When she shook her head, a pitying look in her gaze, his shoulders stiffened.
“He’s one of the men working for you. I think he’s inside right now.”
He didnotlike the way she was looking at him. He hadn’t met every person here yet, so sue him.
“Hey, Grace, thanks for the recommendation. My wife got us reservations for tomorrow.” Kyle joined them, taking the hammer from Grace.
“Reservations for where?” Why did he feel like he’d stepped out of his own life for days?
“It’s Kyle’s anniversary. He wanted to suggest somewhere unique for dinner because his wife is a foodie. I was just telling him about a farm-to-table restaurant that cooks the food tableside.”
Noah’s head spun. She’d fixed his fence, made friends with his workers, and looked like she stepped out of a sexy reality television show about home renovations.
“So? Are we good? We can forgo you trying to gouge my bank account with your silly painting nonsense?”
Jesus Christ. I’ve dined with heads of state and this woman just called me silly. Where am I?Noah needed a run, a stiff drink, andten minutes alone with this woman, without his staff peering over his shoulder, to talk her into just moving the hell away.
“Fine. We’re even.”
She tilted her head. “Not quite.”
“Excuse me?” He put his hands on his hips.
Kyle covered a laugh, poorly, and slipped away.
“I want a tour of your house. You can give me that in exchange for being a grumpy old man.”
He felt like steam might come out of his ears. “There are so many things wrong with what you just said. I’m thirty-three. Nowhere near old.”
“Is that a no?”
“Why do you want to see my house?”
“Because I love seeing different spaces and it looks like you’re doing a lot of work. Seeing the before and after is my favorite. Well, that and all the steps in between. I love seeing what something can become.”
She shrugged and Noah’s heart tugged. He felt like she’d just opened a little window to herself and slammed it shut as soon as she realized it.
“Never mind. I have to get going. I don’t mind painting these pieces but I have to do it later.”
“You can see my house.” He spat the words out like he had no control over his own speech.
“Yeah?” Her gaze lit up and he thought of deep, rich chocolate.
His stomach tightened with unfamiliar feelings. “Yeah. Just knock on my door when you have time.”
She grinned. “Come and knock on your door?” She sang the words.
He stared at her.
“Seriously?”
“What’s happening?”
“Theme song forThree’s Company?” She stared, her lips parting.
“Never seen it.”
Grace rolled her eyes. He was pretty sure he’d never had someone show so much exasperation with him in such a short period of time. “Don’t get out much, huh?”
