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When had Johnny joined them? Had she really been that far gone in her André-inspired fantasy that she missed an entire person?
She needed to get a grip.
And not on André’s suspender straps.
Nikki glanced down at the floor.
Well, look at that. Itwasin great shape. Better than the one in her house anyway.
It was enough of a distraction to get her eyes off André’s gorgeous body and refocus on why she was in there in the first place.
She crossed one arm over her chest and gripped her opposite elbow as she turned back to the wall André wanted to paint.
It would look cool black. Especially if they kept the floor this bright color. One of the three remaining walls was mostly windows and exposed brick. It faced the street. And yeah, it had bars on the windows, but it was Chicago. What didn’t have bars these days? At least the bars looked cool.
The wall with the door could be black too, she supposed. The remaining wall used to have the built-ins and she was glad they were gone. They had never been anything but a place to hide junk.
There was a reason the more major clients used the lounge upstairs.
But if they revamped it (finally), they’d have a nicer space foralltheir clients.
They’d have a space that could continue to grow.
What if Zara was just the beginning? What if they made this album and then suddenly Nikki was an actual producer? A recognized one.
With a client list!
She whirled back around and opened her mouth to spill all of her secret hopes to Johnny, but she stopped when both men looked at her. Her gaze bounced back and forth between them, and she realized she wasn’t ready to tell yet.
Not until it was real.
A voice memo on her phone wasn’t real.
And anyway, she didn’t want André to know. Not because she thought he’d blab, but because he didn’t get those things from her anymore. Important, from-her-heart things.
“Something to share, Nikki?” Johnny asked, eyeing her carefully.
“I think black is a good idea.” She smiled and it felt tight. She wanted to confess all of everything right there. It was in her nature to overshare.
She bit her lip to keep the words inside.
André’s lips tipped up on one side like he knew it was killing her not to say more.
“Cool,” André said. “I can get the walls stripped and prepped. There might be some repair work, but it doesn’t look like much.” He canted his head to the side. “Depending on when I can get the floor done, this room could be complete in a couple weeks.” He dipped his chin at Nikki and then Johnny. “If that works for the two of you.”
“I didn’t know you knew how to do floors, Bob Vila.” It just popped out. She hadn’t meant to tease him; teasing implied a cozier relationship than she was ready to have with him despite how much fun he’d been the night before.
Also teasing was very close to flirting and she wasnotflirting with him.
André glanced at Johnny, confused. “Who’s Bob Vila?”
“Her celebrity crush,” Johnny answered, completely serious.
André nodded like that explanation made sense andit did not.
Nikki’s mouth fell open. Both men moved on.
“I have a friend who refinishes wood floors.” André pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll see if he’s busy this weekend.”
