As i left the house on my way to work the next day, I saw Leo, with Ricky, drive up and park. Since I hadn’t seen either of them in a few days, I’d thought they were long gone. Evidently not.
I didn’t dwell on them since I knew it’d be another killer day at the nursery, and I would again have to find time to check our stock and to plan decorations for the Star. I was coming to the conclusion that I wasn’t now, and never wanted to be, a designer or decorator. How to keep greenery alive? I’m your man. How to use it to decorate a restaurant or house? Not so much.
Right before noon as I was beating another pine branch into submission, John came in, scoped out the place, and hurried up to me. He looked tired and frazzled, pretty much how I felt these days.
“Got a sec?” he asked, his words a
