Page 3 of Once Upon a Holidate
“Cozy?” she asked, her voice teasing.
His smile returned, which made her unexpectedly happy. “That would be it. I don’t know anything about decorating or, you know, plants, and I don’t cook. Her being pregnant adds stakes to the game for sure. That’s why I want your help. I’ve seen your graphic work around town, and it’s always exactly right for whatever business it is. The colors, the tone, all of it. You’re a real professional. You have excellent taste and style, and I was hoping to get your advice about what I should have around.” He waved his hand. “Maybe some more dishes and throw pillows and stuff.”
That was a lot of information to process, she thought, slightly off balance from the unexpected compliment. She always worked hard to please her clients, and she was happy to know her work was appreciated, but it was strange to consider that Garrick would look at a sign in a window and think of her. Did he think of her in other ways or was that her hoping a little too much?
Regardless, she liked that he cared about his kid and that he wanted to make his house nice for her. She also felt bad about assuming the worst about him, so even if she hadn’t been inclined to help—which she was—that would have pushed her over the edge.
“I’ll give you whatever advice you’d like,” she told him. “But my style might not be hers. That could be a problem.”
“No, you and Joylyn have a lot in common design-wise. You have a good eye for space and color, and she would like what you do.”
His words made her feel a little floaty, which was silly. She was in some serious trouble here—she hadn’t been this flaky even in high school. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to start flipping her hair and saying “like” in every sentence.
“If you’re all right with me adding fringe to every surface in your house, then I’m in,” she told him.
He chuckled. “Fringe would be a look.”
“But not a good one?” she teased.
“I’m not a fringe kind of guy.”
“Good to know. Tell me about Joylyn.”
Something sad flashed through his eyes. “I don’t see her much anymore. In fact, I haven’t seen her since the wedding. Like I said, we used to be tight.” One corner of his mouth turned up. “She was my best girl.”
“I’m sorry that changed.”
“Me, too.” He was silent for a second, then drew in a breath. “As I said, she’s married to Chandler, who is currently deployed. Alisha says he’ll be back before the baby’s born because first babies are always late.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe my little girl is going to be a mother. It all happened so fast.”
“Children grow up even when we don’t want them to. I’m figuring that out with Hunter.”
“He’s a good kid.”
“Thanks. I like to think so.” She wrapped her hands around her glass of milk. “I’m happy to help with whatever you need, and I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.”
“Thank you for the offer. As for the rest of it, I can see why you’d think what you did. In my own defense, I’ll admit it never occurred to me you wouldn’t know about my daughter, what with Happily Inc being a small town and all.”
“This might shock you, Garrick, but we don’t spend a lot of time talking about you.”
He stared at her in mock surprise. “Now you’re just being mean.”
She laughed. “We have our own lives we discuss.”
“But hey, it’s me.”
They smiled at each other. Wynn wondered if there was a way to ask about any other women that might be in his life, butfigured she shouldn’t press her luck. She was going to help her neighbor, and in the helping, she might get a chance to probe into his personal life. If he was single, she would try to find a way to suggest they go out to dinner and get to know each other. Of course the more likely scenario was that they spent some time together, and then she discovered he was annoying. Because that seemed to happen a lot. Her friends said she was too picky, while she thought of herself as careful.
“When is she going to move in with you?” she asked.
“Next Saturday.”
“Then we should probably take a look at your house and make a plan.”
“When’s a good time?” he asked.
“I’m free now.”
“Me, too,” Garrick said, coming to his feet.
