Intertwined

Like a Work of Art

A/N: Hello gorgeous people. The middle of this chapter gets a bit heated. Spicy 🌶️ heated. Then we get to introduce someone we haven't heard about in a while... don't worry you will love her. I'm not ready for another dangerous villain.

When Reece and Autumn walked into the sparse brick warehouse they weren't exactly sure what to think. Both of them immediately thought selling the space was the best option. It was in a good business area but that was all it really had going for it. The ceiling was high and had some great old wood beams spanning the length of the ceiling, and new steel beams reinforcing the structure. The floor was mostly concrete but was cracking in places. There was a wood floor area that was a step up through an arched doorway that had definitely seen better days and at the old entrance was a Victorian tiled mosaic floor, but it needed restoring to be beautiful again.

There were bathrooms but neither Reece nor Autumn fancied looking inside.

Lily walked in after getting off the phone. She smiled brightly and her wavy grey hair was up in a messy bun. 'This is perfect!' She exclaimed, causing both of her children to look at her like she was losing her mind, 'Mia is coming to have a look'.

Lily stood in between the two and put one arm around each of them. Reece looked sceptically at his sister who folded her arms and looked at her mother. 'Why is Mia coming to take a look? We already know the value of it,' Autumn didn't want to stand in the cold, rusty, crumbling dust bucket of a building any longer than necessary.

Lily smiled at them, 'use your imaginations my darlings. This would make a great art space and gallery'. Lily stepped forward and waved her arms upwards, turning around to face them.

Imagination working in full throttle and Reece still couldn't see it. 'Uhhh, ummm, maybe,' Reece held up his hands like a frame trying to find something special.

Mia strutted on in and tapped him on the shoulder, 'Don't think too hard Reecey, you'll break that last brain cell'.

Mia walked through the space and up to Lily and a smile came across her face, 'You are right Mama Liz, this space is beautiful and absolutely perfect'. Lily nodded enthusiastically at her goddaughter, who was more like one of her children, especially since Michael had passed away.

Lily or Mama Liz to Mia, for Lily's middle name Elizabeth, was loving being part of Reece, Autumn and Mia's lives again. She cherished all the time she spent with them. As they all agreed when her and Michael first returned, they wouldn't try to erase the past or make up for lost time, but rather enjoy the time they had now, get to know each other now and how they had got here, trying to leave aside judgment and regret. It wasn't always easy, but the fact they tried was enough. That was where love came in.

'I knew you would love it. Reece and Aut want to sell it'. Lily said pointing to the siblings, who were not so patiently waiting for an explanation.

'Would the two of you care to explain what you are talking about?' Autumn's voice was quiet but clearly annoyed. She had plans with her husband and was eager to get home and not spend her whole afternoon standing in a dilapidated building.

'Sorry Aut,' Mia said sympathetically as she walked around the space. It was cold outside, the air was icy even inside the old factory, but the clear sky meant the glass ceiling had light streaming through the building. Mia loved the remnants of old parts of the building, still poking out of more recent renovations before it was abandoned. This property was merely a tax write off for Roger, he probably had forgotten he acquired it or even how he did.

Mia knew she could turn it into something special. The building had no insulation, or heating and cooling currently. There was a mix of brickwork. Some very old and some patches of newer repairs. Some of mortar would need to be repaired. The mosaic floor, at what should be the front entrance was beautiful, damaged, but Mia could see it would be stunning once restored. The wood beams were certainly a historical aspect, but the building so long forgotten that it carried no restrictions of other buildings that were listed in heritage categories.