“Well, the show needs ratings and this is how you get them. It’s not all about hammers and wallpaper and staging. It’s about connection, relationships, and sizzle. You two sizzle.”
Decker couldn’t argue with that. What surprised him was that the crew had picked up on just how strong their chemistry was. She wanted to ignore it, but that was going to be a lesson in stupidity as far as he was concerned. When it crackled from across the room, it was too combustible to be put out with a single kiss. But if she was in denial, he needed to approach her with kid gloves and a nosy, gossipy crew wasn’t going to help.
Pick your battles,Deck, he thought.Pick your battles.
Then he realized this was a battle he wanted to pick. If he felt protective over her before, after seeing the way she all but crumbled when talking to her dad this morning, then asked him for a favor to get Miles added to the roster, it had grown tenfold. They hadn’t just shared a kiss. They’d shared a piece of themselves. A layer that went more than skin deep.
Plus, he wanted her to feel comfortable here. Deep in his gut, it felt like it was his job to help facilitate a safe environment for her. And that’s what he was going to do.
“Ratings are good, but not at the expense at her having to do something she’s not comfortable with.” His tone left no room for argument, but he’d forgotten that Jack loved a good argument.
“Well, you signed a waiver in your contract to do promo, and this is the promo the magazine wants. It’sHome and Garden Magazine! We’re talking millions of eyes on it. America is already addicted to the show; they are eating it up. But the polls say they want more playfulness, like Chip and Joanna Gaines.”
“Chip and Joanna are married. We’re not.” And a funny thing happened. At the wordmarried, he didn’t break out into a sweat like he should have. Which was something he’d put on the backburner to dissect at another time.
“Then figure out how to deliver it your way,” Jack said.
He was working on it. “Fine, as long as she gets to wear what she chooses. Even if it is her overalls.”
“Look, we want viewers to be able to picture themselves living in this house. And how better to do that than portray a warm summer day barbequing and hanging in the pool with blow-up flamingos.”
“Blow-up flamingos?” was all he got out when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and,man oh man, was he in trouble. It was nothing more than a fire-engine red one-piece, but the way it hugged those curves... Curves that could only belong to a real woman.
Damn, he was gobsmacked.
Poppy wasn’t in a thong or a revealing suit. It was your everyday swim-Speedo but on her it looked like a walking wet dream—Baywatchstyle. He felt himself man up below his boardshorts. Gone was the ponytail and cap, and its place was long wavy brunette hair that made his fingers want to sink in and tug slightly.
In a single wardrobe change she’d gone from the sexy girl-next-door to the ultimate pinup.
Now, that’s what a woman should look like.
And the confidence she wore? Lethal.
She strutted right past him, slowing down to whisper, “One word from you and I’ll push you in the pool.”
“Only if you join me.”
“That’s the spirit,” Jack said cheerfully. “Now, action!”
“What do you mean,I’m blowing it?” Decker asked, so shocked by his nephew’s assessment that he nearly ran his hand right through the table saw. “How?”
“Ogling her in a bathing suit is not PC, dude.”
“How can I not stare?”
“Easy. Focus on her personality and intellect. Speak to her in a way that shows you’ve noticed her emotional IQ. Which, by the way, you need to work on yours.”
Since Decker wasn’t exactly sure what emotional IQ was or where he landed on the spectrum, he chose not to follow that direct line of questioning. Instead, he pointed out the obvious.
“What happened to me being the master and you being the grasshopper?” he asked, handing Miles a board to run through the planer.
They were working on the custom cabinets for the extension of the kitchen, trying to match them exactly to the originals. It was craftsmanship at its finest. The goal was to make Stark House as modern as they could when it came to amenities while keeping the original character of the mid-century modern architecture.
“Because you’re going to blow this,” Miles said.
“Fine, Dr. Ruth. How should I play it?”
“Doctor who?”
