LITMIR.BIZ

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for her ears alone. “The other night...?”

      Her breath tangled in her throat. “Yeah?”

      “You said just for that night, just that once. But you’re here and I’m looking in those fine blue eyes and I’m wondering, did you really mean that?”

      Her stupid throat had clutched up tight. She swallowed convulsively, and then shook her head hard.

      His brow rumpled in a frown, but the hint of a smile seemed to tug on his mouth. “I’m still not sure what you’re telling me here.”

      And somehow she found her voice again. “Sorry...”

      “Nothing to be sorry for. You just say it right out loud, whatever your answer is. I can take it, I promise you.”

      She cleared her throat to get her going. “Ahem. That night, I needed to find a way to give myself permission to do something I wanted to do but had never done before. That night, I needed to think of it as just that one time and never again. But since then...”

      “Yeah?”

      “Oh, Quinn. I wish I hadn’t said what I said. Because I’ve been thinking about you a lot. And it’s really good to see you again.”

      Those fine eyes were gleaming. “Yeah?”

      And she was eagerly nodding, her head bouncing up and down like a bobblehead doll’s.

      “So, then...” He started walking backward toward the doors.

      She resisted the urge to reach out and stop him—and also the one that demanded she follow him. Instead, she held her ground and asked hopefully, “So, then, what?”

      He stopped at the doors. “How ’bout Friday night? You and me. Dinner.”

      “Dinner...” How could one simple word hold so much promise?

      “Yeah.” He was definitely smiling now. “You know, like people do.”

      “I would like that.” She knew she wore a giant, silly grin. And somehow she had gone on tiptoe. Her body felt lighter than air.

      “Pick you up at seven?”

      She settled back onto her heels and nodded. “Seven is great.”

      A trim, fortyish woman in workout clothes approached the doors. Quinn opened one and ushered her in. Then, with a final nod in Chloe’s direction, he went in, too.

      That lighter-than-air feeling? It stayed with her. Her feet barely touched the ground the whole way back to the showroom.

      Strange how everything could change for the better in the course of one afternoon.

      All at once, the world, so cruel to her in recent years, was a good and hopeful place again. Suddenly everything looked brighter.

      Yeah, okay. It was just a date. But it was a date with a man who thrilled her—and made her feel safe and protected and cherished and capable, all at the same time.

      * * *

      That night, Chloe made chocolate chip cookies. Once they’d cooled, she packed them up into two bright decorator tins. She took them to the showroom the next morning. One she offered at the coffee table.

      The other she carried with her when she went to meet with Manny at Quinn’s house after lunch.

      “Cookies!” Annabelle nodded her approval. “I like cookies.” She sent Manny a regretful glance. “Manny’s cookies are not very good.”

      Manny told Chloe, “Never was a baker—or that much of a cook, when you come right down to it. I enjoy cooking, though. Too bad nobody appreciates my efforts.” He wiggled his bushy eyebrows at Annabelle. “And what do you say when someone brings you really good cookies?”

      “Thank you, Chloe.”

      “You’re welcome.”

      She turned those sweet brown eyes on Manny again. “Can I have one now?”

      “That could be arranged.” Manny led them to the kitchen, which had appliances that had been state-of-the-art back in the late eighties, a fruit-patterned wallpaper border up near the ceiling and acres of white ceramic tile. Annabelle made short work of two cookies and a glass of milk, after which she wanted to take Chloe up to her room.

      Chloe looked to Manny. The old guy shrugged. “Don’t keep her up there all day,” he said to the little girl.

      “Manny, I want all the princesses, but it won’t take that long.” She reached right up and grabbed Chloe’s hand, at which point Chloe’s heart pretty much melted. “Okay, Chloe. Let’s go.”

      After half an hour with Quinn’s daughter, Chloe knew exactly which princesses Annabelle wanted represented in her new room, as well as her favorite colors. They went back downstairs, and Chloe spent a couple of hours with Manny, going through the house, bottom to top, talking hard and soft surfaces, color choices, style preferences and the benefits of knocking out a wall or two. Chloe jotted notes and took pictures of existing furniture and fixtures that would be included in the new design.

      Before she left at four-thirty, she promised to crunch the numbers. The contract would be ready for his and Quinn’s approval early next week.

      “Give me a call,” said Manny. “We can decide then whether to meet here or at your showroom.”

      “That’ll work.”

      Annabelle urged her to “Come back and see me soon, Chloe. And bring cookies.”

      Chloe promised that she would. She drove to the showroom, let Tai go home and got to work on the contract, planning out the estimated costs, room by room. At six, she closed up and headed for her house, a big, fat smile on her face and a thousand ideas for the redesign swirling in her brain.

      She parked in her detached garage and was halfway along the short breezeway to the front door when she caught sight of the gorgeous bouquet of orchids and roses waiting in a clear, square vase on the porch. It must be from Quinn. The arrangement was so simple and lovely and the gesture so thoughtful, she let out a happy cry just at the sight of it.

      Okay, it was a little silly to be so giddy at his thoughtfulness. But she hadn’t had flowers in so long. Ted used to buy them for her, and since the divorce, well, she had no desire to buy them for herself. To her, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers just reminded her of Ted and all the ways she’d messed up her life. But if Quinn gave her flowers, she could start to see a beautiful arrangement in a whole new light.

      She disarmed her alarm and unlocked the door—and then scooped up the vase and carried it in.

      Dropping her purse on the entry bench, she took the vase straight to the kitchen peninsula, where she set it carefully down. The card had a red amaryllis on the front and the single word, Bloom. Bloom was the shop that belonged to Quinn’s sister, Jody.

      Whipping the little card off its plastic holder, she flipped it open and read Beautiful flowers always remind me of you. I hate that it went so wrong for us. I miss you.

       Ted

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