He loved the house. Vincent knew that from the instant he stared out the windows on the back and felt suspended among the branches of the trees. Mandy would love that, too. Unfortunately, the house stood in an entirely different school district, and living in it would necessitate a longer commute to work. Balancing that concern was the fact that it was a better neighborhood and very likely a better school.

Later on the evening of the open house, Vincent sprawled on his leather sofa with Mandy cuddled up in his lap. They watched favorite episodes of TV competition shows that featured kids as chefs. Mandy carefully monitored the shows, and she was learning kitchen skills that already stretched well beyond Vincent’s meager talents.

Mandy kept up a running commentary about searing strip steaks, deveining shrimp, and the proper balance of eggs, milk, and flour in making pasta while Vincent’s thoughts drifted back to the house. He couldn’t think very long about it before the image of Andrew drifted back into his mind. Andrew was handsome, friendly, and he stirred something inside. For a brief moment, Vincent rested his head back on Andrew’s shoulder, and relaxed. It felt soothing. He was comfortable and safe, but he could only let it last a moment. Vincent didn’t know what the sensation meant, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know. He told himself that it meant nothing and Andrew wasn’t worth any more serious contemplation.

“Do I get to see the house?” asked Mandy breaking Vincent’s concentration.

Vincent rubbed her shoulder and asked, “Would you like to?”

“You said it was like living in the trees, Dad. That sounds fun.”

Vincent hugged her tight and asked, “What do you think about maybe moving?”

“It’s scary.”

“Scary?” asked Vincent.

“Yeah, I would have to go to a different school, but I think I understand. Dr. Green says it would probably be good for both of us. She says a new school and a new house can be exciting, particularly after…” Mandy’s voice faded out.

Dr. Green first began working with Mandy to help process grief, and then Mandy asked if she could keep going to talk about other things, too. Vincent had no reason to turn down the request, and it appeared to be a beneficial relationship.

Vincent hugged her tight and said, “We’ll take everything about your mom with us. We’ll take all the pictures and the pots that she made, and we’ll take the…” He stopped himself before he said “clothes.” All of her clothes, dresses, jeans, workout gear, and even underwear, were still packed in boxes in the bedroom closet, but Vincent knew that was something to part with if they moved into a new house. His counselor believed they should be gone already.

Mandy pointed at the TV and said, “Oh look, Dad! She’s frying fish. It’s red snapper. That’s your favorite.”

Vincent opened his mouth to respond when the phone in his pocket began to vibrate. He said, “Hang on just a second Mandy, I need to see what this call is.”

It was Deborah calling at 9:00 p.m. He answered, and she sounded breathless. “Vincent, I just got a call from a couple who saw the house today. They want to make an offer in the morning. I had no idea they were seriously interested. I want it to be yours if you think it might fit your needs. I told them I had to be honest with them. I told them there were other buyers interested so I couldn’t guarantee anything. Please tell me you are interested.”

Vincent pulled the phone to his chest and asked Mandy, “Do you want to go see the house right now?”

“Yeah, that would be fun,” said Mandy. “I’ll record this show and watch it later.”

He raised the phone back to his ear and asked, “Can we see the house right now? I can’t say yes without Mandy seeing it.”

After a short silence, Deborah said, “I don’t see why not. None of the family is even in town. It might even look a little different to you after dark.”

Vincent said, “I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes.”

---

On the way across the city at night, Mandy stared out the window of the car. It began to rain just as they skirted downtown on Interstate 35. Mandy loved how the lights cast raindrop shadows on her skin making it look like big freckles that danced up and down her arms. She asked, “Dad, is this a house Mom would like?”

Vincent leaned slightly forward in his seat to be careful to avoid any risk of hydroplaning on the highway. He said, “I think she would. She always loved historical houses, and even though this one is modern, it is still history now. The house is fifty years old.”

It was still raining, a steady light shower, when they pulled into the driveway of the house. Mandy pointed at the windshield and said, “Look Dad. Those bright colors!”

He asked, “Are you ready to run for it? I forgot to bring an umbrella.”

She laughed and said, “I won’t melt, Dad. Only sugar melts in the rain.”

“Hang on until I get around to the side of the car. Take my hand when I get there, and we’ll run together.”

Mandy giggled as she ran hand in hand with Vincent up the sidewalk. The water splashed around her sneakers in the darkness. Deborah stood in the doorway of the house with a welcoming glow emanating from behind her as they approached. She said, “Just step on inside, I’ve got a rug here for you to wipe your feet. Better yet, just leave your shoes here.”

Vincent lifted Mandy across the threshold and said, “Deborah, this is my lovely daughter Mandy.”

Mandy reached her hand out for a shake and said, “My dad exaggerates.”

Deborah took her hand gently and said, “You look lovely to me. I don’t think that word is an exaggeration, and I’m Deborah. My job is to sell houses.”

