Page 34 of Witchful Thinking
“It won’t be easy. It was on the market ten months before Mom and Pop bought it,” Alex said. Lucy groaned. Most houses in the Grove were sold in less than a month. “No one’s eager to move into the Funny House.”
“Ugh, you found the Reddit page.” Lucy made a face. The Fortunato House was nicknamed by the ghost-hunting community as the Funny House. People got strange vibes from the house or funny feelings, which caused owners and guests to get out within days, if not hours.
“You didn’t tell me a two-part Ghost Chaser episode was filmed there,” Alex muttered. “I mean, they didn’t even stay the whole night!”
“Well, you’ll change that.”
“How?”
“Turn that house into a home,” Lucy said. “Show people what it could be rather than what it is.”
She reached for her tote and yanked out her notebook and a pen. Her brain went wild with ideas. She opened to a fresh page and wrote Alex’s Fix-It Plan at the top.
“Pick two colors that you like, then list the different shades. Let’s create a color list, so we can narrow it down.”
“Blue and orange.”
Lucy wrote that down. “Blue and orange. Let’s think. Let’s go with cobalt and tangerine.”
“So dark blue and dark orange,” Alex said coyly.
“Don’t start. Trust me. List off all the shades of blue you see in your life.”
Alex did. Lucy wrote them down. Sapphire. Ocean. Navy. Cerulean. Denim. Sky.
Her pen jumped to the next list. “Now list the shades of orange you see.”
“I don’t know about that. Can goldfish be a shade?”
Lucy scribbled it down. “It’s on the list. Let’s keep the party going.”
They went back and forth, listing shades of orange. Goldfish. Rust. Carrot. Tangerine. Marigold. Lucy jotted them down, putting them into two separate columns.
“Now we write down neutral colors that can help tie these colors together. White. Cream. Beige.”
“Black. Brown.”
Visions of blood-orange accent pillows, bright white and blue toile wallpaper, and cream-colored rugs came to mind as she scribbled down these notes. The cottage was coming into shape before her on this paper. She felt Alex lean over the table. He made an amused sound. Her heart sped up the closer he got to her.
“How many interior design classes have you taken?”
“None. I’ve earned four and a half stars on my Dream Home game app.” Lucy tried to suppress a laugh but failed. “I’ve designed apartments in Monte Carlo, homes in Alberta, and living rooms in León without leaving my bed. It’s a hobby.”
“That sounds awesome. Why don’t you try it for real?”
Lucy ducked her head so she didn’t meet his inquisitive yet admiring stare. This merman was going to be terrible for her ego. The typical reasons began to roll off her tongue. Not enough money. Not enough time. She went with the truth.
“What if I’m terrible?”
“What advice would you tell your students?”
“I’d tell them to try.” Alex gave her a grin. Clever merman. Using her own advice against her. Lucy finished writing. She neatly tore the paper from the notebook. “There’s your color scheme. I’d make a mood board with all these colors if I were you. Make a collage of everything that inspires you. Start looking for items that fit the style of the house. Go slow. Find pieces that speak to you for each room.”
Alex peered at the list. A small light of hope lit his face. He shook his head and folded the paper.
He slid it back to Lucy. “I don’t even have a bed.”
“Where do you sleep?”