Page 110 of The Moment They Can't Forget

“Hi, Bart, won’t be too long,” Zoe said, raising a hand.

“I’m in no rush. I’ll just have a look around. The shop looks good, Zoe.”

“Thanks.”

“That really bright pink color then,” Delores said.

“I’m not sleeping in a pink room, woman.” Red scowled down at his wife. “Can’t we have one room in the house that doesn’t look like a prostitute’s den?”

Zoe wondered if she and Bart would break up a fight soon as the Hecklers went toe to toe. Then Delores giggled, and Red barked out a laugh.

“All right, we’ll go for a boring white or gray,” she conceded. “But I’m hanging one of them glamour shots of me in there to get you ready when I need you,” Delores said.

“Counting on it, baby.” Red gave his wife a wolfish look.

Zoe wasn’t someone who blushed easily. She had four brothers, after all, who had spent their lives trying to humiliate and embarrass her, but right then, at the X-rated look the Hecklers were giving each other, she could feel heat flushing her cheeks.

“How about this?” Zoe ducked under the counter to give herself a minute and came up with a sample paint chart. Pointing at a color, she showed the couple. “We could use this and have a feature wall of textured paper behind the bed?” She grabbed another book and flipped it open to find what she was looking for. She then placed the color and the patterned wallpaper together.

“Now, Zoe, I can see why Abilene hired you to work here. You got an eye on you, girl,” Delores said.

Zoe didn’t mention that she’d studied hard to get that eye perfected and worked for a firm that had clients willing to spend thousands on interior design.

“Thanks, Dee.”

They haggled for another ten minutes and then left.

“Nice work there, Zoe,” Bart said.

“I think that’s what I love most about this job.”

“Helping people like Red not live with their wives’ hideous choices?”

Zoe laughed. “We’re all different, I guess.”

“And grateful for that every day, dear.”

She couldn’t see his running shorts, thankfully.

“I brought coffee.”

Bart and Zoe looked to the doorway as Sawyer wandered in carrying two to-go cups in his hands.

Neither of them had spoken to JD since he’d left six days ago. Brody had told her he was visiting his family and getting tested to see if he was a compatible kidney donor. Just the thought of him walking into all that alone made her sad and terrified. Someone should be with him.I should be with him.

“Here.” Sawyer handed her a coffee. “You want one, Bart? I can go get another.”

“Had my beet, carrot, and spinach smoothie already this morning, son. Don’t need anything else.”

Sawyer visibly shuddered.

“Remind me again why I said yes to looking after The Gnat while JD is off doing whatever the hell he’s doing?” Nina staggered in. “He left me a list as long as Sawyer’s forearm and keeps adding to it.”

“Hey, Bart, and you,” Nina said, looking at Sawyer.

“When will he return?” Bart asked.

“He’s not sure when he’s coming back,” Nina said, glaring at Sawyer and then Zoe.

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