Page 55 of Witchful Thinking
Lucy grabbed her purse, left the house, and went over to Alex’s. His door was already open for her arrival.
“You shouldn’t leave your door open,” Lucy said.
“I knew you were coming over. Besides, the door’s been acting up. I was fixing the jamb.” Alex came over and closed the door with a snap. He glanced over at her and lifted a brow. “You look nice.”
A flutter of delight went through her. She did a little twirl, showing off her retro outfit. “I try.”
“You didn’t get all dressed up for me?” There was a teasing tone in his voice.
“No, I’m meeting a friend for lunch.”
Yes, Theo was a friend who could mean more, if she let him become more to her.
Lucy looked him over. Hello there. Alex, in his fitted plaid shirt and light-colored denim jeans, looked like the long-lost fourth Property Brother. She wanted to personally thank whoever sold him those jeans because they were making him look too damn good. He held a huge tote bag stamped with HOME AND HEARTH. The jars clicked and clacked together.
Lucy peered at him. “Did you get samples to the entire paint aisle?”
“I got a little carried away.”
She leaned into the bag and scanned the jars. “You have more colors in here than a bag of Skittles.”
Lucy reached and took out a sample. The pint-size jar was labeled with the name of the paint color. There were numerous samples clacking together in the tote. She kept digging, scanning the titles. She picked up a few items and cradled them in the crook of her arm. “Ice Sculpture. Tropical Hideaway. Vanilla Cream,” Lucy said. “This bag is a whole mood.”
“Okay? Is that good or bad?”
“It’s great.”
He’d stuck to the plan. He bought at least half the color shades on her list. There wasn’t a color or shade in there that she wouldn’t have picked out for herself.
“How many paint samples did you get?”
“I wanted you to have options.” Alex looked at her, his eyes warmed. There was a flicker of something more, something that made Lucy feel light-headed. She’d gotten lost in the moment and forgotten that he was picking out paint for a house that he didn’t even want. For a house that he wasn’t going to keep. This situation was getting a little too familiar. Stay strong.
Lucy looked away from him and down at the samples. “You need my opinion.”
Alex took the samples from her and laid them out in a row on the living room table. “It’s only going to take a few minutes.”
“My opinion never takes a few minutes,” she said.
“I was thinking about cool colors for upstairs and bright, active colors for common rooms downstairs. I wanted to match the color to the feeling of the room. Peaceful colors for the bedroom, social colors for the kitchen and living room.”
Lucy made a surprised sound. Then she leaned back and smiled at him. “Okay, listen to you sounding like a designer superstar.”
“I might have read up on a few blogs.” Alex ducked his head, and a bright blush filled his cheeks. Lucy watched him. Ugh. Why did he have to look so freaking cute talking about paint? If she wasn’t careful, she might trip, fall, and accidentally kiss him again.
“What theme are you thinking about for the entire cottage?” Lucy asked.
“This place should feel like a seaside hideaway,” Alex said.
“That’s perfect. That’s the title for your mood board.”
Alex scratched his chin. “Wow. I don’t remember the last time I made a mood board. I’m curious as to where you’d start with yours.”
“I like images. You can use objects. Find things in nature that speak to you. What items and images say seaside hideaway to you?” At his blank look, Lucy reached out and closed his eyes. She kept her hand on his eyelids, relishing his warmth. Why was she coming up with different ways to touch him?
“What do you see?”
Alex said nothing for a few seconds. When he spoke, his voice was thoughtful. “Tumbled sea glass, driftwood, dried seaweed, deep blue, shell white. Stones. Sandy brown. Pearl white. Silver coins.”