Mandy proved to be a perfect shopping companion. When she climbed out of the car at the furniture showroom, Mandy asked, “Is this one of those places where only designers can shop?”

Andrew nodded and asked, “How do you know about places like this? Yes, you are required to prove that you are part of the design trade. It’s not open to the general public for shopping. That means sometimes we can find unique things, and we receive worthwhile discounts that are hard to find anywhere else.”

Mandy said, “I know about places like this from watching TV. I’m not as into the home stuff as I am cooking, but I keep myself up to date.”

Andrew smiled at Mandy’s poise and confidence. He thought about his niece who was just a few years older and painfully shy. Mandy was a bracing breath of fresh air. He knew that Vincent’s parenting played a role in her confidence. Andrew smiled to himself while he followed Mandy through the front door.

She turned first one direction and then the other. For a moment, Mandy was struck silent. Then she finally asked, “Where do we start?”

Andrew said, “We can look at everything if you want to, but they have a showroom dedicated to mid-century furnishings on the second floor. That is the furniture that most closely matches the design of your house.”

“Well, let’s go there, then!” said Mandy. “I’ll follow you, though, because I don’t know how to get there.”

They swept quickly through the first floor toward the bank of elevators and staircase. At the last moment, Mandy spotted something on the first floor and said, “Stop, please, Mr. McCall. I see something.”

It was a bright, sunny yellow ceramic lamp with a round, ball-shaped base. “Do you like that?” asked Andrew.

“I think it would be perfect beside my bed,” said Mandy. She rocked back and forth on her heels.

“I agree with you,” said Andrew. “What we do then is take note of the number on the attached tag. You can read it off, and I’ll type it into my phone. I usually add a quick note like ‘yellow lamp’ to make sure I remember the item. If we decide to buy it, we give the number to the clerk when we check out, and they either retrieve it from the warehouse or schedule a time in the future for shipping.”

“Wow, that’s amazing Mr. McCall. They will send it all straight to my new house?”

Andrew nodded and said, “Yes, if we want them to. What is the number on that tag?”

Mandy read off the six-digit number while Andrew typed it into his phone. He said, “I have a request of you, Mandy.”

“You do?”

He said, “I would like you to start calling me Andrew. Mr. McCall just sounds a little too formal. I reserve that for people that I don’t know so well.”

Mandy grinned and said, “I can call you Andrew. I think Dad will be surprised.”

“Are we ready now for the second floor?” asked Andrew.

“Ready!” announced Mandy.

The second-floor mid-century display was massive. They only covered half of it before Andrew asked, “Mandy, are you hungry?”

She turned away from a leather-cushioned lounger and said, “A little bit I guess.”

“Do you like tea?”

“Hot tea?” asked Mandy.

“Yes.”

“Mom used to give me hot tea when I was sick.” Mandy added, “And I had little tea parties with my stuffed animals when I was a little kid.”

Andrew said, “Well, I know a sweet little tea shop that also serves sandwiches just a few minutes from here. We could go have a quick lunch, and then come back here and finish up.”

Mandy smiled and said, “That sounds like a lot of fun.”

Andrew shared his list of numbers at the checkout before they exited for lunch. He emphasized that he wasn’t ready for purchase, but he wanted the list saved before more shopping in the afternoon.

---

Mandy turned to Andrew with an excited grin when they entered the tea shop. He asked, “Is this a good choice?”

She said, “I love it. I was a little worried when you said tea shop because I thought it might be all girly and pink. This is modern. I like it. It’s not just for kids and grandmas.”

Andrew laughed and said, “Maybe that’s why I chose it. I’m neither a kid nor a grandma.”

“You’re just a fun man that works on houses,” said Mandy. “And who likes my dad.”

Andrew whispered, “I’m guilty of that. I do like your dad.”

After checking on Mandy’s taste for mayonnaise, he encouraged her to order a chicken salad sandwich. She followed his advice, and he ordered tuna salad. A server brought plates to their table with a side helping of homemade potato chips.

Andrew watched as Mandy took the first bite of her sandwich. He asked, “Is it good?”

She nodded and said, “Yeah, it’s pretty yummy.”

Andrew tasted his sandwich and reached the same conclusion. He asked, “So, when you get a little older, do you know what you want to do when you go to work, Mandy?”

She wiped at her mouth with her napkin and said, “I can’t decide yet, but I have two things I’m thinking about.”

“What are those?”

She said, “Well, one shouldn’t be much of a surprise. I think it would be fun to be a chef.”

Andrew said, “You are already well on your way toward that with everything you know about the kitchen.”

