guess.” Lisa started walking again. “Maybe...”
“Remember, I’m not in the market for another interior decorator, Lisa. I just thought we could find a few little knickknacks. I repeat, few. I’m not hiring a huge staff—and I’m not fond of dusting.”
His warning didn’t seem to faze her as she picked up her pace. “Look at this.” Without pause, she pushed the heavy oak door open into a rustic shop.
He had to agree with her. Why had Celeste come in dragging modern art sculptures of wildlife and poorly made replicas of antique furniture when this stuff was available?
“Oh, Adam. Isn’t this adorable?”
He looked at Lisa standing next to the whimsical bear carved from a tree stump. She held up the sign that said Out To Lunch on one side and Welcome on the other. Adam smiled. “Cute as can be.”
She spun around, hands on her hips. “Are you making fun of me?”
Adam shook his head. I wasn’t talking about the bear, sweetheart. He lifted the statue from the display. “I suppose you want me to put the little critter on the deck?”
Lisa stepped back to assess the bear. “He’s too small. Maybe the artist could make you a larger version.” She cocked her head and smiled. “It could say Feeding the Herds instead of Out To Lunch.”
He returned the bear to the display and gently placed his hand on her back to move her along before she had a ten-foot statue on his bill. “I’ll think about it.”
“You really like the idea?” She looked up to him with those curious eyes of hers.
His heartbeat quickened and a primitive warning sounded in his brain. Lisa looked oddly fragile as she waited for his approval, and he didn’t have the heart to let her down. “Yeah, he’s okay.”
Satisfaction washed over her, and she moved through the store more at ease than he’d seen her since her arrival. She picked up a replica of a rustic old barn lantern and a copper candle holder with a cutout of the silhouette of a pine tree. “I think these would add dimension to the coffee table by the big-screen television.”
“Dimension?”
“You know, contrast. Tie the old and the new together. Besides, they’d add an aspect of light to that side of the great room. If someone’s watching TV, their back is to the woodstove. Not only that, candles are homey.”
Before he knew it, he’d agreed to buy them, and several other items. She disappeared when he went to the proprietor’s office to order the special sign for the bear carving.
When she returned, Lisa had a bag of her own which equalled his in size.
“What did you get?”
She smiled, lifting her eyebrows. “Just a couple of gifts. Alissa and Ricky have birthdays coming up.”
“Oh, yeah. Guess I’d better do some shopping, too.” Adam locked the bags in the truck before they returned to the camera store. Lisa pulled her camera from the bag and handed it to the technician and explained what had happened. She waited silently for his assessment.
The white-haired gentleman glanced up at her, then across the store to Adam. “I don’t see any real damage,” the man said. “But I can take a look at it and give you a call tomorrow. Gets kind of pricey replacing a professional setup like this, I suppose you know.”
From the corner of his eye, Adam saw the worry in her expression. “Yes, I know,” she all but whispered. “I’ll call tomorrow.”
Adam set the book back on the shelf and stepped up beside her. “Can I do anything?”
She simply shook her head in silence and headed toward the door.
“Why don’t we get a bite to eat?”
“Eat?” Lisa’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no. I forgot to give you a message last night. A woman called to confirm a lunch date.” She dragged Adam out the door. “Oh, drat, I forgot her name.”
Adam glanced at his watch and chuckled. “It’s not like I have a dozen women on a string. Come on, we may as well see if Tara’s still there.”
“You’re kidding, right? I don’t think the woman
“Remember, I’m not in the market for another interior decorator, Lisa. I just thought we could find a few little knickknacks. I repeat, few. I’m not hiring a huge staff—and I’m not fond of dusting.”
His warning didn’t seem to faze her as she picked up her pace. “Look at this.” Without pause, she pushed the heavy oak door open into a rustic shop.
He had to agree with her. Why had Celeste come in dragging modern art sculptures of wildlife and poorly made replicas of antique furniture when this stuff was available?
“Oh, Adam. Isn’t this adorable?”
He looked at Lisa standing next to the whimsical bear carved from a tree stump. She held up the sign that said Out To Lunch on one side and Welcome on the other. Adam smiled. “Cute as can be.”
She spun around, hands on her hips. “Are you making fun of me?”
Adam shook his head. I wasn’t talking about the bear, sweetheart. He lifted the statue from the display. “I suppose you want me to put the little critter on the deck?”
Lisa stepped back to assess the bear. “He’s too small. Maybe the artist could make you a larger version.” She cocked her head and smiled. “It could say Feeding the Herds instead of Out To Lunch.”
He returned the bear to the display and gently placed his hand on her back to move her along before she had a ten-foot statue on his bill. “I’ll think about it.”
“You really like the idea?” She looked up to him with those curious eyes of hers.
His heartbeat quickened and a primitive warning sounded in his brain. Lisa looked oddly fragile as she waited for his approval, and he didn’t have the heart to let her down. “Yeah, he’s okay.”
Satisfaction washed over her, and she moved through the store more at ease than he’d seen her since her arrival. She picked up a replica of a rustic old barn lantern and a copper candle holder with a cutout of the silhouette of a pine tree. “I think these would add dimension to the coffee table by the big-screen television.”
“Dimension?”
“You know, contrast. Tie the old and the new together. Besides, they’d add an aspect of light to that side of the great room. If someone’s watching TV, their back is to the woodstove. Not only that, candles are homey.”
Before he knew it, he’d agreed to buy them, and several other items. She disappeared when he went to the proprietor’s office to order the special sign for the bear carving.
When she returned, Lisa had a bag of her own which equalled his in size.
“What did you get?”
She smiled, lifting her eyebrows. “Just a couple of gifts. Alissa and Ricky have birthdays coming up.”
“Oh, yeah. Guess I’d better do some shopping, too.” Adam locked the bags in the truck before they returned to the camera store. Lisa pulled her camera from the bag and handed it to the technician and explained what had happened. She waited silently for his assessment.
The white-haired gentleman glanced up at her, then across the store to Adam. “I don’t see any real damage,” the man said. “But I can take a look at it and give you a call tomorrow. Gets kind of pricey replacing a professional setup like this, I suppose you know.”
From the corner of his eye, Adam saw the worry in her expression. “Yes, I know,” she all but whispered. “I’ll call tomorrow.”
Adam set the book back on the shelf and stepped up beside her. “Can I do anything?”
She simply shook her head in silence and headed toward the door.
“Why don’t we get a bite to eat?”
“Eat?” Lisa’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no. I forgot to give you a message last night. A woman called to confirm a lunch date.” She dragged Adam out the door. “Oh, drat, I forgot her name.”
Adam glanced at his watch and chuckled. “It’s not like I have a dozen women on a string. Come on, we may as well see if Tara’s still there.”
“You’re kidding, right? I don’t think the woman
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