basically direct person to tiptoe around a subject. Much easier to just say what youâre thinking, isnât it?â
âGets you in trouble sometimes,â I said. Iâd reached the couch and sat down, suppressing a sigh of relief. Stupid knee. My shoulder wasnât feeling too great, either.
âTrouble can be interesting. Here, let me help you get that leg up.â
âI can do it.â
âNow how did I know you were going to say that?â She ignored my scowl, putting her hands under my calf and helping me lift the leg onto the couch. âI must be psychic.â
âThat makes sense. Itâs not like Iâm predictable.â
She laughed and settled on the other end, curling one leg up beneath her. That surprised me. Sheâd mostly stayed away this afternoon unless I needed somethingâ¦which I figured was my fault. Because of that kiss. With my leg stretched out between us, I couldnât jump her. Thatâs probably what she was thinking.
And I was not thinking about that kiss again. I was just wondering if she was.
âI liked watching you and Zach together,â she said. âGave me the idea that youâre crazy about him.â
âWell, yeah. Of course I am. Any manâ¦â My voice trailed off as I remembered that her father hadnât acted like he was crazy about her. I cleared my throat. âOf course, some men are jerks.â
âI can agree with that.â
The bitter note in her voice surprised me, though it shouldnât have. She had a right to be bitter. âDo you hate him?â I asked abruptly. âYour father, I mean.â
She blinked. âIâ¦oh, damn, I wanted to say no, that he doesnât matter enough to hate. And thatâs almost true. But sometimesâ¦â
She shrugged and looked away, but not before Iâd seen the unhappiness in her eyes. âItâs like having a trick knee. You go along fine for days, weeks, even months. Then all of a sudden you put your weight on it, and it doesnât hold. Every now and then I still get angry. Dumb, isnât it?â Her mouth twisted. âIâm thirty-two years old. I should be over it by now.â
âI donât see what âshouldâ has to do with it. Seems to me we can control our actions, but thoughts and feelings donât pay much attention to rules.â Or I wouldnât be thinking about that blasted kiss again.
She looked startled, then smiled. âI suspect a lot of people underestimate you.â
That was probably a compliment. I studied her a moment. Though her body was easy, relaxed, I thought shadows lingered in her eyes. I decided to steer us into less painful territory. âSo, what would you change in here?â
âMe?â
âYou said things hadnât been changed in a long time. You must have had something in mind.â
âIâd paint the walls,â she said promptly.
I looked around critically. âNothing wrong with the paint.â
âItâs white, Ben.â
âSo?â
âSo the room could use some color. Red would be great.â
âYouâre kidding.â
âGreen would be good, tooâa rich green, nothing wimpy. But this couch is a lovely, warm brown. I think red would be great with it. And maybe some molding over the fireplace to match the crown moldings. That would make the mantel really pop.â
I eyed her dubiously. âYou sound like an upscale decorator.â
She laughed. âIâll admit to being hooked on those shows on cable.â
âThey have decorating shows?â
âDonât watch much TV, do you?â
âNot if I can help it.â
âWell, thereâs a whole network devoted to it. Shows about gardening and all kinds of decoratingâwindow treatments, kitchen remodels, painting techniques, all that sort of thing.â She grinned. âA friend of mine calls it female porn. We can look and