Key Of Knowledge by Nora Roberts Page B

and expressions that came from a lifetime of knowing each other every bit as much as from the two years of physical intimacy they’d shared.
    â€œThis is the color?” Jordan rubbed his chin as he studied her list. “Island? What kind of color is Island?”
    â€œGreeny blue. Sort of.” She handed over the paint chip. “See? What’s wrong with it?”
    â€œI didn’t say anything was wrong with it. It’s just not something that makes me think bookstore.”
    â€œIt’s not just a bookstore, it’s . . . Damn it.” She held the sample up, she held it down. She crossed her eyes and still couldn’t envision it on the walls of her space. “Malory picked it out. I was going to go with this off-white, and she and Zoe jumped all over me.”
    â€œWhite always works.”
    She hissed out a breath. “See, they said I was thinking like a man. Men won’t pick color. They’re scared of color.”
    â€œWe are not.”
    â€œWhat color’s your living room in New York?”
    He shot her a bland look. “That’s entirely beside the point.”
    â€œI don’t think so. I don’t know why, but I don’t think so. I’m going with this sort of greeny blue. It’s just paint. It’s not a lifetime commitment. And she said I should think Bryce Canyon and Spaghetti for accents.”
    â€œBrown and yellow? Honey, that’s got to be ugly.”
    â€œNo, the canyon deal’s sort of deep rose. A kind of pinky, browny red—”
    â€œPinky, browny red,” he repeated, grinning. “Very descriptive.”
    â€œShut up. And the other’s sort of cream.” She fanned out the samples Zoe and Malory had marked. “Hell, I don’t know. I think I’m a little scared of color myself.”
    â€œYou’re sure as hell not a man.”
    â€œThank God for that. Mal’s going with this deal called Honeycomb. Zoe’s is called Begonia, which I don’t get because begonias are pink or white, and this is more like purple.”
    She pressed her fingers just over her right eye. “I think all this color’s making my head hurt. Anyway, Zoe’s already figured the square footage and the gallons per. Where’s my list?”
    He handed it back to her. “Brad was wondering why Zoe didn’t come with you.”
    â€œHmm? Oh, she had to get home to Simon.” She studied the list, began to calculate, then glanced up. “Why?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWhy was he wondering?”
    â€œWhy do you think?” He looked over her shoulder at the list, surprised when she turned it over and he saw that it continued on the back of the sheet.
    â€œJesus, you’re going to need a flatbed. Then Brad took a trip back to high school and asked me to ask you if Zoe had said anything about him.”
    â€œNo, she didn’t, but I’d be happy to pass her a note for him in study hall tomorrow.”
    â€œI’ll let him know.”
    They loaded up the paint, the supplies, the equipment. Dana blessed Brad at checkout when even with the discount the total made her gulp. But it wasn’t until she was outside that she realized the real dilemma.
    â€œHow the hell am I going to fit all this in my car?”
    â€œYou’re not. We’re going to fit it into your car and mine.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you say something about me buying more than I could handle when I was loading up in there?”
    â€œBecause you were having fun. Where do you want to store all this stuff?”
    â€œJeez.” Baffled with herself, she scooped a hand through her hair. “I didn’t think about it. I got caught up.”
    And, he thought, it had been a pleasure to watch her get caught up—and forget she hated him.
    â€œI can’t store all this at my place, and I didn’t think to see if we could keep the keys and store it at the building. What the