Mickie practically sat on the edge of her seat. She was so eager to learn more about Keith, she nearly lunged across the desk to grab the man and shake the words out of him.
“He’s a tough nut to crack. The oldest and most responsible of us. We had a fairly shitty time as far as childhoods go, and Keith took the brunt of it.” He gave her a wry grin. “He’s pretty much a jaded bastard, but not a hopeless case. Don’t give up on him.”
“Oh.” She shook her head as Jagger’s words processed. He was right, she had absolutely no experience growing up with siblings. What little she knew about Keith led her to believe he was the type of man to take his role as oldest seriously. She imagined him always working to protect his siblings from whatever made their childhood shitty as Jagger had said. And just like that, her heart softened a little more toward the man who was beginning to intrigue her more than was wise. “It’s okay if he doesn’t like me. I’m happy to stay out of his way.”
Liar.
“Anyway, I’m about the most chill person you’ll ever meet, so don’t feel like you have to walk on eggshells around me because Keith can be a growly bear.” He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. As his already broad chest stretched even wider, a button on his flannel shirt gapped, giving her a peek of dark chest hair.
The Benson parents sure grew some nice-looking men.
Was Keith’s chest furry like that too? Or did a smooth expanse of skin cover his muscles, which were even more pronounced than Jagger’s from what she could tell?
Stop thinking about him like that. The man hates you.
Besides, she had enough on her plate with sobriety and figuring out what she wanted to do for a job. Throwing a man in the mix would be a recipe for disaster.
“Now that we got that out of the way, and we’re new best friends, why don’t you tell me what you’re looking to do to the house.” Thankfully, the man seemed unaware of her runaway thoughts.
Mickie snorted out a laugh. As with Ronnie, Jagger’s personality drew her. The man was good-looking, yes, but the allure she felt toward him wasn’t sexual. He attracted her in a platonic way. Maybe they could become good friends. Of course, he’d been joking with the best friend’s comment, but between him and Ronnie, she could be on her way to having a small social circle.
The thought had her slightly giddy. It’d been a while since she had a group of genuine friends. Besides Ralph, her friends in LA were there to leech off her name, fame, and money. Any real friendships she might have had, she’d destroyed with her addiction.
“Well,” she said as she scooted her chair closer to his desk. “Hope you don’t mind that I jotted down some ideas and plans.” She placed the portfolio she’d brought right on top of the scattered file folders littering his desk.
“Ooh, you’re prepared. Sweet.” He rubbed his hands together. “Lemme see.” As he flipped the portfolio open, his eyes widened. “Wow, this is more than jotting notes. Looks like you put quite a bit of work into your design ideas. This is fantastic.”
His enthusiasm spread to her. It was exciting. In California, she’d hired expensive contractors, decorators, and designers. The team had carte blanche to create something modern, trendy, and enviable. Multiple design and architectural magazines featured her home for its style, which had been incredible, but aside from writing the checks, she’d done nothing to deserve the accolades.
This home, where she hoped to plant her roots, would be her: her style, choices, and sanctuary. She wanted to not only love the place for its design but be proud of it because it came from her. Or as much of her as she was physically capable of completing. Mickie was game for trying new things, but demoing and constructing cabinets and countertops was miles above her skill level.
“I’m hoping to completely remodel the kitchen.” She pointed out a few images she’d printed and scribbled all over. “Something like this.” Her style, as she’d come to discover, was what she what she’d coined “modern cozy.” Sleek and current, but without the cold sterility often associated with contemporary style. “I’m also hoping to put an addition on the back. A huge room which will span the length of the house. I’d like it to be all windows so I can see out to the senic backyard. The plan is to use half as a gym and the other half as an office. Then I’d like to add two rooms on the second floor.” She placed the final paper down on the desk, a floorplan she’d created with an app. “Oh, and I want to remodel the master bathroom.”