How to Love Your Neighbour(90)
“Because he saw your potential. He didn’t pity you or do you a favor. Let the people in your life help you. Stop second-guessing every step you make, because the people who love you aren’t judging you for the route you’re taking to the top. Which, if you haven’t caught on yet, is exactly where you’re headed.”
Grace’s throat tightened. She reached across the table, took her friend’s hand. “Not alone.”
Rosie tipped her head back. “Exactly!” She locked gazes with Grace, her friend’s eyes dancing with happiness. “Now you get it.”
“You’re such a dork.”
“You’re stuck with me. Let’s go grab some more pamphlets and then we can go through them all.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Grace had spent so long being alone, even when she wasn’t, that she was scared to lean on or into anyone too hard. She didn’t expect people to stay, but she didn’t want to push them away quicker either. Stop expecting them to leave. Have a little faith.
She grabbed her phone, not giving herself a chance to second-guess.
Grace
I look forward to you coming home. I have a surprise for you.
She had three days to pull it off. As they walked to Rosie’s car, she looked over and said, “You said to ask for help when I need it.”
Rosie looked at her over the hood. “I meant it.”
“Good. I need your help. And Josh’s.”
She gave herself a minute to absorb the ask. Look at that. The sky didn’t fall because you made yourself vulnerable. She hoped that meant she could take the leap, give her heart to Noah completely, without landing flat on her face.
41
Jack laid out the photos on the table, showcasing the various transformations Noah’s house had taken. In the last six weeks, they’d renovated his kitchen, the living area, two guest rooms, the powder room, the upstairs bath, and Noah’s en suite. Noah had done most of the painting in his own bedroom, but Grace had helped him pick the furniture and accent pieces to finish it off. They’d discussed ideas for the downstairs room. It could be a bedroom or an office, but Grace had different plans.
“It’s a lot of work in a short period of time,” Jack said, moving the pictures around.
“It is. We’ve had a lot of help. Thanks for coming to do a few shots of this room. I have some friends arriving shortly so we’ll get to work right away.” She’d already painted the room a deep blue. It was warm and inviting, which she hoped would pair well with her design.
“My pleasure. I love watching you guys work. I’m going to go grab a few of the backyard now that the trees have been taken out and the yard has been landscaped.”
That had happened the day Noah left for New York. A crew had arrived and worked with a speedy efficiency good money could buy.
Josh, Rosie, and Shane showed up at the same time. She’d told Noah this was what people, friends, did—they asked for help—but she’d been reluctant to take her own advice. She’d felt little wiggles of guilt but reminded herself she’d do the same for them. Plus, they were as excited as she was—thank goodness she hung out with fellow design lovers. Grace took a few minutes to outline her vision, and then they got to work.
While Grace and Rosie put furniture together, Josh took care of getting expedited deliveries on a huge television, a mass of books, the long list of games Grace had written down, including a PlayStation, an Xbox, and a Nintendo Switch.
Jack left sometime later that afternoon. He’d take the final shots another day, when everything was done. By late that night, they sat side by side on a kick-ass cozy couch, staring at the big-screen television that was framed by the custom entertainment unit Shane had whipped up with expert wizardry. They’d installed custom lighting so it could be dimmed for movies. There were a variety of seats, including the couch, beanbags, and a gaming chair. It was a decent-size room, even with the large unit that was filled with gaming equipment. They’d used the entire wall, placing custom shelves on either side of the entertainment unit, filling them with books and cool knickknacks that reflected Noah’s tastes. Board games sat on the bottoms of both bookshelves. On the wall behind the couch was a gorgeous photo Grace had blown up and framed of the New York City skyline.
“Damn, girl. When you come to play, you play hard,” Rosie said.
“I don’t think my hammer hand works anymore,” Shane said, his head back against the couch, eyes closed.
“Not something to brag about, dude,” Josh said, making them all laugh.
Grace was the best kind of exhausted. Noah texted to say he’d be home late tomorrow night. He didn’t tell her how things went or were going but she thought that was probably something he’d want to update her on in person.
“He’s going to love this room,” Grace said.
Rosie’s gaze traveled around the room. “If he doesn’t, Josh and I will come over and hang out in here.”
“I can’t thank you guys enough.”
“Two of us are getting paid, so that’s a pretty good thank-you,” Shane said.
Grace’s laugh ended in a snort, which made the rest of them laugh harder.
“Okay, baby. We need to sleep here or get going,” Josh said, getting up off the couch, holding a hand out to Rosie.