Thanks to Starbug17 for editorial support.
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Alice had spent the morning in preparation for Jack's visit. She and Mike had breakfast in bed as usual and Mike had showered and was now out in their small orchard. The morning had dawned sunny and warm necessitating just a pair of jandals for picking fruit. Both Mike and Alice enjoyed their freedom and had developed their property so as not to scare the neighbours.
Alice had spent a little longer in the bathroom this morning, wanting to look her best for Jack. Like Mike, a pair of jandals was all that was required to go into the veggie garden to pick fresh lettuces, tomatoes, radishes and a cucumber.
In the kitchen she padded around in bare feet on the polished concrete floor. Their home was a Passivhaus which remained the same temperature all year round with minimal heating or cooling. The kitchen was well appointed and over the last few years they'd developed quite a larder of home preserves.
The smell of freshly baked bread permeated the kitchen and family room. It always made the place feel homely. Alice laid all the ingredients on a butler's tray ready to take it out to the terrace if that's where the men wanted to eat.
Just before midday, the buzzer sounded that indicated that a vehicle had passed through the main gate some 200m from their home. Alice casually walked to the front door and took a sun frock from one of the coat hooks in the foyer. As well as the usual coats and jackets, the hooks were well populated with hats, dresses, a couple of lava lavas and some running shorts. All strategically placed in order to meet guests without surprising them (if desired).
Jack pulled up outside the front door in his well-maintained Tesla model S. Alice was impressed, both the fact that Jack had a Tesla and was sufficiently aware of the trend towards sustainable transport, as well as the fact that he looked so fucking sexy pulling up at her place.
Jack greeted her with a passionate kiss as she led him inside. A quick glance around the room told him that this is a couple with good but simple taste. Once in the large family room he could see through to the north-facing sunny side of the house and the well protected private garden. This had obviously had many hours of careful tending and was as pretty as a picture.
In the kitchen, Alice picked up a two-way radio, pressed the PTT button and announced, "Jack's here." Spotting the look, Alice told Jack that Mike was in the orchard and would be in, in a minute.
Mike heard the call, popped the trays of various fruit onto the pallet on the tractor, dug out some shorts from the toolbox on the wheel guard and headed back towards the house. As he swung into the sealed car park at the rear of the house he spotted the car and gave an involuntary whistle. Coming through the main doors, Mike threw on a t-shirt from the coat hooks in the foyer.
As he entered the family room, Mike stretched out a tanned and slightly weathered hand to welcome Jack into their home. "It's great to finally meet you Jack, you've certainly had Alice on tenter hooks over the past few weeks. She came home all aglow last night."
Alice blushed slightly as she looked at Jack, knowing what had caused the glow.
"It's great to finally be here! I'm quite impressed with your home, understated but more to it than meets the eye I suspect."
"Why don't you give Jack the guided tour while I put lunch out? Do you want to eat on the terrace?" asked Alice.
"Good idea on both counts, I could murder a beer too."
Mike and Jack turned to face the family room. To the left was the dining area. The wall separating the dining from the corridor beyond was a laser cut steel panel about 6m long. The design of trees and birds appealed to Jack. In the middle section a couple of suspended basket chairs were positioned opposite the open-plan kitchen which was on the south side. The sitting area with several chairs and couches was at the right-hand side of the room. Artwork collected over the years adorned the walls but the main feeling for the room was provided by the vista to the north. The colourful, textured and multi-layered garden was beautiful. The clean fresh air inside the house also made the room feel light.
Beyond this main living area, Mike showed Jack the east wing. This comprised of three spacious bedrooms and a large bathroom. Mike reckoned this was great when family came to stay as it provided some space between them and the rest of the throng.
Back across the family room, Mike lead Jack beyond the steel screen to the large master suite. A California King bed sat on the west wall with a view through large stacker doors to the terrace. A built-in window seat on the north wall provided a sunny reading spot. The room was calming with minimal adornment. An extremely large walk-in wardrobe and ensuite were positioned off the south side of the room. Jack was impressed with the walk-in shower large enough for three.
Back down the corridor, was an office, laundry and sewing room. Mike then lead Jack into the garage workshop area. Everything was neatly in its place. Mike explained how the house 'worked'. Solar and wind power, zinc bromide flow batteries, a German heat recovery ventilation system, bore water and eco-septic tank. The whole house is air-tight, and the incoming air filtered and warmed or cooled as required. The design is passive and net zero energy. Jack loved this philosophy and really liked how Mike and Alice had made this work.
Back in the family room. Mike commented on the mix of clothes hanging on hooks by the front door. Alice smiled and commented, "It's best to greet guests with clothes on so we keep a few dotted around the place."
