Finally, she took the folder and opened it. He held his breath as she studied his drawing, her expression blank. In fact, she studied it so long he started shifting on his feet. “That bad, huh?”
She lifted her head, her gaze connecting with his. Then she smiled. “No... it’s good. Really good.” She motioned for him to sit with her at one of the tables. When they were seated, she laid the drawing on top of the folder. “This only took you ten minutes?”
“More like ten hours.”
Britt smirked. “It was supposed to be ten minutes.”
Hunter lifted his hands. “I’m new to this. I wanted it to be... presentable. Trust me, none of them were except this one.”
“The shell is a little wonky.” She pointed to the imbalance between the two sides, something he hoped she wouldn’t notice.
“Yeah. I could never get them to look the same.”
“Well, they don’t have to. Nothing in nature is absolutely perfect. But I can give you some pointers.” She got up from the chair,went to a closet, and walked inside. When she came back out, she had a short stack of paper and some colored pencils. She sat back down and handed him a few sheets of paper. “I didn’t put this in the video, but when I was learning how to make things look even, I used to fold my paper in quadrants.”
He watched as she creased the paper into four sections, then picked up a black pencil and started sketching. “This helps to center the drawing, and then you can see how each side fits in the different areas.”
“Is that something you learned in art school?”
She shook her head, still focused on drawing. “No. It’s just something I tried out that helps me.” She picked up a dark-blue pencil and handed it to him. “It might not work for you, but you can try it if you want.”
Hunter took the pencil from her and picked up a clean piece of paper. It didn’t escape his notice that her discomfort seemed to vanish as she was talking about art. He folded the paper and started outlining the shell. He didn’t need a visual aid anymore. The shape was cemented in his brain.
They were both quiet while they worked, and he forgot about his own nerves as he delved into the task. He switched out the dark blue for a light blue and started shading the ridges the way she’d demonstrated in her video. When he finished, he looked up, wondering if she was done with the black. But she wasn’t drawing. She was watching him. Or rather, she was looking at his picture.
“Now they’re more even.” Britt smiled. “You catch on fast.”
“I’ve got a good teacher.” He turned his body a little so he could face her. “I can see why Maude wants you to teach classes.”
Her gaze moved to her own picture, a much fancier shell surrounded by a sketched-in beachscape. “I couldn’t do that. I’d be too nervous.”
“You’re not nervous with me.”
Britt paused, giving him a small nod.
He leaned back in the chair, hoping he’d redeemed himself and she no longer thought he had ill intentions toward her. “This is fun after you get the hang of it.”
“Satisfying too.” She took an aquamarine pencil and started coloring the sea behind the scallop.
When he reached over and picked up the black pencil, he accidentally brushed against her. “Sorry,” he said, pulling back a little.
“It’s okay.” She handed him the pencil, then went back to drawing.
By the time he finished his scallop, an hour had passed, and he had something that looked much better than what he’d done before. She’d given him a few more tips on shading and colors, and he had to admit he had done a decent job. He held up the picture at eye level and examined it. “Not too bad.”
“Make sure you sign it.”
“It’s not that good. I’ll probably just toss it in the bin.” He started to ball it up when she laid her hand on top of his.
“You shouldn’t do that.” She took the crinkled paper and smoothed it out. “This is your first piece. It’s special.”
“Technically it’s my second.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “That’s right. Well, they’re both special. You should keep them in a file. As you improve your skills, go back and draw a new shell. That’s a great way to see your progress.”
He never would have considered saving any of his pictures. He glanced at her. She was assuming he would continue to draw. Of course she would think that. That was the reason he was here, right? To get her opinion and improve?
Yes.He really enjoyed the project, including all the mistakeshe’d made. He was honest with her about finding it relaxing. And now that she was in her element, she was great to be around. Just sitting next to her as they both drew and colored their seashells was nice. Even better—she was turning out to be exactly what she was on camera. Shy, humble, talented... and fascinating.
