Page 40 of Falling for Keeps

She shifts on the seat to face me. “That’s adorable.”

“I’m hoping to paint something of a tree around it on the wall.”

“And clouds on the ceiling?”

“Yes…that’s a brilliant idea.”

“What will you put inside?”

I spend the rest of our drive explaining what I have in mind. By the time we pull into the craft store parking lot, Emma is nodding along like she agrees with everything I said. “What about cushions on the upper level? So they have a place to sit and read?”

I never said anything about books, but it’s not a bad idea. Put a basket up there full of them so kids can read or play.

“I can make them,” Emma says. “I have all the stuff at home. I recently made new pillows for my couch and bought way too much stuffing. You just need to choose fabric.”

“What will it cost me? Installing new flooring? Replacing your roof?”

She unbuckles her seat belt and sends me a flat look. “How about we stop keeping track and just help each other out?”

That doesn’t work, though. If we do that, how will I know when our relationship teeters to the side and grows imbalanced? I’m protecting myself, yes, but also Penny and Emma. I refuse to enter another situation where equality isn’t important. “I need to keep track,” I say, searching for a less pathetic explanation than the full truth. “Then I won’t find myself too indebted to you.”

A soft furrow forms between her eyebrows. “You aren’t taking advantage of me. I offered.”

“This is something I could buy at the store, though. I don’t need you to make cushions.”

“So are new chairs.”

She has me there.

Emma tilts her head to the side. “If you don’t want the cushions, that’s fine, but if it’s really a matter of feeling indebted to me, I think you’ll feel differently about ten minutes into tiling my bathroom. You haven’t even seen what I want to do to the shower yet.”

My smile spreads, unbidden. “Fine. Yes, I’d love cushions. Thank you.”

Emma grins while she lets herself out of the truck. We walk into the craft store together and she leads me directly to a section of fabric, then steers me away from the florals and toward muted patterns. “These are great for upholstery. They’ll stand up to wear and regular usage pretty well, so I’d stick to this section. Do you have a color in mind?”

Overwhelm threatens to drown me. The fabrics all look the same, and to me, they aren’t much different from the brown chairs Emma and Penny hated. “My ex-wife was in charge of anything design-related. I don’t have an opinion on most things, and I’m sure I don’t know what looks good.”

“You probably have better taste than you think.” She gives me a once-over that makes me want to straighten my posture and wear something better than a hoodie and jeans.

“Any idea what might look good with my blue walls?”

“Let’s start with what you like. Don’t think about the office or matching any colors, just point out a couple that you’re drawn to.”

I check the time on my phone. “I need to be back to pick up Penny⁠—”

“We’ll be fast,” she promises. “We’ll make it back in plenty of time. Now point out a few.”

The pressure is on. I try to remove all expectations on myself and my office, the feeling that this could make or break my waiting room, and look at the bolts lining the shelf in front of us. “This.” I point to a thick maroon fabric. “And these.”

Emma nods, fighting a wide smile. “Like I said, you have good taste.” She moves closer, her arm brushing mine as she feels the fabrics I pointed out, giving each one thought. “I’d go with this one for easy cleanup. Heaven forbid you get a sick kid or someone spills a drink, but if you do, you can wipe it right up.”

The faux-leather one she’s talking about is a caramel brown. When I pointed it out, I wasn’t thinking of color schemes. It looks nice. “So we’re replacing brown with brown?”

“Dingy brown that needed to be washed ten years ago and a clean new fake leather aren’t even in the same league, Carson.”

“Okay, that’s fair.”

“If you really can’t let go of those old chairs, I might have to rescind my comment.” She presses her shoulder into mine playfully. “You know they give the room a weird smell, right? Did you catch that?”