Marco and Niccolo had hired a seasoned crew to clear away the debris and shore up the building until safety and security were no longer major issues. A new roof was underway, and soon work on the interior could begin in earnest. Niccolo was using the opportunity to teach the Brick kids about blueprints and design. Each youth had been asked to submit a plan for the renovations, and some of them had been surprisingly creative. Megan liked Winston’s idea for inexpensive kitchen shelving so much that she asked Niccolo to incorporate it. Winston’s sister Elisha, whose flair for interior decoration had been in evidence at their first meeting, suggested a hand-painted mural of Ireland in one corner of the bar area, and smaller tables to create a quiet area. Relatively quiet, of course, but Megan liked that, as well. She knew she should be happy. She knew how fortunate they’d been, and how inconsequential the renovations were in the scheme of things. But something just wasn’t right, and she tried to explain her feelings to Casey, who was taking an early lunch hour from her job at the Albaugh Center.
