Happily This Christmas (Happily Inc #6) - Susan Mallery Page 0,7
Garrick keeping pace with her.
“No one needs this much stuff,” he said as they wove their way through a massive display of sofa and recliners.
“Maybe not, but people like choices. What if your sofa had only come in purple?”
His cool gray eyes shifted to her face. “Was it a toss-up between saying purple and pink to get your point across, or did you go right for the purple?”
She grinned. “I went right there. It’s not too girlie, but there’s a message.”
He surprised her by laughing. She liked the sound of his amusement, the way he relaxed when he laughed. Something stirred to life low in her belly, reminding her it had been a very long time since her last relationship and that she would very much like to be in one again. The boy-girl kind, she added, just to be clear. With lots of touching and kissing and naked time.
But that wasn’t on the schedule for today, she told herself, pushing the whisper of anticipation to the back of her mind. Shopping and getting to know Garrick came first. She would enjoy her fantasies about her neighbor later.
They circled the dining room sets and headed for the more casual kitchen tables and chairs. Wynn stopped next to a round oak table with four chairs.
“It’s very classic,” she said. “And wood, which you seem to like. What do you think?”
Garrick walked around the display a couple of times before picking up one of the chairs and studying the underside. “They’re not very well made and the style is kind of boring. Let’s see what else they have.”
“The alcove is big enough to take a table for six, if you want to do that,” she said. “I don’t think the shape of the table will matter, so if you want square or rectangular instead of round, we can do that. I have the measurements with me, so we’ll be able to double-check that it fits.”
“A table for six might be better,” he said. “I’m hoping Joylyn will have some friends come by to keep her company. She doesn’t know anyone in Happily Inc, and I don’t want her to feel isolated.”
They walked around the various displays. Garrick spent time studying a simple rectangular table and chairs in the Shaker style, then surprised her by stopping next to a round glass-top table with a wrought-iron base. The pedestal base was made up of curving iron bars that wove around each other, almost like a braid.
“That one?” she asked, not keeping the surprise out of her voice. “But you’re all into wood and handcrafted.”
“I know, but this one is interesting. I like that there aren’t fifty like it in the store.”
“I think it’s great. The glass top keeps the look open, and it’s easy to clean. They have chairs over there. We could go find something fun to go with the table.”
They carried several chair options back to the table. Garrick considered plain wooden chairs painted black, several chrome and suede styles.
“None of these are right,” he said. “The table needs something more.”
Wynn eyed the chair selection before pointing to a set of lacquered red chairs with black-plaid seats. They were contemporary, unexpected and, when she sat on one, surprisingly comfortable.
“I know they’re not traditional,” she said.
“Let’s try them.”
He carried two over to the table and slid them into place.
The proportions were perfect, she thought. The red was a pop of color, while the black base grounded the look.
“I’m sure we could find white plates with a bit of red and black in the border,” she said, walking around the table. “A pattern would be too heavy with the plaid cushions.”
She looked at him and smiled. “There’s a whole Christmas plaid thing. Tablecloths and napkins, with green instead of black in the pattern. That would be beautiful for the holidays.” She paused. “If you like the chairs.”
“I do. I have no idea why, but I like them a lot.”
He used his phone to take a picture of the sales tag for the table and one of the chairs, then he suggested they look at outdoor furniture.
“I don’t have much by the pool,” he said. “I thought Joylyn might enjoy being outside in the afternoons. Right now the weather is perfect.”
“Good idea. You have a lot of patio area. You could get two or three loungers and still have room for a table and chairs.”
They made their selections quickly. Garrick went looking for a salesperson to write it all up. Delivery was arranged for the