Let's Do This 1: Stormi and Sebastian

Chapter 3

Stormi POV

     It's been two weeks since I put in an offer on the A-frame after checking that I could, in fact, renovate and add the porch just off the loft area. We had a host of people coming out to look at the house, to make sure that it could happen soon. Finding a reputable construction crew and getting an inspector to come to inspect the home were the first things I needed to find after touring the home. I asked the older lady who worked at the motel which crew and inspector she liked best. So, I called them. They said yes, so the next call was to zoning to make sure it wouldn't be an issue for any reason.

     Once zoning was approved for the upstairs porch, I checked about adding solar panels too, they said because it's so cloudy here, it might not work and I might want to keep the electric company on as a backup, so I scrapped the idea. I'll stick with the electric company. If the weather improves for more than a few months, I'll invest in solar. Not right now.

     I put in a cash offer on the house, and the seller accepted right away. Once the offer was accepted, and the keys were in my hands (as of yesterday at 8 am) I called everyone to go ahead and start on the construction. It shouldn't take long at all. A week to two tops. Then I can start working in total peace. Unlike the motel, I'm staying at. Not that I don't work well here, but the walls are very thin, and let's just say that...some of the things I've heard will give me nightmares for the rest of my life. Probably.

     As I sit in a local coffee shop, working away on my laptop, my phone rings, bringing me out of the creative groove I've been in for about two hours now, since first sipping my hot bean water that feeds my soul. I see it Emily, my amazing boss (and maternal figure since all this nonsense started).

     "Hi, Emily. What's going on?"

     I heard her sigh on the other end. "It's not good, Storm. Your ex has been showing up here for a week and a half, demanding to know where you are. Raven's here with me."

     "Hey, girl." I heard her, a little further away from the receiver.

     "Seems he's been showing up at her house also. He's desperate to find you." I let out a bitter laugh. Where was this attention when he was fucking my sister?

     "Tell him I left the state. Tell him you contacted me through my work email, and since I'm working 100% remotely you're not sure of my exact location."

     "He's worried about you and the baby." I hear Raven chip in. I roll my eyes so hard I think I saw a glimpse of my brain.

     "Rave, tell him you spoke to me and I've lost the baby due to the stress of finding out about him and my slut of a sister. I'm sorry for putting this on you both." I said, feeling genuinely bad about leaving my friends to handle him. I thought she was what he wanted. Or does he just want someone to give him a baby? Has she cheated on him already? Ugh. I can feel a headache coming on. "I'm sorry you guys, I'm at a little café here and all this talk of him is giving me a headache. I'm trying to hammer out these two designs that are due by next week. I just..."

     "I know," Emily's voice came across the line. "I just wanted to make you aware of it and see what you'd like to do. We're on your side in this. If you don't want to talk about him, we won't. We'll take care of any more issues we have with him here. You just focus on putting out amazing designs."

     The porch add-on took a week and a half to finish. It was mainly a waiting game for the French doors to be delivered and material to put a new black tin roof on. In the time it took for the doors to get delivered, I found someone who could paint the entire outside of the house black, to match the roof. It was looking awesome. Now that it was finished, I was able to move in. I started looking at thrift shops to find furniture and ordered a bed online. In what felt like no time at all, I had managed to furnish my home in pieces that felt very bohemian and cozy. I even managed to find an outdoor patio set to put on my covered porch off the loft area I'd turned into my little workspace. It was cozy with a chaise, lots of pillows and blankets.

     I checked auction sites for rugs and anything else I may need. I knew Christmas was coming soon, and though I didn't feel like celebrating, it was my favorite holiday. I found a secondhand tree and bought some all-white lights and black-and-white decorations. I realized I had a lot more time on my hands lately, so I started writing on my laptop, just for shits and giggles at first. I wrote under a pen name, not wanting anyone to know my actual name. I'd also changed the names of the people who betrayed me to try to keep as much anonymity as possible, though I knew if my family read my self-discovery book, I was really passionate about, they'd know it was me writing it. So, I chose the name 'Artemis Jones'.

     Once I'd actually written a novel, I decided I wanted to publish and see if I could gain any traction. The first novel I self-published on Amazon was a smut novel. The second one I had been working on and completed, just after the holidays, was part one of my journey of self-discovery and healing after the trauma and betrayal I experienced. I touched on therapy and using writing as a tool. Plus, surrounded myself in nature, letting myself be inspired by what I saw out my windows every day. I took photos on my old camera, and by old, I mean one that wasn't digital. Turns out, I have a knack for photography.

     I'd sent out the first two chapters to publishing houses all over the country, wanting to make sure that I was fully covered just in case my family did in fact think it was a book about them. I got two calls back. One, from 'Read-y To Go Publishing'. The man seemed to think it was beneath him, but he'd called because the editor who read it really l liked it, insisted he give me a call. I could tell he lacked interest as it was the female editor asking all the questions.

     The second call I got was from 'ReadItAndWeep Publishing'. The man introduced himself as Sebastian Stone, owner and editor of the publishing house. He asked questions, seeming very eager about reading more and possibly publishing part one and part two when that came out.

     "This is just brilliant writing. Especially the parts that encourage people to seek help from a professional when they're struggling mentally after such a betrayal. And the ways you went about discovering who you are, they're affordable for the average person and not just, 'I moved across the country and then traveled around the world. Not that, that book wasn't amazing in its own rights, but not everyone can do that."

     "I totally understand that. While I have a little in savings, it's all that I saved when I was younger and working. I wanted to connect with nature and try things in my own little community that I knew I had an interest in, but never tried. I found some of the things I thought I'd really like, I didn't, and some of the things I wasn't sure about, I ended up loving. Like photography. I'd been told it would never go anywhere, same with my writing."

     "Well, whoever said that obviously was just jealous of the raw talent you possess. I'd love to meet you for coffee. This week if you're available?"

     "I'd love to. What day works for you?"

     "How does Wednesday at eleven sound? At 'Bean Thinking' downtown?"

     I smiled. This man was actually interested in my book, "That sounds great. See you then."

     Wednesday couldn't come fast enough.

     Let's do this.