Free Behold the Stars by Susan Fanetti Page B

pine crap, and true joints, and premium leather, for half as much.”
    “In what spare time are you going to make all this furniture? You already have orders to fill.”
    “If you can live with the Lunden ass furniture for a while longer, I will find the time, Sport. I will build anything you want. But please let’s not spend our money on this shit.”
    She loved the idea of the house being filled even more than it already was with Isaac’s woodwork. For that, she thought she could be patient. “Okay. Let’s shop for curtains and paint, though, okay? I have an idea for the kitchen.”
     
    ~oOo~
     
    They found a home and bath superstore, and Lilli loved that place. They filled two carts, with new curtains for the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room (a room that never got used, but had beautiful furniture in it already); new towels for the bathroom; and a lot of new cookware. Most of what was in the kitchen now, though interesting and quirky, was not very functional. Isaac, not being a cook, hadn’t noticed. They also picked up some storage pieces so that Lilli could better organize cabinets and closets. Enjoying herself immensely, she realized that she felt like she was outfitting her own house. The thought made her feel light.
    Their last stop was a paint store. Lilli wanted to redecorate the kitchen. She was surprised when Isaac started to resist. They were standing at the paint sample display, and Lilli was describing what she wanted to do. The kitchen was an old farmhouse kitchen, and she wasn’t planning to gut it and start over, but she’d had some ideas about making it fresher.
    Isaac listened, but Lilli could see he didn’t like the idea. She continued describing it, though, and then, when she was done, he said, “I like the strawberries—my grandma…” Then, he shook his head a bit and said, “You know what? Forget that. Sounds beautiful. What do we need?”
    God, he was trying so hard. He was talking about the strawberry-print fabric on the open-frame cabinet doors. Lilli thought it was quaint, but it was badly faded and frayed. She wanted to repaint the cabinets black and do a funky fabric in a bright color, like orange or grass green. She was finding her way, though, never having thought about decorating with any kind of focus before. She knew that Isaac’s grandma was someone who’d been good to him, and that had been rare in his family. The fabric had to go—it was practically decomposing—but she had an idea.
    “What if we paint the cabinets dark green and find a new fabric with strawberries. It could be like an homage to your grandma.”
    He grinned. “That’s okay?”
    “Sure. I don’t want to make your house my house. I want to make it our house.”
    “That’s what I want, Sport. Ours.” He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a brief but intense kiss. Then they picked out new paint cards and went to have their colors mixed.
    Not long later, they loaded the truck with the last of their purchases, and Isaac secured everything in the bed, while Lilli rolled the cart to the parking lot corral. They were headed to a late lunch, or early dinner, next, and then back home. As she approached the truck, Isaac’s burner rang. He answered it as they climbed into the cab.
    “Yeah, Show. S’up?” Within a few seconds, something about Isaac changed—he grew tense—and Lilli’s attention to his call sharpened.
    “Fuck! Is he…oh, fuck, Show. I’m there as fast as I can. Oh, fuck…yeah, just go. Get everybody. I’m comin’.”
    He turned to Lilli, his face livid with shock, rage, and grief. “Will’s dead. His place was torched. It’s a fuckin’ inferno. We gotta get back, and now.”
     

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Isaac tore down Will’s long gravel drive, kicking up rocks and dirt in a wild plume behind his Ford. Lilli was braced on the passenger side, one arm locked against the window, her other hand on the dash, as the truck bounced crazily,