They stopped at the door to the den.
“This is tiny,” Chris said.
Noah peeked around him. “The boxes make it look smaller. We’re going to crush this. All we have to do is set stuff up and we’re done.”
Morty smacked the clipboard. “Don’t underestimate my girl. Small space, big ideas. Don’t be dumb.”
Chris muffled his laughter behind his hand. “Yeah. Don’t be dumb, Noah.”
Everly leaned her face into Chris’s arm, trying to cover her amusement.
“You can’t do much in a room this size,” Noah said.
“You’d be surprised,” Rosie said.
He stepped into the room, navigating his way around the boxes to open the window that looked onto the side of his house, letting the air rush in.
“Rules are there’s no using the internet for ideas but you can text with your phones. Grace has alerts set for each hour as a countdown. You have to think about what the other person would want and maximize the space. You’re supposed to…” He trailed off as he squinted at the clipboard. “Make it functional and enjoyable.”
Morty clucked his tongue. “Lot of hubbub to paint some rooms.”
Noah saw that the others’ expressions mirrored his own. Funny old guy. He was all bark, no bite.
“You’re allowed to get other supplies if you need them but not change the furniture chosen for the room. Bonus points for creativity in design and execution. I guess I get to give those. Also bonus points for doing a theme. What does that even mean? Not my problem, I guess. You have three hours which started ten minutes ago so I suggest you get going.”
Noah reached for the paint, but Rosie put a hand on his arm. “Hang on. We need a plan.”
He looked around, counting the boxes. “Okay. Half of us can paint, half can start putting the furniture together?” He was enjoying a lot of the process more than he expected but he wasn’t a fan of assembling his own furniture. Stupid Allen wrench.
Rosie nodded, smiling at him like he’d said the right thing. “We want to create a space Grace will love. Let’s figure out color and design. Then we can split up. I need a pencil and some paper.”
He’d watched Grace enough over the last couple of weeks to know that designers’ minds worked differently than his own. It was fascinating to watch how Grace could make subtle changes—move furniture, switch colors, or add an accessory—that pulled her ideas together. Rosie’s design was excellent. Worth the delayed start time.
They split up, Everly painting with Noah while the others assembled the furniture and shelving. Nothing was cut-and-dried with Grace. He should have expected that. She’d left two blues, a gray, and a soft yellow for paint, like she was silently testing him. How well do you know me? When Rosie and Everly suggested gray with an accent wall of yellow, he didn’t share his agreement. But it felt like a victory to have thought it before they voiced their opinions.
As he set up the rollers, trays, and brushes, Everly tied her hair back and up.
“Sorry to rope you into this,” Noah said, swiping the dripping paint off the side of the can. It was fun and exciting to him but maybe not how others wanted to spend their night.
“What? This is what friends and family do. Have you never had friends over to paint? Stacey helped me paint my whole place when I moved in,” Everly said.
Noah thought about the places he’d lived in. He’d grown up in a penthouse condo in Manhattan. When his parents divorced, he’d stayed with his mom for part of the time in a luxury hotel. He’d gone to college but lived off campus in a high-rise apartment. After that, he’d bought a condo overlooking Central Park. It’d come fully furnished.
Everly picked up a brush and the tray of yellow paint. “I forget sometimes that you guys are rich. Well, I’ve helped others paint and asked the same of friends. No need to apologize. We’re happy to be part of it.”
He nodded, a little surprised at his own recap of his living situations. He’d really never done any of this until he met Grace.
“Plus,” she said, “I like your friend.”
He rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Everly. I hear that tone in your voice but that’s all we are, friends.”
“Because you’re the charming, funny, hard-to-tie-down one.”
His bobbed his brows at her, making her laugh. When he saw his brother in the hallway, he called out, “Chris, your girl wants to tie me up.”
Chris stuck his head in the room. “Do what you have to, baby. He’s expendable.”
Everly’s chuckle was much like her, sweet and quiet.
“Jackasses.”
“I’m surprised there’s no twist,” Chris said. He passed them both waters.
“You should be working or the twist will be that we lose.” Noah took the water, unscrewed the cap, and took a drink.
“Pretty good deal. Even if you lose, the rooms are getting painted.” Chris walked over to Everly, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and whispered something in her ear that made her cheeks rosy.
“I’d say get a room but I’m scared you might and I need the help,” Noah said. “Get to work. Please. Everly says this is what family and friends do. Go do.”
“On it.” He winked at Everly, punched Noah on his way by.
“You guys are so funny with each other,” Everly said, carefully edging the wall that met up with the windowed one.
“You think? Because we beat on and razz each other?”
She nodded, dipped the brush. “Yup.”
“Again, I think you have a weird idea of funny. What’d he mean by twist?”
He started rolling the gray, little splatters coming off the new roller. Good thing he put down a tarp.
“On a lot of those shows, they’ll add a twist, like you have to do a feature wall, add a bonus piece of furniture, or they try to surprise someone with something unexpected.”
“It’s unexpected that we’re doing Grace’s house, too.” Noah liked the fact that she took what she needed while she was doing her job at the same time. That kind of creative energy was what he craved in the final months working for his father. That kind of vision to see things and implement ideas differently.
