Page 40 of Sugar Pie
And I was there for him. He walked me to my side of the truck and opened the door for me. “So let’s go horseback riding now.”
I laughed and climbed in. Once he joined me, I said, “You are so determined on that one.”
He started the truck. “The stables aren’t far.”
Anything we did together was fun, and focusing kept my head on straight. “I know, but I think we should head to a home store so we can talk shop. I can explain what we need inside our builds and show you examples.”
He winked. “I’m all yours.”
I poked his arm. “So you say. Right now, you’re driving.”
We listened to music as we drove. Soon enough, I would know more, but leaving wasn’t an option. Not if I wanted to figure out how to make myself happy.
19
Kerry
The hardware-meets-everything-for-the-house store was more interesting than I remembered. We walked into the kitchen-model area, and I pointed to what I thought was good and not good.
Then I found the best one and folded my hands on the counter. “When I think of kitchens, I need lots of counter places, and white is so much easier to see stains to clean right away than dark.”
He leaned next to me. “Of course.”
I traced the side and smiled as I imagined having strong, white cabinets and not the thinner laminate material used in our apartment. A home with the kitchen I had in my mind was brilliant. I stood. “I know white is maybe trending away, so we’ll check on color to see what’s hottest. Either way, the traditionalist in me still says white—it illuminates whatever needs fixing fast so the kitchen remains clean as a work room.”
He nodded, but in my mind’s eye, I saw the structure. I led him to the appliance aisle. He narrowed his gaze as we passed the food processors and asked, “So why are we here?”
I pointed to a few bigger boxes on the shelves. I needed him to see my plan. “Let’s say the client wants a convection oven, a pizza oven, a hood, and a microwave all built in. We need to find a vendor that’s flexible and not just use block cutouts like the ones you were installing in that house.”
He offered his arm. “You noticed them?”
I brushed against him but then put my hands to my sides instead of reaching for him. His touch set me on fire. “I just think cutouts are important.”
He stayed next to me. “You’d want a pizza oven?”
I let out a laugh. Cooking was always fun, and if I had a real pizza oven, we would be eating it more. But the fantasy of him coming home to me wasn’t professional. My cheeks felt hot. “You have no idea.” I almost told him how much I wanted to hold him and fall into his arms.
The words were on my lips, but then he tapped my shoulder and stepped back. “Hold on.”
He scooped up a doll and followed a woman with a baby carriage. “Excuse me. Your son dropped this.”
I followed behind him as the woman nodded and took the toy. “Thank you.”
Then he made a funny face at the baby, who laughed.
The mother smiled then continued on her way.
He returned to my side. I knew that one day, he would be a great dad. When he pressed against me to continue, I said, “The boy liked you.”
He shrugged like it was no big deal. “He reminds me of my new niece.”
Nice to kids meant he truly was a keeper. My heart melted. “How old is she?”
“Three months.” We walked outside, and the smile on his face was brighter than the setting sun over the green horizon. We walked back to the truck as he said, “My brother Arman was super happy the day he and his wife brought their baby girl to family dinner.”
I imagined a huge family where everyone knew each other. “You can fit all those people at one table?”
A group of women stopped in front of us as if they wanted to talk to Warren, but he led me around them as if he hadn’t noticed any of them. “Yes. Maman always planned for all of us to marry and produce children, so she made sure we had the room. And for all celebrations of togetherness, like my birthday, my parents tend to bring us together as a family meeting over dinner.”
