“Yes, it’s usually what people do right before they make a decision.”
He snorted. “Ha. See you found your funny bone.”
“That’s what that was?” I tilted my head to the side. Huh, I suppose I did enjoy humor. The dry, sarcastic kind. Noted.
“I suppose I should have asked, what you’re thinkingabout?” Lincoln rephrased.
“Putting a lock on Naomi’s door.” My skin burned a little because yeah, this felt weird now. Conceptually it was fine, but was it strange to buy an expensive-looking lock to place on her door? Would this be concerning to her? I didn’t want to come off as overbearing.
“Hm.” Lincoln nodded. “Nice.”
I released a heavy breath. “It’s weird.”
“No, no.” He chuckled a little, making me feel ten times worse.
“I’m returning this.” I turned to go back outside. If I hurried, I could have my money back before she got home. It’d be like this never happened.
“Whoa, slow down.” Lincoln caught me before I could get to the door. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and turned me back toward her room. “I said it’s nice. That’s not a synonym for weird.”
“Not a synonym, but potentially loaded with negative connotation.”
“What? No. Look, you’re thinking too much. You always have.”
I sighed. “I guess some things never change—no matter how hard you hit your head.”
Lincoln raised a brow. “Okay,thatsounded loaded. You want to unpack it?”
“No. Definitely not.” I felt my best when not taking part in deep discussions. I liked to save that for therapy and occasionally Chai—Naomi.
“If you insist.” Lincoln shrugged, never one to push. “I think the lock is fine. Specific enough to get her to understand you like her.”
“I am being pretty clear, right?” I winced at having to ask.
Lincoln laughed. “Oh, you are. If the puppy dog eyes weren’t enough, helping her do even the smallest of things is. Nice save the other morning, by the way. Your reflexes are unmatched.”
“That porch is a death trap. Her shoes keep getting caught on the wood,” I grumbled. “I’m fixing those next.”
“Wouldn’t expect any less.” Lincoln patted my back. “Finn, change the lock. It’ll excite her and maybe relax you—for like a minute before you figure out what else you need to take apart and put back together.”
I nodded and waited for him to leave before kneeling to see if I could tackle the project with ease. Taking the knob off was the easy part, of course. Putting on the new one took longer than I originally expected. By the time I tightened the last screw, it was dark out. I got so into the project, I didn’t hear Naomi come in. Her familiar scent made me glance up.
She smiled, looking happy to see me. I could get used to that. I’d change a billion locks if it gave me an excuse to be in the same room as her.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s going on?”
I pushed off the ground, scratching my jaw. “I…changed your lock.”
Her brows raised as she joined me by my side. “You changed my lock?”
“Yeah, it’s…” I waved my screwdriver toward her door. “New. And changed.”
She let out a hesitant laugh. “So I see.”
We both stared at her door.
“Your crate is nice and all.” I tried to fill the dead air. “But you deserved better.”
Naomi nodded, not meeting my gaze. I watched as she stepped closer to touch the knob. Her fingers wrapped around the intricate handle.
