9.70 The Happenings

Life went into warp speed after Jonathan and Skyla’s wedding. Just before Julian’s death, Jonathan had found a plot of land in Newcrest he liked and wanted to build the restaurant on. After they returned home from the honeymoon, construction began. He was onsite nearly every day, and at night he still worked at his job. It was hard–especially being away from his new wife. However, she wasn’t at home twiddling her thumbs though; she had a project of her own going on. But first, let’s get back to Jonathan’s restaurant. He named it Sky High Cafe.

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The last day at his job was a bittersweet one. The management was proud of his accomplishments and wished him well. But, if something should happen and he needed his job back, he would be more than glad to welcome him back. That made him feel warm and confident that he was making the right decision. He loved being in charge of his own menu and made everything with such love, care, and pride–just like his grandma.

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He could have managed on his own by cooking in the morning and staying open until he sold out, but he decided that he should hire someone to focus on the customers. That person became his other little cousin, Chasity–Derek’s little sister. She recently entered the workforce and was looking for something new and exciting to get into. She had a great work ethic, but lacked sales and maintenance experience. Jonathan understood that and knew that everyone needed to start from somewhere and was more than glad to help her get her start. After all, he was new at this too.

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Jonathan took great care of his restaurant, cleaning it when he wasn’t cooking, keeping track of the financials, and checking the stock levels. Above all else, he enjoyed getting to know his customers and making them feel special.

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Business was good, and he was profitable every day, although sometimes barely. He wasn’t doing it for the money anyway. As long as he made enough to pay his employee, his vendors, and the bills, he was just fine.

Skyla was at home with an even larger under taking. As she previously mentioned, it had always been her dream to live in a large house. So, upon moving to the Pruett Estate, her dream was fulfilled and she was perfectly fine with that. However, Jonathan had bigger dreams for her. He knew it was awkward enough for her to come into such a grand home with its pre-existing conditions and history. He didn’t want to necessarily erase the history, but he wanted Skyla to have the home of her dreams to make her as comfortable as possible. Naturally, Skyla declined his offer many times stating that the estate was fine the way it was. But he insisted…and kept on insisting until she agreed. He told her it would be fun, and she could spend as much money as she wanted. Being the perfectionist that she was, she didn’t set out to do anything grandiose, but everything she did had to be done right. She canvased the house looking for places for improvement as well as visualizing a few things that didn’t exist that she wanted to add. Essentially, the contractors took the house apart and put it back together again like a jigsaw puzzle. It took quite a long time for the construction to be completed, but in the end, the Pruett Estate had more of a modern flare:

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Skyla wasn’t completely satisfied with the front and rear entries, but they could always be done at a later time. When the construction ceased, it was time to paint and furnish. However, Skyla wasn’t much of a decorator. She was creative enough to paint some pretty awesome things, but creating a decor theme for the house was a llama of a different color. She needed help. Jonathan encouraged her to hire an interior designer, so she began researching firms until she discovered OJenn Interiors. She saw that this firm had very high ratings and excellent reviews, and the portfolio was overwhelmingly impressive. Skyla was excited about what her home could potentially look like and called right away to schedule an appointment for a walkthrough. To her surprise, OJenn herself showed up at her doorstep to do the walkthrough.

“Hi! I’m Skyla Pruett. Please, come in.”

“Good day. I am OJenn.”

Skyla gasped. “The OJenn? What an honor to meet you! I was expecting…well, someone who works for you.”

“Mrs. Pruett the pleasure is all mine, trust. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit THE Pruett Estate.”

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“Wow…well, I’m still honored…heh.” Skyla wasn’t sure how to proceed. She was still getting used to the fact that she was actually in the position to even need the help of such a person. Her new life was unreal to her. “Ummm, do you need to discuss anything, or would you like the tour now?”

“Let’s do the tour. That will guide our discussion for later.”

“Excellent. Follow me!”

Skyla turned around and began the tour. “We didn’t overhaul the house 100% as you can tell. We kept many of the original rooms. We’re not opposed to updating them, but I didn’t see a need to include them this time around. So I had them moved to accommodate the additions…

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“…mainly this!

“Wooooow,” OJenn said. “Very nice addition!”

