Obsession Falls(32)

“Exactly.”

Were we connecting? I felt like maybe we were connecting. Or maybe I was just parroting back what he’d said and we were about to run out of things to talk about.

My heart beat a couple more times and neither of us said anything.

This was about to get awkward. What should I say? I wanted him to invite me inside to look at the house but I couldn’t seem to make my voice work to ask. He was so broody and intimidating.

“Do you want go in and see the house?” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

“Yes.” My voice came out as an overly excited squeak. I cleared my throat and tried again, trying to fake as much chill as possible. “I mean, yeah, sure. Is it okay if Max comes?”

“As long as he won’t pee on anything.”

“No, he’s good about that.” Max chose that moment to pee on the tree. “And he just went. Let’s go, Max.”

Josiah turned and I followed him to the front door with Max trotting along beside us. We went in and our steps echoed in the empty space. A few spots in the ceiling had bare light bulbs hanging precariously and the floor was made up of large, rough-looking boards. But despite how unfinished everything appeared, it had a certain charm.

I took slow steps toward what had probably once been the kitchen. “Wow, I didn’t know a house could look so naked.”

Josiah chuckled, a low noise in his throat that brought the tingles back with a vengeance. Getting a laugh out of him felt like a hard-won victory.

“It doesn’t look like much now,” he said. “But it’s going to be nice.”

“Tawny oak would never do.” I gestured to the floor. “Not that I really know what tawny oak is, but it doesn’t sound pretty.”

“It’s over there.” He pointed to a large stack of long rectangular boxes. “My dad was here when the delivery arrived and he didn’t realize it wasn’t right.”

I looked at the picture on the top box while Max sniffed the perimeter. It wasn’t a terrible color. Kind of a light brown. But it didn’t seem to fit this house. “I assume the color your wanted is darker?”

“Yeah, a richer brown.”

“Do you pick the colors yourself?”

“Mostly. If I’m not sure, I ask my sister, but I can usually tell what will work and what won’t.” He pointed to the opposite corner of the house. “The kitchen will be over there. We took out a wall to open things up and create more space.”

“It’s hard to imagine what it would have looked like with a wall there.”

“Too dark and closed off.”

I wandered to where the kitchen would be. The walls looked like large portions had been repaired. “What happened here?”

“I got in a fight with the cabinets.”

There wasn’t a hint of humor in his tone but one corner of his mouth hooked ever so slightly.

“Who won?”

“Me.”

I laughed. “I can see that. And the wall was collateral damage.”

“Yeah, it’s not ideal.” He ran his hands over a seam. “More work but there wasn’t much I could do.”

“What’s it going to look like when it’s done?”

His eyes brightened a little. “I’m thinking walnut cabinets. Rich without being too dark. We’ll do an island here and I might paint it for a pop of color. And a statement light fixture. Something bold enough to be interesting without making it look cluttered.”

“Wow. That sounds amazing.”

He rested his hands on his hips and glanced around. “It’ll be a hell of a lot better than when we bought it.”

“I bet. And a lot less naked than it is now. I’m excited to see it come together.”

“Yeah.” His mouth hooked in that almost smile again. “Me too.”

I glanced around, looking for Max, but I didn’t see him. “Max? I think he might have gone upstairs.”

“That’s okay, it’s just as empty.”

“He’s like a toddler. Out of sight and quiet is dangerous.”

Josiah led the way up the stairs. The walls were intact but the floor looked just as unfinished. A small landing led to a short hallway with several doors—bedrooms, a bathroom, and what was probably a closet. We found Max sniffing a few tools in one of the bedrooms.

“There you are, Max. Silly dog.”

Josiah leaned against the door frame. “So, you work at the newspaper?”

My heart did a little skip at his apparent interest. “Yeah. It’s – interesting. I’m still figuring things out.”

“Have you always been in journalism?”

“Not exactly. It was my major in college but I’ve done a few different things, mostly in PR and marketing.”

“Then how’d you end up at the Tribune?”

“Weird, right? The truth is, I got laid off from my last job and couldn’t seem to find anything. I fully admit, I took this one more out of desperation than because it’s my dream job.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s not bad. Sandra is a hoot. Lou is kind of grouchy but I don’t really blame him. Trying to keep a dying newspaper alive is bound to get old.” I shrugged. “It’s just temporary, anyway. I’m still looking for something else.”