The first week in January brought two deliveries. I received a large overnight envelope from Mac with pictures of the space plus one of Mac holding a huge fish over the bow of a yacht. The second came bounding into VERT like a welcome gust of cool air in the summer, delivered by my brother.

“Anybody here want the best cappuccino from New York?” It was Lea. It didn’t go unnoticed that my brother had gone to the airport.

“Griffin insisted on going to market today,” my clueless brother said.

Griffin came in from the back. “The gang’s all here. Now, we have a restaurant to redesign,” he added. A glimmer of excitement sparked in my heart. It had been dormant for so long that I hadn’t known if it would ever show up again. Before I joined this happy reunion, I texted my high school friend Dexter Common who was now a prominent architect.

Lea helped me get the boys out of the restaurant so that I could meet with Dexter alone. I juggled so many little schemes that I often found it hard to know who was a part of which. It felt good to be a little devious. As Dexter found me in the best booth, I realized, plans were good. They signified hope.

He kissed me on the cheek. He had gone bald since high school. It made him look more distinguished, like the prosperous architect he was. He still was the best-dressed man I knew. Even in jeans and a sport coat.

“It’s my day off. Your phone call intrigued me. I heard you were back in town. I also heard you were flat broke,” Dexter said with a light touch.

“Both are correct. But I have a job. And I may have one for you.” I showed him the pictures from Mac that had sparked an idea for the very place we sat. The molding. The beams. I pitched my idea. Beams on the ceiling of VERT painted white. A change in the openings of the doors to archways. “I can see that. You want to round all the entryways. You want to make the place a little more feminine.”

“That isn’t feminine. Just architectural interest. Do I have to remind an architect of this? What do you think?” I still wasn’t confident about all of the design elements.

“Your vision is spot-on. I made a similar suggestion years ago to Julian. He shot me down. Not the guys. By the way, where are they? I presume they are funding this project?” His confirmation was validating.

“Could you work me up a drawing and let me know how much we’re talking about?”

“I get it. You’re going rogue,” Dexter grinned.