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He frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“You might not have any idea what kind of furniture or rugs or window treatments to choose for your house, but I do. I saw your minimalist condominium once—”
“You did?”
She quirked her lips. “Yes. I stopped by with Hannah and Will.”
Had he not noticed? Or had she made herself as small as possible so he wouldn’t?
“Anyway, your place was nice, but barren. I heard Hannah say your new house has a separate office for clients, so you’ll want to make a good impression. And being someone who understands both decor and the music industry...”
“You know what I need.” His voice was gravel. She hadn’t offered to kiss him senseless, but his brain hadn’t received the memo yet. “Are you sure you’re up to the task of answering questions involving rug pile height and whatever the hell wainscoting is?”
Hallie pointed to a wall with decorative paneling covering the bottom half. “That’s wainscoting. So, yes.”
Well. His day just became a hell of a lot more interesting. Helping Hallie have fun would not only satisfy his fresh curiosity about her, but it also held the added bonus of ending his decorator headaches.
“Very well. I accept your offer. I’ll show you how to break the rules in exchange for your expertise with Ruby.”
“Safely break the rules,” she amended.
“Safely,” he agreed. He would have done it for no trade at all, but if she needed to feel as if she was contributing, he could use her help. Not much in life made him wilt, but evaluating the subtle differences between cream, eggshell and off-white had weakened him like a recently shorn Sampson. “When do you want to start?”
“As soon as possible.” As if worried she sounded overeager, she quickly added, “If that’s okay?”
“How about now?” His mind on kissing her, he lifted his hand with the intent of cupping her jaw and tasting those lips. She misunderstood and thrust her hand into his, giving it a firm shake.
“Thank you. You won’t be disappointed.” She chewed on the plush bottom lip he wished he was kissing. “At the risk of sounding like the workaholic you accused me of being, there’s no way I can meet with Ruby today. I have an appointment in an hour.”
“No problem.” And it wasn’t a problem, not really. He could bide his time. Where Hallie was concerned, he’d been around her plenty without acting on a single one of his impulses. Impulses he’d fervently ignored until now. Part of his change of heart was thanks to Will and Hannah leaving town. He wondered if their absence had similarly fueled Hallie’s request. “Leave it to me, Hals. I’ll show you how to have fun.”
As much as she could stand to have with him.
