D.W.

"Sabrina says that you're there to do some kind of expansion for the company you work for."

"That's right," Doug answered.

"I suppose that's why you were going to have me send your diploma there?"

"Essentially, that is correct. I'm moving here as soon as the house is set up again. But I really wasn't interested in the ceremony. I'm really only doing it because Brie seems to think it's important. You didn't tell her I called did you?"

"No, no. I talked to her before you even called me about the change.

"Good. I don't want her to know, yet. It's sort of a surprise for her."

"Alright. I can keep quiet. Anyway, the reason I was asking is because if you are busy over there for your employers, I suppose that means that you can't make the rehearsals."

"Correct."

"On Saturday, meet with Kim Wells and Daniel Young. They are the two immediately in front and behind you in the procession and will help you know what to do when."

"Alright."

"Can I ask? What company is it that you are doing this for?"

"D.W. Landscaping."

"Oh. They did the work at the new school the city built some years ago."

"I know. It was one of the first contracts we got after we started hiring other people."

"What do you mean 'we'?"

"Brie didn't tell you about that?"

"I guess not."

"The name of the company is D.W. Landscaping and Lawn care. Beyond that, we also do gardening, stump removal, and snow removal. But I'll let you think about what it all means. Have good night, Mrs Wright."

Doug hung up before she could even think of a reply, and Mrs. Wright was left looking at her phone wondering what he meant. What exactly did Doug Wheeler have to do with D.W. Landscaping. D.W., she thought. Then her face registered the surprise she felt as she put it together.

At the house, they took measurements of every room, diagramming them on the legal pad he had bought. Wall space was calculated as well and then the two got to work on looking at what might be still able to be used. There wasn't much.

"The dishes are still here, Doug," Sabrina remarked. "Even the silverware. Didn't anyone clean out the house when your mom died?"

"I guess not," Doug replied. "Is it still in good shape?"

"It needs cleaned up, but I think it should still be fine once it's all done."

"Good. That's one less thing we have to worry about getting."

Decisions were made and Sabrina noted each on the legal pad. When it was done, there was quite a list of things that would have to be replaced. What neither noticed, was that the word "we" came up a lot. They were clearing the house as a couple might if they were getting ready to move in together. And both of them were in a good mood throughout the afternoon as they worked. The dark moods only returned later after they ate dinner at the hotel.

Sabrina liked swimming. After waiting the required hour, she went back to the swimming pool. Doug had decided to walk the track again as he didn't enjoy water. Neither had revealed their plans to the other. Mike Bridger was once again at the pool as well, and as Doug watched, the guy once again approached Sabrina. He watched for a while as they swam and talked, tamping down the jealous feelings he had until he was interrupted.

"I think they make a good couple, don't you Mr. Wheeler?"

Doug turned to the speaker and found Susan Bridger at his side. "I wonder, Mrs Bridger. Does he have a girlfriend waiting for him back home?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I can't help but wonder about his intentions. I grew up with Sabrina after all, and I don't want to see her hurt."

"Yesterday, you said she was four years older than you. That means she's twenty-two, right?"

"Yes"

"I'm sure at twenty-two, she knows how to take care of herself. Still, I know my son isn't the type to mess up other people's lives either. So I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"I hope not," he worriedly interjected. "But that wasn't exactly an answer, was it?"

"Doug," she pushed on after a small pause. "I should apologize to you. I misrepresented myself when we met yesterday up here. I didn't let you know that I am married and I should have. I just wanted to know if I could still be viewed as someone who's desirable."

"Mrs. Bridger, I don't know what's going on between you and your husband, and it's none of my business. But I'm sure that if you tried, you could work it out. You are still a very attractive woman and I'm sure he recognizes that. But nothing you could have said or done would have made me want to be with you. Not because or aren't desirable, but because of a lot of other issues, not the least of which is the fact that you are married." he paused a bit then continued with a slight smile. "I suppose I should apologize too. After all, I suggested you get with your son."

