Andrew noticed a lighter step in his walk, and he noticed how much easier it was to get out of bed in the morning. There was more to each day than just the grind of going to work and collapsing in front of the TV at night. So many of his conscious thoughts were filled with reflections on time spent with Vincent and dreams about the future.

He pulled into the driveway at the office snatching the prime parking spot for the day. He opened the car door and heard the chime of his cell phone announcing a new text message. Andrew pulled the messenger bag over his shoulder and looked at the screen of the phone. It was a text message from Vincent. It read:

Andrew smiled. Then he remembered that Jeffrey and Doug planned to be absent from the office for the morning. They were going straight to the house, and Andrew was expected there by 10:00 a.m. It would give them all the opportunity to do a little sprucing up before Vincent’s morning visit. Andrew typed back:

Andrew fired up an 80s playlist on his computer. Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” spilled from the speakers. Andrew stood up from his desk to head to the kitchen and brew a morning cup of coffee. Then he leaned back over the computer and turned the volume up to high. It was a perfect morning to dance his way to the kitchen.

---

Struggling to carry his bag, a long box of flowers, and a glass vase to the front door of Vincent’s new house for his meeting with Jeffrey and Doug, Andrew rang the doorbell with the back of his hand. He heard the barking of a dog from beyond the door. The sound was not vicious, but it was insistent. Finally, Doug pulled the door open and asked, with a smirk, “Who are you? Did we ask for solicitations?”

Andrew grumbled, “That’s not half as funny as you think it is.” He pushed his way into the house with Sam pawing at his leg.

Doug said, “I thought I would bring Sam along. I like his energy. It encourages me to get to work.”

“You need encouragement?” asked Andrew. “A nice big paycheck isn’t enough?”

Andrew dropped the box of flowers on the coffee table in the living room. Then he shrugged the bag off his shoulder onto the couch. He took the vase in both hands and strode purposefully to the kitchen.

“I think I work hard enough,” said Doug. “Recently, I’ve been working harder than someone else around here.”

Andrew stepped up to the sink and began running water into the vase. He called toward the living room. “Are you saying that Jeffrey is slacking off? Maybe we need to have a conversation with him about it. We don’t want to be carrying around dead weight.”

Jeffrey appeared in the doorway to the kitchen at the moment Andrew turned off the tap. He said, “Andrew, I think you know exactly who Doug is discussing. We’ve got wallpaper samples lying around the house, nothing on the windows but the ancient blinds and curtains that were already here, and I’m not sure if you have even set foot in a showroom to look at furniture.”

Andrew carried the vase of water back to the living room and placed it next to the box of flowers. Jeffrey followed him and said, “It’s not like you to slack off like this. Both Doug and I are worried.” Sam barked at the end of the sentence like he was trying to punctuate the point he was making.

Doug sat on the couch and said, “We can talk about the plans here, and I do want to talk about work flow, but we don’t have to get there immediately.”

Andrew busily arranged the two dozen roses from the florist box in the vase. He said, “If I didn’t know both of you better, I might think you are a little bit jealous. I am slightly behind, but I can catch up within a day. You’ve seen me do it before.”

Jeffrey sat in a chair near the couch and said, “Yes, when a finite event like your older brother’s funeral disrupted your work schedule. Are you planning on breaking up soon to put this behind you and get back to work?”

“No, and, in fact, things are going well. These roses are for Vincent. He’s planning on stopping by the house tomorrow, so I’m going to leave them here as a surprise.” Andrew pulled a card from the box and stuck it under the edge of the vase. He turned toward the couch just as Sam jumped up to nestle himself next to Doug and rest his head on Doug’s thigh. Andrew asked, “Will Sam let me sit here?”

Doug said, “I’m sure he won’t mind.”

Andrew seated himself next to Sam and reached out to stroke the dog’s silky fur. He said, “Why don’t we start with you, Doug, since you’ve been working so hard. Do you have a plan for what we’ll see out the windows on the back of the house and when we sit on the deck?”

Doug grinned and said, “I thought you would never ask.” He opened up a folder and glanced down at a sheet of paper before explaining his work. He said, “I’m very excited about what amounts to the back yard. It’s the space between the house and the woods. My design is relatively minimalist in a way.”

“That sounds perfect for this house,” said Jeffrey. “Everything inside is about simplifying and embracing the simple lines.”

“I’m going for four seasons of interest,” said Doug. “It’s like I do in most of my designs, except where I would design borders of multiple kinds of flowering plants with sharp architectural accents from leaves and stems for a Victorian house, I’ve opted for simple and dramatic here.”

Andrew murmured, “Drama,” as he stroked Sam’s back.

