He looked at her, with deliberation on his face, and took in another visible breath and let it out. She was pushing him; she knew that. But at the same time, there was a part of her who wanted him to be happy, to love where he lived. She wanted to ensure that happiness.
“I know what it’s getting me—peace of mind. When Sarah left, she took everything with her, and I allowed her to do that because it didn’t matter to me. But, what I found out was that living in an empty house makes other people uneasy. So, that seventy-five thousand dollars is giving me the peace of mind to know that my family will not flock in and pity me. I’m perfectly fine, and the last thing I need is people thinking that I’m not.”
“I’m glad you’re fine. But I want you to be happy.”
“Why do you care if I’m happy?” he asked, that curiosity lurking in his face.
Maybe it was his generosity or the fact that he’d been so good with Max. She couldn’t stop the feeling. “I just like making people happy,” she said, heat burning her cheeks. “Pretty please, will you see what I’ve done?” If it came to it, she’d start batting her eyelashes. She was being silly, and she didn’t know if he was in that kind of mood at the moment. He was always so serious. He needed to lighten up.
Nick looked down at the floor as if the answer were there, his eyes not focused, his head shaking so subtly that she’d almost missed it. Then he looked at her, a smile lurking beneath his serious expression. “Five minutes,” he said. “Then I have to get back to work.”
Without prompting him for acceptance, she grabbed his arm and pulled him forward to walk with her. He clamped his eyes on her hand, but she noticed the tiny hint of a smile still there, so she didn’t let go.
Chapter Ten
“How can you not love this four-poster bed, custom made in…” Abbey looked at the paperwork attached to one of the posts. “Tennessee…?”
“Ha!” Nick laughed at the insignificance of her statement, the mood considerably lightened from before.
“You know you like this vase,” she said, playfully caressing a silver goblet-style vase monogrammed with an engraved S. Monograms were the theme of this particular room. She hopped onto the bed, picked up a deep red, shiny velvet pillow and traced her finger along the curly S sewn in cream that matched the beaded lampshade on the bedside table. She’d arranged a bouquet of roses under the lamp, and she caught Nick looking at them before his gaze settled on her. She’d been teasing him, and the more she did, the more she saw affection in his eyes. And she loved to see him laugh. The sight of it filled her stomach with flutters.
“How can you look at it all and not love it?”
Nick’s face sobered, but his grin remained. “It really doesn’t matter to me at all what is in this room. That’s why all the rooms were empty.” He said the words, but this time, there was less force behind them, and she wondered if he still believed what he was saying.
“Is your bedroom decorated? I only ask because you didn’t show it to me. I’ll decorate it as part of the original salary you quoted me, if you’d like.”
“My bedroom is fine.” His statement was matter of fact, but his gaze was swallowing her up. What was he trying to tell her? Was she getting through to him, showing him what living in a real home was like as opposed to just rooms with four blank walls?
She cut her eyes at him playfully. “I’ll bet there’s nothing in it.”
He shot her a challenging look—she was learning that he showed all his emotion through his eyes—but he didn’t say anything.
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
“No one will be staying in my bedroom.”
“Don’t you want a little Christmas cheer in there? I could put a small tree or some winter floral arrangements.”
“The only time I’m in there is when I’m sleeping, so I won’t see it anyway. There’s no need.”
Nick was debating the idea with her, and he’d said he’d stay for five minutes but they’d been talking about decorating for at least twenty. He’d patiently walked through all the rooms she’d decorated and listened as she explained her reasoning for her choices. He’d nodded at all the right times, his hands clasped behind his back as he paced around the rooms. He’d laughed with her. He seemed relaxed and content. And now, when she’d asked him about his own private bedroom, he didn’t flinch.
“What if one of your family members is looking for you and they stumble into your room?”
“In the middle of the night?”