Page 113

“She likes telling everyone they’re wrong.”

“She said I might be stealing furniture.”

I laugh again. “What?”

He tells me about the cushion. By the time he finishes, I’m leaning back in my chair, smiling at absolutely nothing.

“I took it to the upholstery shop,” he says. “The man thinks he can get most of the paint out.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I got paint on it.”

“I know.”

“So I fixed it.”

There’s no argument in his voice. Just a fact. I can picture him walking down Main Street with one of my dining-room cushions tucked under his arm, stopping at an upholstery shop because he decided something he damaged was his responsibility.

“I can pay for it,” he adds.

“I know you can.”

The quiet that follows tells me that mattered. Then he starts telling me about the workshop again. The wall space. The sink. The back room he can use for supplies. How many canvases could fit without anyone having to move them so dinner can happen.

He sounds happy. He went there alone. He decided he wanted it, called Blair when he needed help, understood the lease, signed it, and started solving the next problem himself.

This is what I wanted. From the first morning, I’ve been telling myself Kell needs choices. His own clothes. His own money. His own plans. A life that doesn’t begin and end with me.

He’s building one. The realization should make everything easier. Instead, my fingers tighten around the phone.

“When are you going home?”

“I’m walking back now,” Kell says.

Home. Neither of us reacts to the word.

I turn slightly in my chair and look toward the window, suddenly too aware of the fact that I’m counting the hours. “I should be there a little after five.”

“I’ll tell you more then.”

“I’m sure you will.”

There’s a pause before he says, “You like when I tell you things.”

I have to swallow a laugh. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear even though no one can see me. “Sometimes.”

“That isn’t true,” he says.

“It’s absolutely true.”

“You asked me to tell you everything,” he reminds me.

I lean back in my chair. “That was before I knew Carl required a full character study.” Kell laughs, and warmth moves through me so quickly that I drop my gaze to the desk.

“I’ll see you later,” he says.

“Okay.”