“You can’t live in California and not surf.” He stared at her, blocking her from stepping farther into the store.
She leaned into him and he caught the light citrusy scent of whatever she wore. His blood hummed. She was so sexy without even trying. Maybe that’s what made her different from anyone else he knew.
“Don’t spread it around but there are actually many Californians who’ve never stepped onto a surfboard. Despite the rumors, it’s not mandatory.”
Noah leaned down so their noses touched. She had the cutest nose, and he realized when the thought entered his head that if he was cataloguing that feature, he was probably in dangerously far over his head already.
“Is Grace Travis actually scared of something?”
She glared at him, moved around his body. “Nobody said scared.”
Taking her hand, he pulled her to his side. “Our little secret.”
She gave him an indulgent but exasperated look. Even that was cute. He was falling fast. “Okay, show me what you love, Gracie.”
Before she could point to the first item—her arm was already in motion—the shop’s owner greeted them, asking if they were looking for anything in particular. When they said no, she left them to wander.
It was an interesting setup that seemed to have no rhyme or reason. Different areas resembled different rooms in a home, showcasing items, antique, new, and used, that might be found in whatever area of the house it showcased.
“I’ve been thinking about getting a coatrack,” she said, stoppingat a dark brown, slightly scuffed rack with black iron hooks. She ran her hand over it. “This one is cool.”
“Pretty old-school.”
She looked up at him. “That’s part of the cool factor.”
“My grandmother has one like this. My grandfather would come home from work every single night at seven o’clock for dinner, even if he had to go back to the office. He’d hang his fedora on it. We used to tease him about it all the time. The hat. He said gentlemen wore hats.”
Grace turned to face him, putting a hand to his chest. “Your voice sounds sweet when you talk about him. You were close?”
Noah nodded, his mouth suddenly dry. “We were. He was the glue. Well, he and my grandmother, but once he died, things changed.” Noah shook off the dark thoughts, thinking he should call his mom and his grams. It’d been too long. “Let’s get this for your place.”
Like she sensed he needed to gloss over the moment, she nodded. “We’ll come back to it. Come on, I want to show you something for the sitting area.”
When she stopped in front of a fireplace mantel, he didn’t get it at first. Grace ran her hand along the delicate carvings in the dark wood.
“With the white window seat, the white shelving, I feel like this would be such a great focal piece. It’s modern and elegant but also warmer than the slate or brick ones that you typically see in homes these days.”
Again, it brought back memories of his grandparents’ home. What the hell was wrong with him? He was on a date and emotions were swamping him, making him feel twelve years old again. A time when he’d thought his father was as amazing as his grandfather. When he’d thought they’d all work together, changing homes and lives in the neighborhoods of New York. When he didn’t know that life changed and not everything stood the test of time.
“Are you okay?” Grace stepped into him, settling both hands at his waist.
“Yeah. I don’t know. Something about this place really reminds me of my grandparents. It’s hitting me funny. That’s all. It’s a gorgeous piece.”
“We can go,” Grace said, her brows furrowing in concern.
He shook his head. “No. You were right about this store. It’s great. Let’s get the mantel. We’ll have it shipped with the coatrack.”
“You sure?”
“My grandmother would love you,” he said.
Grace’s surprise showed in her eyes and the way her mouth dropped open. “She’s still alive?”
“Yup. She’ll outlive us all.”
Grace grinned. “Let me take a picture of the mantel with you in front. You can send it to her. I bet she’ll get a kick out of that.”
She would. She absolutely would. Somehow, Grace made him feel more connected with little pieces of himself he’d closed off. He didn’t know if that should worry him or make him happy. For now, he’d go with happy. He knew how fleeting those moments could be.