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“So, I’m assuming you got a new couch, right? I hope it wasn’t on my account,” he said, grinning.
She immediately rolled her eyes and said, “Don’t flatter yourself, Evan. You saw that beast. It was time. The coffee table was worse. Replaced it, too.”
“I find that difficult to believe. That sofa was a really vibrant shade of blue,” he said, lips twitching.
“Call it ugly, but it was free,” she said with a shrug.
“So what did you settle on?” he asked.
“Judging by your furniture, you’ll probably think this one is even worse. Purple microfiber with some delightful black, white and gray-accent pillows.”
“Purple?” he asked, mildly horrified. “I’m sure it’s great.”
Taryn laughed and said, “I like bold colors.”
“Of course. Who doesn’t?” he asked, gesturing around his apartment that was almost entirely decorated in earth tones.
Snickering, she took another sip of water and then asked, “Did you finish the greenhouse?”
“I did. I ended up moving my orchids into it on Sunday. They seem a lot happier now that they have the humidity back. They were staying on my sister’s back porch for a little bit.”
Cocking her head to the side, she asked, “How many brothers and sisters do you have? You’ve mentioned two, and I met a third.”
“There are six of us in total,” he said. When he saw her eyes widen, he added, “Typical Irish Catholic family.”
“Wow,” she said.
“I take it Cora’s your only sibling?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “Hey. Did you make it to dinner on time the other night?”
“Not a chance,” he said, laughing. “Luckily they were both running late, too, so we all got there at the same time. I got to meet my niece Molly for the first time, too.”
Picking up his phone, he showed her a few pictures.
When he scrolled to the one where Molly had his finger gripped in her little fist, he saw her eyes soften. She said, “She’s a cutie.”
Nodding, he said, “Yeah. She is. I’m just glad I’m going to be around more now.”
At her curious look, he said, “I’ve been living in Seattle since I was twenty-four so I missed out on seeing all three of my sister’s kids go through the baby phase.”
“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t realize you had moved from out of the area. I guess I just assumed you were from Los Angeles.”
“I lived in Ventura when I was kid, but left after college. Finally I decided that if after fourteen years, Seattle didn’t feel like home, then it never would,” he said.
Shrugging, Taryn said, “I don’t know that Los Angeles feels like home, but Cora’s here. That helps.”
“Are you from here originally?” he asked, curious.
“Yep,” she said. “Born in Reseda.”
He watched Taryn’s eyes gravitate toward the bookshelves. “Ever think about going electronic?” she asked him curiously.
“Each time I lugged a box of books up the stairs, but it would be so expensive to buy the electronic versions of everything I’ve got here. I have a lot of DIY stuff here, too, so it’s easier to have a paper copy,” he said.
She stood up and walked toward the books. Turning her head, she scanned the titles and immediately asked, “Did you group these by subject?”
Nodding, he gestured to the four bookshelves and said, “It makes it easier to find them. I’ve got a lot of books. There’s another shelf in my office and one in the bedroom.”
