Page 78 of Flowers in Your Hair

33

ANDREW

Putting the finishing touches on the work station for Josie has me giddy. I smooth my hands up and down every angle, searching for any imperfections or mistakes. I cannot wait to see her reaction. The shop door opens, and Beau is the one who steps through. His shoulder length hair is tied up in his signature man bun, and he’s dressed casually in a faded U of M shirt and basketball shorts.

“Hey,” he greets. He smiles when he sees the finished product. “Shit, man. That looks fucking awesome.” He eyes it up and down taking in every angle and ridge.

I went all out with this. I knew that I wanted to make her something that she could someday bring when she’s able to have a storefront. The top is maple hardwood, sanded and shined to perfection. There are two extenders, one on each side that make the table longer in length in case she needs more room.

Underneath, there’s a thin drawer that slides out, which can hold her wire cutters, scissors, ribbon, and any other small thing she might want. Then, there is another plank of wood as a base, where she can rest her feet, or use for boxes, vases, and storage.

I had an idea pop into my head a few weeks ago that I quickly added to the design. Attached to the back side of the table, there is vertical shelving of sorts. Round dowels cross to the opposite side, where she can hang a bucket for petals, or scraps. I threw a few hooks on it in case she wanted to hang something else.

To finish it off, I made a stool for her. Maple wood, to match the rest of the project, and a cushion on top that my mom made. She found a perfect floral pattern, and made sure to make the cushion extra soft so she doesn’t get uncomfortable.

“Thanks,” I answer Beau. “I’m pretty proud of it.”

“You should be. She’s going to love it.” Beau continues to admire it, when Thomas and Jason walk in.

Thomas brought Arson, so he darts through the shop, looking for Travis. “Where’s Travis?” Thomas wonders when Arson can’t seem to find him.

“Inside. I figured we wouldn’t want him circling our feet as we try to load this up,” I explain. “Though he’s probably whining because he now knows that Arson is here. I’ll go get him. We have some time.” I decide to ask the question that’s been niggling at my mind for a week or so. “Have you guys noticed anything off about Gramps lately?”

The room falls deathly silent. Eyes flicker to each other as we have a near silent conversation with our eyes, almost unwilling to put the words out into the universe.

Beau is the first to speak. “Yeah. Seems like he’s been moving a little slower.”

Thomas nods in agreement. “Agreed. I saw him on Wednesday, I think? I don’t know. He was a little out of it.”

“Remember last week at brunch? He barely wanted to get off the couch, let alone move around the house,” Jason adds.

“I asked him about it last week. He basically shut me down. Said he was tired, just having an off day. Maybe he’s fine, but something feels off.” I shove my hands into my pockets, willing my anxiety away. I know that he’s going to die eventually. I mean, he’s in his eighties. He’s always been in remarkably good health, so for us to notice this, it’s a bit scary.

“I’ll mention something to Dad,” Jason says. “But we can’t force Gramps into anything. He does what he wants.”

We all nod in agreement. Feeling a little better that I’m not the only one who noticed the change, I direct the conversation to something less serious.

“You guys want some lunch or something?”

Jason raises a brow. “I could go for lunch. Lennie and I made French Toast this morning, but it was more goo than toast. I gave her the good pieces.”

Thomas cringes. “Is it bad that I would have given her the gooey pieces? She probably wouldn’t notice.”

Jason incredulously looks at our brother. “Seriously?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, why not?”

“That’s probably the quickest way to create a food aversion for her. It’s hard enough finding things she wants to eat.” Jason pinches the bridge of his nose. “I cannot wait until you have kids.”

Oblivious, Thomas asks, “Why? Cause they’ll be awesome?”

Jason chortles. “No, cause they’re going to be insane, and you’ll understand why I couldn’t give Len the gooey pieces.”

“As enlightening as this conversation is, I’m hungry as fuck,” Beau interjects. “Let's get some food, then we can load this thing up.”

Jason leads the way out of the shop, clearly hungrier than he’s willing to say.

After lunch at one of the local bar and grills, we head back to my place. It’s just about one, which gives us plenty of time to load everything, and get it set up at Josie’s place. My phone buzzes in my back pocket as we pull into my driveway. Just seeing her name on my screen brings me happiness I can’t even comprehend.

---