She scanned me as she passed, heading toward the door that led to the roof deck. I took a few quick steps to get ahead of her and grab the door to hold it open. “Is that what you’re wearing?” she asked.

“Yes, why?” I’d run home and changed out of my work clothes before coming here and into a white cotton button-down and some jeans that Eleanor and Henry had convinced me to buy but I had hardly worn. They made me look cooler and calmer than I actually was, which Eleanor had insisted was “a good thing.”

“A white shirt? We’re literally going to be moving bags of dirt.”

“I can handle a little dirt,” I said as I followed her through the doorway. I inhaled deeply as I passed her, and then caught myself. Jesus Christ, Hayes. Get it together.

I tipped the delivery man, who had dropped everything off as close to the roof as he could get. Then I followed Franny outside, undoing the top button on my shirt.

“Solar twinkle lights?” I said, grabbing a container out of the box she’d opened.

“Obviously,” she answered, giving me a grin. “We’ll attach them to a stake in the garden box and string them to the edge of the roof. You’ve gotta have mood lighting out here!”

One of her tank top straps fell down her shoulder as she dragged a bag of soil to the opposite side of the roof, and she mindlessly reached up and tucked it under the strap of her bra. I couldn’t stop lasering in on every small detail of how she moved, how everything about her felt effortless and relaxed.

“Okay, so you saw the photos of the table I sent? All repurposed wood.”

I nodded. “I loved it.”

“Great, so that goes here.” She walked forward, outlining the shape of a long rectangular table with her steps. “Two benches. You can have meetings or lunch out here, or people can just come out to take a break. Two lounge chairs.” She waved over to the small corner nook. “And then the garden area.”

She turned back toward me to assess my reaction to her plan, a giant grin on her face. Her excitement was so palpable it crackled off her. I’d never realized that just the idea of placing a table and chairs somewhere could ignite someone like this, but then again I’d never met someone like Franny before. The sight of her mixed up the signals in my brain, like they were shaken together in a tumbler, making the most intoxicating cocktail ever.

“So what do you think?” she asked, her face flushed.

“I’m in,” I said. “Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

“You’re cool with me bossing you around?” she asked, brows raised playfully.