“This is an adorable house.”
It was. A little small for his tastes but she fit there. He figured Grace would fit anywhere. She adapted so well, whether she was chatting with him about design or directing all their friends and family.
He wondered how she was doing. He’d seen a new side of her through designing. She was confident in most situations but her passion for her job lit her up like a beacon. He pulled his phone out to send her a text.
Noah
Just checking in. You like the color orange, right?
He grinned, thinking of her reading it. He loved teasing her, making her laugh. The little dots popped up but he told himself the way his smile widened had nothing to do with the woman. Just having some fun.
Grace
For sure. While we’re checking in with each other, you a fan of birds?
His smile fled. She’s just messing with you now.
Noah
Not particularly.
No response. He waited, glanced at Everly, who continued to paint.
Noah
Grace?
Grace
Hmmm?
Noah
Birds?
Grace
Right. Birds. My bad. But flamingos don’t really count, do they?
“What?” Noah did a double take, staring at his phone.
Everly looked over. “You okay?”
“I think so. Flamingos are birds, aren’t they?”
Everly’s laugh suggested she thought he was joking.
Noah
YES. FLAMINGOS ARE BIRDS.
Grace
You’re so fun to tease. Get back to work so you can’t blame losing on texting me.
“Brat,” he muttered but couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped.
“You keep chatting with her, she’ll beat you for sure,�
� Everly said.
Right. Back to work. He continued on, getting a fair amount of wall painted before his shoulders started to ache. Another twist—liking the feelings, physical and otherwise, he got from doing the work.
Music from the other room interrupted his thoughts. Thinking to take a break, he told Everly he’d be right back. Morty had taken up residence in the great room, barking orders at the others, telling them to use a drill, work together, slow down, speed up.
His bushy brows pushed together when he saw Noah. “You’re not done painting yet.”
“No, sir. Just coming to check on things.”
Morty shifted in his chair. “Ought to order that pizza early. A man could starve.”
Noah’s grin came slowly, like the idea. “I’m sure I can rustle you up something.”
Chris’s head snapped up. “When was the last time you rustled anything?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Josh made a dismissive sound. “Weak comeback.”
Rosie was whipping along on the desk she was making. She didn’t seem to need any help. Which meant she was distracted. Noah walked over to Morty. Didn’t hurt to play to the judges, right?
“Get you something to eat? You shouldn’t have to sit here with no food or drink.”
Morty looked up without lifting his head. “Wouldn’t say no.”
When he didn’t find beer in her fridge, he slipped out the patio door. He’d go to his place, grab a couple of premium beers, a little snack, and Morty would be “creatively” entertained. Bonus points.
As he slipped in through his own back-patio door, he heard the movements and noises of the others upstairs. Quickly, he grabbed some chips and nuts from the pantry, then went to the fridge. He had two bottles in his hand when Stacey walked in.
“Hey! Cheater.”
Noah looked around quickly. “Shhh. I’m not cheating. I’m getting a damn beer.”
Stacey jutted her chin in his direction. “You guys so sure of yourselves that you can waste time on snacks?”
“Who has snacks? I want something. My blood pressure goes wonky as a turntable if I don’t eat regularly.”
Noah winced as John came into the kitchen area. “I don’t know what that means, John. But help yourself.”
He turned to leave, needing to get out of there before Grace found out he was in enemy territory. It’s just for fun. Relax. Straightening, he pushed his shoulders back.
“How’s it going?”
Stacey’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? You want intel? How about this? You better make sure you do it up good because your girl is a freaking design genius.”
His girl. Damn. That burrowed in under his heart. Noah cleared his throat, hoping to dislodge the feeling.
“Whatever. We’re doing just fine. I gotta go.”
“Hey, babe, can you grab me a…” Rob’s sentence trailed off when he saw Noah. “Hey, cheater.”
Noah groaned. “I am not cheating.”
Rob crossed his formidable arms over his chest. The guy owned a gym, but Noah just scoffed at the show.
“What? You gonna bounce me out of my own house?”
John rooted through the fridge, pulling out a bunch of items, making Noah wonder if he’d need to shop when this was all over. You mean get Josh to shop.
“I’m leaving.”
“I’m telling Grace,” John said, his arms laden with pickles, yogurt, a bag of carrots, two sodas, and a container of red-pepper spread. What the hell kind of mix was that?
Noah cringed. “Nothing to tell. I’m leaving. And maybe put a puke bucket by your judge.” He saluted Stacey and Rob and hurried back over to Grace’s.
The tensions were running higher, giving him that rush of adrenaline. He couldn’t remember a time a woman had managed to infuse him with energy when she wasn’t even touching him. When he got back, Morty was snoring in the canvas chair. Chris and Josh were lifting a shelving unit upright. Rosie was securing the final shelves inside the desk Grace had purchased.
“Where were you?”
He grinned. Even his own team was suspicious. “I went to get Morty a snack. Can’t hurt to keep the judges happy.”
“It can if we lose because you were sneaking into enemy territory,” Chris said.
