He moved to the wall of color chips. He’d already picked out what he was going to be bringing back to the house for samples and walked through so he knew where to find them, which made it go quickly as he talked for the camera. “We obviously want to stay as true as we can to our design inspiration, which meanswe’re sticking with a lot of pastels, and lot of washed out and muted colors. That’s nice, since it’ll help keep the space lovely and open.” He plucked a few long cards of colors out of the display, then turned back to the camera. “I also want to give it a little impact. There are a few design choices I want to really highlight, which are going to take a bit more boldness.” Which was when he pulled out the two truly intense ones. The one card had an almost-black blue at the bottom, and the second was a true carnelian. “We’ll take these home and see which ones are going to work in the space. Lighting’s always different inside a store like this than it will be on site. Especially with the big sliding door letting in so much brightness.” He waited a couple seconds, then looked at Marina, the assistant director of photography handling this part of the shooting.
She nodded. “We’re good. Might have to do ADR on some of it later, but I think the visuals are solid enough.” She circled her finger above her head. “Donny, Simon, go ahead and break down and pack up. Nat, stick with us to get some extra footage. I assume you still need to pick stuff up?”
She didn’t look at Evander, but he answered anyway. “A few things. Mostly supplies.” He looked over Marina’s shoulder to the manager, a short, square-jawed Hispanic man with a bald pate. “Paint samples are ready to go, right?”
He nodded. “They’re up front. We packed up some tarps and rollers, paintbrushes, masking supplies. Everything we could think of. It’s ready to go.”
Ev nodded, then looked at Marina, who was finally glancing his way. “We can get some shots if you want, but it sounds like he’s already got everything I’d be picking up right now.”
She clucked her tongue a couple times, then nodded and pulled out her phone. “Sounds good to me. Go ahead and pack up, Nat.” The last camerawoman made her way out as Marina pulled out her phone. “I’m going to touch base with Vince andEliza, see if there’s any reason for us to stick around or stop anywhere else. Give me five.”
Another circle of her finger and the lights flicked off. The production crew stepped away, opening the store to actual shopping, and the manager’s shoulders dipped in clear relief. Evander walked up to him and extended his hand. “Appreciate it. I know this isn’t what you want to be dealing with.”
“Hey, no worries.” He shook Ev’s hand, then pointed toward the counter at the front of the store. “Everything’s in a couple boxes. You want us to haul it out for you?”
Evander opened his mouth, ready to tell him not to worry. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out to see…Ozzy. Ozzy wascallinghim? “If you don’t mind. I would, but I need to take this.”
The manager nodded and waved a couple clerks over to him as Evander walked away.
He answered the phone and raised it to his ear, ducking into the spray paint aisle. “Can I help you?”
He got static over the line. It lasted long enough, he almost hung up, assuming it was a damned butt dial. Then, finally, Ozzy’s voice came over the line. “I was a dick last night. I didn’t need to be that much of an asshole to get my point across.”
Evander almost dropped his fucking phone. “What exactly are you buttering me up for?”
“Fuck you, Evander. I’m apologizing because I know when I cross a line. Didn’t need to bethatinsulting. So…yeah. There’s your apology. We’re going to have to work together pretty close for this job. Keeping emotions tamped down is the right call.”
“Glad you’re able to be so practical. And good job, avoiding telling me to my face.”
“Well, last time we talked face to face caused the problem. You’re easier not to get pissy with if I’m not in the same room. And I don’t need you trying to jump my bones like you did last night.”
“Let’s not be hyperbolic.” Although Evanderhadlaid awake way too long after leaving Ozzy’s hotel room, wondering what exactly the fuck had gotten into him to make him offer a blow job. “But fine. Apology accepted. All that good stuff. We can be civil?”
The silence from the other end of the line lasted a touch too long before Ozzy finally responded. “I will do my best. I have a lot of practice being snippy with you. Might be a hard habit to shake.”
“Well try. I’ll keep you on the not-quite-straight, but still narrow.” Evander couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth. He pushed it off quickly and sighed. “All right, Oswald. There’s some poor clerks loading up my car.”
“It would help if you stopped using my full name.”
“Bye.”
Chapter fifteen
Ozzy
Ozzy leaned against theback wall of the outbuilding they were working on. Well, that everyone else was working on. He was in the backyard, spreading dirt and rolling out sod. It was ridiculous howheavythat shit was, even when all you had to do was push it out to cover some bare ground. God forbid you misalign one of the rolls and have to try and adjust it on the fly. He’d throw his back out at least three times in the past, trying to manhandle a length of sod around where he wanted it. Luckily, that hadn’t happened on this job. So far. He wasn’t as young as he used to be, so he took extra care with that kind of hard work.
Which was why he made a point of taking a break. Tucked into the little space between the back of the house and the rear fence. He didn’t want tolooklike this was wearing him the fuck out, but it was. Partially because he hadn’t slept so well the night before. He’d fumed at Evander for a while. Then the guilt crept in.Fitful sleep. Going back and forth between being pissed to being annoyed—at Ev and at himself—to being frustratingly turned on. When hedidcatch an actual hour or two of sleep, his dreams were all hot mouths and moans and warm, russet skin.
He dumped half a bottle of cool water over his head, then took a hefty swig before setting it down next to him.
“That’s not how you drink, you know.” He heard the voice before he saw the figure walking up. A familiar figure. Especially from his cavalcade of sex dreams the night before. Evander walked up, then actually sat down next to Ozzy. Awfully close. “I can give you lessons if you need.”
Ozzy grabbed his water bottle and splashed it onto Evander in response, soaking down a swath of his hair and getting a disgruntled gasp, which Ozzy couldn’t help but grin at.
Evander shook the water off from his hands. “What would you have done if I had a hundred dollar bill outstretched?”
“Well, I have working eyes, so I would have seen that, taken the money, then sprayed you down.” Ozzy swallowed the last mouthful of water from his bottle, then crumbled it up and tightened the cap down.
