I grabbed my chest. “I hope not.”
“If it does, I know how to fix it,” Colin said.
Gabe’s grin widened. “That’s what I like to hear. Hope you two have a lovely evening.”
“You too, Gabe. Take care.”
Colin and I left him to stroll down the sidewalk. I glanced back at Gabe, and there was a look on his face like he knew something we didn’t. “Why do you think he turns down your help?” I asked, turning back to Colin.
He shrugged. “Pride, maybe. If I ever found myself in a situation where I had nowhere to go, I’d probably deny help too.” Sighing, he glanced back at Gabe. “I’d want to do it on my own. At least he seems to be content.”
“He does,” I agreed. “Kind of gives you a new perspective on life, if you think about it. As long as you’re happy, anything’s possible. I thought my career would end after what happened with my last line. I lost all hope until last night. Even if I don’t do anything with my designs, I know that I still have what it takes.”
He stopped and turned to me. “You have to take a chance.”
I’d never experienced the fear of rejection before. It was one of the worst feelings in the world, and I didn’t want to experience it again. “Maybe I will one day. For now, I’m keeping my new designs under wraps.”
He nodded in understanding, and we continued our way down the sidewalk to the shops. There was a bookstore, a bank, a clothing store, and a diner that smelled heavenly as we walked past.
Colin heard my stomach growl and laughed. “Want to get something to eat?”
I was about to take him up on the offer, when a woman called his name as she stepped out of what appeared to be a small art gallery. She looked to be in her mid-fifties with graying auburn hair, dressed in a white apron with paint splattered on it.
Colin waved. “Mrs. Denton.”
She stopped in front of us. “Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but when I saw you walking up this way, I wanted to catch you.” She took in a breath and blew it out. “My nephew and his wife are coming in after Christmas for their anniversary, and they’re staying at the inn. I wanted to see if you’d let me surprise them by putting their present in their room before they arrive.”
“Of course,” Colin agreed.
Mrs. Denton smiled at me. “I took one of their wedding photos and painted it on canvas.”
Colin gently bumped me, grabbing my attention. “Mrs. Denton is one of our famous artists. Her work is in art museums all over the country.”
I gazed past her into the gallery where her work was on the walls. Art was something I’d always been fascinated by. I held out my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Denton. I’m Layla.”
She shook my hand. “I know. You have a lot of talent, young lady.”
“So do you.” I pointed to her work. “How long does it take you to make a painting?”
She shrugged. “Not long. When I’m in the spirit, I can get one done in a couple of days. And on rare occasions, I can pull a Bob Ross and get one finished in a day.” I used to watch Bob Ross episodes on television every Saturday morning as a child.
An idea popped in my head and I smiled. “Think you can paint something for me before Christmas? I’ll pay whatever amount you want.”
Her grin widened. “Come inside, and we’ll work something out.”
I started to follow her, and Colin chuckled. “What are you up to?”
I winked up at him. “It’s a surprise.”
After I finished with Mrs. Denton at the art gallery, Colin and I ate dinner at the Wallflower Diner. I’d consumed a huge bowl of banana pudding for dessert. It was some of the best down-home country food I’d ever had. “I’m going to have to run ten miles to burn off everything I ate,” I said as we drove down the road toward Colin’s cottage so that I could retrieve my car.
Colin burst out laughing. “So am I. We could always skate around the pond. That’ll work some of it off.”
I didn’t want the night to end, so I nodded. “But I don’t have any skates.”
He waved me off. “We have several sizes for our guests. I’m sure we’ll find ones that fit.”
We arrived at the inn, and the twinkling lights around the gazebo lit up the pond. Colin glanced down at my feet. “What size are you?”