Page 14 of Second Round

So far this job had been a dream come true. At the beginning, I met with the divinely organized and slightly scary Fiona Houston. Wayne said she was the top designer at his company, but she was quick to correct thattitle.

“What I am is a budgetary genius. I have a degree in interior design, but in reality, all I do is manage the budget. Our specialty is getting people settled into their new homes as quickly as possible. Usually, it’s a matter of moving and logistics, but in a case like this.…” She peered at the papers in front of her. “Leo Gauthier. He needs a completely furnished apartment, and he needs it right away. Must be a short-term assignment. Most people have their ownstuff.”

“Ummm,” I didn’t know if I should be the one to point out my inexperience, but Fiona’s confident manner was making me more nervous. I could imagine her chewing me out when I screwed up. “You know I haven’t done this before,right?”

She lowered her green-rimmed designer glasses and stared at me. “Oh, I am well aware of that. But Wayne vouched for you and apparently you are willing to work for far less than a real designer shouldbepaid.”

I swallowed. “So I have to arrange everything?” My voice squeaked on the wordeverything.

Fiona smiled. “Don’t worry, Jackie. We won’t throw you into the Pacific Ocean without a life jacket. Ian, our leasing agent, has already found a place that’s suitable. A nice two-bedroom. I have a list here of all the necessities that we supply. Your challenge will be getting in under the budget.” She squinted at the paper. “Darn, I was hoping I had missed a zero somewhere. The real miracle will be if you come in anywhereclose.”

Did I look as scared as I felt? Fiona smiled at me, or rather bared her teeth. She wasn’t the warm and fuzzy type. She made a circle with her hands. “Think of your budget as a big circle. If you spend too much on furniture, there won’t be enough for kitchen supplies. But there’s no leeway. If you go over, it comes out ofyourpay.”

Was that even legal? But I got herpoint.

“What I do is to make up a rough estimate of what I can spend on all the major items and a more general one for the smaller stuff. Don’t go over the budget on any item and you should be fine. Here’s a list of suppliers where we have discounts. You can call me if you’ve got a big problem, but I don’t want to hear from you more than once a day.Questions?”

“What about the design aspects? Like colours andstyle?”

She snorted. “Well, given that you only have a week and no money, I would be amazed if you can add much. Our clients expect a nice, neutral space. Noweirdness.”

“Should I ask Leo Gauthier what hewants?”

“No. What if he asks for something you can’t afford? He’s a businessperson. He wants a functional placetolive.”

I must have looked shocked, because she added. “I ask clients about colour preferences, but only on bigger projects. He didn’t fill out his questionnaire, so I wouldn’t say he cares much about where he lives. All we know is that the extra bedroom is for his young daughter and he needs a place to work. Is thereanythingelse?”

I swallowed and shook my head. But since that first day, I hadn’t needed to call Fiona at all. First, I went to the apartment and took all the measurements. I’d followed her advice and made a detailed budget for everything I wanted to put in the place. The first draft was horrendously over budget, so I went back and pared down. The style was going to be cozy minimalism, if that wasn’t a contradiction in terms. My biggest budget breakthrough came when I realized I didn’t have to buy new furniture. I was already good at painting and refinishing, so I snagged some second-hand furniture on Craigslist. Couches and beds had to be new, but nobody could tell if your wood table was slightly distressed on purposeornot.

Again I looked at the bare wall. What if I put one of my own paintings up? Then I would actually be “selling” a painting, although I wouldn’t charge much. I’d never sold a painting. Sometimes friends made noises about buying something they saw on my walls, but I was too shy to follow up. Selling a painting would be the ultimate thrill. Besides, an original painting would have more personality than an Ikea poster or those bargain monstrosities at Winners. The only thing that made me hesitate was that I didn’t know a thing about the tastes of the mysterious Leo Gauthier. I’d defied Fiona by calling him, but I had yet tohearback.

So, I’d developed my own idea of the coach and done the apartment for this mythical person. He would be a high-powered version of Larry, my son’s favourite hockey coach. Larry had been patient, fair, and quiet. Tristan didn’t do well with shouters. This year’s coach, Don, was a shouter. Poor Tristan was having a terrible season. Brent had always been an assistant coach for his son’s hockey teams, and Tristan was used to going to practices and games with his dad. Now I drove him and watched his games too. He was struggling on the ice, but the season was almost over. Maybe during the summer, he’d do a good hockeycampand—

My cellphone buzzed andstartledme.

Leo Gauthier.Finally.

“Hello.”

“Hey, is this Jacqueline Wagner?” His voice was hoarse and had the tiniest of accents. He made “this” into “dis,” which made him sound like a tough, street-wise person. As usual, my imagination ran with the slightest clue. I sat up because I felt guilty lying on his brandnewbed.

“Yes, this is Leo,right?”

“Yeah, you called me a few times. Sorry, I’ve been busy.What’sup?”

“I’m the person furnishing your apartment. I was hoping you could tell me what colours you like and if you have any special needs for theplace.”

His exhale was more than a snort. “What I need most is to get in there, and get my home office set up. When will youbedone?”

“Well, it’s about sixty percent done now....” I hesitated. Today was Wednesday and Fiona had given me one complete week, so I’d counted on allthattime.

“So, tomorrow?” His voice was assertive and demanding. Now I had a better vision of what kind of coach he was. He’d be ashouter.

“Make it Friday. The couches aren’t arriving until then.” Fiona had arranged for the more expensive pieces from herwholesaler.

“I can live without couches. Is there a bed andadesk?”

“There’s a bed. The desk is here, but it’s not setupyet.”

---