44

Singleton leaned on his counter and looked at Jeff and Theo. Both boys wore unusually serious expressions.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“We think you should ask Mom out on a date,” Theo said.

“Yeah.” Jeff’s face scrunched up with fierce concentration. “You could take her to a movie or something.”

He thought about that for a long time. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah,” Theo chimed in. “You could take us with you, if you want. We could have pizza before the show.”

“Don’t be so dumb,” Jeff said to him. “It won’t be a real date if we go with them.”

“Why not?” Theo whined.

“We go with them for pizza all the time and it’s not a date,” Jeff explained.

“Oh.” Theo did not appear to be too depressed by that news. He shrugged it off. “We can have pizza with Uncle Ethan and Zoe, instead.”

The shadows in the bookshop lifted. Warmth and light spilled into the small space, driving out the gloom.

Singleton realized that he was grinning like a fool, but he didn’t care.

“Works for me,” he said.

 

Zoe stood in the center of the gracious, white-on-white master bedroom suite. She had to admit that the finished space was impressive and quite beautiful in its own way.

“Congratulations, Lindsey, you’ve created a remarkable room. Very harmonious and tranquil.”

Lindsey did not move out of the doorway. Her expression was cautious “But not your style, right?”

Zoe turned toward her. “No, but that doesn’t mean I can’t admire a work of art when I see one.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Lindsey replied.

“You’ve got a real talent,” Zoe said sincerely. “What’s more, I think you’re the right designer for Tabitha Pine. She’s into this kind of look. I’m not. I’ve decided that I won’t present a proposal to her, after all.”

Lindsey shifted uneasily. “We both know that you could give her what she wants. You’re a pro. You don’t have to love the look to create it for someone else.”

“In most instances, I’d say that was true. But Tabitha is different. She needs a finely tuned energy flow in her home, especially in that meditation room. You’re more sensitive to her requirements than I am.” Zoe shrugged. “Besides, I’ve suddenly got my hands full. A couple of the architects who came through on the tour yesterday want me to meet with some of their clients.”

Lindsey nodded, relaxing a little. “I got a lot of positive feedback from some of the people on that tour yesterday myself.”

“Looks like all this work we did here will prove to be worth our while.” She glanced at her watch and started toward the door. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d better get moving. I promised my husband I’d meet him for lunch.”

“Zoe, wait.”

She paused. “What is it?”

Lindsey appeared to be having trouble deciding just what she wanted to say.

“I think your library turned out brilliantly,” she finally muttered. “I was wrong about all those intense colors. They really work in that room.”

Zoe could see that Lindsey was struggling. But she was trying to be nice. That counted for a lot.

“Thanks.”

“I’m sorry if we got off on the wrong foot,” Lindsey continued slowly. “It’s just that this project and the Pine job were very important to me.”

“It’s all right.”

“In the past my interior design work was more or less a social hobby. I was fashionable because I was married to a man who wielded a lot of clout in LA.” Lindsey’s mouth twisted wryly. “People lined up around the block to kiss his ass.”

“I understand.”

“I enjoyed designing but I didn’t have to make a living at it. It was one of those things women in my world did. Some arranged important dinner parties. I did the homes of stars and entertainers.”

“Lindsey—”

“But after my divorce, I lost everything. All of my big-name clients deserted me. I was suddenly nobody because I was no longer married to the man whose ass had to be kissed. It was then that I finally realized that if I wanted something to call my own, I was going to have to create it myself.” Her mouth tightened. “I’ve been obsessed with proving that I could make a new life without my husband and his influence. I wasn’t sure I could do it, you see.”

“How did you decide to settle here?”

“I wanted to start over in a place that had no connections to my ex or his friends. I love the desert. So I more or less threw a dart at a map and here I am.”

“Join the crowd.” Zoe smiled. “Just about everyone I know came to Whispering Springs to start over. It’s a good place to begin a new life. You’ll do fine.”