Andrew stood at Vincent’s side in the doorway to Vincent’s new home. Together, they watched Mandy dash up the front sidewalk wearing a flowered blue blouse and a bright, sunshine yellow skirt. She shouted, “Dad, I’m home!”

Cathy followed her up the sidewalk with a bag thrown over her shoulder and pulling suitcases behind. Andrew stepped around Mandy and said, “Here, let me help.”

Vincent hugged Mandy. “Yes, you’re home, and the moving process is complete. The movers left an hour ago, and they did a great job. We only have a few boxes to unpack ourselves. The house is in great shape, and we can sleep here tonight.”

“Oh! I didn’t know we would be able to do that, Dad.” Mandy twirled in her skirt and asked, “Do you like this?”

“It’s all bright and cheerful,” said Vincent. “Just like you.”

“Then you’re sure to like the rest,” interjected Cathy. “I think bright and cheerful was the theme of this shopping trip. Yellows, bright blues, and even a little dash of hot pink. We did have to avoid purple like the plague.”

“Ick,” said Mandy.

“What’s wrong with purple?” asked Andrew.

Mandy said, “All the kids have it. I think three of my friends have purple bedrooms. I want to be different. I want to be more interesting than that.”

Andrew said, “You’ve already achieved that. There are no doubts that you are unique, Mandy.”

She beamed in response. She asked, “Was the moving easy? Did you get everything out of the car?”

Vincent said, “Almost everything went off without a hitch. We just had one moment.”

“One moment?” asked Cathy.

Andrew rolled his eyes and said, “A Doug moment.”

“But Doug is so sweet,” said Cathy. “How could he cause any problems?”

Andrew said, “Well, they were carrying in Vincent’s bed frame. They wanted to try and get it through the door without taking it apart. Everyone said it would save time in the end.”

“And it is no fun to put it back together,” said Vincent.

Andrew said, “So it looked like they were doing fine until one of the movers stepped on the edge of the sidewalk. His ankle went out from under him, and he dropped the corner of the bed frame into one of Doug’s flower beds.”

Cathy held her hand up to her mouth. She said, “Did it do much damage? I didn’t notice anything strange on the way in.”

“Not much other than a brief panic from Doug,” said Andrew. “Doug is a perfectionist. He called his buddy Greg, and Greg was here with replacement plants in less than two hours.”

“Wow, that’s service,” said Mandy.

Vincent stroked the back of her hair and said, “Yes, it is. I was very impressed. I should hire Greg to do deliveries for me.”

Mandy asked, “Can we go see my room now, Dad?”

“Oh, of course,” said Vincent. “We’ve been standing here rambling on, and my princess needs to see the quarters in her new castle.”

“I want to see it, too,” said Cathy.

“I can’t wait,” said Mandy. She dashed into the house and raced down the steps. Vincent, Cathy, and Andrew followed in her wake. “Oh, wow!” exclaimed Mandy. “This is even better than I thought it might be.”

The walls were painted a light aqua color, and the hardwood floor was decorated with two green rugs. One was large and the second a more intermediate size. The bed was a low platform with a blue bedspread that coordinated with the other colors of the room. Large, nearly floor-to-ceiling windows highlighted the woods behind the house.

Vincent said, “I decided that I want to go shopping for some bird feeders and houses to hang in the trees. You will be able to see those from here in the room.” He stepped up to the windows and said, “You have simple blinds here, too, in case you ever want to close them and keep the light out.”

The small yellow lamp that Mandy picked out sat on a nightstand, and a matching blue lamp perched on a low blonde wood dresser. Mandy pointed at the dresser and said, “That one is a lot like Dad’s.”

“It’s almost exactly like your Dad’s,” said Andrew.

“And that painting on the wall. Where did that come from?” asked Mandy.

Andrew smiled saying, “Teresa sent it to me. She said that she couldn’t imagine your dad having such a quality piece while the walls in your room were empty.” He glanced around the room at Vincent, Cathy, and Mandy. It was like a small family. In fact, it wasn’t like a family; it was a family. Other than Jeffrey and Doug, Andrew hadn’t felt so close to other adults in decades. It felt right.

Vincent asked, “Do you think you can live comfortably here, Mandy?”

“I know that I can. I can’t wait to invite my friends over, and I hope Andrew and Cathy come over all the time. They are both parts of our family now, right, Dad?”

Vincent wrapped his arm around Andrew’s waist and said, “Yes, they are, and they are welcome here anytime.”

Cathy blushed slightly saying, “Thank you so much, Vincent. I couldn’t be happier than I am right now.”

“And one more thing,” said Mandy.

“What’s that?” asked Vincent. He reached out and pulled Mandy to his side opposite Andrew.

“I know that Mom’s happy, too,” said Mandy. “This is exactly what she wanted.”

“A house like this?” asked Vincent. “Yes, I think she would approve of it.”

Mandy shook her head. She said, “No, I wasn’t talking about that. Mom would be happy because you have Andrew. You found a good man.”