“I hope you aren’t allergic to cats,” Ava said.
“No, not at all,” Noah said. He bent down and let each cat smell his outstretched hand. One was grayish-blue with striking yellow eyes, the other gray-and-white striped with blue eyes. “Beautiful cats.”
“Thank you,” Ava said. “They are my buddies. Yellow eyes is Oxi, short for oxygen, and blue eyes is Carbi, short for carbon dioxide.”
“Very clever,” Noah said. “Have you had them for a long time?”
“Relatively,” Ava said. “I got them from the animal shelter.”
“Well, they certainly lucked out,” Noah said.
“I think I got the better end of the bargain,” Ava said. “Can I get you anything to drink? There is a bar off to the right as part of the library.”
“You have a library?” Noah questioned. He didn’t know if she was joking or not. Having a library was not part of his vocabulary.
“Of course. This is a rather big house, even though from the front it appears modest. The building’s footprint has what is called an L off the back.”
“Modest is not the adjective I would choose.”
Ava laughed in a sincere, crystalline manner. “Everything is relative.”
“Do you live in the whole house?”
“As opposed to what?”
“Are there apartments?”
“I see what you mean,” Ava said with another laugh. “No, there are no rental units. It is a single-family house. I just happen to be a family of one with two cats.”
“How many floors?”
“Six.”
“Not bad!” Noah said. “It’s very impressive. I like the period decor.” The house was far bigger than he would have guessed from seeing its fa?ade, which made it look as if it were three stories, not six. He wondered what it would be like to occupy such a place, thinking his entire apartment probably would fit in the room he was standing in.
“Are you interested in architecture and design?”
“I suppose,” Noah said, even though he had never given the idea much thought, as evidenced by his apartment.
“Would you like to see the house?” Ava asked. “I would be happy to give you a quick tour. Creating it has been a labor of love for me. Since I spend a lot of time in the house when I am in Boston, I wanted it to reflect me and my lifestyle as kind of a homebody. The renovation has only been finished for less than a year.”
“I’d love to see the house,” Noah said.
They started on the first, or basement, floor, which was level with the garden in the back. Noah was shown a full guest studio with its own kitchen. Next was a full workout room with several stationary bikes, a treadmill, a half-dozen weight machines, and a rack of free weights. “Here’s where I spend six-thirty to seven-thirty every evening I’m in town,” Ava said. “Just like I did today. That’s why I’m still in my workout clothes. I was afraid to get into the shower, for fear you would arrive the moment I did.”
“Do you travel out of town frequently?” Noah asked.
“I do,” Ava said. “As often as I can. In fact, almost every weekend. I take full advantage of my freedom. It’s one of the benefits of anesthesia as a medical specialty. When I’m off, I am really off.”
“Good point,” Noah said. “What do you do about your cats?”
“My housekeeper, Maria, comes every day when I’m out of town. She loves Oxi and Carbi.”
“Where do you usually go?”
“It depends if it is business or pleasure,” Ava said.
“What do you mean ‘business’?” Noah asked. The question popped out before he even thought of whether it was appropriate. “Are you on an anesthesia staff at another hospital as well?”
“Not at all,” Ava said without offense. “I couldn’t do that. Dr. Kumar wouldn’t tolerate it. I do consulting.”
“Interesting,” Noah responded. He wanted to ask more but felt it too probing, and Ava was already climbing the stairs to the next level.
The second floor, which was half underground on the Louisburg Square or front side of the building, housed a large, modern kitchen with all the usual appliances, a dining room, and a full maid’s apartment.
“I don’t have a maid,” Ava said in response to Noah’s shocked expression. “When I did the design for the renovation I was thinking of resale as well as my own needs.”
“Interesting,” Noah repeated. He was more than impressed. Knowing a little about real estate values, he doubted Ava could afford such a manse even on anesthesiologist’s salary. Her consulting business had to be extremely profitable. It was either that or she had inherited a fortune.
The third floor was where Noah had entered when he’d come in through the front door, so they continued up the main stairs to the fourth. It was here that Noah was most impressed. The main portion of the house without the back L comprised two rooms. The front and slightly larger room was an inviting, dark green study with several desks, a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, a sitting area with comfortable overstuffed club chairs with ottomans, an expansive coffee table with a number of colorful coffee table books, a collection of framed photographs of Ava in various athletic venues, and lots of light streaming through large windows. Noah could imagine spending a lot of time in such a space.
“Do you mind if I check out your photos?” Noah said.
“Not at all,” Ava said. She laughed with pleasure at Noah’s interest.
Noah’s eyes ran over the entire lot, one more interesting than the last. He could tell most were selfies taken with a selfie stick. There were a few group shots, but the others were solo, with Ava smiling into the camera as if she were as happy as a lark. She seemed to have the same expression in all of them and her hair was always perfect. There was something oddly impersonal about them. “I guess you’re quite a sports enthusiast,” Noah commented.
“I like sports and travel,” Ava said. “Now let me show you another room.” She gestured back out into the hallway.
In contrast, the rear room was dark and uninviting until Ava turned on the light. Then Noah’s face lit up like a child’s at Christmas seeing the decorated tree for the first time. The entire room was devoted to a computer setup the likes of which Noah had never seen except in his dreams. “I’m so jealous,” he said as he stepped over the threshold. There were three monitors sitting on a broad desk against the far wall and angled so all three could be seen by someone at the desk with just a minor turn of the head. A bank of electronics, including a server, were on open shelving to Noah’s left. Large speakers stood on either side of the desk. Several of the latest virtual-reality headsets sat on top of it. The windows at the rear of the house were shuttered to keep out the light. The ceiling was covered with acoustical tile.
“This is my favorite room in the house,” Ava said with pride as she noted Noah’s reaction. “I spend every evening in here when I am in Boston, sometimes as much as four hours. I lose track of time.”