“Great. Favorite style?”
They answered at the same time, Noah saying, “Modern,” while Grace said, “Classic.”
“Guess we’ll see a blend of the two,” Emily said. “Color you’d never allow?”
“Pink,” Noah said, just as Grace answered the same. They laughed, which helped loosen the knots in her stomach.
“Room you’re most looking forward to redoing?”
“This one,” Grace said.
Noah nodded. “And the master bathroom. I want absolute luxury.”
She could do that. Spending other people’s money was way more fun than spending her own.
“Favorite room in a house?”
“Kitchen.”
Noah grinned at her. “Same.”
“Favorite store for furniture?”
“Pottery Barn,” Noah said without hesitation.
Grace actually gasped. “What? Have you ever even been in a Pottery Barn?”
“Of course. Briefly. I like their stuff. You don’t?”
“Sure. But it isn’t my favorite.” Why would a place that sold mass-market anything to anyone be his favorite when he could afford anything?
“What is?” Noah asked.
“There’s a store in Venice Beach called Mi Casa. We’ll go. You’ll love it.”
“I’ve been there. Love it. You have excellent taste,” Emily said.
“What’s more important, cost or aesthetic?”
Noah said aesthetic while Grace answered the opposite.
Lifting her shoulders, she changed her answer. “Actually, since it’s not my money, I’ll go with aesthetic too.”
Both of them laughed. The rest of the interview was painless and, according to Emily, a great launching point for their impending success. When she left, Noah stood by the door while Grace gathered her things.
Memories of the night before brought back tingles with a side of renewed embarrassment. She had to go. Her ideas were swirling and Noah tended to muddle her brain. The less time alone they spent together until she could stop thinking about the way he made her skin tingle with just a look, the better.
“You look ready to bolt,” Noah said, leaning his shoulder against the wall.
Was it okay that he could read her so easily? He considers you a friend. Think of him that way. “Sort of. It was great but overwhelming.”
“I might not have planned to ask but I’m really glad it’s you.”
The muscles surrounding her heart spasmed. “Me too.”
He hesitated a second, then asked, “You ever feel like life leads you where you’re supposed to be, even if you don’t know why?”
Grace looked at the floor a moment, catching her breath. When she looked back up, he was still staring. “Not really. I guess I’ve worked too hard to get where I am, and it’s felt like a grind every step of the way. Either way, I’m glad we landed next door to each other.”
He chuckled. “Something I never thought I’d hear you say.”
“Trust me,” she said, opening the door, “I’m every bit as surprised as you are.”
22
Noah pressed Decline when his father’s number popped up on his phone. He didn’t need to speak to him, since he knew exactly how the conversation would go. He did, however, pick up when Wes’s number flashed on the screen.
“Hey, man. How’s it going?”
“It’d be better if my two idiot brothers weren’t screening Dad’s calls. Or if I hadn’t come in to the office today so he couldn’t keep storming in every time one of you ignores him.”
Despite the frustration evident in his brother’s tone, Noah grinned. “Whose fault is that? We both told you to come out here.” Noah poured another cup of coffee. Grace would be there shortly.
“I’m in the middle of three projects right now, all of which Dad lost interest in but I want to see through. Maybe cut me some slack for not having time to come surf or whatever the hell it is you do with all your time.”
Noah’s fingers clenched around the cup. “Actually, asshat, I’m pretty busy myself with this remodel and renovation. This place is going to be featured in Home and Heart magazine.” Telling his brother about the three-on-three event was on the tip of his tongue.
“Shit. That’s huge, man. No wonder you’re dodging Dad’s calls. Congrats. I’m proud of you.”
It wasn’t said often, so the words from someone he emulated, respected, and loved warmed him. “Thanks.”
“Listen, the reason I called is because a friend of a friend gave me a contact for you. I’ll email you the details but this could get you into some of those inner circles to do some of the networking bullshit you like.”
Noah laughed. “I thought you just phoned to yell at me.”
“Happy side bonus.”
“Is this a real estate contact?” Noah could use a few of those.
“The guy … let me check my email … Sergio—there’s a power name for you—Nakoff. He deals in corporate law, knows all the power players in LA. My friend said he could get you on the list for his club, maybe a round of golf. You could schmooze. You’re better at that than painting.”
Noah gritted his teeth. It was how he’d worked for a long time in New York. Networking was a huge part of building business and relationships. He didn’t want to jump through the same hoops but at least this would be on his terms.
“Okay. Shoot me the email. Thanks.”
“You okay?”
Someone knocked on his door.
“You didn’t bite back about the painting,” Wes said. Noah could hear the smile in his voice.
“I’m pretty good at ignoring the shit that comes out of your mouth. I gotta go.”
Wes was laughing when Noah hung up, but Noah couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t changing anyone’s mind about him. Why does it matter? What’d you tell Leo? Who cares what others think? Even your brothers.
Gripping the door handle, he swung it open, surprised to see more than just Grace on his stoop. Kyle, a couple of his guys, and a landscaper were chatting animatedly. Grace tipped her chin up, glanced at him, but returned her attention to Kyle like they were best buddies.
