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“You want the truth?”
She nodded, unsure.
He set his mug on the glass coffee table and then let out a sigh. “I’m in purgatory, Hals.”
She felt her eyebrow lift and waited for him to explain.
“You know I built the house on the lake, right?”
Boy, did she. She’d been dying to see it after overhearing him, or Will, or Cash, or Hannah talking about it. From what she’d heard, Gavin’s new-build was more of a mansion. It was located between the main lake and a smaller, private one, which meant not one but two amazing views. With the leaves changing color, those views were probably nothing short of paradise.
“Yes.”
“Another yes. We’re two for two.” His grin remained and she jerked her attention to his casually folded hands, once again admiring his fingers. There was no safe space to rest her eyes on him. “One would assume after making approximately two million decisions during the building of a new house, I’d be done. Evidently, I have to make two million more decisions about the interior.”
His smile faltered, giving way to a new expression. He appeared well and truly miffed.
“My interior designer is amazing. Adore her. She’s smart, she’s savvy. She’s expensive, but worth every dime.” His gray-blue eyes held Hallie’s for the count of three and she had to fight a blush. “Anyway. The big stuff’s already moved in, but a lot of rooms need attention. I don’t care about wall hangings or curtains or rugs. Ruby is doing her job and doing it well. Says she needs to ‘nail down my style.’” He capped the sentence with air quotes. “I’ve been avoiding her for two weeks, but today I agreed to let her come over and torture me.”
Hallie couldn’t help it. She laughed. “You poor thing. Forced to pick designer furnishings for your zillion-dollar mansion on the lake.”
“Lakes,”he corrected.
“Right. Lakes.”
“I’d do anything to get out of it. Who the hell knows how to sum up their style in a few words anyway? I’ve never thought about it. I’m a bachelor. I’m clueless.”
“You seem to dress yourself okay.”
“Stylist.” He held out the side of his jacket and showed off the button-down shirt beneath it. She didn’t think she’d ever been distracted by a flash of a pectoral muscle behind 100 percent cotton before, but her mind was suddenly scrambled.
“Someone else may have styled your suit, but you wear it well. Like you belong in it.”
His shoulders straightened at the compliment. “Go on.”
She was unsuccessful at smothering her next smile. The air between them had shifted, albeit unexpectedly. Instead of a whirlwind of choking awareness kicking up dust and debris, the vibe between them was friendly. Almost...easy. “A house is the same as clothing. You try on a few things to see if they fit and if it feels good, you know.”
Now he looked confused.
She licked her lips and tried again. “Clearly you’re not afraid of color.” She gestured to his suit. “And your style, while simple, is pristine.” She touched her finger to the pocket square nestled in his suit jacket. “Everything in its place.”
His eyes followed the movement of her hand as she pulled it back into her lap. The friendly vibe shifted yet again, to a crackling tension that wasn’t the least bit unpleasant.
“Anyway.” She cleared her throat. “There’s never a speck of lint on your jacket.”
“Never?” he murmured almost seductively. How did he do that? Make an innocuous word sound like pure sex?
“Uh, from...from what I’ve noticed.”
“Hmm. I didn’t realize you’d noticed.”
She let out a nervous laugh.
His eyes dashed to his folded hands and he sighed. “If I had someone like you to help me out, this wouldn’t be such a miserable task.” He reclaimed his coffee mug.
She was about to dismissively agree when she realized he’d revealed exactly what he needed from her. Maybe if she offered to take some decision-making off his plate with his interior designer, he’d consider helping Hallie learn how to have more fun. And with Hannah out of the country for a little while, it was the perfect time for Hallie to step out from behind her older sister’s shadow. Not that Hannah wouldn’t approve, but in case she didn’t... Hallie didn’t want to hear about it.
“I—there was actually something I wanted to ask you.” She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “A favor.”
