He eased the bulky box from the shelf and onto the floor, leaning it against his leg. “So ... you’re new in town?”
“Not exactly.” She watched as he easily picked up the container. Was he trying to be friendly or actually hitting on her—and did it even matter?
He hoisted the carton to his shoulder. “But you’re not a tourist, are you?”
“Not exactly,” she repeated her intentionally vague answer.
“But you are remodeling your bathroom.” He grinned. “Anything else I can help you with? Need a sink or a—”
“I do need some flooring,” she admitted. “Although I’ve heard your selection is limited.”
He pointed toward the back of the store. “That’s the building section back there. I think flooring is on aisle 22 or 23, but I wouldn’t stake my life on it.”
“Thank you.” She turned away from him, rolling her eyes and her cart—trying to get away from this weird employee and wondering why she felt so irked at him. After all, he was trying to be helpful and he was awfully good-looking. But it was his offhanded teasing that had gotten under her skin. Besides that, he was too nosy. What business was it of his to know her status in Seaside? She turned onto aisle 22 and was pleasantly surprised to find several flooring options. Some big rolls of vinyl as well as packages of tile squares. Unfortunately, she’d forgotten to measure. So she pulled out her phone and called Jackson, asking him to find out.
“It’s seven feet wide ... and almost ten feet long,” he informed her just as the obnoxious sales guy returned.
“How’s the project going?” she asked Jackson, trying to appear preoccupied so the salesman would go away and mind his own business.
“Great, Mom. Gordon’s already got the toilet removed. I carried it outside for him. It was pretty heavy, but I got it by myself.”
“Good. I should be home—”
“Gotta go, Mom. Gordon is calling.”
She pocketed her phone, turning her attention to the three choices of roll-out vinyl. One was dark and dreary, one was faux wood, and one resembled white tiles.
“Find anything you like?” the salesman asked.
She frowned. “Not particularly. But I suppose that would work.” She pointed to the shiny white one. “Although I don’t really like it and I’m not sure it’s wide enough.”
“Says it’s 72 inches wide.” He pointed to the sign next to the rack. “That’d be six feet.”
“I can do the math.” She refrained from rolling her eyes again.
“How big is your bathroom?”
She repeated what Jackson had just told her.
“That’s not going to work for you. Not without a seam, and no one wants a seam in a bathroom. If they can help it.”
“Oh, yeah.” She conceded. “Well, it’s kind of cheap looking anyway.”
He pursed his lips then nodded. “Gotta agree with you there.” He pointed to the boxed tiles. “What about these stick-on tiles? You got your faux travertine, faux granite, and then you got the solid colors—white, gray, and black.”
She frowned, trying to imagine any of these options in the old-fashioned bathroom. None of it seemed quite right. Maybe she was in over her head.
He picked up a black square in one hand and a white one in the other. “I used these to make a checkerboard pattern in a small bathroom, and if I do say so myself, it turned out pretty nice. They’re easy for a do-it-yourselfer, and these stick-on tiles are surprisingly tough. For the money, you can’t beat ’em.”
Like a lightbulb going on, she instantly envisioned a charming black-and-white checkerboard floor in the cottage bathroom—it would look sweet with the old-fashioned white sink and claw-foot tub. And perhaps she could put some accent color on the wall. It all made sense. Her eyes moved from the two squares still in his hands up to the smiling face of the man holding them. In that same instant she felt a strange little jolt inside of her. As if a dormant part of her had just been poked and awakened ... almost like coming to life. And although it was a pleasant sensation, it was somewhat unsettling.
five
ITHINK YOU SOLD MEon it,” Wendy declared. “Checkerboard it is.”
“Really? You like it?” His eyes lit up, and she realized they were a deep shade of blue—slightly out of place with his dark brown hair, and yet strikingly attractive.
“And you’re not exaggerating? Is installation really easy?” She took a square from him, carefully examining both sides, testing it for strength and trying not to think about those deep blue eyes.
