‘What makes you say that?’
‘Your clothes are pristine. Not a stain in sight.’
‘For all you know, I might’ve just changed,’ Lyndsey protested.
‘I was only havin’ a bit of fun with you. I’ve come to mow the yard.’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be—’
‘It’s okay. You go back to doin’ whatever you were in the middle of and I’ll get on with it.’ He was too hot and sweaty to argue.
‘I’ve just returned from picking up Theo. I actually persuaded Becca to let me do the school run until he gets out next week for the summer.’
‘How on earth did you manage that?’
‘I could see it added more stress to Becca’s day, and I’ve driven a lot in Europe, so it doesn’t bother me being on the other side of the road.’ She shrugged it off. ‘It helped she was extra fed-up with him when I offered. The day I came over to see you, he got in trouble for fighting at school.’
‘Theo? Fighting?’
‘Yes, we’ve never found out why though. He won’t say.’
‘Can’t Deke get it out of him?’
‘He doesn’t know.’
Griff tried to hide his dismay.
‘I know. I think he’s got the right to hear about it too, but Becca’s stubborn and insists he’s got enough on his mind.’
‘There’s some logic to that, I guess.’
‘Anyway, you were sort-of right earlier, before I went to get Theo I was indeed baby wrangling, and I did get messy and I did change. Call me fussy if you like.’
‘I’d never do that.’ He risked a teasing smile. ‘Particular maybe, but there’s nothin’ wrong with that.’ Griff stepped away. ‘You don’t wanna get downwind of me. I cut my own grass before this and I didn’t reckon Becca would mind if I continued as I was.’
‘You didn’t bargain on me.’ A hint of good humor played around her wide mouth, the sunlight picking up hints of deep rosy pink lip gloss. He was swept by a powerful urge to kiss it all off.
‘You’re right there.’ His wry reaction deepened her smile.
‘I must go. I’m on baby alert.’ Lyndsey showed him her phone with a live feed of Nora curled up in her crib. ‘I’ve just sent Becca up for a shower.’
‘I’ll bet my last dollar you’ve been busy around the house every chance you can when your sister’s been busy doin’ other stuff. Did you start on the kitchen and purge it of unnecessary stuff and scrub it from top to bottom?’
‘Even if my sisterwasone of my clients, which she most definitely isn’t, that’s not the way I work.’ The icy glare she aimed his way could combat global warming. ‘Organizing someone’s house is a collaborative process.Ithrow nothing away. I help my clients choose what deserves to take up a space in their lives and what doesn’t.’ She angled him a searching look. ‘Your workshop is a perfect example of making a space work for you, instead of the other way around. Everything has a specific place and fills a specific purpose, leaving you free to be creative.’
‘It’s partly a safety issue, but you’re right.’
‘Is your house the same way? The two don’t necessarily follow.’ Embarrassment flared in her face, and he guessed she hadn’t meant to be so forthright.
An invitation for her to come over and check it out for herself hovered on the tip of his tongue, but he held back. ‘This isn’t getting the yard done.’
‘It certainly isn’t. Slacker.’ Lyndsey’s bright green eyes danced like emeralds in the sunlight. She’d seen right through his cowardly response. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’
Yeah, you do that. She’d shaken him up like a kaleidoscope, leaving a multi-colored jumble that made as much sense as one of his designs when it was nothing more than sheets of glass waiting for him to work his magic.
* * *
Lyndsey fled into the quiet house, cheeks burning. She’d kept out of Griff’s way for the last three days since her visit to his workshop, when she deftly avoided saying either yes or no to his unexpected dinner invitation. It hadn’t been hard to stay well clear of him, because she barely had a minute to spare in between helping her sister and keeping The Right Place ticking over long distance, in the temporary office area she’d set up in the corner of her bedroom.
