“You’re insane, you know that?”
“It’s why you keep me around,” he said.
I felt a little better about it after talking with Drew. Having someone on my side when it came to having dinner with a client settled me a bit about the entire decision. I took one last look at the cabin picture and inhaled the scent of its innocence as my mind wandered back to the cabin picture Hailey had shown me. I didn’t know why I was so drawn to that picture, but I was ecstatic it was one of the paintings she was going to pay me with.
It might not have been drawn by John, but I could use that same reminder of innocence in my own home some days.
Especially after those dinners with my parents.
Chapter 14
Hailey
The June breeze off the ocean fluttered my hair as I waited on my couch. The window was open, and I could smell the ocean breeze coming through the screen, relaxing my bones as I fidgeted on the cushions. Bryan was picking me up any second for our date tonight, and I had to say, I was incredibly nervous. Even though this was to repay him for all he’d done for me thus far, I was nervous about what he’d think of me.
What I looked like now that I’d dyed my hair pink.
I decided to play it down for the dinner. I put on a brown and turquoise skirt that had swirling designs on it. I slipped into a pair of my brown flip-flops and opted for a slightly tighter shirt that fell barely off one of my shoulders. I didn’t want it to look like I was preparing for some sort of fancy date, but I would’ve been lying if I said I didn’t want to stun him somehow. He was a beautiful man, and even I could see that. I’d kept my eyes off men for years, wanting to focus on my art and not have dating disturb the community outreach I was doing.
My hands began to tremble in my lap as the wind kicked up outside.
A storm was beginning to roll in, and I wasn’t sure what that would do to the project. I got up and shut the window, feeling a chill shiver down my spine. I grabbed one of my tie-dyed wraps from my room, throwing it over my shoulders as the thunder began to roll in the distance. It was nights like this where curling up with my canvas was the only thing I could think to do because of the inspiration storms like this brought on.
But a knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts, and I sprang to answer the door.
I opened up and immediately Bryan’s eyes flew to my hair. I could see the shock in his eyes. They danced around my hair before his dark eyes slowly came down to meet my gaze, and I couldn’t help but smirk at how off-guard he had been caught.
“I never can stay with one color for too long,” I said. “It usually changes to reflect my mood, but sometimes I get restless and just need a change to keep me on my toes.”
He didn’t say a word, but the smile that crossed his face told me he enjoyed my explanation. I took a second to study him as his eyes drifted along my outfit. He wasn’t dressed to the nines or in some sort of suit, but he did have on this beautiful cologne. I had to make sure I wasn’t breathing in too deeply. I didn’t want him to think I was some sort of creep or anything. It had this fresh cotton smell before the musky wood scent hit you.
It suited him perfectly, especially in the tight shirt he was wearing that gripped his arms in the dip of his biceps.
“So, I was thinking Korean barbecue,” I said.
“I’ve never had it,” he said.
“Ah, so he does speak,” I said, winking. “Thought the hair was a bit too much of a shock.”
“I actually like it. Just takes a bit of getting used to. Like when you pick up a Pepsi can but are expecting lemonade.”
“Yuck. I take it that’s happened from experience?” I asked.
“Yep. And it was yuck.”
I giggled as I stepped out of the house. The wind had really kicked up, almost knocking me off my feet. Without thinking, Bryan shot his arm out and caught me, his muscles clenching against my stomach as he helped me steady myself onto my feet. The warmth of his skin filled my gut with a carnal sensation, one that trickled behind my pelvis and spurred a moment where I imagined his lips against mine.
“Let’s get into my truck, and we can figure it out from there,” he said. “The storm’s going to get pretty bad.”
“You think the gallery will be all right?” I asked.
“Yep. When I saw the weather, I sent some guys out there to cover it up and drive nails into the tarps to make sure everything stayed dry and didn’t move. It’ll be fine. You’ve got my word.”
We got into his truck as the rain started pouring. I told him to head toward my gallery, telling him the Korean barbecue place was past it about a mile down the road. Part
of me wanted to make sure the gallery was all right. Not that I didn’t trust him. It was just that this storm was really kicking up, and if there was anything I could do to keep the project from stalling, I wanted to make sure I could get it done.
But as we rode by the gallery, I saw he was right. Tarps were covering everything from the equipment to the building itself.