The Only Purple House in Town (Fix-It Witches, #4)(25)
“Any winners so far?” Eli asked.
She jumped a bit. He’d come up behind her so quietly that she didn’t even sense a flicker of his presence. “Not yet. This is an important decision. I can’t rush it.”
Her family would mock her for saying something like that. She could hear it now—It’s just paint, Iris. But it wasn’t, really. It was about building a mood, telling a story with each room, and picking a single color reduced the amount of personality she could imbue. But this was a safer and easier choice; she could use textiles to add visual interest, whatever the walls looked like.
Eli nodded. “Any favorites then?”
“I’m stuck between Snow Day and Harbor Mist.” The first was pale and should brighten the walls, while the second was a cool gray.
“If the rooms were bigger, I’d say Harbor Mist, but with the space—”
“Snow Day then. We’ll look at this as offering a clean canvas. I’ll supply the basics, and our future roomies can figure out the rest.”
“Sounds reasonable. I like how you did the main bedroom.”
“I painted it green when I was planning to move in there,” she admitted. “But then I realized I could turn the attic into a studio and sleep up there.”
“And earn more,” Eli said.
She grinned. “There is that as well.”
“Do you have painting supplies already? If not, I have some in my truck.”
That made sense if he’d just finished flipping a house. Iris wondered idly how that worked; did the owners often let him stay there while fixing it up? But when it was ready to be sold, he probably had to relocate quickly, and it was probably tough to know exactly what date that would happen.
“I have what I used for the main bedroom, not enough for two people, though. So if you’re willing to dedicate your own—”
“Of course, it’s no problem. Then we just need the paint and some new plastic sheets for the floors.” He hesitated. “I know you don’t have much to spend on house reno, but I was thinking… We’ll probably have paint left over. If we buy some self-adhesive wallpaper, we could do an accent wall in the front room then use the leftover paint in there.”
Iris could imagine the wall he meant; it was widest one in the space, and it was currently an eyesore, painted in some dreadful sponge-daubing technique that was supposed to make it look like a Venetian palazzo but failed on all counts. Neither the colors nor the style worked with the rest of the house. She’d figured that living with it was the only option, but now Eli gave her hope for a reasonably priced fix.
“Were you thinking of doing the paper above the wainscoting?” Which her great-aunt had painted dusty blue for some reason.
“Exactly. I have some primer left in my truck. We can do Snow Day on the wainscoting and other walls.”
Just then, she spotted a bin of deeply discounted wallpaper. “I think I see why you’re suggesting this. I’ll tell Bruce what color we need and take a look.” She headed to the counter with the color card. “We need four gallons of Snow Day. There will be other odds and ends, so don’t ring us up yet.”
“I would never,” Bruce said with a smile. “You might find something else you can’t live without.”
As Iris went over to the discount wallpaper bin, the bell on the door jangled, and an older woman she’d never seen breezed in. She had white hair gloriously tumbled in unruly curls, haphazardly tied with a floral scarf that didn’t match the different flower pattern on her billowing dress. This woman was also wearing lime-green Crocs, ruffled ankle socks, and a gorgeous rainbow cardigan that immediately made Iris jealous because she didn’t own one just like it. She whipped past Iris in a swirl of blackberry and jasmine. Iris breathed in the scent and wondered what perfume the woman was wearing.
“Mom! I didn’t know you were stopping in today.” Bruce was beaming as he came out from behind the counter and gave her a hug.
“I didn’t know myself. But I was baking today, and I thought of you and Mitch. You both like my cheesecake squares, right? I packed a few for you.” She dug into her bucket bag and produced a small container.
“Are you kidding? We’ll inhale them. Thank you!” Bruce pulled the lid off to snag one, and even from this distance, she could smell the lemony sweetness. “Are you still staying at Ethel’s place?”
“Worrying about me again?” Exasperated tone, delivered with a gentle pat on his arm.
Bruce sighed. “You haven’t had a permanent address since you and Dad divorced. I’m the last person who would insist you stay in an unfulfilling marriage, especially after what we talked about. But—”
“You’re still worried. Look, I promised Ethel I’d take care of Percy until she gets back from the Caribbean. After that, I’ll find a place, okay?”
“Sounds reasonable. I love you. And I’m proud of you, even if the rest of the family doesn’t understand.”
“I knew you would,” Bruce’s mom said in a fond tone.
The older woman swirled out as swiftly as she’d come, and Iris realized she had been staring at the wallpaper without really seeing it as she unashamedly eavesdropped. Why? Because it seemed like Bruce’s mom might need somewhere to stay. Wonder how she would get along with Henry Dale.