How to Love Your Neighbour(50)

“The appliances are coming this afternoon. We’ll work around them since you knew what you wanted there. Plus, I’m guessing it makes it easier to take care of meals and such.”

Noah didn’t miss the amused glance Grace sent him but he appreciated her restraint in not laughing.

Kyle gestured to the laptop. “Looks like you want a perfectly square island instead of the rectangle?” Kyle pointed his stylus at the screen.

Grace, all business, nodded, making a note in a spiral-bound notebook. “I think, with the size of the room, and it being such a large rectangular space, adding other shapes will create more balance.”

“That’s why you’ve got the round footstool and bonus seating?” Noah asked.

“That’s right. But all of that stuff is superficial. You can change whatever you want. The built-ins, though, like the island and these shuttered cupboards along the far kitchen wall beside the laundry area, those you need to be sure of.”

“I’m thrilled with the way it looks.”

“I like the storage in the island. As someone who has young kids running around, having extra space to store stuff is a huge bonus,” Kyle said, glancing at his phone. “I need to take this.”

“You’re looking at me funny,” Grace said.

Noah cleared his throat. “I’m impressed.”

“Let’s hope the magazine is. Are we done here? I have a list of places for us to check out. We’ll be ordering a lot of items today so I hope your credit is good.”

Had any other woman ever teased him with the confidence Grace did? He’d had female friends. Okay, acquaintances. He enjoyed being with women. Spending time with them, but it was a careful balance. Too much time, they wanted more. With Grace, there couldn’t be more, so maybe he could have with her something he’d never had with anyone else.

“Are you worried it isn’t?”

“Huh?”

Grace shoved his shoulder. “Dude. Head in the game.”

He arched his brows. “Did you just call me ‘dude’?”

She pressed her hands together. “Sir Dude? Please get your handsome head in the game? Better?”

Biting his cheek to keep from smiling, he nodded, then asked, “You think I’m handsome?”

She turned away before her eye roll was complete. “I’m about to Julia Roberts your credit cards so make sure you’re prepared.”

Kyle walked back in at that moment, a toothy smile showing through his beard. “Uh-oh. Good thing I got an advance on my part.”

Noah grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter, shoved it in his pocket. “I hope I’m not paying extra for the comedy.”

Grace looked at Kyle, shrugged. “Mine comes with the package.”

Hell of a package, Noah breathed through his nose.

“Same. On the house, my friend. Also, your appliances will be here around dinnertime so we need to get going.”

“Come, my pretty,” Grace said, waving her fingers at him.

“Wish me luck,” Noah said to Kyle on his way past.

“You’re shopping with her all day, you’ve already got it.”

Clearly, Noah wasn’t the only one who noticed her charms. She was funny, gorgeous, smart, and one hundred percent off-limits. Perfect. The day wouldn’t be long at all.





23


Grace Travis was a machine. A nonstop, shop-till-she-dropped whirlwind of energy. It would have been fascinating if his feet weren’t aching, he didn’t need to sit down for six hours straight, or she showed any signs of slowing down.

“Do you always shop like this?” he asked.

She looked up from the gray towels she was petting. She’d probably call them moody windstorm or something equally weird, because apparently there were ten billion colors outside of the color wheel.

“Like what?”

He got distracted by her pretty eyes for just a moment but cut himself some slack based on his shopping-related foot pain. A man can withstand only so much.

“Like the world might end if we don’t buy absolutely everything we see?”

Grace picked up the towel. “Don’t be a wimp. I warned you.”

He leaned on the display, enjoying the softness of those towels under his arm. These got his vote; he didn’t know why she looked uncertain. “You said you were going to Julia Roberts my credit card. I thought you were going to buy a bunch of sexy outfits, some big hats, and chocolate-dipped strawberries.”

Her jaw dropped, bringing his gaze to her lips. Her plump lower lip, in particular. “Someone knows their Pretty Woman facts.”

Oops. “That stays between us.” He blamed the shopping for lowering his defenses.

Tipping her head to one side, she picked up more of the towels. “We’ll see.”

Just like that, his mood notched up. Poking her in the shoulder, he grinned. “What’s it going to take?”

Grace set the towels into the cart she’d grabbed—leading him to believe there were a lot more items to purchase—then “tsk” ed him. “You call yourself a negotiator? You folded.” She snapped. “Like a twig.”

Leaning his forearms on the cart, he pushed it forward, side-eyeing her. “I disagree. That’s not folding. It’s luring you in.”