How to Love Your Neighbour(32)

His frown deepened. “That doesn’t surprise me. I wasn’t slighting your skills. I didn’t mean to.”

Noah’s genuine tone shifted the tide in his favor. What was it about this guy?

“This is why you have to think about what comes out of your mouth,” Chris said, teasing. Everly leaned into him, rolling her eyes adorably, because clearly she was beyond smitten, even when the brothers acted like this.

Noah ran his hands through his hair. Something he did when he was nervous or unsure. “We’re going to BBQ some burgers. Why don’t you come over and join us?” Noah said.

Exam. Painting. Planning her life. Plenty of reasons not to. A girl’s gotta eat. “I need about a half hour. Can I bring anything?”

“Just you,” Noah said, stepping closer to the fence.

She looked at his brother and Everly, noting the way they stared curiously. “You sure?”

“Join us, please,” Chris said.

She could drop off his office ideas, double-check the room, and get a meal out of it. Those were her reasons. Not because you’re curious about him and his family. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

She heard their murmurs behind her as she let herself into her house. She wouldn’t show up empty-handed. Inside, she changed, praised herself for picking up wine and not drinking it, and started to tidy up before leaving. Her mother’s letter slipped out of the pile of papers she was moving. She stared at it, tapped it against her palm.

She could take Noah’s offer and cut ties to her past. Her mother wanted a piece of what her grandparents had left despite wanting nothing to do with them when they were alive. Grace looked around the kitchen. It needed updating, new appliances. She wanted to put in a barn door to separate the laundry/mudroom area. The irony was, if she took Noah’s money, she could make the house exactly what she wanted.

You’ve never needed the quick fix before. The truth was, she liked coming home to this house. She felt like she belonged here in some sense. Even if her mother felt like she hadn’t. She set the letter down.

She’d worked her ass off, gotten out of the trailer, away from her mom’s life and toxic brand of parenting. She’d done all of that without Noah’s help. It might take a lifetime but she could make this place her own. Make her own path in the design world. Hell, she’d even found a way to make corporate badass Noah Jansen back off on asking her to sell. From what she’d read, that was a contradiction to his sharklike business nature. She didn’t need to sell to grow. She needed to plant roots.

Grace got caught up in Chris telling stories with the sole intent of embarrassing Noah. Over burgers, salad, and ice-cold colas, Chris did everything he could to turn Noah’s cheeks red.

“He did not,” Grace said, glancing around the table for confirmation.

Everly shrugged her shoulders. “It wouldn’t surprise me.”

Noah’s scowl deepened. “Next time, I’m only inviting you, Everly.”

Chris tossed his napkin onto his plate. “Don’t be a suck. He absolutely did, Grace. Instead of admitting he didn’t study for the exam, he went ahead with the experiment and set the chem lab on fire.”

Her laughter started all over again. “Your stubbornness knows no bounds.”

“Says one stubborn person to the next,” Noah said, poking her in the shoulder with his index finger.

He did that now and again when they were together—simple touches that suggested he maybe liked her more than he meant to. The simple graze made her wonder about more. Because you aren’t confused enough about all the things you’re chasing in life? You want a fling to complicate it. Her only thought after that was . . . Maybe?

She decided, watching the two of them interact, that having a sibling could definitely have improved her life.

One day, you’ll marry someone who has a family and you’ll be part of that one. Morty’s words came back to her. Family is what you want it to be.

When they’d cleared the table, she pulled out her sketchbook. “Did you want to see the ideas I had for your office? I have three sketches based on price line. You can mix and match if you want unless you have a preferred store. I figure if Josh buys your groceries, you could get him to order these things since that wasn’t part of the bet.”

“Wow. She has you pegged,” Chris said.

She wasn’t sure what to make of Noah’s expression. His gaze was suspiciously blank when he met hers. “Pretty sure I can handle ordering online.”

Nerves ran around in her belly, but they were the good kind. She felt good about what she had to show. The three of them pored over the designs she’d sketched. She’d gone high-end with one, figuring he could afford it. Sleek furniture that hid its efficiency was expensive. The room would be masculine but subtle, closed cabinets giving the feel of more space but opening up to create a usable work space.

“This is gorgeous,” Everly said, tapping her finger near the first design.

“It should be for what it costs.” She looked at Noah. “But since you insist your office is a throwaway room, it isn’t what I’d choose.” She set down the second design. It was the middle line between the three. Functional and efficient but also homey. It would be her choice if she had the money. As it was, she couldn’t even afford sketch one.

“This is really great,” Chris said. “I like the functionality paired with personality in this one.”