Ignoring the editorial comment, Doug continued. He said, “I’m putting in waves of daffodils to provide a bold yellow wave of color reaching from the house into the woods. During the summer, those will be replaced by hostas. They will emerge and grow and cover the fading foliage of the daffodils. The gold accents on their leaves will be the main feature in summer, and I have chosen a variety with large, fragrant white flowers for fall. They really will be easy-to-maintain work horses in the garden.”

“And what will make it look striking in the winter?” asked Jeffrey.

“I have two banks of red-twig dogwoods that should provide a bright, exciting contrast to the snow,” said Doug. So we will move from yellow in the spring to green and gold in the summer, white in the fall, and red in the winter.”

Andrew smiled and said, “I like it.”

Doug added, “Of course, the trees in the woods will be decorative year-round.”

Andrew asked, “Jeffrey, is it possible for you to create some built-in bench seating on the deck? I thought that could be very useful beyond chairs and loungers that would need to be hauled in and out of the snow.”

Jeffrey made notes and said, “I’m glad to hear you’ve been thinking about those options.”

“Doug, what happens in the front of the house?” asked Andrew. “Hopefully you’re adding something a little more interesting than those sad little shrubs by the front door.”

“Yes, those are very sad,” said Doug. “I’ve been talking to Greg about varieties of conifers, and I think I’ll make liberal use of ornamental grasses. I don’t think we need much in the way of bright blooms. Those primary-colored panels on the front of the house rightfully draw the attention. I think it’s best to leave them as the focal point out there.”

Jeffrey smiled and said, “I think your ideas sound perfect, Doug. Now we just need to make sure the busy interior is a whole lot less busy and matches what people see outside and their first impressions of the house.”

Andrew said, “I noticed that the wall was gone, but the pipes and electrical are still there between the kitchen and dining space. How’s that coming along, Jeffrey?”

“I’ve got the plumber and electrician scheduled for early in the week. We’ve got a couple of other small projects for them while they are here. I’m expanding the closet in the little girl’s bedroom downstairs. What’s her name again.”

“Mandy,” said Andrew. “She is going to help me out when I’m shopping for some of the finishing touches. She will help out with lamps, vases, and the furniture for her bedroom.” Andrew cast furtive glances around the room while he spoke. He was thinking on his feet, one of his best workplace assets, so that he had ideas to contribute instead of coming up empty in front of his closest friends and colleagues.

“You’re easing up then?” asked Jeffrey. “Since when will you let someone else have input? I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. I think it’s great. No more knock-down drag-out fights in the showroom over whether we do the smoky black vase or the one with deep blue accents.”

Doug tried to keep a straight face, but he finally burst out laughing. He said, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it, but I love you anyway, Andrew. You know that.”

Andrew crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Vincent is helping teach me that an open mind can be a very useful thing. From here on out, I’m going to be more welcoming of alternative opinions.” He paused and added, “By the way, I have gotten some of my work done, too. I stopped by the lighting showroom. I do want to have the ceiling fixtures and lamps create continuity throughout the house. They had some very exciting pieces. I will bring Mandy with me. It will be fun to have such a different point of view.”

Jeffrey nodded and said, “I think that’s a good idea. Kids can be helpful. They definitely look at things differently from how we do.”

“And I’m thinking of creating either a three-dimensional piece of art for the wall or hanging from the ceiling that crosses over where the island will go even more explicitly tying the kitchen to the dining space. I want it to encourage your eyes to move effortlessly through,” said Andrew.

Jeffrey smiled. He said, “Okay, I might owe you at least a small apology. I assumed your mind was so completely wrapped up in Vincent that you were shirking your work on the project, but obviously you’ve been thinking things through.”

Andrew asked, “How much longer before you complete your work, Jeffrey?”

“Including the new flooring downstairs and reconstructing the fireplace surround, I would say three weeks should be pretty easy.”

“What about you, Doug?” asked Andrew.

Doug said, “Oh, if Greg has everything that I want, less than a week, but I expect he will have to order a few things. Two weeks is plenty of time for me to finish up.”

“Then you are both comfortable with me giving Vincent a firm one-month move-in date? I think that will be very close to the end of the school year, so it will probably be perfect. They can get in here over the summer, and Mandy can start in her new school at the beginning of a school year.”

“You’re not rushing things too fast with Vincent, are you?” asked Jeffrey.

“How fast is too fast?” asked Andrew. “I’m just going by the seat of my pants, to be honest. As much as I hate to say it, maybe I could use a little advice from the two of you. Or at least some support. This is new territory for me.”

Doug scratched Sam behind the ears and said, “As much fun as it is to poke at you, Andrew. You know I’ve got your back.”

“And I do, too,” said Jeffrey. “I want all of this to work out in the best way possible.”