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He turned back to his computer. After a few moments of silence, a soft scuffling indicated the battle with the stuffed mouse had recommenced. Smiling to himself, Sully refocused onProject Magical Date.
Time went by. Ideas flowed from Sully’s brain to his fingertips. He was a maestro, composing a symphony of delights that was sure to capture Alanna’s heart and plant it firmly in Yucca Hills. His phone rang on the couch next to him, snapping his attention away from the now multi-page document.
Sully glanced at the screen, saw his father’s name, and grabbed the phone.
“Is Mom okay?” he asked as tendrils of ice threaded through his heart. His father never called. Whenever anything of the remotest interest happened in the family, his mother was always the one to reveal the news, usually in a breathless cascade of opinions.
“She’s fine,” his father’s gruff voice responded. “She’s playing bridge over at Cathy’s house.”
Sully had no idea who Cathy was. Didn’t matter. His mother wasn’t in the back of some ambulance or being zipped into a body bag on the kitchen floor. He released a long, wavering breath of relief.
“So…” his dad seemed uncertain.
“Is everything okay with you?” Sully’s suspicion began to mount again.
“Yeah, yeah. Look, your mom’s birthday is coming up.”
“I know.” Sully had already dutifully purchased the pearl earrings his mom had been shamelessly hinting at over the past month.
“Yeah. So, look, your mom’s been talking forever about how she wants new cabinets in the kitchen.”
True. She consistently bemoaned the state of her kitchen.
“Well,” John continued, “I looked into the cost of hiring guys to put in new cabinets, and it’s not pretty. They tell me $10,000 minimum. Just for cabinets. And then they say they’ve got to put on a new countertop, too. Can you believe it?”
“Oh, I believe it.” Sully was more than aware of how expensive renovation projects could become when bringing in a professional team. It was a good reminder of how damn lucky he was that Hue mentored him for free.
“And, I remember you saying that you were working on houses. You know, fixing ‘em up,” his father said. Sully could imagine his dad sitting in his recliner as he spoke, probably kneading his ballcap between his hands. “Have you ever installed cabinets?”
“Actually, I just installed these great shaker cabinets in my current kitchen,” Sully said, trying to restrain the pride in his voice. “IKEA sells quality, pre-made cabinets at a great price. They look amazing. There are also some counter supply stores in San Diego where you can get good deals if you know what to look for.”
After a long pause, his father spoke. “You think you can help your old man give your ma a nice surprise?”
Sully grinned. It was stupid, of course, that his throat tightened and his heart bloomed like the desert after a rainfall. His father was just asking for a favor. No big deal.
“Of course,” Sully replied, forcing his voice to sound neutral. “I’d be glad to help.”
The two men sketched out a plan. His dad agreed to take measurements of the kitchen’s footprint. With that info, Sully could sketch out a basic design and then find pre-mades to fit the room’s schematics and his father’s budget. They hatched a plot to recruit Aunt Florence and Aunt Brenda to assist with the necessary subterfuge. His mom’s two sisters would invite her for a three-day spa weekend over her birthday so the men had plenty of time to work.
Sully knew that retrofitting the kitchen in three days wouldn’t be easy, but they could get it done as long as all the supplies showed up on time.
“Well, sounds like a plan,” his dad said as they wound down the call.
“Mom’s going to be thrilled,” Sully added. “Just be careful. She might start thinking you’re a romantic at heart.”
His father’s rough laugh echoed across the line. “She knows better than that. But thanks, son.”
He hung up, and Sully slowly lowered the phone from his ear. It was, honestly, the longest conversation he’d had with his father in years. And he hadn’t even mentioned football, baseball, or basketball.
Sully turned his head.What the Frodo?
Sheba sat on the cushion next to him, belly down, front paws primly pointed out. She watched him, her sapphire eyes curious rather than wary.
Should he…
Without giving himself too much time to think, Sully reached out his hand. Slowly, his fingers inched toward Sheba. The cat watched him. His fingertips grazed her head.
Wow.Her fur was so much softer than he imagined. Carefully, he began stroking her head. The cat didn’t purr, but she also didn’t gnaw off his fingers.
