“That’s only the office. My office. The rest of the house is gray, white, and black,” I explain as I show him all the pictures. “The master bedroom is going to be pink because of the bedding, but I’ll take it with me.”
He looks at me suspiciously and says, “Fine, you have good taste. Get neutral bedding, I’m not sleeping on a pink bed.”
You’re not sleeping with me, I don’t say.
“We just need a Christmas tree,” I add, wondering if I should buy an artificial one or a pine.
Scanning the house where we’re at, I find the perfect spot and walk toward it. “Here.”
“What’s happening there?” Sterling’s frown deepens.
“That’s where we’re setting the Christmas tree,” I answer, already thinking about the colors that will fit the house. “What do you have in storage? Any red or gold ornaments? I mean, if you already have a color scheme, I’ll work with it, but shades of red and gold would pop with your decor.”
Sterling looks at me. More like he gives me a nasty glare. “We don’t do Christmas or celebrate any holidays. The only colors I have in this house are in my studios and well, you. Their only purpose is to create art.”
I frown and place my hands on my hips. “I’m a color?”
He grins and winks at me. “A very special one but let’s not digress.”
“What are you saying? I’m not allowed to have a Christmas tree and fill my space with cheer and joy.”
“You can do it for the rental. That’s your place for the next year and you can set Santa’s Workshop in there if you want to.”
“Hmm.”
“You’re judging me.”
“Not at all. Just wondering how we can get the pine here and we’ll need decorations,” I continue and turn to look at Beckett. “You seem like a resourceful man. Can you make this happen for us?”
Beckett smirks. “Red and gold?”
“Add some silver too it if you can find it. And if you see some decorations that’ll go with the ornaments, send me pictures before you buy them. The place looks bare.”
“No,” Sterling protests.
“I’ll have the team work on it. We’ll help you trim once we have what you need, Miss Spearman.”
“Thank you, Beck.”
“Juniper, I swear,” Sterling utters, his face is red, and it’s kind of funny to see him flustered.
“Yeah, you can swear. I’ve heard you for the past week. Also, I know you can use some holiday cheer and I’m here to share it with you.”
“Over my dead body.” He sounds stern.
“Beck might be able to do that too if you insist,” I say. “He seems to be trained to take down bad guys and I bet he knows how to hide your body and make your disappearance look like a holiday miracle.”
He doesn’t say a word, but I see there’s a smile playing on his lips.