“And the other is being in politics,” said Mandy.

Andrew’s eyes opened wider. He said, “Wow.”

“But Dad says I should probably get a law degree if I want to do that, and it sounds like a lot of extra years of school. I like school okay, but I don’t know about spending so many extra years in classes.”

With a grin on his face, Andrew said, “I think you will do a great job at whatever you choose, and you don’t need to worry about choosing right now.”

Mandy took another bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. She said, “One reason I want to be in one of those TV cooking competitions is that I want to see if I have the guts to be a chef.”

“You think you might not?” asked Andrew.

“Well, if I freeze in front of a camera or I get freaked out by the other kids knowing a lot, I might think again about whether I should be a chef.”

“I think you’ve got guts,” said Andrew. “I’m not worried about that. After all, you were in the school play. You can handle the stage. Meanwhile, I’ve got another question for you. Do you like ice cream?”

“Who doesn’t?” asked Mandy.

“Then I know the perfect dessert,” said Vincent.

After polishing off the sandwiches, they shared a two-scoop sundae with chocolate ice cream topped with warm caramel. Whipped cream and two cherries completed the presentation.

“Wow, that is amazing,” said Mandy as Andrew set it on the table. “Are you sharing with me?”

Andrew said, “I hoped so.” He plucked the cherry from the top of one scoop and placed it on one of the spoons resting on the table. Andrew asked, “What does that remind you of?”

Mandy laughed and said, “That’s easy. It’s the giant spoon outside of the art museum.”

Andrew nodded and said, “Well, you’re smart enough to go to law school.”

---

When they finished shopping at the furniture showroom, Andrew said, “I’ve got one more special stop before I take you home. This one you have to keep secret from your dad just for a couple of weeks. Can you keep a secret?”

Mandy pulled her fingers across her mouth and said, “My lips are zipped.” She mumbled to emphasize the point.

“Good,” said Andrew. “I have someone very special for you to meet.”

Teresa Miller greeted them at the door to her students’ studio space. She offered a hand to Mandy and said, “So this is the young woman who has received so much praise from you. I’m Teresa Miller.”

Mandy blushed and shook Teresa’s hand. She said, “I’m pleased to meet you Ms. Miller.”

“Oh, just call me Teresa. Andrew says that you want to pick out a piece of art for your father.”

“Art?” asked Mandy. “I get to pick something out?”

Andrew said, “If you’re half as good with this as you are with the furniture, then I’m sure we’ll leave with the perfect thing.”

Teresa led the way past students working on new pieces. Mandy barely kept up. She was too busy looking left and right watching students work at paintings and small mockups of sculptures.

At the end of the long building, they entered a small gallery space. Teresa said, “I always keep a selection of current works by my students here. You might be surprised at my list of happy corporate clients. They often contact me if they need a last minute piece for a special spot. I’ve introduced students to working on commission this way.”

Mandy was already staring intently at pieces hung on the walls. She brushed her hair back over her shoulder and leaned in close examining the brush strokes. Then she pointed at a piece and said, “I like this one. It reminds me of a pretty sunset.”

Teresa grinned and said, “That’s one of my personal favorites, too.”

“Then it’s decided,” said Andrew. “Teresa, just have it shipped to my office.”

“Thank you so much, Andrew. I appreciate your support of the students.”

When they climbed back into the car, Mandy turned to Andrew and said, “Wow, I’m tired. I never knew shopping was hard work.”

He said, “When you have to use your brain a lot, it can be a little exhausting. Let me get you home. I’m sure your dad misses you.”

“I miss Dad, too,” said Mandy, “but he was going to see Mom, so it’s good for him to have some time alone. Mrs. Riggs says that’s important.”

“He went to the cemetery?” asked Andrew.

“Yep, and he was taking flowers.”

Andrew felt a warm sensation in the pit of his stomach. He wondered if some people would feel jealousy, but it was nothing like that. He was glad that Vincent was maintaining his connections to Dana. She was an important part of his life. He didn’t want to replace anyone. He only wanted to be a valuable addition to the family.

When they walked through the front door of Vincent and Mandy’s house, she shouted, “Dad! We’re home!”

Vincent walked out of the kitchen carrying a mug of coffee. He had a toothy smile spread across his face. He set the coffee on a small end table and reached down to Mandy for a hug. “Did you have fun?”

She grabbed him tight and said, “A whole lot of fun! Andrew showed me so many cool things.”

Vincent looked over Mandy’s shoulder at Andrew. He said, “He’s an expert at that. I’m so glad you had a lot of fun and that you’re on first-name terms.”