Page 33 of The Exception

Cat leaned forward, studying her. “So what is it like?”

“We’re sort of friends, I guess. This isn’t about Trav, it’s about me. I feel like I need to shake things up. Step out of my comfort zone a little.”

“Okay,” Emma said. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Then let’s start small. Pick one thing from your usual routine and scratch it off the list for this week. Then replace it with something totally out of character. Something you’d never consider doing on a weeknight.”

Sonya thought. “I have actually been thinking about redecorating my living room.”

Dani laughed. “Don’t go crazy, now.”

“No, I’m serious. It’s not like Marcus was therethatmuch, but he was with me when I picked out my sofa and some of the art on the walls. Maybe it could be like a new slate. This preceptorship has shaken up my work environment. Maybe I need to make all of the spaces in my life different.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Emma said, but Sonya heard a little too much excitement in that innocuous statement. Emma’s house looked like a Pottery Barn catalog and, though she loved her to pieces, their styles didn’t exactly match.

“I think I need to do this alone, Em.” Her friend’s face fell. “But if I run into any problems, you’re the first one I’ll call.”

* * *

With a perfectly-curated Pinterest board digitally in hand, Sonya entered the showroom of Century Furniture as a light drizzle began to fall outside. She brushed the water off her coat and did a scan of the room. Her belly fluttered with excitement and nerves as she noted all of the choices. Did she have enough notes and inspiration pictures?

She pulled up her camera roll. Had she taken enough pictures of her current space to get a visual on how the new items would look?Shoot.Maybe she should make a binder—

Ugh. No.

Wasn’t she just lamenting her inability to surprise herself and nearly everyone else? She was going to approach this task in a new way. Go with her gut.

She wanted to replace the beige sectional in her living room with something more colorful, so she focused on the corner beside the window where the new one would go, memorizing the scene.

Nodding to herself, she pocketed her phone and took a deep breath, waiting for some sort offeelingto strike her and tell her which direction to head.

Nothing.

She blinked a few times, then focused harder.

Hello? Gut? Help me out here.

Okay, maybe she should start with a smaller question, something easier for her non-intellectual anatomy to choose. “Any thoughts on a color scheme, at least?”

“You know, talking to yourself is a sign of mental illness.”

She spun around, hand flat to her chest in surprise.Oh my God.She was kidding at the gym when she’d asked Trav if he was stalking her, but was he?

“Jeez. You scared me. What are you doing here?”

“Uh, shopping?” He shrugged. “My dad recently reminded me that the lack of furniture in my place was an embarrassment to him. And I’m getting tired of sitting on boxes to watch my TV.” He scratched at the scruff on his chin. “Which is also set on boxes at the moment.”

“You’re looking for a couch?”

The corner of his mouth hitched up in amusement. Why she sounded so surprised given that they were in a furniture store was beyond her.

I guess,” he said. “Or maybe a couple of chairs. I haven’t decided.”

She held off an eye-roll at his lack of preparation for the task at hand, but warmth wrapped over her shoulders and down her arms. Relief, she realized.

She looked him up and down—hair a mess that was obviously intentional since it had withstood the current weather, and a t-shirt from a band she was pretty sure he hadn’t seen in person, since they’d been dead longer than he’d been alive. He looked like a college kid home on break. This was not the look of a man who came armed with a Pinterest board. No, this was the look of a man who needed a little direction.

And that was perfect. She could help him as a sort of practice run before she had to make any big decisions for herself, observe the natural habits of the ultimate fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants guy and maybe get a feel for how all of that winging it played out. You know, for other people.

“I’ll help you,” she said, trying to hide her excitement at this little science experiment of sorts.

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