“Such a morning person.”
“Definitely not. My morning-show stint with Dave was torture.” She sipped and looked around. “Where’d Faith go?”
She followed Aiden behind the kitchen island, where he opened and closed one drawer after another.
“She said she wanted to check out what’s new in toilets, but I think she wanted to get away from Devon. He kept asking if he could touch the blue streaks in her hair.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Devon’s lucky she didn’t snap his wrist like a twig.”
“It might come to that if he’s still here when she gets back.” He slammed the last cabinet door shut. “Damn.”
“What are you looking for?”
“I wanted to hang a curtain in the window, but nobody remembered to bring a tension rod, and I’m worried nails will split the wood.”
The aggravation in his voice was at odds with such a seemingly small oversight, but when she looked at the empty window frame above the sink, she could see why. They’d done all this work to build a whole dang kitchen in the expo building, and the window now provided a picturesque view of the men’s restroom entrance.
“Yeah, you probably want to cover that up.” She grabbed the lightweight material lying on the counter. “Do you care what happens to this after the show?”
“Nope,” he said.
She tapped a finger to her lips in thought. “Do you have painter’s tape and a hot-glue gun, perchance?”
He opened the door under the sink and produced a thick blue roll of tape. “I think we’ve got Gorilla Glue someplace. Hang on.”
He disappeared behind the display where they’d stashed their assembly supplies, and by the time he was back, Thea had clambered up onto the sink and was unrolling a length of tape along the top of the window casing.
“Hey, careful.” Without any warning, strong hands grabbed either side of her waist. She’d been steady before, but the heat of his hands through her shirt made her wobble, and his grip tightened. “Got it?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” She forced herself to ignore his touch and finished securing the tape to the window. “Glue?”
He set the tube on her palm, and she squirted a healthy amount across the tape, then quickly pressed the top of the curtain to it.
“If this was any heavier, it probably wouldn’t hold. But it’ll work for today at least.” She glanced over her shoulder to find him hovering close enough that she’d squash him if she fell off the sink. “Okay, that ought to do it.”
She capped the glue and tossed it on the counter. Then she straightened the gauzy white curtain, which now successfully hid the activity in the men’s room. She started to clamber down, but before she could make any progress, Aiden’s hands were back on her waist, and he swung her off the edge of the sink and onto the floor. The movement ended with her back against the countertop and Aiden’s front pressing into hers. Neither of them moved.
“Thanks.” She almost didn’t breathe for fear of breaking the spell.
He looked down at her for a moment before he glanced over her head at her handiwork. “How on earth did you know how to do that? Wait, don’t tell me.” His hands were back on her waist again even though she was no longer in danger of toppling over. “You spent a month as an interior decorator. Or you majored in textile design. Or”—he leaned down so his mouth brushed her ear—“you’re a King Construction spy, sent to steal our secrets.”
Did she think she wasn’t in danger of toppling over? Because right then, with the smell of coffee mixing with the woodsy scent of his aftershave, her knees went weak.
“Actually,” she whispered back, “I had a stepdad who didn’t like holes in the walls of his house, and this let me hang up tapestries without damaging anything.”
He stepped back with a frown. “Really?”
She laughed lightly. “And look at what great life skills it taught me!”
His mouth worked as if he might say something else, but the sounds of people approaching penetrated their bubble. They broke away to find a middle-aged couple studying a brochure. And just like that, it was sales time.
“Hi, folks. I’m Aiden Murdoch, and this is Thea. What questions can I answer for you today?”
She stepped forward, absurdly pleased at being included in his introduction, and watched as he answered every one of their renovation queries with succinct yet enticing answers. The encounter ended with them tucking away his business card and wandering off with a promise to call on Monday.
“Wow. NowIkind of want a Cambria countertop.”
“Nah,” he said immediately. “I’ve already got big ideas for your kitchen.”
