“Flamingo print on the chaise lounge.”
“Wingback chairs by the fireplace.”
“Roosters in the kitchen.”
“You do love cock.” Tom grinned down at Rosie’s flushed cheeks and dangerous expression.
The sales clerk’s face was both horrified and uncertain as he tried to determine whether Rosie and Tom were lunatics or just doing a bit, but he must have decided on the former, because he backed two steps away.
“Makes all the design decisions easier if we just default tobird,” Rosie said. She looked back at Tom. “Right?”
“Baby, if you wanted to set the world on fire, I’d hand you a match. You want to cover the place in birds? That’s not even illegal. Let’s do it.” He watched a flash of gratification cross her face before she looked back down at the wallpaper samples and rolled her eyes.
“Drama queen,” she muttered, but Tom marked the way the corners of her little curling mouth turned up before she ducked her head to her chest.
I got my lines right in this scene.
12
The temperature had dropped further and it was raining hard by the time they got back to the inn. Rose formed a tentative afternoon plan of sitting next to the fireplace and running search strings consisting of various products plusbirdso as to tick off as many procurement tasks as possible before she lost her nerve.
She’d asked Tom to drive back because the change in weather was making her cough more. Now his left hand was on the wheel and the right was resting on her knee. She thought about objecting—especially since his fingers slid up along the inside of her thigh when he made right turns—but he’d focused so hard on the placement of his hand that he nearly ran a stop sign, and that gave her a little tumble of butterflies in her stomach. It was nice to feel worth the effort. To feel desired.
She hadn’t made him work for it last time, whatever he now told himself.
I have no idea what I’m doing. I always thought my first time would be with some experienced guy who’d tell me what to do, Tomhad confessed, a little wild-eyed when he’d realized what Rose had planned.
We could see if that slutty ginger across the hall will come give us some tips, Rose had teased him.
He’s tragically straight, but maybe if you asked instead of me?
So even though Rose had been working off a Catholic school education—Don’t do it, you’ll die—she’d been put in charge of whether and when they were having sex, while Tom just got to be sweet and trusting and happy to be getting laid. But she’d been encumbered with fifty different hang-ups and contradictory expectations of her own: be sexy but not slutty; be adventurous but not dominant; blow his mind but make sure you come too!
No wonder it ended up being just one more thing they didn’t talk about, just like she hadn’taskedif he was dating Boyd Kellagher.
She didn’t know what she was supposed to do now with Tom, who was single; Tom, who washere; Tom, who said he wanted her. But it might be nice to figure it out together this time. Start fresh.
Let’s pretend you’re absolutely dying to touch me. Let’s pretend you’re a construction worker here to tighten my screws. Let’s pretend I’m not your college sweetheart. Let’s pretend we just met and you think I’m beautiful.
Rose looked out the passenger window and saw a white cargo van parked in the front drive. Tom hadn’t mentioned any contractors appearing today. Rose decided to be unbothered about that. She was just a lady riding in a car with a handsome man.Tom’s in charge of all the repairs plus getting me into bed.
His hand gripped her thigh before he let go of it, and for the first time, Rose felt a little bit like she was on vacation.
A weather-beaten man in a poncho ducked out to meet them as soon as they parked.
“Heya, I’m the glass guy, here to see about some broken windows?” he addressed Tom.
“Oh shit,” Tom said, smacking his forehead. “Sorry, I forgot that was this afternoon.”
“I tried to call you, but it went to voicemail.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Tom apologized again. “My phone’s dead. Sorry if you had to wait.” He shot a worried look at Rose, as though she was unaware of what he was like.
She stopped and mentally kicked herself at that uncharitable thought. All Tom had done so far were all the things she’d wanted from him when they were married.
“No worries about the wait,” the contractor said, regarding Tom judgmentally. “I caught up on some invoices. I was calling mostly because it looks like you’ve got a little flooding going on around back, by the pool.”
Tom and Rose looked at each other in mutual consternation. She had no concept of pool maintenance, and she assumed he didn’t either.
