Page 28 of We're One

“I have plans tonight, but maybe another time,” I tell him then laugh. “Besides, I’ve eaten enough pastries and bread today to fill me up for the entire week.”

“Yeah, I don’t normally eat donuts all day,” he tells me. “But I don’t regret it. Those were excellent.”

“I agree. Nikki and I might eat a bit too many of them, but they’re always so good we can’t have regrets.”

“How about we plan on meeting here again in two days? That will give me plenty of time to narrow down the samples and take a look at furniture.”

I stand and walk with him back to the kitchen as I gather my bag and notes I took. “That sounds good. Same time?” I ask as we begin moving toward the front door. There’s something about being in his home, surrounded by his warmth and the memories of his past captured in the photos I spent hours looking at, that makes me want to stay. I need to get out fast.

“Yes, same time will work,” I tell him, now in a hurry. He opens his door and I quickly step through it, inhaling the fresh evening air outside. I’m going to hit the worst of Seattle traffic at this time, but that’s okay. It will give me time to calm my racing heart.

“Thanks again for all you’re doing on this, Sia.”

“It’s truly my pleasure, Zach,” I say, meaning this. As hard as it is to be around him, I love this project. It’s going to turn out beautifully.

I climb into my vehicle and start driving. He did some flirting today, but we didn’t talk about the sex we’ve had or a potential relationship. I need to chalk this day up to the win column. It was a great day with a wonderful job I’m grateful for. The sexual tension is something I’m going to have to get used to. It’s not going away. I hate how much I’m looking forward to coming back in a couple of days. Maybe, the more time I spend here, the less attraction I’ll feel toward Zach.

I laugh at this thought. I’m well aware I’m lying to myself. It’s okay, though. I can say whatever I need to say in order to survive this. Who knows? Maybe in the end it will become something more. On the other hand, it might fizzle and die. We’ll have to wait and see what the end to our story will be.

Chapter Thirteen

Sia

Time flies when a person’s busy. I’ve never been one to sit around and do nothing. I get bored far too easily. I learned at an early age that when I’m bored, bad things happen. When Nikki and I were twelve we had a way-too-boring summer. The worse it got, the crazier we got.

We took a bicycle ride that ended with me in the bushes from going far too fast and realizing too late that my brakes weren’t working. I ended up in the bushes and was picking things out of my hair days later. We also decided we loved the sound of raspy voices. I have no idea why we thought that was cool, but we were told if you ate an entire lemon with salt, you’d lose your voice. So we sat on that same bicycle trail and forced down a whole lemon each, with salt on each slice. We were rolling on the ground gagging as we forced each piece down. We didn’t lose our voices. In fact, we found out that singers eat lemons before performances to improve their voices. Our stunts continued to grow bolder, but we decided we’d better not put ourselves into situations where we were bored again after that.

It’s been a couple of weeks since I first brought the samples to Zach’s home. Since then I’ve been at his home at least four days a week. Often he’s with me, doing walk-throughs and picking out patterns and furniture. Luckily, I’m on my own a lot too. When Zach’s in the room with me, I lose the ability to fully think, and also lose my breath.

Luckily, the project is coming right along. It’s amazing to be able to do a project like this with an unlimited budget. That means I don’t need to have ten bids on each thing to pick the best price. I can go with people who do a great job and work fast. His home is already looking brand new, and in my opinion, absolutely stunning.

The living room has new light pouring into the once dimly lit space, making this room, among others, feel more open and inviting. It’s amazing how darkness truly does shrink a space. I need to practice patience because I want to see it all finished, but it’s still weeks away.

I critically look at the freshly painted walls. Zach decided on neutral colors, a lot of white and cream with some accent walls in sage green, my favorite. The choices are perfect and so easy to decorate with, giving a cohesive look to the entire space.

The painters just finished. It’s hard to envision what to do next with paint cloths all over the place and a dozen people in the home cluttering up the space. I leave the living room and walk around the house, checking things off of my to-do list.

The windows are now fitted with smart blinds, which Zach is really excited about. He only has to push a button on a remote to lift and lower the blinds. He had no clue they existed. They are one of my favorite inventions, but they aren’t cheap, so not many of my clients get them. This really is a dream job where I get to do all of the things I imagined doing while decorating a home.

The valances will be hung tomorrow afternoon once the paint is fully dry and will add a touch of elegance to each room. I would’ve gone with bolder patterns and colors for the valances, but Zach wanted to keep it cleaner. I have to admit, as I pulled them from their packaging and set them near the windows, I like his choices. The patterns I preferred would’ve made it more difficult to choose furniture. Keeping the walls and valances fairly neutral makes it so much easier to add bolder touches that make the rooms pop.

After making a full circuit through the house, I find Zach looking around, a smile on his beautiful lips. He turns and his smile grows. This man is dangerous to every woman within sight of him.

“The colors are perfect.”

“They really are. It will make all of the accents really pop,” I agree.

“It’s crazy how the house already seems so much brighter and more welcoming. I hope Gramps is looking down and loves it.”

“I’m sure he is. I believe our loved ones stay with us. I can’t stand the thought of never seeing them again, so I prefer to believe they’re always here. It makes me less afraid of death this way.”

“I’ve never looked at it that way before, but you make a good point. I can’t stand the thought of never seeing Gramps or my parents again.” Then he chuckles as he looks up. “You too, Grams. I lost you too soon.”

“They all know how much you love them,” I assure him. That pesky stinging is in my eyes again and I turn to gaze out the window. I’m a sentimental fool at times. Of course, I don’t want to lose my humanity either, but I need more balance. I’m the girl who cries at those old Folger’s commercials when the big brother returns from the military and surprises his little sister. Seriously, I’ve seen that commercial a hundred times or more and it still tears me up.

“I’m so glad I found you, Sia. You’ve done an amazing job. No one could have the same vision as you. I love how much heart you put into your job. This truly is your calling.”

I can’t help but beam at these words. “I really love doing this. There’s something special about appreciating what we have. I love that we can take something old and make it beautiful again. We’re in an age where we’re quick to throw things out and replace them, but there’s so much magic in what we already have; it’s a shame not to reuse things. I hope I get to do this the rest of my life.”

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