayed through the door, then took the stairs with a firm grasp of the handrail (to Gabe’s relief). Down on the main level, she plopped onto a bar stool at a higher counter, at the so-called breakfast bar.

“Coffee?” she mumbled.

Lucia poured her a cup and put out a small sugar bowl.

“Feeling a draft?”

She had gone from the bed to the stool entirely naked. Her mother thought it was funny, her husband thought it was hot.

“Why is she like this, Gabe?”

“It’s not that unusual for her, being naked before coffee. But I think she might also be a little light-headed from the altitude. Let’s give her some time.”

“You’re dressed. You were outside?”

“Yeah, I just needed to stretch my legs. I walked around the neighborhood checking out the properties.”

“You want to buy a house up here? A GREAT idea.”

“Except, I’m sure they are way out of our range. I saw one for sale, now that I’m back on the Wi-Fi I can look up the asking ... Holy Shit! Lucia, it’s way over a million dollars for only two bedrooms, just 900 square feet. That’s insane! Oh, well.”

Mia was halfway through her first cup of coffee and was now more lucid.

“What’s over a million?”

“A tiny house for sale nearby.”

“Seems like a lot.”

“It is; are you feeling better?”

“Coffee helps. Husband, why am I naked? Why is Mama half naked?”

“You just walked from your bed to here that way. I’m not sure about Lucia. Except she’s hotter than that griddle she’s cooking your breakfast on.”

“Thank you, Gabe, you get an extra piece of bacon.”

After they ate, Lucia had a request.

“I went outside wanting a quick soak. But I’m having trouble with the cover. Gabe, can you help me?”

“Sure.”

They stepped outside and down the stairs to the deck. The spa was insulated around the sides and bottom, but if the surface of the water was exposed to the chilled air the water temperature would drop rapidly.

To keep in the heat, the spa had a fitted cover, made up of two 10-inch-thick slabs of rigid foam encased in a durable vinyl fitted cover that could be latched down onto the sides of the spa. Since the spa and its massive cover were a 7-foot square, the two hinged halves of the cover were heavy and awkward to deal with.

Gabe first got hold of half of the cover and folded it up and over the other half, exposing one side of the still-warm water. Then, he lifted both halves and dropped them to the deck behind the spa. Lucia hit the switch to start the pump and heater. She checked the rising temperature display, and she predicted that in about five minutes the water would be hot enough.

“I’m going to go dump these pants and then I’ll be back for a soaking. I hope you two will join me.”