“I’m pretty sure I’ve got the art bug.” Which was true. Aftertoday he was ready to learn as much as he could about drawing. He chuckled.
“Why is that funny?”
Hunter pointed to himself. “Me, an artist. I never could draw a straight line.” He also hadn’t had the patience to really try, up until now.
“You didn’t take art in school?”
“Only in elementary and middle school. After that I always thought art was for weirdos and hippies.”
“Yoo-hoo!” Maude’s voice came from the other room. “You two okay in there?”
Hunter’s brow shot up and Britt covered her mouth with her hands, letting out an adorable giggle. “We’re fine,” she called out. “Just putting up our supplies.”
“Oh, Isee. Well, I’ll leave you to it.”
A few seconds later, Britt peeked out of the closet and into the art room. “She’s gone,” she said, looking at him again. The lines of tension around her mouth and eyes had disappeared too.
“You don’t think she heard me, do you?” he asked, a little concerned. “I was just making a joke.”
“Even if she did, she wouldn’t care. She and X are still living in the seventies and loving every minute of it.” She tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “It must be nice to be so confident in your own skin.”
I wouldn’t know.“Back to my art bug.”
Britt smiled.
Which made him smile back.So pretty.He shoved his focus back on the topic. “You mentioned that you’re comfortable with your mom and Savannah.”
“Maude and X too. And...” She cleared her throat. “That’s it.”
“You’re not nervous around me when we’re working on art.”He didn’t bother to point out that she didn’t seem anxious now either. That would work in his favor. “I propose this—in exchange for art lessons, I’ll help you with your social anxiety.”
“How?”
“When you’re ready, we’ll go out for coffee. Then we’ll move on to a meal, and after that maybe a museum or shopping.” The more he talked about this, the more he liked it. If she agreed, they’d be spending a lot of time together, something he didn’t mind one bit.
“Why would you do that for me?” She frowned, the tension returning.
“I’m not being completely altruistic,” he pointed out. “I’m getting art lessons from one of the best artists in return.”
Britt glanced away.
“You don’t have to decide now.” He got up and went to put the stool back in its original spot. “There’s no rush—”
“Yes.”
He turned around. That was quick. Then he saw the uncertainty in her eyes, and he walked over to her. “I’m serious. Take some time to think about it.”
“I don’t need to. I’m tired of being like this. I’ve had counseling, taken medications, tried different therapies. They all work for a little bit, and then I go back to being... me. But no one’s offered to help me like this. I’d be stupid to turn it down.” Her hands moved to her shirt again.
He intercepted them, then gently moved them to her sides. “And it’s not every day that a schmuck like me gets premium art lessons. It’s a win for both of us.”
“You’re not a schmuck.”
“About three hours ago you thought differently.”
“No,” she said, tilting her head and smiling a bit. “I thought youmightbe a creep. That’s different.”
He laughed. “I stand corrected. All right, it’s a deal then.”
