Page 16 of A Gift of Time
Chapter Five
“What exactly do you do again?” Caden asked as he surveyed my apartment. “This place is amazing.”
“I’m the Marketing Director at Holton,” I answered, still shocked it was true.
But I’d give it all up for the man beside me. My dream job meant nothing without the man who held my heart in his hands.
“Wow. Impressive.” Caden moved farther inside, looking at the ceiling and down the walls before focusing on the hardwood floor. The crinkle in his forehead and the way his lip curled told me he was thinking. It was a look I’d memorized. “I think some warm colors would really bring some life to this place, Jack. Maybe some oranges and neutral tones for the living room and then some cool ones for the bathroom and bedroom.”
“What’s the difference between warm, neutral, and cool?” I asked, playing dumb.
I knew damn well the differences. He’d told me many times before. Well… the old him. The old us.
Caden faced me with a smile. “Warm colors are the red, oranges, and yellows. They are stimulating and are great for the rooms in the house that get the most action, so to speak. So, like the living room for instance.”
My dick twitched at his explanation. The word stimulating, and the sexy smile he gave while saying it, definitely stimulated something.
“Cool colors are the blues, grays, and off-whites,” he continued, starting to move through the apartment again.
I followed, listening as he explained the different rooms that worked best with the colors.
I’d only waited a day before I had called him and asked if he’d come over to look at my place. Decorating my apartment was the last thing on my mind; I just wanted to see him. To be in the same room with him.
Time was ticking.
If Nick had been correct, I only had two weeks and a few days to make Caden fall in love with me. The odds were stacked against me, and the improbability of my success was glaring.
Love took time. Patience. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure what it was about me that had made Caden fall in the first place.
Thinking back on the past few months, I’d been awful to him. All for what? To get a damn promotion? His traditions for holidays hadn’t really bothered me, either; I’d just used that as fuel in our fight to hurt him.
Well, you were successful, jackass,I reminded myself. I had made him cry that night. Maybe he was better off without me.
I focused on him—on the small smile on his perfect lips and the light in his eyes. He looked happy.
Shit.I didn’t even know if he was single.
As the thought flitted in my head, I looked at Caden’s hands for a ring. Thank god I didn’t see one. So if hewaswith someone, it wasn’t too serious at least. I hoped.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah!” I answered, putting on my most convincing smile and leaning against the wall. “I’m great. I was just thinking over what you said. Red in the living room would be awesome.”
Smooth, Jack. Real smooth.
“See? I thought the same,” he responded, flashing another smile that jostled the butterflies in my stomach. “But it’s whatyouwant. You’re the client. Do you mind if I take some pictures around the apartment? When I get back to my shop, it’s always helpful to have a visual of the place I’m decorating.”
“Go for it,” I said, motioning to the room. “If you need a model to pose in the photos, just ask. I could lay on the floor in a mermaid pose or something. Whatever you need.”
He laughed and shook his head. “As appealing as that is, no thanks.”
I watched him as he moved around the room, taking photos. It was like I was seeing him with new eyes. Every movement of his body caught my attention, and I studied him like I never had before.
How had I ever been so stupid?
Once he was finished, he put his camera back in his bag and approached me. “Well, that’s it for now. I’ll get back to the shop and see what I can come up with.”
An idea struck me, and I walked a little closer to him. “I’m getting hungry. Do you want some lunch? My treat. Consider it a thank you for taking me on with such short notice.”
