Boulevard of Dreams

Chapter One

     Kiera Cooper shielded her eyes from the glaring southern California sun as she juggled her bag, iced latte, keys and the stack of freshly signed documents proclaiming her the owner of the seen-better-days bungalow she was struggling to open. Making a mental note to add more substantial landscaping to block the sun near the front door, Kiera finally managed to turn the key in the rusted old lock and push open the heavy wood door.  She stepped through into the foyer, heels clicking on the worn wood floors as she surveyed her new home. 

     "Well, Kiera girl, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" she said to the dust bunnies tumbling across her path. She had forgotten how dark, outdated and glum the interior of the little cottage was during the months long negotiations to buy the home.  She dropped her tote, papers and keys on a folding table littered with realtor's business cards and open house flyers and headed through the living room to the back door. 

While the tired front exterior and gloomy interior made many potential buyers quickly calculate the time and cost to renovate and move on to the next home, Kiera had taken one long look at the view, turned to her real estate agent, Pam, and said, "I want it," before even finishing the home tour. She had quickly viewed the boxy interior, chalked it up to a complete gut job and written the offer to purchase, ignoring Pam's grimace at using the hood of her shiny Mercedes convertible as a desk.  She had hoped for a quick escrow, but as the home had belonged to an elderly lady with no children, her extended family had to be tracked down and agree to the terms of sale.  Now, four months later, it was all hers.

     Sliding the patio door open, her breath caught as she stepped onto the back deck and took in the spectacular vista before her. Kiera was awestruck by the view of the sprawling city in the valley below, the surrounding low mountains and glimpse of the deep blue Pacific Ocean to the west. It was even better than she remembered and her mind spun with the possibilities of how she could transform this dated house into a home filled with peaceful tranquility.  She turned her face up to the sun and wrapped her arms around her slender torso, hugging herself in delight. "Guess it's time to invest in sunscreen," she said to herself. 

     After growing up and living in the cloudy, rain soaked Northwest her whole life, Kiera was ready for some sunshine, both physically and mentally. She loved Seattle and all it had to offer. Museums, excellent music venues, farmers markets and eclectic boutiques were on every corner these days and she had relished living in such a cultural mecca, but when her life had seemingly crumbled around her, she decided a change of scenery was in order and headed for sunny southern California.

     Kiera walked back inside and after several minutes of thought, went to the little folding table and pulled a notebook and pen out of her tote.  For the next hour she sketched, jotted down ideas and mentally transformed her little bungalow into the open, airy showplace she knew was hiding under the surface. She finally picked up her phone and found the number she wanted in her contacts list. "Jake, it's Kiera, and do I ever have a job for you."

     Two hours later, she stood in the middle of the living room in her bare feet, her stylish pumps long discarded, and discussed renovation plans with her lifelong friend, Jake Hanson. 

     "I was thinking that if we blew out the walls between the existing kitchen, dining and living rooms, then replaced the whole back wall with glass, it would really open up the space," Kiera said. 
     "I believe this is a supporting wall," Jake replied, patting it, "so we would have to put in a beam for structural support, but it could be done.  Have you seen the new glass accordion walls? I think that would be perfect in here.  Exactly what you are looking for." 

     Kiera shook her head, but grabbed her iPad, and after a quick internet search found examples of the feature Jake was recommending. 

     "Yes!  That's it exactly!" Kiera exclaimed while looking at a picture of a beautiful home with the back wall composed completely of folding vertical glass sections, pushed back so the interior and exterior living spaces became almost one.