“Would you be free for some custom woodwork this week?” I asked.

He laid his pencil down.

“That depends on the job,” he said.

“I’m in between framing jobs till Friday morning.”

“I’ve got a wide kitchen window that looks out on a pecan tree,” I said.

“I need an oak breakfast nook built right under the window frame, with a bench seat that lifts on hinges.”

He drew a yellow pad toward him.

“What’s the address?”