“Thank you! My husband…he really enjoys the outdoors, so I thought I could bring the outdoors indoors with a courtyard.”

“Very thoughtful.”

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“This is the first area I want to complete so he can enjoy it right away while everything else gets completed,” Skyla said.

“If your husband does not appreciate this, he is a fool!”

Skyla smiled and led OJenn out of the courtyard and continued the tour. “These floors aren’t necessarily staying. We haven’t decided what to replace them with yet. Hopefully you’ll have some suggestions for us. This space over here has never been used for anything. It’s just the landing for the basement stairs and alcove to this bedroom in here.”

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“Mrs. Pruett, this is so very exciting!”

“Please, call me Skyla! I’m not used to the whole ‘Mrs. Pruett’ thing yet.”

“Oh? You’re newly married?”

Skyla nodded. “This whole renovation project is kinda like my husband’s wedding gift to me I guess.”

“That makes this even more exciting!”

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“There aren’t many more changes downstairs. All these other rooms remain unchanged minus the new doors. Upstairs is where the magic is.”

“Lead the way, Skyla.”

They walked around the courtyard to the stairs, climbed up, and admired the view.

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Skyla led OJenn to a room. “Now, if you don’t mind, this room is kind of a pet project for me as I have my own ideas for what I want. I hope that’s ok.”

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“Of course it’s ok,” OJenn said. “I want you to have what you want. Besides, with one less room to style, I can spend more time and energy on the piece de resistance which I know you’re saving for last.”

Skyla smiled. She liked OJenn. “You know your stuff. I’ve been painting different pop art paintings to put in here. I want it to look more child friendly.”

“What did it look like before?”

“It was typical…you know…carpet, printed, pastel wallpaper, child sized furniture… For me, it was nice looking, but it was a bit too sterile. It didn’t look a child would enjoy living here, you know? I mean, I know it’s just a nursery and babies won’t care, but do. I think babies can be stimulated by their environment, so I want lots of bright, vibrant colors and prints.”

“Are you sure you need me for this job? You sound like you know your stuff!”

They shared a laugh, and Skyla led OJenn to the upstairs balcony at the front of the house. “This balcony was here before, I just moved the door to here. Previously there was the chess table and a woodworking table, but to me that’s not front-of-house material.”

“I know what you mean.”

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“Ok, Jenn, are you ready?”

“Oooh! We’re going there now? Yes!”

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They both walked excitedly to the brand new master suite. Skyla opened the double doors slowly and let OJenn look around.

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“So…what do you think?”

“I think the Pruett legacy is so lucky to have you!”

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“Tell me,” OJenn said. “I see that there was a lot of thought put into this room. What’s the inspiration behind it?”

“Well, I lived here a few months before we got married. Jonathan taught me all about the legacy stuff, and I saw how things worked. I think it’s great that the heir inherits this beautiful place, but to me there’s no excitement to it. I mean, if you think about it long enough, it may start to sound like being trapped. I mean, Jonathan and all the previous heirs sleep in the same bedroom from the time they’re big enough to sleep in a bed until the time they die. Apart from your father dying, there isn’t anything to signal that you are now the heir and you are important. Also, all the bedrooms in the house are basically the same. So, I thought we would add a proper master suite! I think the future heirs should have their own special space…something they can look forward to moving into when the time comes. Something that separates them from anyone else who lives in the house.”

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“Incredible. Like I said, Skyla, the Pruetts are lucky that you are here. So, what are behind these doors I’m looking at?”

“This one to the left is a walk-in closet, and the other is the en suite where we are going next!”

“Splendid!”

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“Now…I really loved these cabinets and this rug,” Skyla said, “so, I went ahead and got started in here.”

“Perfectly fine. Tell me about this space.”

“Well, even though the heir is the main focus in a legacy, he would be a failure without his wife…”

“Say it!”

“We women enjoy our bathrooms, right? Especially ones that include a large vanity! So…voila! The en suite is for the wives.”

“Loving it.”

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“I can do some things with this,” OJenn said. “Let’s talk business.”

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Thank you, OJenn, for letting your awesome SimSelf advise the Pruetts! OJenn writes Sims stories too! Check them out!

 

 

9.69 The Last Wedding
9.71 Ships that Pass in the Night