After twenty minutes, she excused herself to work on the revisions of the screenplay adaptation, for which she’d just received notes. When she emerged from Eudora’s room a few hours later, she found Noah at the counter surrounded by catalogs. He was in an excellent mood.
“What do you think of this?” he asked, opening one to a full page of gray cabinets.
“I like it,” said AJ.
Noah frowned. “But do you like it better than this?” he said, shoving a second catalog in her face with a photo of cabinets that were objectively identical.
AJ shrugged. “I like the ones you have.”
Noah shook his head. “Thoseare dated,” he said sternly. “Thesecome with soft-close hinges.”
“I’m sure whatever you choose will be fine,” said AJ.
Noah gave her a severe look. “It’s important you like them as well,” he said. “They’ll be yours one day.”
AJ laughed, then realized he was serious. “I think you just accidentally bumped off your father,” she said. “Isn’t this his house?”
“He doesn’t care about this place,” said Noah dismissively. “Besides, it’s not like he’s going to have anyone to leave it to.”
AJ’s stomach rolled. “Noah, is there anything you want to talk about?” she ventured delicately.
“No, AJ, I don’t want to talk about things I can’t change,” he said without looking up. “Things I can change, however, are these cabinets.”
He flipped the catalog to a new page and began listing the pros and cons of frameless versus inset doors as AJ did her best to keep the horror off her face.
While AJ appreciated thatthis new project gave Noah a place to channel his anxiety, she couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for it. No matter how many samples he showed her, how many times he dragged her to Home Depot to look at light fixtures, or how many issues ofArchitectural Digesthe left open on her nightstand, AJ could not get herself excited.
This kitchen felt like home to her, and she did not want to change a single outlet.
“I would really like your support on this,” Noah said again and again.
AJ told him he had it, then continued her campaign of passive resistance.
She didn’t realize how much her apathy was bothering him until he started leaking one night while they were at Patrick and Elle’s for dinner.
“So, how’s it going, you two?” asked Elle warmly, placing chips and salsa on the table.
“Great,” said Noah sardonically. “Except that AJ is a terrible Taurus.”
AJ glanced at him. He was “just kidding,” but he was clearly pissed.
Patrick burst out laughing. Over the past year, his physical therapy had continued to progress, and he now had full use of both arms. His triceps were ripped from wheeling himself around and using his leg braces. He had returned to work, so Elle’s parents were off dispersingcrystals to some lucky ren fair. Unfortunately. AJ would have loved a diversion from Raven Mabon-Fay right about now.
Elle’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “What makes you say that?”
Noah blinked accusingly at AJ.
“I like dated cabinets,” AJ mumbled.
Elle cocked her head to the side. “AJ’s just this side of Aries,” she said. “Are you into that stuff?”
Noah’s manner softened. “I like anything that helps explain why things are the way they are,” he said. “Tell me what you mean.”
As Elle stepped into the side of her personality she normally pretended didn’t exist, Patrick caught AJ’s eye. “Is he having his Tom Cruise moment?” he whispered. “Is he going clear?”
AJ grinned. “More like his HGTV moment.” She explained about the kitchen.
Patrick shook his head at her. “You know, you’re the only girl in the world who’s not ecstatic that her movie star boyfriend wants to buddy up on a kitchen reno.”
