My older sister and I bought a house together a few years back. It was actually a duplex but we shared the back deck and yard. We both worked hard on the interior of our individual space, but the back was pretty neglected. It was made even worse when my sister married and started a family because it wasn’t really a child-friendly area. So her husband Daniel and I decided to contact the While You Were Out team and see if it was something they’d be interested in doing. There response was an emphatic yes.
It was decided that getting Shelley out of the house would be easier if Daniel suggested a romantic weekend away while my mother watched their two year old son Ryan, so I ended up being the one who stayed and helped the WYWO crew to transform our basic, child-unfriendly yard into a tropical paradise/child safe play area.
I met Peter BonSey, WYWO’s garden designer the day before Shelley and Daniel left for their trip and managed to sneak him into the backyard without Shelley noticing. I could see his eyes gleam with interest as he surveyed the large yard and crumbling deck. “Andrew is going to have a lot of work,” he said, sounding like a little boy who was happy his brother was going to get in trouble.
Early the next morning I helped a grumbling Shelley get her two bags – one for each day – into the car. At five months pregnant, she was happy to get away from Ryan’s hyperactivity, but she was also not in the mood to go anywhere. She would have loved to just have a few days at home while Mom watched Ryan, but Daniel and I both encouraged her otherwise.
As soon as their car turned off our road, Teresa Strasser and Peter knocked on the door. I let them in and we walked out to the backyard. Peter showed us his design which I had to admit was pure genius. Mayita Dinos, the landscape designer, arrived shortly after them, then a few minutes later a large truck pulled into the front yard and the most breathtaking man I’d ever seen got out.
Now let me say this…I’ve seen While You Were Out many times and often lusted over the hunky British carpenter, but he was even better in person. When he came in the house and shook my hand I thought I was going to melt. I tried my best to keep myself from drooling all over him, and actually think I did a good job.
The first day was spent clearing out the existing sorry excuse for foliage, fencing off one area for Ryan and his soon-to-arrive sibling, and rebuilding the deck. Somehow I kept getting assigned to work on projects with Andrew, not that I was complaining, of course.
A lot of the time while we worked the camera was on us and Andrew acted like the ham he came across as on the show. When the camera wasn’t on us, however, he was sweet and thoughtful, making sure I learned the skills I needed to help with the deck rebuilding. At one point he stood behind me and put his arms on mine so he could show me how to cut the rail spindles at the right angle. The minute he touched me we both froze as electricity sparkled between us.
When the camera man appeared and Andrew returned to showing me how to run the saw as if nothing had happened. He moved away as soon as possible and if it hadn’t been for the way his eyes continued to follow me as I worked I would have thought I’d imagined it.
At the end of the first day, we had about half of the deck done and the play are was safely sectioned off. A small garden area had been prepared for the flowers they planned to plant the next day. Inside the play are was a swing set and sandbox I had won by answering questions about Shelley correctly. I would have one more chance to win something on day two.
Everyone left around nine and suddenly the house felt empty. I walked through Shelley and Daniel’s house making sure all the lights were off and nothing had been left just laying around. Don’t ask me why, it wasn’t like anyone was going to be in the house before everyone returned the next day. I’m just anal about stuff like that.
Once I was done with that, I walked out their front door, down their steps and five feet to the right to my porch. As I put my foot on my first step I realized that someone was standing next to my door. At first my heart stopped in fear, but then it sped up in excitement when I realized who it was. Andrew Dan-Jumbo.
“Hi,” I said, pretty inanely. “Did you forget something?”
“I’m not sure,” he replied, his awesome British accent going right through me. “Can I come in?”