"But you didn't know he was my son at the time," Susan Bridger said with a returning smile. The two of them walked away from the rail they were by at that point.

"I must go, ma'am. I hope you have a nice day."

Due to the exchange, Doug didn't notice that Sabrina had once again rejected Mike. Nor did he know that she had seen him talking again with the woman. She noticed only that they moved away at the same time, both of them smiling.

Tuesday

Except for the fact that they started the day a little later, Tuesday morning was nearly a repeat of Monday. Doug and Sabrina went to the restaurant of the hotel for breakfast around nine-thirty and both noticed that the Bridgers were there in their usual spot. Neither Mike nor Susan looked over at them for which Doug was very happy. If Mike wasn't looking at Sabrina, maybe they weren't going to be getting together.

But the more joyous mood didn't last long as he noticed the scowl on Sabrina's face. Was she wanting the man to look at her? Was there more then he knew about between the two?

Once she put a tip on the table as she had the day before, Susan took her son's arm and they exited the restaurant, smiles on both their faces. Sabrina's scowl grew as they walked off, and Doug's mood tanked.

It didn't take long to get the final paperwork done and signed and Ms. McDonald handed him the keys to the warehouse. The next stop they made was the offices of J. A. Keller, atty. at law. His specialty wasn't in business law, but Doug was sure that he could suggest someone to help in the area. He was right, and the two made another stop at the offices of Zach Freemount to be sure that all the paperwork that he would need to legally do business would be properly taken care of.

Lunch was next, then back to the hotel to change into more suitable clothes for working. It was there that they briefly met Mike Bridger which reminded Doug of his thoughts that Sabrina was spending time with him, and reminded Sabrina that Doug had probably been with Mike's mother the night before. After changing, they drove to the warehouse. It was a quiet ride, each brooding over their own thoughts.

At the warehouse, Doug had Sabrina draw a diagram on the legal pad he had brought. As they began getting all the measurements, she finally decided to address the other situation at hand.

"Did you do it with her?" she asked.

"What?"

"Did you do it with her?"

"Did I do what with who?"

"That woman. Mike's mother? Did you do it with her. You know what I mean. Don't try to say you don't. I saw you with her up there on the track again yesterday."

"What kind of question is that? Of course I didn't do anything with her. I'm not interested in her. I told you that yesterday."

"Because of her age or because she's married?"

"Neither," he interjected angrily. "You know, on Sunday, she wasn't wearing her rings? I did have a feeling that she wasn't divorced, though. Then when they came up to us yesterday at breakfast, it was quite obvious that she didn't want her son to know that she had made a move on me, unsuccessful as it was."

"It didn't look all that unsuccessful yesterday. And you knew she was married by then."

"She didn't try yesterday. She already knew that I wasn't available for her."

"But not because of the fact that she's married. You had some other reason for not seeing her. Does that mean that marriage doesn't mean anything to you?"

"What? Now wait a minute. Your putting words in my mouth. That's not what I meant. Of course I feel that married people should be faithful."

"Married people," she responded. "In other words, if a couple are going together but aren't married yet, they can cheat on each other."

"I didn't say that either. I'm not a fan of cheating or open relationships. All I meant was that I had other reasons for not wanting to be with her. Why are you asking anyway? What do you care how I feel about it other than the fact that you might be going with her son?"

Sabrina's anger flared. She angrily called off the number from the measuring tape and released the part she was holding as it was the last measurement of the room. She watched as the canister flew across the room towards his fingers until he let go of the end just before it reached the point where it would hit them. From that point on, she didn't say anything more than was necessary to do the job.

Doug looked at Sabrina across the table after ordering dinner at the small diner they had found nearby. It was obvious that her anger wasn't subsiding. He knew he needed to apologize for something but wasn't sure what. She had gotten mad when he intimated that she was going to be seeing Mike. She had all but confirmed the relationship when he talked to her Sunday night. Then again, she wasn't with him at the time and he hadn't looked for her this morning. Maybe they weren't together. Was that why she was so upset? She wanted to be with him and wasn't? So maybe he needed to apologize for reminding her about him. Then again, that didn't really seem to be the problem. She had seemed more upset with the idea that he himself might have been with Mike's mother. But why would that matter?