Now you feel left out? He shook his head, forced a smile. “Hey.” The one syllable was clipped. Easing his grip, he stepped back. “Come on in.”
Grace came through first, the scent of her soap disrupting his train of thought. He needed to get that under control.
“Grace says she’s doing your design,” Kyle said.
“She is.” Noah met her gaze, ignored the double jump of his chest. Heart hiccup. That’s all that was.
Kyle slapped his hands together. “Let’s take a look.”
While the guys, and two women, spread out, Grace, Noah, and Kyle headed for the island countertop. Grace was laden down with two huge binders and a laptop.
“Hopefully everything will work as it should. I’m still getting used to the laptop.”
Kyle glanced at it. “It’s new?”
She nodded. “Sort of. It’s a pay-as-you-option.”
Noah frowned. Pay as you go? Was she that strapped for cash? He vacillated between saying he’d buy it outright for her or listening to her talk. You don’t need to fix everything for her. It worried him that he wanted to.
She opened the laptop, and Noah leaned toward her, swallowing down the familiar punch of lust that came from standing too close. For the next fifteen minutes, she led them through a computer design program that made him feel like he was walking around in a virtual world. It was nothing short of amazing. She’d transformed his house; her ideas made it everything he’d thought he’d imagined but hadn’t actually visualized.
“Grace. This is amazing. It’s so real.” He’d seen other programs like this, obviously, but never such an intimate remodeling. Buildings, offices, warehouses. Not homes. This would be his home. The images on the screen made a man want to check his shoes at the door and curl up on that kick-ass sectional, a beer in one hand, a woman nestled beside him
—whoa. He shook his head. A man. You thought “a man.” Not you.
“You seem surprised.”
“I don’t mean to. I knew you were talented.”
Their gazes met for a few seconds longer than they should have. Long enough for those familiar feelings to stir.
“The appliances are coming this afternoon. We’ll work around them since you knew what you wanted there. Plus, I’m guessing it makes it easier to take care of meals and such.”
Noah didn’t miss the amused glance Grace sent him but he appreciated her restraint in not laughing.
Kyle gestured to the laptop. “Looks like you want a perfectly square island instead of the rectangle?” Kyle pointed his stylus at the screen.
Grace, all business, nodded, making a note in a spiral-bound notebook. “I think, with the size of the room, and it being such a large rectangular space, adding other shapes will create more balance.”
“That’s why you’ve got the round footstool and bonus seating?” Noah asked.
“That’s right. But all of that stuff is superficial. You can change whatever you want. The built-ins, though, like the island and these shuttered cupboards along the far kitchen wall beside the laundry area, those you need to be sure of.”
“I’m thrilled with the way it looks.”
“I like the storage in the island. As someone who has young kids running around, having extra space to store stuff is a huge bonus,” Kyle said, glancing at his phone. “I need to take this.”
“You’re looking at me funny,” Grace said.
Noah cleared his throat. “I’m impressed.”
“Let’s hope the magazine is. Are we done here? I have a list of places for us to check out. We’ll be ordering a lot of items today so I hope your credit is good.”
Had any other woman ever teased him with the confidence Grace did? He’d had female friends. Okay, acquaintances. He enjoyed being with women. Spending time with them, but it was a careful balance. Too much time, they wanted more. With Grace, there couldn’t be more, so maybe he could have with her something he’d never had with anyone else.
“Are you worried it isn’t?”
“Huh?”
Grace shoved his shoulder. “Dude. Head in the game.”
He arched his brows. “Did you just call me ‘dude’?”
She pressed her hands together. “Sir Dude? Please get your handsome head in the game? Better?”
Biting his cheek to keep from smiling, he nodded, then asked, “You think I’m handsome?”
She turned away before her eye roll was complete. “I’m about to Julia Roberts your credit cards so make sure you’re prepared.”
Kyle walked back in at that moment, a toothy smile showing through his beard. “Uh-oh. Good thing I got an advance on my part.”
Noah grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter, shoved it in his pocket. “I hope I’m not paying extra for the comedy.”
Grace looked at Kyle, shrugged. “Mine comes with the package.”
Hell of a package, Noah breathed through his nose.
“Same. On the house, my friend. Also, your appliances will be here around dinnertime so we need to get going.”
“Come, my pretty,” Grace said, waving her fingers at him.
“Wish me luck,” Noah said to Kyle on his way past.
“You’re shopping with her all day, you’ve already got it.”
Clearly, Noah wasn’t the only one who noticed her charms. She was funny, gorgeous, smart, and one hundred percent off-limits. Perfect. The day wouldn’t be long at all.
23
Grace Travis was a machine. A nonstop, shop-till-she-dropped whirlwind of energy. It would have been fascinating if his feet weren’t aching, he didn’t need to sit down for six hours straight, or she showed any signs of slowing down.
“Do you always shop like this?” he asked.
She looked up from the gray towels she was petting. She’d probably call them moody windstorm or something equally weird, because apparently there were ten billion colors outside of the color wheel.
