Page 28 of New Girl in Town
I grinned and exhaled, enjoying the fact that no one could tell me that my ideas were tacky and tasteless. That my choices should come out of some hand-curated collection. Dylan would have demanded nothing else, and I pulled a face just thinking about all the boring art and bland pieces he had filled our home with.
Nothing in our space had been allowed to be too feminine or delicate, because heaven knew that frills and the occasional splash of pink was a slippery slope when it came to preserving fragile masculinity. If I ever saw another dark blue or grey suede item it would be too soon. I wanted color, and I didn’t care if my art or furniture matched so long as I liked it, but the problem was that I didn’t know, couldn’t remember, what I liked.
The last time I’d had a place to myself, I’d been in college and all I could afford was cheap pressed wood furniture from big box stores or items marked free and left on curbsides.
I snorted, remembering how Melinda and I had dragged/pushed an enormous couch over five blocks to my apartment because it was free and a sofa sleeper. By the time we realized just how heavy a sofa sleeper could be, we were over halfway to my place and couldn’t just give up. It was only after the sofa had been relocated to my living room that we’d opened it up and been treated to sight of a mummified mouse. I could still remember Melinda screaming swear words at me and running out of my apartment. It’d been a good day, and I’d kept that couch till I moved in with Dylan.
Now my budget was bigger and there was a little thing called home delivery, so why not head into town and see what was available when it came to art and new couches? I cast a baleful eye toward the empty living room. Melinda had gifted me the sleek dining set, but I had little else to actually sit on, and after more than a week the hardwood of the chairs wreaked havoc on my ass.
I made a beeline for my bedroom and yanked on a sweatshirt and jeans, plus the one pair of shoes semi-suitable to the fresh snow that had fallen the night before. I exited my apartment and gave myself a little pat on the back for thinking ahead and dressing, sorta, for the weather when I spotted Grant on the stairs.
“Hey,” I blurted out before I could stop myself, and he jumped.
“Oh, hey.” He nodded at me but I could see that I’d caught him off guard.
“What are you up to?” I asked, sauntering toward the stairs.
“I was just coming to see you, actually.”
I froze, one foot in midair at the top of the stairs, grabbing at the railing to keep from pitching forward in surprise. “You were?”
“Hey! Be careful, will you?” Grant rushed forward and pushed me back on to the landing with an exasperated look on his face. “What are you trying to do? Break your neck?”
“Let’s rewind to the part where you said you were on your way to see me,” I said, waving off his hands and grinning at him, unable to stop the smile from spreading over my face.
“Aurora…”
I pulled a mock serious face in a mirror of the frown Grant gave me. “Grant…”
“What’s gotten into you?” he asked after we stared at each other for a second.
I shrugged and slipped past him, taking the stairs two at a time. “Nothing, it’s just a beautiful day out. Now answer my question—what are you doing today?”
“Nothing. That’s why I was on my way to find you.”
“Perfect.” I jumped down the last step and then gestured for him to follow me. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” He gave me a dubious look but made his way down the stairs all the same.
“Shopping.”
“For what?”
“Furniture. Art,” I told him, and then tilted my head to the side. “Tasteful knickknacks and other homey adornments.”
He laughed, falling into step beside me. “That’s pretty specific.”
“Well, I am a very discerning woman. Only the best for me.” I flung open the front door and made to step off onto the walkway when his next words made me stumble.
“Ah, so that’s why you want me with you, hmm?”
I caught myself and looked over my shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow. “Could be that you're right,” I said.
Grant smirked and took my elbow on his way past me. “Well then, let me prove just how right I am, sweetheart. I know just the place to take you.”
“So you’re really coming?” I asked, unable to hide the surprise in my voice. Shopping had always been a solo affair and an activity I’d only engaged in to fit Dylan’s tastes.
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Do you know how cute you are when you’re excited?”
