Uh-oh.Sweaty palms, galloping heartbeat, sour stomach... It was coming back with a vengeance. Again, she needed to escape. “I better get back inside. I was just checking on something in the car.” Not exactly the truth, but it would work.
He nodded. “Maude and X looked a little worried about you.”
Her friends’ concern cut through her nerves enough to make her smile a little. “They’re really sweet people. Eccentric, but sweet.”
“I could tell.” He glanced at the Yamaha motorcycle behind him. “Guess I’ll get going,” he said, moving away from her.
She made her own move to walk away, only to pause. “Thanks for checking on me,” she said, and she meant it. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He stopped. Nodded. “No problem.”
Now that they were talking and she was acting somewhat normal, she could see his features in the fading light of dusk and took a more detailed inventory. Straight eyebrows hovering overhooded eyes. Light hazel irises ringed with brown. A sloped, even nose. Full lips, with the top one a little larger than the bottom, but not enough to distract. At least a two-day five o’clock shadow covered a square, proportional jaw. This man was not only incredibly good-looking, but he’d been blessed with almost flawless features. In her mind she imagined how she would draw him—
She blinked. Twice. Then realized he had tilted his head and was staring at her.
“I...”Brother.How was she going to explain that she was fantasizing about drawing him? She asked the first question that came to mind. “Are you a model?”
He broke out in a laugh. “No. Not even close.”
“You could be,” she blurted, then resisted the urge to face-palm herself. “I mean, I draw portraits sometimes—”
“I know.”
“How... Oh yeah. The Wall of Britt.” She leaned against the car. “Maude and X are good teachers. I’m not the only one whose artwork they display.”
He hooked his thumb into his beltloop, letting his bag of art supplies dangle by his leg. “Do they have their own walls?”
“Um, no.” She scratched the back of her neck. “I’d be happy to share, though.”
He didn’t say anything else. Traffic hummed from the street by the lot. A horn honked in the distance.
And here comes the awkward silence.“Uh, have a good evening. Night, I mean.” What time was it even? She reluctantly pulled her gaze from him and started for the store, committing every detail of his face to memory the best she could. She definitely wanted to draw him. Was that creepy? She wasn’t sure.
“Britt.”
She halted, stunned he’d called her name. Then she tried toturn on her heel, only to stumble on a piece of broken blacktop. Regaining her balance, she yanked at the hem of her multicolored flower power T-shirt. “Yes?”
He walked toward her, and for the first time since she’d met him, an uncertain expression crossed his face. He stopped a few feet away. Shifted his bag to his other hand. Looked away for a moment before he extended his hand to her. “I’m... Hunter.”
***
When Britt’s jaw literally dropped and stayed open for a few seconds, Hunter wanted to touch her chin with one finger and push it closed. He could almost smile at her shocked expression if he wasn’t so concerned he was making a terrible mistake. He didn’t know why he’d told her who he was when he’d been so sure he shouldn’t. But as she walked away from him, he couldn’t just let her go. Even if they never spoke or wrote to each other again, at least he’d had these few minutes with her. Still, he hoped this wasn’t the end.
She finally closed her mouth. “Hunter. From—”
“Your channel.” He lifted his bag and half smiled. “Just bought my supplies for the ten-minute challenge.”
The parking lot streetlamps turned on as her eyes widened. “You live here?”
“Yep. About fifteen minutes west.”
Now she was blinking, as if she were trying to comprehend what he was saying.
“Me showing up here tonight was just a coincidence, I promise. I don’t want you to think I’m stalking you. Or that I’m an axe murderer.” He tried to smile, letting her know he’d heard what she said when she was in the bathroom.
Britt took a step back, her expression now guarded. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
She had him there. His smile disappeared.
