“I think you did the right thing. He obviously appreciated it. That says a lot about him. And you.” She glanced over and shrugged. “To be honest, I would’ve done the same thing. Holden makes me wish I’d had a younger sibling to bail out.”
Jonah snorted, shaking his head. “You want to borrow him? He’s all yours.”
Roxanne had always wanted a little brother or sister. But she had a feeling Holden was harboring a little crush on her, which was far from sibling-like.
“Would you trust him not to flirt with me?”
Jonah slowly angled his head. “No. Offers officially off the table.”
Roxanne burst out laughing and slapped his thigh playfully. In an unexpected move, Jonah grabbed her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. He rested their clasped hands on his leg, and they stayed there for the entire ride. She ignored the butterflies in her belly, but it was utterly impossible every time his thumb stroked her skin.
Roxanne was falling for him.
Hard and fast.
****
Jonah was still at odds with her dinner request. He wanted to take her somewhere nice. She was certainly dressed for someplace fancier than burgers and fries in his workshop. He’d offered other options on the ride, but ultimately, she stuck with the original plan.
And here we are.
It was always interesting watching someone in his space. Aside from a few customers, his brothers and Kenzie, few people came in. Jonah didn’t have any type of showroom. Most of the pieces were made to order. But he had a few personal projects he kept toward the front of the shop. Roxanne seemed enthralled with one of them as she swept her hand over the mahogany chair.
“This is beautiful.” Her dark hair slipped past her shoulder when she bent over, looking closer at the etched detail. “How much does this cost?”
“Twenty-four hundred.”
For anyone outside of the business, it may have seemed over-priced. Few people thought about the quality of the wood when picking out furniture. Not to mention all the time spent when it was hand-crafted. Jonah expected a similar reaction to Kenzie’s. Roxanne was the polar opposite. She slowly nodded, eyeing the piece.
“You interested?”
She glanced over her shoulder, trailing her gaze down his body. “Are we still talking about the chair?”
Jonah dropped his gaze to the floor, smirking, then peered up. “Yeah.”
“If I had somewhere to put it, I’d be hitting the ATM but …” She circled the chair and folded her arms. “My apartment, while amazing, is on the smaller side. I’ve already crowded my living room with more furniture than is appropriately functional.” She rested her hand on the edge of the chair. “This needs to be showcased as a centerpiece, not stuffed in a corner where it can’t be fully appreciated.”
Well, damn.He should hire her as an advertising rep.
Roxanne spun around, looking at his current project. He walked toward her, grabbing her hand and leading her across the workshop. He rarely showed anyone his work in progress.Most people couldn’t visualize the finished product, and his work was personal, so he kept it private.
She gasped, releasing his hand and circled around the coffee table. “This is going to be beautiful.”
“When it’s done.”
She pointed at it. “Is this your current project?”
“Yeah, the client wants it in three weeks. It’s a gift for his wife.”
Roxanne whistled. “Either he loves her a lot or he’s done something wrong.”
Jonah chuckled, moving toward a bench by his tools. He watched her amble around, completely comfortable in his space.I like that.
“Where did you learn how to do all this? School?”
“Yes and no. My dad always worked with his hands. A carpenter by trade. But it wasn’t until I took a class in school that I became interested. After that, he taught me everything.”
She peeked up through her lashes, offering a somber smile. “It’s nice that you have something of your father’s.”
