“If I were to step on you, I’d crush you,” he warned lightly as she stopped spinning, still tugging on his hands.
“Thorn, you barely make a sound when you walk,” she teased, lips forming a playful pout that made him roll his eyes. “I bet you’re lighter on your feet than you admit.”
“Needing to slip silently around my enemies does not make me a dancer,” he said, slipping an arm around her waist. “The best I can offer is a waltz.”
He guided her through a quick two-step, smiling as she caught the rhythm and matched him easily. “You, on the other hand, are very light and graceful,” he said.
“I’ve always loved to dance,” she laughed, breathless as he dipped her before letting go. “When I was little, I was constantly tripping over things. My parents put me in ballet hoping it would help.”
“Did it?” Thorn asked, raising a brow.
He wouldn’t have called her clumsy exactly, but she did seem to have an ongoing war with furniture and doorframes. In the three weeks he’d known her, the number of accidental bumps and bruises he’d witnessed was almost impressive.
“A little.” She nodded, stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. “Tommy says I was talented but had no spatial awareness and couldn’t stay focused.”
Thorn snorted as he gathered their things and headed for the elevator. It was late, and a shower sounded better than anything. “Really?” he said over his shoulder, amused. “I never would have guessed.”
Chapter Nine: Adjustments
Evie
The day after they marked out the layout, Evie and Thorn met with Tommy’s contractors to go over the plans. One of the first things Evie wanted them to consider was Thorn’s size and how to make the space truly work for him. The contractor immediately understood and began asking questions about what Thorn struggled with in a standard apartment.
Seeing him hesitate, Evie led him toward the area they’d designated as the kitchen. “When you’re cooking, what’s uncomfortable for you because of your height?” she asked gently, trying to get him thinking about how the space could adapt to him instead of the other way around.
His expression cleared, and a spark of excitement lit his eyes. “We can adjust things for my height?” he asked, glancing at the contractor for confirmation.
“Oh, definitely,” the man said with an easy nod. “It might raise material costs a bit and cause minor delays while we get custom pieces made, but nothing serious.” He looked Thorn up and down, tapping something into his tablet. “You’re what? Six-nine, six-ten?”
Thorn nodded, looking mildly impressed that the man had guessed correctly. Evie was less impressed; she figured that after twenty years on the job, a contractor could probably estimate someone’s height within an inch or two.
“Can I make some suggestions?” the man continued.
Evie hung back, letting them talk as he proposed raising the counters from the standard thirty-six inches to forty-two, installing a deeper sink, raising the shower head by sixteen inches, widening the door frames to ninety-six, and adjusting all the fixtures and switches slightly higher. By the time he finished, Thorn’s excitement was unmistakable.
The contractor took measurements and photos of everything, promising to send a detailed proposal by the end of the week. Before leaving, he suggested they start looking at color palettes, fixtures, flooring, and tile options so he could order materials early and stay ahead of any custom fabrication delays.
When they were alone, Thorn pulled her into his arms and gave her a bear hug that lifted her clean off her feet, making her giggle uncontrollably.
“I don’t know how to thank you or Tommy,” he murmured against her hair, his voice thick with gratitude. The sound of it filled Evie with warmth.
“You don’t have to thank us,” she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him back. “We’re just happy to help.”
**********
The rest of Evie’s winter break passed in a blur of planning and errands. She and Thorn spent most of it hunting for reinforced furniture made for taller people or finding places willing to custom build what he wanted, then arranging orders and deliveries.
The contractor estimated a three- to four-month timeline for the remodel, explaining that the finalized floor plan had been submitted to the Department of Buildings and that permits - even fast-tracked through Tommy’s channels - would still take four to six weeks. He was confident everything wouldbe approved and had already started ordering the custom cabinetry, fixtures, and finishes in the colors and styles Thorn had chosen.
On Evie’s last night before returning to her apartment and starting the new term, she and Thorn decided to make pizza and watch movies in Tommy’s TV room, Evie had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Thorn enjoyed cooking and baking, and it had quickly become their favorite evening ritual. He’d been introducing her to Serbian food, but tonight she wanted something simple, unhealthy, and gloriously greasy.
Despite everything that had happened, Evie had to admit this Christmas ranked among her top ten holidays. Not having to walk on eggshells around her father’s temper or her mother’s melancholy had made her realize how much energy she’d spent managing their emotions. The difference was startling, especially when she compared it to being around Thorn’s easy, good-natured calm.
The only thing that dimmed it was how little she saw of Tommy. He and Thorn were gone before she woke up most mornings, and though Thorn usually returned by mid-afternoon, Tommy didn’t come home until she texted to say dinner was ready. Even then, he ate distractedly, jotting notes on his PDA, kissed her on the top of the head, and vanished back to his office.
When she’d finally brought it up the night before, her voice edging toward a whine despite her best effort, Tommy had smiled apologetically and kissed her cheek.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” he’d said softly. “I’m working on something huge right now.”
