“Go on.” Elly motioned with her hand.
Mumbling, he stepped outside. Elly shut the bathroom door behind her, dumping the beer into the sink. Minutes later, as Anthony pulled the car out of the driveway, Elly took a last glance at the safari in the backyard. Balloons and flowers danced and swayed in the wind. Party guests were beginning to gather, their faces glowing with awe as they entered the party through jungle vines. The teenage menagerie growled and paced around, and under the tent, Genevieve happily stuck both of her hands and a rose into the top layer of the now-destroyed cake. Victoria smiled as she held her up, cake smeared across her light blond hair. Brad snapped picture after picture, slightly swaying on his feet. As the van pulled away, Elly thought that she had never seen anything be so heartbreaking and lovely at the same time. As Anthony hurtled the van toward the highway, Elly suddenly felt that she couldn’t get to Keith fast enough.
Later, when they were both full from a luscious dinner (Swiss cheese lasagna, brioche, and a spinach and mandarin-orange salad), Elly happily swung Keith’s hand as they strolled toward his deli. She had agreed to help him hang some framed pictures on the bare (and somewhat unsightly) walls. The deli desperately needed a makeover, and while she would never say it outright, she was trying to help it achieve its full potential—secretly. Maybe I’ll make it look like an old lady shop, too, she thought with a scowl. Stupid Snarky Teenager.
Keith unlocked the huge glass doors, pushing them to the side. Elly lifted her nose into the air, enjoying the drift of a million different mouthwatering scents: hearty wheat bread, pungent pickles, spicy mustard, crisp cucumbers, and smoked sausage all mingled deliciously in her nostrils. “I love the way this place smells,” murmured Elly, dizzy with delight.
Keith rested his mouth and nose against her hair. “I love the way this smells.”
Elly blushed and gave his hand a squeeze. “So, where are we starting?”
“Well,” Keith walked into the store and gestured at the wall behind his long white counter, “I was thinking maybe behind here, so the customers can see them?”
Elly winced. The wall behind the counter was practically covered already; two chalkboards listing the various meats used hung next to each other, and any space left on the wall was covered with the daily specials. She tried not to laugh. “Um, where on that wall would you put those pictures?”
Keith looked up at the space. “I don’t know, maybe on the sides of the chalkboards?”
Elly shook her head. “Honestly, I think that might look a little crowded. What about …?“she spun around and pointed to the huge, naked wall behind the limited customer seating, pretending that she hadn’t thought about this in great depth before now, “here?”
Keith cracked his knuckles as he stared at the wall. “There?”
Elly laughed and made huge circles with her hands. “Yes, here, where you have nothing.”
“But….”
Elly frowned. “But, you don’t want people to look at anything while they’re eating?”
“I guess I just figured that the pictures should go where everybody looks—by the menu.”
Elly gave him a soft smile. “You are such a man. Here, sit down and then imagine it.”
Keith took a seat in the booth as Elly grabbed two of the framed pictures and stood on a chair, pushing then against the wall. “See how nice that looks?”
Elly could feel Keith’s eyes taking her in as she stretched out on her tiptoes, her shirt untucked and rising up on her belly button. “It looks very nice from here.”
Heat rushed into Elly’s cheeks. She instantly dropped her arms and pulled at her shirt. “Well, that’s where I think they should go, anyway, but it’s your deli.”
Keith rose from his chair. “Let me get this straight.” Carefully, he climbed on the chair behind her, trailing his rough hands up Elly’s arms and burying himself in her neck.
Elly turned to him. Holding the pictures in both hands, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed his lips softly with hers. “We have to get this done,” she whispered.
“Why?” he breathed back.
“Because your wall is naked.”
“Why did you have to say naked?” he teased.
She gave a grin. “This is man’s work. I’ll tell you where to put them and you will hang them up. That’s how it works.”
Keith ran his hands through her blond curls. “Okay, but maybe we can finish this kiss later?”
“It’s a date,” she sighed.
Carefully, Keith stepped down and took Elly’s hand to help her down. Elly watched as he climbed back on the chair. “I’m really surprised that little bit of decorating didn’t end up with a broken leg,” she chuckled.
Keith grinned. “I am pretty impressed, myself. Okay, hand me the first picture.”