He thought about the last few days they had spent together. Saturday, when they had been eating lunch, he asked about why she wasn't married. She had said that it was because he had just graduated and she thought it best to wait until the year was half over before they did so. But she been teasing with that response, hadn't she? But what if she hadn't been really teasing? Plus, she had said that she loved him when they were talking about funerals. Could that be what it was? Things started to come together in his mind and he knew he had to apologize for his actions. He realized they were both acting out of jealousy but he had been hurtful.

But as he started to open his mouth to do so, his cell rang. John Branham was calling. After answering, Doug grabbed for the legal pad that Sabrina had brought in so that they could go over what needed to be done and started writing. "Got it," he finally said then paused again. "Really?.....Alright. Talk to you later."

"What's that about?" Sabrina asked.

"John was giving me the list of people he's sending here. They will be arriving with three trucks on Thursday," he answered as he handed her the pad. "They'll be here to help with set up and all that, then we can give them the option of moving here or staying back there."

"Well, here's one that I'm sure won't stay. Charley West."

"Why do you say that?"

"Let's put it this way. I hope she doesn't stay since I'm going to be here."

Doug couldn't help the smile that came to his face at the news that she was staying. Then he thought about the rest of the statement. "Charley is a she?"

"Short for Charlotte," she answered.

"And you've had trouble with her?"

"That's an understatement. We were in the same grade and went through high school together. She always tried to bully me around, but she didn't really do very well.. The worst that she came up with really backfired. She tried to spread a rumor that I had gone down on a guy. The problem was, the guy she said I did it to, was a senior and well known throughout the school. While I knew who he was, he wouldn't know me from Eve. I was a freshman at the time, and I sure didn't run around with his crowd. On top of that, he was also very strong in his religious beliefs. So, when he heard this story, he tracked down the source and she was suspended from school for a week. She also had to write a formal apology to him in the school newspaper which was read over the P.A. system during the morning announcements. To him, not me. I was never even a part of any of the proceedings, but she blames me for all the trouble she got herself into. She still thinks of me as inferior to her since she's out there doing the work while all I can do is 'sit behind a desk and take dictation.'"

"Well, she won't be giving you any trouble here."

"Like I said, that was the worst she came up with. She tried all throughout high school to bully me around in other ways. Some worked. Most didn't. But she'll probably try it here to."

"Doesn't matter. As my personal assistant, you are in authority over her. You are second in command at this location, so you are her boss. Let her chew on that when she gets here."

"Oh, that's going to be fun," she smiled then looked again at the list. "What about Bill Farrington? Isn't he the guy that used to bully you around all the time when you were, like, eight or nine years old?"

"Yep. He's the one."

"What's it going to be like when he finds out that you're the one who owns this company?"

"Actually, he already knows."

"What? He knows? Am I the only one who didn't know about it?"

"Right now, other than you, Cindy, and John, there are only two others in the whole company who know," Doug declared. "When I first started hiring people, they had to be trained, and I was the one that had to do the training. I started with six workers, but four of them are no longer here. Bill stayed and so did Angela Porter, who you can see is also on the list. Everyone else is newer than that.

"So, Charley, Jim Hampton, Denise Wilson and Bruce Schuster are all in for a bit of a surprise tomorrow. I look forward to seeing that."

Doug grabbed the pad back and began writing again. Sabrina could see the words "to do" at the top of the page just under the list of names.

"Why don't you dictate to me while I write it down? Since I do shorthand, it will go faster."

He shook his head. "I want the list to be able to be read by both of us. I don't know shorthand, so it has to be written out long hand."

"It would still be better for me to do the writing. I have better penmanship than you."

