“Takes some skill to mastermind something like that.” He leaned around, a smile breaking over his face. “And you did a fine job of it. Looks like you even left me an empty plot for that green thumb you heard about.”
Ozzy’s stomach clenched.
“Ozzy here’s a little too shy to bring it up, but hedoeshave a plan for that.”
Ozzy glanced to the front door of the suite to see Evander, wearing a tight black T-shirt and acid-washed denim shorts that showed off his well-muscled legs. He had his phone out and a grin on his face. “You have some rose bushes you worked very hard on, right?”
Jack nodded. “I do.”
“Perfect.” Evander winked at Ozzy, then turned his full attention back to Jack. “Need your permission, but I’ve got a company on the phone. They’re professionals, and they’re ready to transplant those rose bushes from your place out here.”
Somehow, Jack’s smile grew even broader. He landed a hand on Ozzy’s shoulder. “You planned this? Good man.”
Ozzy was ready to deny it, give Ev the credit, but Evander stepped in and handed Jack the phone. “Go ahead and talk to them. Give them any instructions you need to and they’ll have them moved in here before the end of the day. I assume you can take care of them once they’ve been planted.” Then he grabbed Ozzy’s wrist and led him away.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Ozzy whispered, “How?”
“You were caught in your head about the damn roses. Once they saw everything, the surprise part was over. Had to twist some arms to get Homescapes to pay for the team to be on standby, but I think it’ll be worth it.”
So simple. Ozzy locked eyes with Evander. “You always were good at that. Keeping things straight.”
“I’m terrible at keeping things straight. But Iampretty good at keeping things gay and organized.” He pecked Ozzy on the cheek, then patted his ass—a little harder than was probably socially acceptable, in Ozzy’s opinion—and sent him on his way. “Go. I need to get mentally prepared for the house tour, and you have more work to do.”
Chapter forty-four
Evander
Once he got hisphone back and triple-checked that the rose bushes were on their way, Evander had a lot of waiting to do. The back yard was hands down the largest, most in-depth part of the job, so Ozzy was giving one hell of a tour. It was easily ten minutes before the front door of the house finally opened. Jack and Anh walked in and Anh clapped her hands to her cheeks. “This isadorable.”
My cue. Evander put on his most winning smile and stepped into the kitchenette, arms wide. “I know this might be a big change in a lot of ways, but your daughter made sure we understood your style as best as we possibly could. Wanted to go with lots of light colors so nothing would clash with any decor you brought it, and to make sure that this place never felt too much like a cave. Keeps it bright and open.” He pointed around the kitchen. “New stove and refrigerator, and this island here ison wheels so you can move it wherever you need. Even outside if that works best for you sometimes.”
Anh nodded and used her toe to click the lock on one of the casters. “Perfect.”
Evander chuckled. “I heard you like to entertain, so this way, it’s easier to reconfigure your space as you need it.” He opened up a few cabinets to display the interiors. “We got you a custom spice rack installed here, plus these nice stair-step shelves so there’s plenty of storage.” He wanted to give them time, but keep them moving at an okay pace. He gestured down the hallway. “The bathroom is right down here. Robinson’s our plumber and he’ll walk you through all of that. I’ll meet you back in the bedroom, then we can show you thepièce de résistance.”
He passed them off as they moved down the hall, then made his way into the bedroom. It reallyhadcome together in his opinion. The lighting really helped make it feel intimate, and a lot less overwhelming. The dark wallpaper felt more like a mural than an assault on the eyes, with the dim LED strips embedded under the crown molding. Almost like moon or starlight on a night scene. Everything was in place where it belonged, including the second TV. It was a last minute addition when Melanie happened to let slip they watched stuff on an old laptop when they were lying in bed, but it actually helped break up what would otherwise have been a blank stretch of wall.
“Heard you got Ozzy some roses.” Bunny walked in after him, closing the door softly behind her. “Nicely done.”
“That’s one way to put it.” Evander swiped his sweaty palms off on the back of his shorts. “Remind me how long it takes to stop being nervous about these walkthroughs? It’s been a minute.”
“Did any of useverget used to it?” She tapped the tiny, discreet air freshener in the corner of the room and, within a fewseconds, the smell of jasmine and lavender lilted on the air. “You going out to the patio to show them around?”
Ev shook his head. “Aras. I’ll be there at the end, but it was the biggest lighting project in the place. Nothing super exciting for the cameras anywhere else.” It wasn’t that Aras’s work didn’t matter, just that it didn’t always play that well in a narrative. If he wasn’t fixing major electrical problems or putting in something particularly cool, he was a little more of an unsung hero of the crew.
“Well, at least stay close so they can point to you. You and Ozzy worked ittogether.”
“I remember. Lots of fighting.”
“And now…you’re dating?”
Evander rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to answer, but the door opened just then, cutting him off. So he just nodded. Vigorously. Then clasped his hands together in front of himself as Anh and Jack walked inside.
Jack whistled low and Anh gasped. Immediately, Jack lowered himself onto the bed and bounced a couple times. “Good mattress. Should be nice and friendly on this old leg.”
“It’s all adjustable. One of those high tech numbers. It can go up and down, harder or softer, even has some temperature control built in.” Evander grabbed the remote hanging on the opposite side and demonstrated, raising the head of the bed up at an angle, then bringing it back down.
“Thiswallis amazing.” Anh made a beeline for the feature wall, running her fingertips over it.
