“They’ll only treat you like shit as long as you let them. Staying silent hasn’t done a damn thing for you, and they won’t respect you any more for letting them do it. This isn’t school, Ellie. You’re a grown woman, and you definitely don’t need some twenty-something who knows nothing about life to make youfeel like you’re not the most fucking awesome person in this town. You own a shop. You own a home. You’re an amazing person with a great personality. Don’t let them stomp that out.”
Her cheeks turned a fuckable shade of red as she picked up her own glass and took a sip. It was damn hard to sit at this table with her, pretending to be interested in food, when all I wanted was to take her home and keep her in my bed until the sun came up.
But I was doing this for a reason, and I wasn’t about to let my cock get in the way of that.
“So, how’s the law office going?” she asked, changing the subject.
“It’s a mess, honestly. Mr. Peterson has files going back a hundred years. He said I should keep them around because a lot have to do with the town. Though, where I’m supposed to store them is another question.”
“There’s an empty building next to it. You could always rent that out and use it as storage and a front office.”
I nodded, thinking about how I could arrange that. “And close off the outdoor exit from my current location.”
“Well, you might want to keep it as an emergency exit,” she grinned. “You never know when you might want to make a quick getaway.”
“Business is business.”
“Right, until Mrs. Abernathy walks in and needs you to file a restraining order against the couple kissing across the courtyard. Or Mrs. Butterworth gets upset because of all the skateboarders around town.”
“Okay,” I chuckled. “An emergency exit.”
“And you have to do something about the color of the office,” she said, her nose scrunching up in disgust.
“Brown isn’t to your taste?”
“I’m pretty sure that office hasn’t been painted since Mr. Peterson opened the practice. And the furniture has to be replaced. Olive green and orange are not welcoming.”
“What else needs to be fixed?” I asked, interested in what she would say next.
“Those valances…as beautiful as they are, they’re yellowing.”
“I would have thought you would want to keep those.”
She pulled a face, shaking her head. “For a house, maybe. I think those were also a gift from his mother when he moved into the office.”
“So, what you’re saying is that my office needs an overhaul.”
“If you can afford it.”
I nodded, not wanting to say something like,oh, yeah. I’ve got the money.Orif you only knew how much I had in my bank account.Something like that would not impress a woman like Ellie.
Not that I was trying to impress her. This wasn’t a date. But she was currently one of my only friends in this town, and I wasn’t about to destroy the one relationship that was working for me.
“Hmm, well, I suppose I could get some new paint and take care of the walls. Maybe white,” I said, wondering what her reaction would be.
Again, she frowned.
“No good?”
“Well, it’s just so sterile.”
“It’s bright.”
“It has no feeling!” she argued.
I hid my grin, rather enjoying seeing this side to her. I liked to get a rise out of her, and even better, I was getting free decorating advice. “Okay, then what color should I go with?”
“That takes a lot of thought. You want something warm and inviting. Nothing pretentious?—”