“Like what?”
He got distracted by her pretty eyes for just a moment but cut himself some slack based on his shopping-related foot pain. A man can withstand only so much.
“Like the world might end if we don’t buy absolutely everything we see?”
Grace picked up the towel. “Don’t be a wimp. I warned you.”
He leaned on the display, enjoying the softness of those towels under his arm. These got his vote; he didn’t know why she looked uncertain. “You said you were going to Julia Roberts my credit card. I thought you were going to buy a bunch of sexy outfits, some big hats, and chocolate-dipped strawberries.”
Her jaw dropped, bringing his gaze to her lips. Her plump lower lip, in particular. “Someone knows their Pretty Woman facts.”
Oops. “That stays between us.” He blamed the shopping for lowering his defenses.
Tipping her head to one side, she picked up more of the towels. “We’ll see.”
Just like that, his mood notched up. Poking her in the shoulder, he grinned. “What’s it going to take?”
Grace set the towels into the cart she’d grabbed—leading him to believe there were a lot more items to purchase—then “tsk” ed him. “You call yourself a negotiator? You folded.” She snapped. “Like a twig.”
Leaning his forearms on the cart, he pushed it forward, side-eyeing her. “I disagree. That’s not folding. It’s luring you in.”
Falling into step beside him, she continued to browse, and for a minute he felt like they were a couple setting up house together. Something he’d never imagined doing with anyone. Giving it a second of thought now, he realized, everything she’d picked, so far, worked for him. Would they be compatible in other areas? One, for sure. But there were already others. This woman was special and if he couldn’t take it there with her, he wanted something else. Damn, Noah Jansen. Did you just grow up and decide to really be friends with a woman?
“You’re easy prey, Jansen. You think you know me,” she said.
Always look for the opening. His father’s words rang in his ears. He shrugged off the smidge of guilt for applying it to this moment. “Let’s change that.”
“What do you suggest?” She stopped in bedding.
“Every time we agree on something for the house, we take turns asking each other questions. Every time we disagree, we take turns sharing a secret no one else knows.”
Grace turned away from the comforters and stepped closer, tilting her head back. “What’s your game?”
It took actual effort not to brush the wisps of hair off of her forehead. “No game. I want to know you, Grace. Stranger, I want you to know me.”
She looked around, leaned in a touch farther. “You really think we can make this friend thing work?” She whispered it like they were conspiring.
He played along, glancing around, then giving her a wide-eyed nod. “I do.”
Her nose scrunched up. “Friends bring ice cream at any hour. Day or night.”
He wanted to laugh but didn’t. “Done.” Ignoring the couple walking past them, he took a turn. “Friends ask each other for help when they need it.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Okay. Friends hang out, have fun together. They go places together.”
“We’re out right now.” It seemed important to point that out.
“We’re working. That’s different.”
It was no hardship to spend time with her. “Anytime. We can go grab lunch and a beer right this second,” he said.
“It’s ten o’clock. You’re such a wimp.”
“Only when it comes to shopping. I promise.”
Grace stepped back and he missed the feel of her standing close. He shouldn’t, but as long as he didn’t act on it, things would be fine.
“You liked the gray towels I chose. I go first.” She turned, walked farther into the bedding section, and picked up floral-patterned sheets he did not like.
“A
sk away, friend.”
Grace smirked. She was actually reading the information on the plastic covering. Fascinating. “I’ll ease you in. Where’d you go to school?”
Ha. He had this friendship thing in the bag. “NYU for business.”
She started to put the sheets in the cart, but he pulled it back. “What? They’re so pretty.”
“Nope.”
Grace scowled but said nothing as an announcement about a sale came over the speaker. When it finished, she said, “You’re just saying that to get a secret out of me.”
He laughed, moved around the cart, and grabbed the pale pink floral pattern that caught his eye. “These are nicer. I don’t love the color green in general. It’s dumb to have flowers be green when the leaves are green. It’s too much, you know?”
She stared at him like he’d grown an extra head. “We both said we didn’t like pink.”
He shrugged, liking that she remembered. “On a wall? No. Like this? It’s soft. Sexy. Sweet. It’ll be good for a guest bedroom.”
There was a look in her eyes he couldn’t decipher, but she took the sheets from him, their fingers brushing. Her slight intake of breath was the only sign she felt the flicker of heat, too. “They are pretty.” She sighed, set the sheets in the cart. “I need to spend some time thinking about how to make my grandparents’ house my own. I want to bring it back to life. I wanted to be there for so long but now that I am, I’ve barely done a thing.”
Every instinct in him had him stepping to her, pulling her into a hug, which clearly surprised her.
“Why are we hugging in the middle of Bed Bath and Beyond?”
He swallowed around the thickness he didn’t understand in his throat. “Because I like to hug. There. You got a free secret out of me. Cut yourself some slack. You’ve been busy.” The way her eyes went sad at the mention of her grandparents hurt his heart. He’d never felt that kind of connection to a place. Or wanted to.
How to Love Your Neighbor Page 15
