Her laughter started all over again. “Your stubbornness knows no bounds.”
“Says one stubborn person to the next,” Noah said, poking her in the shoulder with his index finger.
He did that now and again when they were together—simple touches that suggested he maybe liked her more than he meant to. The simple graze made her wonder about more.Because you aren’t confused enough about all the things you’re chasing in life? You want a fling to complicate it.Her only thought after that was…Maybe?
She decided, watching the two of them interact, that having a sibling could definitely have improved her life.
One day, you’ll marry someone who has a family and you’ll be part of that one.Morty’s words came back to her.Family is what you want it to be.
When they’d cleared the table, she pulled out her sketchbook. “Did you want to see the ideas I had for your office? I have three sketches based on price line. You can mix and match if you want unless you have a preferred store. I figure if Josh buys your groceries, you could get him to order these things since that wasn’t part of the bet.”
“Wow. She has you pegged,” Chris said.
She wasn’t sure what to make of Noah’s expression. His gaze was suspiciously blank when he met hers. “Pretty sure I can handle ordering online.”
Nerves ran around in her belly, but they were the good kind. She felt good about what she had to show. The three of them pored over the designs she’d sketched. She’d gone high-end with one, figuring he could afford it. Sleek furniture that hid its efficiency was expensive. The room would be masculine but subtle, closed cabinets giving the feel of more space but opening up to create a usable work space.
“This is gorgeous,” Everly said, tapping her finger near the first design.
“It should be for what it costs.” She looked at Noah. “But since you insist your office is a throwaway room, it isn’t what I’d choose.” She set down the second design. It was the middle line between the three. Functional and efficient but also homey. It would be her choice if she had the money. As it was, she couldn’t even afford sketch one.
“This is really great,” Chris said. “I like the functionality paired with personality in this one.”
Everly grinned at him but Grace laughed, her surprise obvious. “Taken some design courses, have you?”
Chris’s cheeks went a soft pink. “I just like what I like.”
Noah laughed, nudged his brother’s shoulder. “I like this one, too. The other one feels too stark. Even with the darker colors.”
Grace smiled. She liked this. No, she loved this. She loved making people’s ideas come to life, and she’d pictured Noah choosing this one. Design, probably like in his business, involved reading people.
“You want high quality with function and a homey feel,” Grace said.
“I want that in every room of my house,” Everly said.
“There’re only three rooms total in your house, babe,” Chris said.
Everly nodded. “True. But one day…”
The way she let the words trail off, the way the couple looked at each other, as if they could feel the unsaid words between them, made the longing twist inside of Grace like a sharp stitch.
“Okay,” she said a little too brightly. “Last one, all function, low budget.”
Chris’s smile grew. “Grace, you’re skilled.”
She gave an awkward laugh. “You can’t know that based on a few sketches.”
Noah stood straight. “Judging people’s skills with little background information is one of my brother’s specialties.”
“It is. Just like Noah’s is knowing when to press and when to idle.”
She shared her smile with both of them. “What does that even mean?”
“For me, I’ve been in lots of positions where I’ve had to take someone’s measure, if you will, with not a lot to go on. You get good at it. For Noah, he’s able to gauge a client’s interest like a pressure point. He eases up at just the right time to make them want more. Makes them think what he wants is their idea.”
A little buzz hummed in her ears as she thought about those words.
Everly added to the conversation, but Grace didn’t hear what she said because she was too busy thinking about how odd itwas that as soon as Noah stopped asking to buy her house, she’d seriously considered selling it to him.
