Until We Touch (Fool's Gold #15)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“THIS ISN’T WORKING for me,” Kenny said.

Larissa tried to steady her breathing. She had to get a little more control before she could speak. “Sorry,” she managed, as she dug in deeper, trying to get to the scar tissue.

Kenny raised himself up on his elbows and looked at her. “You’re not hurting me,” he told her. “You’re crying. I can feel your tears on my back.”

She’d hoped he wouldn’t notice. She didn’t want to spend all her time sobbing over Jack, it was just... “This is the first massage I’ve given since we broke up,” she admitted. “I was thinking about how much I miss him. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Kenny glanced around, as if looking for something to distract her. “It’s okay. Really. I’m fine. Go back to what you were doing.”

She nodded, but didn’t move. “I can’t stop thinking about him. About us and how good we were together. I guess it’s because I’ve never been in love before. This is my first real broken heart. I keep telling myself it will get better, but it doesn’t feel like it will.”

Kenny swore, then sat up and drew her against him. She went into his embrace, letting his strong arms comfort her. Once again, there wasn’t the slightest hint of a tingle. Because Kenny was like her big brother.

“It will get better,” he promised. “You’ll see. Just give it time.”

“I have time.”

“And me. You have me.”

She looked up at him and managed a smile. “Then I have all I need.”

“Sure. Pile on the pressure. I can take it.” He cupped her face. “You gonna be okay?”

She nodded. While she wasn’t sure, she had to have faith. She had to believe, and until it was real, she had to fake it.

* * *

“THESE ARE PERFECT,” Larissa said, looking at the furniture that had just been delivered. There were two stylized bookcases or storage units. She wasn’t sure what to call them. They were open and deep, but instead of regular shelves, the openings were more square. The sizes were perfect for inexpensive baskets to hold all her supplies.

“It’s all about knowing where to shop,” Bailey told her. “Isabel went to the estate-sale preview and told me about these. She knows I’m looking for furniture for my new house. I want a cute bedroom set for Chloe. I can refinish it myself. If I find something before I find a house, Ford and Isabel said I can store it at their place. When I saw these, I knew they’d be right for you.”

“They’re perfect,” Larissa said. Even better than how functional they were going to be was the price. Together the shelving units had cost her thirty dollars. They were in great shape and didn’t need much more than cleaning.

Larissa measured the openings, then checked against the list of basket sizes she’d gotten from the big craft shop outside of town.

“They’ll fit perfectly,” she said, showing Bailey the dimensions. “And the baskets have that cotton lining. I can wash it, so everything stays clean.”

Her massage table was already on order and she had a lease on the room for the next year. Talk about taking a big step. But it felt right.

The space was perfect for her. Large, with a couple of windows. Bailey was already talking Roman shades as coverings. There was a single sink in a narrow cabinet that gave her enough counter space to heat wet packs along with river rocks if she wanted to do hot stone massage. Even with the huge massage table Kenny and Sam had picked out, she would still have room for a desk, a bench and a corner storage unit.

Bailey pulled the paint chips out of her bag. “Okay, then, onto the next thing. What color do you want? I think we should narrow it down to your favorite three or four. Then we’ll go get samples and paint squares on the wall.”

“You can do that?”

“Sure. The hardware store will make up little cans of paint to try at home. It’s great. They’re, like, three dollars each. A chip is one thing, but seeing the paint in place changes everything.”

“How do you know so much about home improvement?”

Bailey shrugged. “I was raised by my grandmother. Money was tight, but that didn’t stop her from being creative. She was a big believer in turning trash into treasure. I know how to make a nickel cry for mercy.”

“Then you’re my decorating guru.” Larissa took the paint chips and flipped through them. “I need a neutral color that is calming and appealing to both men and women.”

“So not pink or lavender?”

“Probably not.”

They went through dozens of choices before settling on a couple of sage greens, two blues and a warm ivory.

“Perfect,” Bailey said. “The next step is to get the samples. Why don’t we grab some lunch and then go to the hardware store?”