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I’d always wanted to go with a darker paint color in my bedroom, but Ross had said it would be too depressing. To me, I liked feeling closed in when it came to my master bedroom. I know some people loved light and bright, but at least in my bedroom, I wanted a more intimate feel. Something rich and elegant. I reached for a cocoa color and hesitated.
“Don’t second-guess yourself,” he said, and I snagged the color card off of the sample wall. “Now let’s pick out the kitchen and living room. I’m going to suggest going with something consistent throughout the rooms since we’re opening up the kitchen into the living area. We want the color to give fluidity throughout the house. Makes for a nicer flow that way.”
In five minutes, I had committed to a main house color and even picked out a card for an exterior color, just in case I had enough money left over from the interior renovation to paint the outside.
Brax opened up the passenger side door and helped me in before he went about putting the paint into the bed of the truck. I watched him on the side mirror. Ross had never been a Mr. Fix-it. Ever. If he needed something done, he hired someone to do it for him. It was refreshing to be around a man who was okay with getting his hands dirty.
Settling into the driver’s seat, Brax looked at me with a smile. “You did it.”
“Once again with your help,” I said, feeling happy with my choices. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He reached out and touched my hand, his fingers grazing my thigh. “My pleasure. You just wait until your house is finished. You won’t regret the time and effort you put into it.”
My mouth went dry as I watched him watch me. “I’m excited.”
He started the truck and we sat in silence for the mile-long drive. When we arrived at the house, the Dumpster had been dropped off and Toby was on the porch, talking to a lady with an edgy bob. “Oh my God, it’s Kara,” I said under my breath. She had put on at least twenty pounds since the last time I’d seen her. Dressed in a black blouse and blue jeans tucked into knee-high boots, she looked stylish and really happy.
“I come bearing gifts,” she said, reaching for an apple crisp that had been on the porch railing.
“Hey, Kara,” Brax said, giving her a welcoming side hug. “You look amazing.”
“Brax,” she said, beaming from ear to ear. “You’re too kind.” Her gaze shifted over him from head to toe and back again.
Subtlety had never been her strong suit.
“Did you bring the kids?” I asked.
She frowned. “Uh, no. They’re having a play-date with grandma, so I thought I’d drop by since I heard you’d returned home. I sent you a few social media requests, but apparently you’re trying to leave everyone in suspense. Trust me, I’ve been stalking you.”
“Sorry, I just…” I trailed off, not knowing how to respond.
“I get it. You’re home and no doubt overwhelmed,” she remarked, flashing a tight smile. “Nice place, by the way.”
Kara had never been the kind to blow smoke up anyone’s ass, so I knew she was being sincere. “Thanks. It will be even better when we’re done.”
“Well, we’d better get back to work,” Toby said, snatching the apple crisp off the railing. “Nice to see you, Kara. Tell Marcus I said hello.”
“I will,” she replied, watching Brax and Toby walk into the house. The second the door shut behind them, she turned to me. “You lucky bitch.”
Oh my God, I had missed her. This was the Kara I remembered. The girl who said it like it was, who sugar-coated nothing. If you didn’t want to know the truth, then you didn’t ask her. “What?” I asked innocently.
“What do you mean, what?” She shook her head. “Brax Mitchell is your contractor. Talk about the ultimate eye-candy.”
I smiled. “He’s my brother’s best friend, Kara.”
“And?” Her brows lifted all the way to her hairline. “I’m happily married, and I would definitely use Brax as my hall pass any day.”
A hall pass was a person you could have a no-strings-attached overnighter with, and your significant other couldn’t get mad about it. “Don’t most people use celebrities for a hall pass?”