With a chuckle, Doug handed her the pad and they began to develop the list of what needed to be done. When it was finished about an hour after they finished eating, it turned out to be quite a long list. Utilities, phones, furniture, office machines, office supplies, postal information, signage, advertising, and hiring new personnel were just the beginning. "A lot of this will take weeks to get done," he said. " But we'll have to do as much as we can, now. It's going to be a busy week. We should put up a temporary sign at the warehouse so that the drivers in the trucks will be able to find us when they get here. We'll need to stop at that construction site we saw and see if I can get some wood for that and then get some paint for it. " Gone was the idea of apologizing to her for his remarks. But also gone was her anger over them as she thought about the things they needed to get done.

Thursday.

Doug turned his car into the drive of the warehouse and stopped. Once he had it in park, he got out and opened the back door, retrieving the sign they had made at the house the night before. Wednesday had been a long day. In the morning, they dealt with getting all the utilities turned on at both places, arranging for telephones with different extensions for different offices, arranging for the agent from a sign shop to come and discuss the making and placement of signs. The afternoon was dedicated to purchasing furniture, appliances, business machines and computers for the warehouse. The sign he was now pounding into the ground was temporary, made from scrap from the construction site they had seen, and they had made it at his house before heading back to the hotel for the night. It was the last thing they had done, and they had had to leave it at the house to dry. Thus, Doug was alone in his car, and he was sure that Sabrina had already arrived, opened the building and was waiting for him.

One of the things they had done was to buy a card table and some folding chairs that they could use at the warehouse. Sabrina sat in one of the chairs now wearing a business pant suit, her long black hair left free and cascading over her shoulders to a point just between her shoulder blades. Her green eyes flashed as she saw him enter and she gave him a small smile. It would be another busy day. The man from the sign shop was due in about half an hour with the trucks from the other shop arriving fifteen to thirty minutes after that. Then came the real work. The trucks would have to be unloaded and equipment put in place. The new furniture and office machines would arrive later in the day. Setting up everything would take some doing, and Sabrina thought it would be up to her to be sure the workers got everything in place right. She looked forward to Charlie finding out that she was in charge over her, but not to the taking of charge over her as she was sure that there would be conflict. But the first thing to do was coffee and donuts. Lots of donuts.

The table sat near the small office space that would be for shipping and receiving and had seven boxes of donuts sitting on it. Alongside, were paper cups and a coffee maker plugged in to an extension cord. "I guess we have electricity?" Doug asked.

"Yep. Water too," Sabrina answered. "The bathrooms all work. I checked them out when I first got here and found we had water. They're none to clean, but they work."

"Good. I saw the phone company van outside. I guess that it won't be long before that's done, too."

"He's working through all the offices. He'll do this one back here last since this is where we're going to be concentrating our work today."

"Alright. Sounds good." He motioned to the table. "Do you think you got enough donuts?"

"One box for each of the people that are bringing the trucks plus one for the two of us to share since I don't eat them that much. Just a couple is enough for me."

"That's quite generous of you. Did you get a receipt? The company will pay for them."

"Yes." She handed him the receipt so she could be reimbursed.

"Okay. Here's today's agenda. This morning, the guy from the sign place will be showing up to talk about making and placing signs for the business. That's both inside and out. Also, the trucks will be getting here probably about ten-o-clock. They have to be unloaded and things begin to be put in place. This afternoon, all the rest of the furniture will arrive, and I'll use the employees to help get everything in place for that. By the way, before I left, I transferred a lot of my stuff from your parents' house to the warehouse. John is sending that along with both your desk and mine on one of the trucks."

"The desks? But I thought they were staying there," Sabrina complained. "We bought two new ones to replace them."

"I know. We'll find another use for the two that are coming from the other office. It won't be a problem. At least you don't have to worry about someone else cleaning out your desk from there. Anyway, while I'm overseeing the placement of the furniture here this afternoon, you will be going to whatever furniture store or stores you see fit to visit and furnishing my house. Please don't make it a girly place. I don't mind your influence being there, but it should also bear out the fact that I live there. And we need paint. Both for here and the house. Here, we should have beige and off white, mostly. Maybe some brown. But you can get a little more creative if you want with what you get for the house."