Love in the Dark (LarssonSiblingsSeries#1)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN - DELILAH

DELILAH

I set myself the task of decorating the agency today. I've been putting it off for weeks and it's getting desperate. I spent the morning pondering over paint tin colours on the internet, wanting it to show the agency off to its best potential. Wilko has a fabulous decorating department, so I find myself in there, searching for Harbour Grey. It's a very specific shade, one they don't seem to stock. They have every grey known to man, but the classy colour that's going to make the walls pop.

"Delilah?"

I glance up from the colour chart that's sticking out of the top shelf to see Edward's brother, Noah, at the beginning of the aisle. I smile. "Hey, there. What brings you here?"

Noah holds up a pack of Tampax and a bottle of water. "I was told it was an emergency."

I walk closer towards him with the chart in my hands. "For Edward?"

Noah's face cracks into the most beautiful smile and the shop crowds with his rich laughter. "The guy needs more than a box of tampons. It's for my girlfriend. I got a text message saying: Girl Problems. Help."

I don't think you would find my ex wandering around a shop with a box of tampons in his hands. Noah's a good guy. "Ouch. That's never fun."

"I wouldn't know, but, I can only imagine," he says on a small grin.

"And, you pick the good brand? You are well trained," I reply, stepping forward to give him a slight nudge on the shoulder with my free hand.

Lifting the box to get a better look at it, he shrugs before lowering his arm. "It's a good brand? I just picked up the first box I could find with regular on it."

Wanting another person's judgment on the paint, I look for my mobile phone in my pocket and pull up the website for reference on the Harbour Grey, before handing the colour chart over to him."In your opinion, what colour down on there is closest to this one?"

Noah stares hard at the screen, sliding his eyes across to the card, then back to the screen. "I think the steel grey is most like it. It's a good colour. It would give the place more character."

If I was going to choose; it was the steel grey. "I thought about that one too."

Noah moves to rest on his left foot when he hands my phone and chart back. "Did you enjoy the gig last night? It was nice to see you there."

I nod, still feeling the echoes of last nights rum. "Oh, yeah. I had a blast. Betty rocked the place, didn't she?"

Brotherly love pours into his expression at the mention of his talented sister, whom I'm currently obsessed over. I tried my hardest to find her next gig online but came up short. "It's only an amount of time before she's snapped up. People are interested in her voice. We were looking at her social media accounts the other day, and it's gone up by thousands," he says.

Thousands plus one if you count me.

"I saw that Betty has a YouTube account."

Noah moves to the side to let a couple down the aisle. "Yes, but she only releases certain songs on there."

I smile. "People seem to love her over there. It won't be long until she's on the radio."

"I can't wait for her to get her break. It'll be such a precious moment," Noah says, his mind seeming to wander someplace else.

Not wanting to keep him when he's busy, I start to walk towards the row of paints. "You let her know that she's got a number one fan in me, okay? I'll be coming to all of her concerts."

Noah chuckles. "I'll tell her that, Delilah. But you must realise that if I do, you won't be able to get rid of her."

I aim right for the steel grey paint tins with a silly smile that causes him to chuckle louder. "That's fine by me. "

Noah's phone beeps twice, and he digs in the back pocket of his jeans to drag the device out, glancing down with a deep-set frown."I've got my brother and girlfriend on my back. I best get out of here before they both fall out with me."

I tuck two tins between my waist and elbow while balancing the others in my hands. "Of course, you don't want that, do you?"

"I would never hear the end of it," he says, approaching me with an unsure stance. "Here, let me help you with some of those."

I have a good grip on them all and if he takes one it's going to send them all crashing to the floor. "I have them. Promise. Go before you get that telling off."

Noah doesn't look happy about it, but he chooses to leave me to it, anyway, giving me a friendly wave before stopping at the corner that leads to the checkouts. "See you around, Delilah."

I smile. "See you!"

It isn't until the lady behind me clears her throat that I speed the way he did with a quiet apology. Those Larsson men are way too handsome for their own good. And the lady who just made herself known to me seems to agree as she raises onto her tippy toes to chance a look at him. I'm weighted down with the bags of paint all the way to the agency, letting Poppy take one bag from me when she meets me at the door. It's her day off and she promised to help out. We have the windows wide open while Poppy and I paint over the walls. I made sure to scrub down the walls with bleach and water and then sealed the gaps with a sealant my dad recommended, making sure to sandpaper it all down when it dried.

The entire building stank of fumes by the time I finished, so I left it to air for a while before beginning to paint. Not wanting either of us to pass out from the fumes.

"It's like going to the gym," Poppy says, dancing around the room to 'Get the Party Started' by P!nk.

I move the paint roller up and down the wall, swirling my hips to the lyrics. "And, it's free."

Poppy wiggles her bottom back to me. "Even better. Come on DeDe, shake what your mother gave you."

I put the wet roller back down on the tray and join Poppy in the middle of the room. Poppy leads the dance by shaking her hips in a circle, her arms waving over her head. I bump hips with her and then copy her dance moves. We sing at the top of lungs, catching the attention of passersby.

I reel off the lyrics, giggling as I do so.

Poppy jumps around, so her bum faces the doorway as she bends forward and begins to slap the cheeks. "I'll be burnin' rubber. You'll be kissin' my ass."

I crease with laughter as she rocks back and forth on her knees, still slapping her behind. "Poppy, stop it."

"That's right, DeDe. They'll be kissing our arse!"

I can barely breathe as she sings at the top of her lungs, repeating: Kiss my arse.

"Join me!" She continues dancing.

I throw caution to the wind and join her, ruining the vibe with my singing. "We are crazy bitches."

The song ends, and our dancing stops immediately at his voice. "The damn postman left your mail with us again."