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Brax showed up wearing black work jeans and a nice-fitting t-shirt that formed to his pecs. I paid more attention to his tattoos today, especially the eagle on his right upper arm that I knew went back into his shoulder. The detail was amazing, and he’d caught me staring more than once.
I’d spent a little more time on my appearance today, with my hair in fat curls falling down my back. Dressed in my favorite pair of skinny jeans and a cream colored button-down shirt rolled up to the elbows, I wore wedge heels to make myself a little bit taller. I was still shorter than him.
It was nice to look up at a man versus being eye-level for a change.
“Are we ready?” Brax asked, his gaze shifting over me slowly.
“I’m ready if you are.”
“Then let’s go.”
I sat in the backseat of Brax’s truck while my mom sat shotgun. She yammered on excitedly about her thoughts about the renovation. I had second thoughts about having her here, because apparently she had an opinion about every detail of my house.
A few times Brax would meet my gaze in the rearview mirror and we’d share a smile. Last night, I had slept like a baby for the first time in months, and I hadn’t been haunted by nightmares of Ross and Candace. Energized about my future, I focused my attention on being smart about the renovation. I set my DVR to record home improvement shows, especially since I needed to help Brax throughout the process.
Before I knew it, we were at the cabinet store. Brax opened the door and actually took my hand to help me out of the truck.
I suppose I hadn’t expected him to be such a gentleman.
My mom led the charge into the store, scanning the entire floor.
A tall redhead with overtanned skin and a skintight dress had been helping an elderly couple when we walked in, but she quickly handed them off to a paunchy salesman when she saw us. Or rather, when she saw Brax.
She barely made eye contact with me or my mom. “Brax, how are you?”
“I’m good, thank you, Kimber.”
Kimber? I bit the inside of my lip as Brax made the introductions.
When Kimber made no move to shake mine or my mom’s hand, I just forced a smile. I could already tell that this was going to be a long day.
“Why don’t you start by telling me what you’re looking for?” Even her voice had a flirty tone.
My mother immediately jumped in, throwing in words like craftsman and traditional, along with mid-century charm.
Kimber looked amused as her gaze shifted between my mother and me. I knew better than to interrupt my mother when she was on a roll though, and if Kimber continued staring at her that way, she would get an earful from Mom.
“Alrighty then. Let’s start, shall we?” Kimber said, motioning for us to follow as she walked in a hip swaying movement that set my teeth on edge.
To Brax’s credit, he didn’t seem distracted by the sight. In fact, he seemed a hundred percent focused on shopping as he stopped by a cabinet and ran his hand over the surface before moving on.
After fifteen minutes of Kimber telling us what was officially “in style” and what wasn’t, she finally acknowledged my presence. “What are you looking for?”
Faced with so many different options, I felt a little overwhelmed. “I like darker colors versus lighter.”
“Could you be more precise?” Kimber blurted. Though she wore a serious expression, there was a hint of arrogant amusement in her eyes.
My mom lifted a brow and opened her mouth, no doubt to come back with a smartass quip.
I quickly slid my hand around her elbow and leaned in. “What do you think, Mom?”
She glanced at me. “You said you liked the craftsman look, and I think it would work well in your home.”
“Very good,” Kimber said, and she ushered us over to a set of cabinets that didn’t do much for me.
As Kimber continued to talk to us like we were ten, my mom started to get irritated. She didn’t hide when she was pissed, either. Her facial expressions gave away what she was thinking.
The rambling Kimber wasn’t getting it though. Not that she’d made more than two seconds of eye contact with anyone but Brax since we entered Cabinet World. After making yet another round of the store, my mind was scrambled by all the choices.
