Dana polished off the . “Okay. Okay,” she said with more enthusiasm. “Lets go in and look at paint chips.”
* * *
AFTER some debate, they settled on a deep ocean blue. The color, they agreed, would make the house stand out among its neighbors and would add a touch of class.
Since they were in the mode, they headed back to the kitchen to talk about decor and space.
“Nothing too country,”Zoe decided as she tapped her fingers on her hips. “We want it comfortable and homey, but, well, indulgent, right? So it shouldnt be sleek or anything, but it shouldnt be homespun either.”
“Your upscale country kitchen.” Nodding, Malory turned in a circle, trying to envision it. “Maybe thatminty green for the walls. Nice, friendly color. A creamy white for the cabinets. Dana, youll be using this space the most.”
“Thats okay, keep going.” She waved them on. “You guys are better at this than I am.”
“Well, what if we had the counters done in rose? Not pink, but stronger, then we punch things up with art. That would flow in from the gallery section. Then wed set up some of the sidelinesZoes talked about having up in the salon. The aromatherapy products, candles. And we do something like Danas got in the kitchen in her apartment.”
“We fill it with junk food?”
Malory glanced at Dana and laughed. “No. Books. We do like a bakers rack or kitchen over there, and we put out books and some of the craft pieces from my gallery, some of the products from the salon. Fancy hand creams and soaps. It unifies this communal space.”
“Thats good.” Dana let out a breath. “Its starting to feel good again.”
“Its going to be great.”Zoe slid an arm around Danas waist. “You could have those tins and stuff of fancy teas and coffees on the counter.”
“Maybe we could put in a table,” Dana considered. “One of those little round ones, with a couple of chairs. Okay. Lets write down the paints weve got so far, see if we can decide on any others. Ill head out toHomeMakers and pick it all up.”
“I think paints going on sale next week,”Zoe put in.
“Oh, yeah?” Danas dimples flashed. “Well, I happen to have an in atHomeMakers . Ill call Brad and get us a discount today.”
* * *
IT helped to have a focus, a goal. Even if it was only several gallons of paint.
If, Dana thought, the library and her life there were now her past, werent Indulgence and the building of it her present? As far as the future went, how the hell was she sup-posed to know? But she intended to think about it and try to find a connection to the location of the key.
It hadnt been difficult to wheedle a thirty percent discount out of Brad. As Dana wandered the wide aisles of the cavernousHomeMakers , she considered what else she might be able to pick up while she had her old friends go-ahead.
Paintbrushes, of course, and rollers. Or maybe they should try out one of those paint sprayers. She studied one, crouching down to ponder the workings of it.
How hard could it be? And it would certainly be faster and less labor-intensive than slopping it on the old-fashioned way.
“Unless youre thinking about becoming a house painter, that ones a little much for you.”
Jordan Hawke, she thought as a muscle in her jaw twitched. And shed thought the day couldnt get any crap-pier. “So, Brad took pity on you and gave you a job?” she said without looking up. “Are you going to get to wear one of the blue denim shirts with the little house on the breast pocket?”
“I was in his office when you called kissing up to him for a price break. He asked me to come down and give you a hand because he got caught by a phone call before he could come himself.”
Her hackles rose. “I dont need help to buy paint.”
“You do if youre seriously considering buying that sprayer.”
“I was just looking.” Her mouth moved into a pout as she poked a finger at the machine. “Besides, what do you know about it?”
“Enough to know if I say too much more about it, youll buy it just to spite me.”
“Thats tempting, but Ill resist,” she shot back.
He reached down, cupped a hand under her elbow to lift her to her feet. “Seems like youve had enough to deal with for one day. Heard you quit your job.”
There was sympathy in his eyes. Not the smug and sticky kind, but a quiet understanding that soothed. “What, does Sandi report to you too?”
“Sorry, that names not on my list.” He gave her arm a careless little rub, an old gesture that both of them remembered as soon as he did it. And both of them took a half-step back. “Word travels, Stretch. You know how it is in the Valley.”
“Yeah, I know how it is. Im surprised you remember.”
“I remember a lot of things. One of them is how much you loved working there.”
“I dont want you to be nice to me.” She turned away to stare hard at the paint sprayer. “Its screwing up my mood.”
Because he knew she would work through it better if she was angry or occupied, he nodded. “Okay. Why dont I help you take advantage of your friend-of-the-owner discount? Its always fun to scalp Brad. Then you can verbally abuse me. That always cheers you up.”
“Yeah, it does.” She frowned a little, bumped the sprayer with the toe of her shoe. “This thing doesnt look so tough.”
“Let me show you some of your other options.”
“Why arent you back at Flynns hacking out a stale plot with cardboard characters?”
“There, see, youre feeling better already.“
“Have to admit.” “What we have here is an automatic paint roller system,” he began, steering her toward the machine Brad had recommended to him. “Its small, user-friendly, and efficient.”
“How do you know?”
“Because when Brad told me to show you this one he used those specific adjectives. Personally, Ive only painted a room the old-fashioned way, and thats been…” He trailed off. “A long time ago.”
She remembered. Hed painted his mothers bedroom when she was in the hospital the first time. Dana had helped him, cutting around the trim, keeping his spirits up.
Theyd painted the walls a soft, warm blue so that the room would be fresh and peaceful.
And less than three months later she was dead.
“She loved it,” Dana said gently. “She loved that you did that for her.”
“Yeah.” As the memory was painful on too many levels, he flipped the topic back. “Well, Brads got a list here of handy products and tools to make your home improvement project more enjoyable.”
“Okay, lets clean him out.”
She had to admit that it added to the fun and interest of the expedition to have him along. And it was easy, a little too easy, to remember why theyd once been friends, once been lovers.
They had a way of slipping into a rhythm, of understanding short-speak and expressions that came from a lifetime of knowing each other every bit as much as from the two years of physical intimacy theyd shared.
“This is the color?” Jordan rubbed his chin as he studied her list. “Island? What kind of color is Island?”
“Greenyblue. Sort of.” She handed over the paint chip. “See? Whats wrong with it?”
“I didnt say anything was wrong with it. Its just not something that makes me think bookstore.”
“Its not just a bookstore, its… Damn it.” She held the sample up, she held it down. She crossed her eyes and still couldnt envision it on the walls of her space. “Malory picked it out. I was going to go with this off-white, and she andZoe jumped all over me.”
“White always works.” She hissed out a breath. “See, they said I was thinking like a man. Men wont pick color. Theyre scared of color.”
“We are not.”
“What colors your living room in New York?”
He shot her a bland look. “Thats entirely beside the point.”