Holiday Kisses

“What will it be constructed out of? Concrete? Do you mind?” Gil glanced at Calliope before he turned the illustrations around so that he could see better.

“Yes, steel and concrete. We can, of course, bring in some natural features here and there, use them as accents to tie them into the rest of the buildings around town.” Those nerves he’d been repressing earlier came back with a vengeance. “You did say you wanted to keep costs to a minimum. We have a reliable company we work with out here on the west coast. Once we lock everything in place, I should be able to get you a good deal.” Because that’s where his talent really shone.

He heard a dismissive tsk-tsking from beside him and locked his jaw.

“Not everything has to come down to finances.” Calliope turned her focus up and out the window.

“In this case, it very well could,” Gil said. “I have to admit, it wasn’t exactly what I was thinking, but I don’t know. It could grow on me. Calliope?”

“Yes?”

“What do you think?”

Xander bit the inside of his cheek. What did it matter what Calliope Jones thought of his designs? It wasn’t her building, after all, and it wasn’t her family’s business on the line.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” she said and bolstered Xander’s flagging confidence. Until he realized the mayor didn’t agree.

“You don’t like it.” Gil’s left eye twitched as he signaled Paige for some coffee.

“It’s difficult to take what’s on paper and imagine it in reality,” Calliope said. “But, no, it doesn’t feel right. I would be interested to see what Mr. Costas would come up with once he saw the land in question. For instance, you mentioned a lot of glass, but the original idea was to have part of the building facing the ocean to take advantage of the view. Will that work with this design?”

“It can.” Xander made mental adjustments to the type of glass needed to reinforce the structure against the increase in wind resistance.

“I like the idea of glass,” Calliope said. “I like the idea of using as many natural elements as possible, as a reminder to everyone who visits that a natural habitat and migration path is why we have the opportunity to build the sanctuary in the first place. What about the eucalyptus trees? How many of them would have to come down for this to work?”

“Ah, quite a few, I’d imagine,” Xander said. “I was told clearing the area wouldn’t be an issue.”

“As those trees are a natural habitat for the butterflies in question, that might be a bit shortsighted. Not to mention a waste of money.” Calliope smoothed her hand over the image of the two-story structure. “All this steel and concrete feels so...”

“Cold,” Gil said, finishing for her. “Impersonal. I agree. What are our other options?”

“Well, that would take a bit of reworking.” Xander’s stomach tightened. So much for a quick in and out of town. “We went by the guidelines we were given and honestly, at the time, I didn’t realize there was a lot of room for interpretation.” His design skills were beyond rusty and he’d been worried he’d strike out on that. But he wouldn’t do so again. Too much was at stake for him to just walk away.

“Then that was my mistake,” Gil said. “This seems like a great start, a launch point so to speak. I’d just prefer something more out of the box.”

“Agreed.” Calliope nodded and Xander caught a glimmer of appreciation in her eyes.

“As I stated, these are only the preliminary sketches.”

Perhaps he had been presumptuous thinking this was a one-off project he could whip up in a matter of days. The pressure that was already at suffocating levels pressed in on him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d put pen to paper or come up with anything other than cost projections and suggestions for materials. “Why don’t you give me a few days and I’ll have some alternate ideas. Is there a time you’re available before I head home next week?”

“I’ll check with my assistant,” Gil said. “That will give you time to get a good look at the property and see what adjustments can be made.”