Noah laughed loudly, making Morty snort himself awake. “It’s my house.”
Noah looked down at the old guy, who looked momentarily confused. “You should really get that checked out. Here, I brought you snacks and beer.”
He took off back to the den to see that Everly had almost completed the feature wall.
“Hi there. You get lost?”
He hurried over to her, tried to take the roller from her hands. “Let me finish. You take a break.”
She shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “We don’t have time for breaks. You want to win or not?”
It stopped him in his tracks when he realized the answer normally would be a hard-and-fast yes. Now? He was just enjoying the process, the game. The atmosphere Grace had created.
“I’ll catch up in no time. Just watch.”
As he got to work, he heard Everly chuckle.
“You better hope cute and quick are exactly what she’s looking for in a man.”
He started to growl back a response but as he rolled gray paint onto the wall, he couldn’t help but wonder exactly what Grace was looking for outside of her profession. She wanted forever, but what kind of man did she envision? She was definitely attracted to him. That was only a starting point, though. Did she see anything else in him? Did he want her to?
27
“That’s time,” Tilly said. “Think the others will stop? Morty’s probably sleeping.”
“I set timers and I’ll send a text now.”
Grace
Time’s up, cheater.
Noah
I didn’t cheat! I came over to get some food because your fridge was empty.
Grace grinned at her phone. He was so easy to rile up. She loved … no, not loved. She enjoyed being with him, messing with him, making him smile. Like she did with Rosie. They were friends.
Grace
Whatever you say. Meet on the lawn.
Excitement fluttered, making her feel like she could paint another room on her own. Would he like it? They’d talked about what he liked, so she was fairly confident he would, but this felt … important.
Rob threw his arm around Stacey. “Nice job, crew. We can do my place next week.”
They all laughed. She really liked Noah’s friends. She pulled her tank top away from her sticky skin. Three hours to the minute and they’d worked their asses off. She turned in a slow circle, head tilted just a bit, ignoring the photographer snapping pictures of her movements. It was amazing.
“You’ve got some vision, Gracie,” Tilly said, patting her on the shoulder.
“Thanks. You never really know, until it’s done, how it’s all going to play out.”
“We all finished? Is the pizza ordered?” John came into the room, took a look around. He whistled. “Well done. Looks fantastic. I recognize my son’s handiwork right there.”
He walked closer to the once-useless alcove between the wall and the end of the closet. Grace couldn’t figure out if it was meant to store brooms and mops or if it was poor design. Either way, Shane had added shelves, making it not only useful but aesthetically pleasing.
“Let’s go then,” John said, leading the way out of the finished room. “Meet up on the lawn. Who ordered the pizza?”
Grace’s gaze met Stacey’s and they shared a laugh. “It’s on the way, don’t worry.”
A warmth settled in Grace’s chest as they all came together. Her whole childhood, she’d worried about being alone. She felt relatively safe tucking that worry away. At least, for now.
Noah wandered over, brushed his arm against her shoulder. “You okay, Gracie?”
“I’m great. You?” A subtle buzz started in her toes and moved along her body. She’d never known a
man she could feel all the way down to her toes. Once again, she wondered if this was the feeling her mother had given up her family and a different life for.
“I’m pretty excited actually. Your office is kick-ass.”
“If we don’t eat soon, you’re going to have two dead senior citizens on your lawn,” Morty called out.
“I fed you,” Noah called back.
Grace stepped away from Noah. “Let’s wrap this up. Noah, me, and the judges will check out the rooms. You’re all welcome to join but if you’d rather take a break, maybe a dip in the ocean, feel free. Pizza is on the way. It’ll be here in twenty minutes along with a bunch of pasta dishes, a variety of beverage choices, and brownies.”
“Wait, you can order brownies to be delivered?” Stacey raised both hands in a “stop” gesture.
“I could just buy you some on the way back to your place,” Rob said, a charming smile on his lips.
“Not the same. But I’ll take it.”
“I, for one, want to see the rooms,” Tilly said.
Grace showed Morty and John how to use the rating scale to assess the rooms. When they walked into the entryway of Noah’s house, the photographer, Jack, was putting his gear away. Late twenties, he wore black pants and a black T-shirt, and kept his black aviator sunglasses on the top of his jet-black, spiked hair the entire time he weaved in and out like a silent, picture-taking ninja.
“Already got pictures of the finished product here. Going to head over to Grace’s and sneak a peek.”
Grace glanced at Noah, then at Jack. “But mine isn’t being featured in the magazine.”
“Maybe not but I still want to see it.” He winked at her as he hefted his bag onto his shoulder, and then he shook hands with her and Noah, and left.
It didn’t seem real that a photographer for an international magazine was taking pictures of work she’d done.
“You good?” Noah asked.
She wondered if there were stars in her eyes. “It’s surreal.”
He laughed, shook his head like he didn’t get it. He couldn’t. He couldn’t know what this moment meant.
“Let’s go,” she said, nerves starting to swirl, making her feel like she was on one of those giant swing rides at the carnival.
How to Love Your Neighbor Page 18
