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Burke blinked a few times. “Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Good.” I glanced around. “I think one of the upstairs bathrooms should have some color.”
Burke didn’t say anything. In interpreting his grunting caveman language, I always took that as immediate acceptance.
Before we moved on, I added the starburst tile to the pile of samples tucked into my big canvas tote. The weight was heavy for the thin straps, and I grimaced as they dug into my shoulder.
Without saying anything, he gently tugged at the straps with his big hand, taking the bag off my arm and keeping hold of it himself. Why did that make my ribs feel tight?
He gestured to the other room. “Should we look back here too?”
Slowly, I nodded, then followed him into the next area.
There was a large display in the center of that room, and Burke slowed when we walked past it. I smiled because he’d homed in on all the right options.
I stood back and watched while he studied the tiles.
Right in the middle, there was a gorgeous patterned tile in crisp white and deep emerald green. It had just enough blue in it that it wasn’t garish.
It was perfect. I found myself holding my breath when his hand came up to trace the edge of the design.
Quietly, I joined him at the display, my arm brushing against his. “It’s beautiful,” I told him.
Burke dropped his hand. “Yeah?”
He seemed embarrassed that he’d been caught admiring it. Carefully, I pulled the sample board off the hook and turned it so that the green could catch the light.
“It’s a bold choice,” I said. “Where do you see this?”
He answered immediately. “The primary bathroom.”
“Maybe we paint the panels in that color.”
Burke nodded.
It was pricier than I’d anticipated, and I tapped my finger over the square footage price. “This is more than William figured for that bathroom.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said gruffly.
The sound of a softly chugging engine at the other end of the shop caught my attention. That’s when I saw the train tracks running around the perimeter of the showroom. I smiled, watching the small train chug along through the store.
“We need the biggest, best train set we can find,” I said softly. Then I caught myself. “If you keep it.” Saying those words almost made me feel sick.
Burke’s shoulder brushed against mine when he stopped next to me. “If I keep it,” he said slowly.
“Did I ever tell you about the first time I went to the Campbell House?”
He shook his head.
“It was early December. My mom and I had just moved closer to Aunt Daphne, after my parents’ divorce, and Daphne told us about this huge old house that did a Christmas open house for the community. They had a train set.” I smiled. “At twelve, it sounded so dumb. Go to a stranger’s house to watch a train set, right? But once we got there ...” My voice trailed off. My eyes misted up a little, watching the tiny wheels churn around. “I fell in love. My mom and I both did.”
“I’m assuming you don’t mean with the train?”
I laughed under my breath. “No. With the house. It was magical. The whole community gathered there, listening to music and drinking hot chocolate and watching this amazing toy train weave all the way through the house. Every room looked like the North Pole exploded. Massive tree in the entryway. Garland and twinkling lights all down the banister. Candles in every window. Angels and different Nativity sets from around the world.”
“What happened to them?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. If Chris got them after his grandparents died, I never heard about it.”
