Page 30 of Cosy & Chill
“I can imagine. These things are beasts! Will you and your friend be strong enough to move them, or do you want me to come with?”
“They’re not that heavy, fortunately. Just unwieldy. We’d best decide where they go before we bring them in.”
“Good thought. We dumped all my yarn in the utility room yesterday. I need to sort out what’s where, or I’ll waste hours hunting for supplies. I’ll tackle that tomorrow if that’s okay with you.”
An image of purple and amethyst flashed through Leo’s mind. So fast, it left him gasping. “Actually…”
“What?”
“Were you serious about having a sofa and armchairs in the store?”
“Totally.”
“Then… maybe…” Leo swallowed. “My grandma put some furniture into storage for me. A sofa with carved legs and wooden scrollwork, and armchairs to match. She said that—one day—they’d come in useful.”
“You want to put them in the store? But they’re from your grandma!” Finn’s grey eyes were so wide, he looked like a startled fox. Wary, too, as if he wasn’t quite sure how to respond.
“I used to love them when I was little,” Leo hastened to reassure him. “The sofa was my go-to place when I wanted to hide out and read. Then my grandma got new furniture and put these ones to the side. They’re not… modern or anything. They wouldn’t suit a flat or even most houses, but if I remember them right, they would be just the ticket in the store. We could go and look at them after we’ve done the shopping. See what you think?”
“That’s… very generous of you.”
The flush in Finn’s cheeks took its colour from the bright copper of his hair. It hid the freckles and made the grey of Finn’s eyes more striking. Leo stared at his plate before he embarrassed them both and ran his fingers over Finn’s skin. “I think it’s what she would have wanted me to do. Our store should be a happy, comfortable place.”
Finn touched his hand as he’d done the night before. “Then I’d love to come with you to check them out,” he said, and added the task to his list.
“Ah, there it is. A bit old-fashioned, but very comfy.” Leo pointed towards one corner of the half-filled storage unit. The long, narrow space—one of a row of stacked, metal shipping containers—held cardboard boxes, wooden crates, and items of furniture swathed in dust cloths. It wasn’t full enough to stop the echo of their voices bouncing from wall to wall, or the floor to clang and clatter with each of their steps.
Leo leaned over the sofa to free the dust sheet while Finn felt like a boy watching a magician at work. A sexy magician with flexing biceps and defined muscles moving under the fitted top.
The cover was tucked in tight, but Leo kept tugging. When the fabric finally came free, Finn couldn’t hold back a gasp. A dark wooden frame with decorative carving revealed itself to his gaze, followed by deep purple cushions that looked like velvet.
“That is absolutely divine!” Finn ran his fingertips over the upholstery, then threw himself backwards onto the seat, careful to keep his boots off the fabric. The sofa gave under his weight and Finn sighed as he settled against the backrest. “As comfortable as you said.”
“I don’t remember it looking so tired.” Leo clutched the dust cover to his chest and didn’t make any attempt to test the sofa’s springs. “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.”
Finn rolled off the cushions and came to stand beside him. “It was a fabulous idea,” he argued, hating to see Leo so unsure. “The velvet’s a bit crushed, but if it’s been under covers for ages, what do you expect?”
“You don’t have to be nice.”
“Who’s nice? Ilikethis sofa, Leo.”
“You’d really have it in the shop?”
“Of course! You couldn’t have had a better idea! It fits with the panelling, and the purple is just… decadent. What about the armchairs? Are they purple, too?”
The armchairs were a pale amethyst colour and Finn had visions of purple and lilac, with deep red cushions and charcoal grey blankets piled high. “Jewel colours,” he breathed, amazed at the find. “This will look so, so fabulous.”
He pulled out his biggest grin, not hiding his excitement. “Let’s take them back with us. I’ll give them a steam and polish tomorrow and then they’ll be like new. You’ll see.”
Finn was as good as his word.
He spent half the Sunday polishing the wooden frames, and dusting and steaming the fabric, making use of all the cleaning equipment that the house came with. Leo had never seen half the tools Finn pulled out to treat the sofa and armchairs, but when Finn set them aside and admired his handiwork, Leo had to admit that he’d wrought a miracle.
His grandma’s sofa and armchairs had found a new home in the bow window of their shop, inviting passers-by to step inside and take a break. Especially when Finn brought down a couple of dark grey, knitted cushions and a lighter grey blanket, and set them against the amethyst of the armchairs.
“Now I really want to grab a book and settle down to read,” Leo admitted.
“Why don’t you? I’m sure we’ve earned a break.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Knit, of course. It’s always been my dream and now…” He swallowed a couple of times and busied himself with straightening the already straight cushions. “Thank you.”
Leo didn’t comment. He went upstairs to fetch a book and picked up a bottle of wine and two glasses on the way.
“To Cosy & Chill,” he said, as he handed Finn a glass. “I’ve picked a Merlot. It complements the sofa!”
Finn raised his glass, and they toasted their new venture for the third time in three days.
