A single touch confirmed it was a painting. The careful brushstrokes created a vivid nature scene. She didn’t have to look for a card.
The weighty silver frame had a delicate scrolling design etched along the edge. She lifted it from the box and set it on her bookshelf so Olivia could see it.
She whispered a wow and moved closer.
“It’s the rendering of the mural Matthew designed for Chloe’s nursery for her birthday,” Whitney said.
Olivia flashed her a glance. “That is awesome. Stunning. I’d like it in my room.”
Whitney’s heart fluttered. It was even more beautiful than the stained glass at Maymont.
His words replayed in her mind. It’s truly a work of art when something touches your very soul.
A tickling chill chased up her arms. “I know it hasn’t been long, but there’s something special there.”
“He must think so too.” Olivia looked like she was contemplating. “Maybe he’s part of this sea of change too.”
“I do feel different when I’m with him,” Whitney admitted. “Like I’m seeing things through his lens. Things so familiar now look different, even feel different. I hadn’t realized how little excitement was in my life before, and I’m liking this new pace.”
“Trust the tide,” Olivia said as she walked out of her office.
Whitney dialed Matthew, but the call went to voicemail, which was odd.
Excited to thank him, she put her things away and headed out to see if she could catch him at his place.
When she got to the block where he’d painted the mural, she noticed the group of young artists hanging out in front of it, getting their picture taken.
Whitney walked closer. “Hi, excuse me. I was looking for Matthew. Will he be here too?”
A girl used the back of her hand to push her bangs aside. “You missed him. We’re getting our picture for the paper. Cool, huh?”
“Very. Thanks.” Whitney wondered if he had a meeting. “This looks amazing. You all should be really proud of your work.”
“Matthew is awesome. We’ve all learned so much,” the girl said. “We hope he lets us work on something with him again.”
“Well, from the looks of this, you might even be ready for your own project. Keep up the good work.” Whitney turned to leave, texting Matthew a quick note that she was sorry she missed him, but he didn’t respond to that one either.
When she got back to the office, she stopped by Olivia’s desk to check for messages.
Olivia shook her head. “No messages. You okay?”
“Yeah. Sure. I wanted to thank Matthew. I thought maybe I missed his call.”
“No. I’ll be sure to let you know if he calls,” Olivia said.
Hours later, Whitney had procrastinated as long as she could, hoping Matthew would call or show up. Finally, she reboxed the painting and left the office to go home.
There was still no word back from Matthew. No message. No text. She didn’t want to continue to leave messages. There was something a little too needy about that, but it bugged her. They’dhad the best time together. They’d even kissed. Had she said something wrong?
In her apartment she placed the painting on the table near the window. Sitting on the couch, she could get lost in the vivid colors and never tire of them.
It was getting close to nine, and although it had been years since her parents had given her a call curfew, in her mind she still considered it impolite to call after nine. So at 8:55 p.m., she dialed Matthew’s number one last time, hoping for the best.
This time, he picked up.
“Matthew? Hey, I’ve been trying to call you all day.” It was good to hear his voice. “I love the painting. I’m looking at it right now. It was such a beautiful surprise. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Glad you like it.”
