“I didnt say anything was wrong with it. Its just not something that makes me think bookstore.”
“Its not just a bookstore, its… Damn it.” She held the sample up, she held it down. She crossed her eyes and still couldnt envision it on the walls of her space. “Malory picked it out. I was going to go with this off-white, and she andZoe jumped all over me.”
“White always works.” She hissed out a breath. “See, they said I was thinking like a man. Men wont pick color. Theyre scared of color.”
“We are not.”
“What colors your living room in New York?”
He shot her a bland look. “Thats entirely beside the point.”
“I dont think so. I dont know why, but I dont think so. Im going with this sort ofgreeny blue. Its just paint. Its not a lifetime commitment. And she said I should think Bryce Canyon and Spaghetti for accents.”
“Brown and yellow? Honey, thats gottol )e ugly.”
“No, the canyon deals sort of deep rose. A kind of pinky,browny red—”
“Pinky,browny red,” he repeated, grinning. “Very descriptive.”
“Shut up. And the others sort of cream.” She fanned out the samplesZoe and Malory had marked. “Hell, I dont know. I think Im a little scared of color myself.”
“Youre sure as hell not a man.”
“Thank God for that.Mals going with this deal called Honeycomb.Zoes is called Begonia, which I dont get because begonias are pink or white, and this is more like purple.”
She pressed her fingers just over her right eye. “I think all this colors making my head hurt. Anyway,Zoes already figured the square footage and the gallons per. Wheres my list?”
He handed it back to her. “Brad was wondering whyZoe didnt come with you.”
“Hmm? Oh, she had to get home to Simon.” She studied the list, began to calculate, then glanced up. “Why?”
“What?”
“Why was he wondering?”
“Why do you think?” He looked over her shoulder at the list, surprised when she turned it over and he saw that it continued on the back of the sheet.
“Jesus, youre going to need a flatbed. Then Brad took a trip back to high school and asked me to ask you ifZoe had said anything about him.”
“No, she didnt, but Id be happy to pass her a note for him in study hall
tomorrow.” “Ill let him know.”
They loaded up the paint, the supplies, the equipment. Dana blessed Brad at checkout when even with the discount the total made her gulp. But it wasnt until she was outside that she realized the real dilemma.
“How the hell am I going to fit all this in my car?”
“Youre not. Were going to fit it into your car and mine.”
“Why didnt you say something about me buying more than I could handle when I was loading up in there?”
“Because you were having fun. Where do you want to store all this stuff?”
“Jeez.” Baffled with herself, she scooped a hand through her hair. “I didnt think about it. I got caught up.”
And, he thought, it had been a pleasure to watch her get caught up—and forget she hated him.
“I cant store all this at my place, and I didnt think to see if we could keep the keys and store it at the building. What the hell am I going to do with it?”