Page 62 of Man Hands
“Chocolate and sex,” Iwhisper.
“Mmm,” he groans into my ear. “I’ll bring truffles andmydick.”
We both giggle. But when my laughter dies out, I’m craving him, and he’s still getting on aplane.
Damnit.
“Take care of yourself,” Itellhim.
“You too,” hewhispers.
We hang up, and he heads off to pack forQuebec.
I have to make another batch of Brazilian balls just to cheermyselfup.
35Weave YourMagic
Tom
On the plane to Quebec,I’m full of enthusiasm. It feels great to get back to work, and I can’t wait to see my team. Note to self—brooding alone at home for several months was bad for the soul. Brynn had made it all better, ofcourse.
Only my relationship with herwasn’treal.
My job, on the other hand, is very real. I rent a Land Rover at the airport in Montreal and drive into the mountains. When I stop at a McDonald’s, everyone speaks only French. I buy a “hamburger avec fromage” and it tastes better than usual because I ordered it in a differentlanguage.
Now, a guy could get seriously spoiled by Brynn’s cooking. But I have to put that right out of my mind, because this is my life—a different rental truck in every town. Fast food on the way to the site. Teasing Larry, my master electrician, about hisfacialhair.
I can do this.Nofear.
It helps that when I roll up to the old ski resort they want me to renovate, it’s beautiful. The long lodge is nestled into a stand of pines. There’re two big stone fireplaces, one at either end of the structure. I like this building immediately. It hasgravitas.
When I go inside, I can already see what needs to be done. The rooms are dark because the lower level has been chopped into too many rooms. I’m going to open it up to let the space breathe. Changing the envelope of the house would take too long, but I can enlarge a few crucial windows and still meet mydeadline.
“Hey, Burt!” I yell to my carpentry assistant who’s already measuring the grand staircase. “Get over here! Let’s talk windowframing.”
“Dude!” The younger man gallops toward me and then wraps me in a big, back-slapping man hug. “That’s the greeting I get? I’ve missed your big grumpy self. And now I need details about this fiancée of yours. Way to break the internet, dude. A sex tape? It’s always the quiet ones.” He’s grinning like a Jack-o’-lantern.
“We will not be discussing that,” Igrowl.
“Sure thing, hot buns.” Hecracksup.
“Have you been talking toPatricia?”
“Maybe!” He giggles. “Seriously, though. Where is this girl? I have to meet the one who said yes insteadofno.”
She didn’t, though. It’s not real. “She’s in Michigan. Working,” I mumble. Until this second, the lie hasn’t been much of a hardship. I don’t have any family to let down when Brynn and I “break up.” But I like Burt and the other guys on my crew. I could confide in them, but then things would get messy. And, anyway, the lie will be over soonenough.
Down the road, when Burt consoles me with beer over my new breakup—the way he did when Chandra let me down—it won’t even be hard toactsad.
In the meantime, I have a lodge to renovate. “Does this place need our help, or what?” I say, looking around. “This is going to be verygratifying.”
“I know, right? It’s time to weave your magic, boss man. Right now it gives off a moldering dump vibe. But you’ll bring the sparkledust. By the time we’re done, I’ll never want toleave.”
That’s the goal, and I’m good at my job. Just over a week from now there’ll be honeyed rays of sunlight streaming in this room, where now there’s only dimness. A picture window with comfortable furniture. I can tell that two or three of the pines outside will have to go. The trees are great, but the people who live here—or stay here a while, because this is for some kind of reality show—will sit down on the sofa and cast their gazes at the mountains out the window. They’ll linger in this room and feelhappy.
I’ll make sureofit.
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