When the elevator doors opened, Matthew dropped his keys into a bowl on the table. “I think Jack was trying to impress you by calling me Mr. McMahon. He never addresses me that way. He’s known me since I had my first art show—and I’m not talking a gallery show. I’m talking a sidewalk art show.”
“That’s sweet. He must think a lot of you.”
“He’s a good guy. He’s had some tough breaks, but then haven’t we all?”
They walked outside and sat on the couch. She kicked off her boots and pulled her feet up underneath her. “If I lived here, I’d be out here every night.”
She looked good sitting there.I could get used to that.“Nicer with company, though.”
“I’m glad you suggested coming here tonight.”
“I wasn’t ready for the evening to be over, but I was really ready for Casino Night to be. It was a madhouse. They should’ve done quite well.”
She took in a long breath and rolled her shoulders. “It’s so much nicer out here.”
“Do you have big plans for the rest of the Memorial Day weekend?” he asked.
“Not really. Tomorrow is a free day for me, but Monday I’ll be over at my brother’s house. We have a big cookout for the extended family. It’s an annual thing.”
“That’ll be nice.”
For a half second, she thought to invite him, but it was way too soon for that. Even for friends, the blustery shenanigans of a Winters family Memorial Day celebration could be a lot for a newcomer to take. “What are you doing?”
“Getting together with some friends to help out on a project. I’ll be tied up with that the next couple of days.”
They sat talking and the conversation was so easy. Whitney pulled the decorative pillow from the corner of the couch and hugged it to her chest. “I’m enjoying getting to know you.”
“Same here.” He sat silent for a long moment and then traced his hand across the skyline view in front of them. “That right there. See the way the buildings are shaped, the shadows of the curve of the river even at night, and the trees behind all of that?”
“I do.”
“That’s the first thing I ever sketched.”
She turned and smiled. “You remember that?”
“Vividly.”
She imagined how someone would even start something like that. A series of lines? Hers would never end up looking like something recognizable. Art was like magic to her.
“My dad was an architect.” He lifted his hand, glancing at the college ring on his finger. “UVA guy as you’d noticed. He was a very well-known architect. A gifted one. At a very young age, he’d achieved things some go their entire careers without ever reaching.”
“He was gifted. Like you.”
“I think we used the same aptitude in different ways. He’d have really loved it if I’d studied architecture, but I’m not the desk type. I never finished college. Once I found the arts, I knew studying architecture wasn’t for me. I was inspired differently, but there were things about Dad’s work that I just devoured. I was less impressed with the actual building of things and how they were structured, but don’t get me wrong, he won awards. He built outstanding buildings, but I fawned over the renderings he’d sketched way more than visiting the final works.”
“I can see how that would be different. The aesthetics of it versus the mechanics.”
“Exactly. Dad worked at a drafting table for hours. Meticulous measurements and strategy went into every line. He was so precise. The drawings with the colors, landscaping, trees, that’s when they came to life for me.”
“Your artistic capabilities must’ve been born from his talents.”
“I like to think so,” Matthew said. “I was still learning then. I think he’d have been proud with what I’ve done. He was really supportive, always encouraging me in whatever interested me.”
“I wish I knew what that felt like. I’m always striving for my father’s approval. He’s so old-fashioned. I think he looks at whatever I’m doing as just a bonus since I’m a woman. I’d love for him to just one time praise me like he does my brother.”
“I’m sure he’s proud of you in his own way. Some people have trouble expressing those things. I think my dad made an extra effort since Mom left, and he was always trying to handle both roles.”
“That makes sense.” It made her feel better about the balance that Mom and Dad brought to her life too. “So your Dad worked right here in Richmond his whole life?”
