THE SUN WAS STILL POURING into her small courtyard when she arrived home, clutching a take-out box and a folder. She would eat at her little metal bistro table and go over the proposals for a new contract in an office. Offices were tricky, because you never knew if the owner wanted calm beige nothingness, or striking bold individuality. In this case, the new owner wanted boring old beige in each room. Basically a rinse and repeat job. Oh, how she longed to put a unique stamp on a hotel or restaurant.
A small nest had been built in the corner of her courtyard, and Sophie delighted in seeing the baby birds alert and hungry, chirping for their parents to come home and feed them. Zoning out for a moment, she thought of her own mom and dad. Her dad had been the type of man who would com