Mandy laughed and smiled brightly. She said, “Dad insisted on showing me this house.”

Deborah squatted down slightly to be eye to eye with Mandy. She asked, “Have you ever gone shopping for houses before?”

Mandy shook her head and said, “No, but I’ve seen them do it on TV.”

Deborah said, “So you’ve probably seen people like me. I want you and your dad to have the right house, but this one has other people interested in it, too. When your dad was here, he seemed to like it a lot.”

Vincent was already wandering into the kitchen. He remembered falling in Andrew’s arms and opened the cabinets again to look inside. Then he poked his head out of the doorway and said, “Mandy, I’m sure you want to see the kitchen.”

Mandy said to Deborah, “I like to cook. I watch all the shows, and I hope I get to be in one of the contests some day.”

Deborah said, “Well, then you should certainly see this one. It has two ovens, and updates that are less than three years old. The refrigerator is extra-wide. The stovetop is gas.”

Mandy cast her gaze from side to side as she strolled toward the kitchen. Something struck her as unusual about the living room, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. When she entered the kitchen, Vincent swept his arm in a wide arc and said, “A kitchen fit for my princess.”

“Aw, Dad,” said Mandy. She began to look around and was mesmerized by a kitchen twice as big as the one she had at home. She opened the refrigerator and said, “This is extra wide for fish and long vegetables.”

Vincent glanced at Deborah and nodded. Deborah said, “I have something to show you while Mandy is checking out the kitchen.”

Vincent asked, “Is it okay if we go for a minute or two, Mandy? You can have a good look at all of the features of the kitchen.”

Mandy waved her hand. “I’ll be fine, Dad.”

Deborah and Vincent walked down a short hallway. She led him to the master bedroom suite. She said, “I didn’t know if seeing it would make Mandy think about her mom and be upset. We can take her downstairs where the additional bedrooms are.”

Vincent stared at the massive space and held a hand up to the side of his face. He said, “It makes me a little emotional, too. Dana would have loved this.”

The master suite contained a comfortable chair situated to look out more windows into the woods beyond. A daybed stood in another corner. Deborah said, “I don’t think I mentioned it when you were here before, but the furnishings are open to negotiations with the previous owner’s family. Since he passed away, they are willing to leave most of them in the house if the buyer wants the house mostly furnished.”

Vincent laughed and said, “I’m not sure about all of the Victorian things in the living room, but this is nice in here.”

Attached to the bedroom was an expansive bathroom with both a Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower with an oversized rain shower head. It could easily accommodate two people. Deborah said, “I hope I’m not speaking out of place, but this would be a tremendous space for you if you find another partner, Vincent.”

He shook his head. “That’s not even occupying my mind right now. Dana told me she hoped I found someone else, but I’m so busy with work and supporting Mandy in school, I can’t even imagine it. Still, I love the relaxed, spacious feel here. It would feel almost like a retreat from the rest of the world.”

Deborah said, “We should get back to Mandy. I’m sure she imagines all kinds of culinary masterpieces in the kitchen.”

“She is such a good girl,” said Vincent. “It’s a pleasure to watch her grow up.”

As they re-entered the kitchen, Mandy said, “I could be cooking dinner in one oven while I put dessert in the other oven. The kitchen is so exciting, Dad!” She reached out for his hand and said, “There is this rack above the island and a smaller cooktop here. I would feel just like I’m on Chopped!”

Vincent grinned. He asked, “Would you like to see where your bedroom would be? Deborah said it’s downstairs.”

“Oh definitely,” said Mandy. “Does it have windows where I can see the trees?”

“It does. I wish I had a bedroom like it when I was growing up,” said Deborah.

They all filed down the staircase. One of the bedrooms stretched along the back of the house with large windows looking out into the woods. The other bedroom had four interior walls without windows. “Oh, I get this one!” announced Mandy when she saw the one with the large windows.

Vincent wrapped his arms around here, and they stepped up to the windows. The rain diminished to a light drizzle. Large drops of rain slipped off tree leaves and splattered on the windows. He said, “You can sort of see it now, Mandy, but it’s even better in daylight.”

Deborah added, “The other bedroom can easily be a guest room.”

“For when grandma and grandpa come to see us,” said Mandy excitedly.

“Exactly, it’s perfect for that.”

Vincent asked, “When do you need a decision about the house, Deborah?”

Deborah said, “Very honestly, it would be best to know tonight, but if you can let me know by 8:00 in the morning, that would probably still work.”

Mandy looked up as Vincent leaned over staring into her eyes. She said, “I love it, Dad. Mom liked adventures. I think this is an adventure.”

Vincent hugged her tight and turned toward Deborah. He said, “My brain is telling me to be more cautious, but my heart is saying yes. I’ve been trying harder to go with my heart. So I’m going to jump and say yes.” He closed his eyes and cringed slightly before opening them again and smiling at Deborah.