Miami Spice by Deborah Merrell Page B

chin. “It looks as if I’m going to be spending
a lot of time upstairs, for at least the next month.”
    “You be careful, se ñ orita ,” Rosina warned again as she went for
her straw handbag. “We have an old saying where I come from: Una
vez que un amante inconstante, siempre que un amante
inconstante.”
    Once a fickle lover, always a fickle
lover . Erica had to smile even though she never heard that
particular dicho before. “Don’t worry, Rosie. It will be a
cold day in hell before Gianni Sloan gets me into his bed.”
     

Chapter Eight
    “Why don’t you try out the mattress to see if it’s
worth salvaging? I’d like my bed to be the focal point.” With a
stretch of his muscular arm, Gianni indicated his pièce de
résistance. “Nice and big and fluffy. I want super
comfortable.”
    Erica, who had been taking notes, failed to
look up and take the challenge. She rather doubted the mattress on
his present king-sized bed would be worth salvaging, especially
after all the beatings it took through years of body wrestling.
    He continued. “Something along the lines of a
wood-hewn bed frame with a natural fabric headboard. And how about
throwing in some green here and there?”
    How about a soft wood frame so you can
make the notches easier to whittle? Trying not to smirk, she
dug into her notepad until the lead snapped from her mechanical
pencil. “A tree house theme?” she suggested.
    Gianni threw her a puzzled look. “Well, not
exactly. I’m thinking more along the lines of earthy and easy on
the eyes.”
    “Just a joke,” Erica mumbled. “Um, yes, I can
see natural fiber wall covering in a buff or tweed, as well as
rattan blinds and perhaps a nice potted philodendron or two in
terra cotta planters.”
    “All right. Sounds good to me. I bow to your
expertise.”
    “Yes, but you must live with it, so I want
you to be happy with the choices. If you like, we can knock out the
wall between the two smaller bathrooms, and make it one big area
with a garden tub.”
    “Hey, I like that idea!” he agreed with an
enthusiastic nod.
    As Gianni started back to the living room,
Erica followed. So far, her suggestion of a neutral color for the
walls in order for the focal point to remain with Nico’s artwork
had been met with approval, as well as the addition of some track
lighting. Again, she agreed with the owner to keep in mind natural,
earthy tones for the furnishings.
    Returning to the card table he used in the
dining alcove, Gianni went for his checkbook. Tonight he decided to
go for the relaxed look in a dark tank top and shorts.
Surprisingly, he remained cordial and all-business with Erica.
“Will another thousand do for now?”
    “Why don’t we discuss a budget?” she
suggested. “I need to know how much you’re willing to go for the
decorating. This way, I have an amount to keep in mind when I do
the purchasing of fabrics and furniture.”
    Glancing up, he stitched his brows in a
slight frown. “Well, I thought you’d come up with an estimate, and
we can work from there. I’m all for spending what I have to.
Although, we can put a cap on the expenditure at say fifty
thousand?”
    Erica tapped the end of her pencil against
her chin. “That should work, and it gives me quite a bit of
latitude. Right now, I don’t require any money until the renovation
is complete, and then I’ll present you with a bill.”
    “Sounds good.” Gianni smiled. “Like I said, I
leave it in your capable hands. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going
to go to the gym downstairs and work out for awhile.”
    Of course, you have to keep those love
handles nice and tight! All during the walk-through, Erica
itched to ask him what was up between him and her sister. Since
Maritza’s call on Tuesday evening, she had wavered between saying
something and keeping her mouth shut. According to Mari, Gianni had
called her once since his return from his out-of-town gig and
hadn’t returned her subsequent phone calls. Could he