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“I’m in the studio.” She spent most of her spare time in this place. As a child, her parents had signed her up for an art class, and Janae was immediately hooked. While she didn’t possess the skill to draw people, she had an innate aptitude for creating landscapes. At any given time, she could be found sitting in front of a canvas, paintbrush in hand.
“Are you working on something?”
“No. Just putting away some supplies. I may paint later, though.”
He took in the completed paintings and works in progress. “These are beautiful, sis,” he whispered in awe, picking up one of a beach sunrise. “I really, really like this one. You should title it New Beginnings.”
She tilted her head one way, then the other. “Hmm, I like that. Okay.”
“You have enough paintings in here for a gallery showing. Have you thought any more about doing that?”
“No, not really,” she mumbled. “I don’t like all that attention.” He often told her she had a gift he believed should be shared with the world, but she had always shied away from the public, preferring to give away the scenes she created.
He picked up another one of a mountain sunset. “Wow.”
“Since you like that one, you can take it,” she told him when he continued to stare at it.
“No, but what I will do is buy it from you.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off.
“No arguments, Janae.” He took out his checkbook, wrote a check and handed it to her.
Her eyes widened. “Five hundred dollars! Are you crazy?”
“It’s probably worth three or four times that. You have one week to cash that check. If you don’t, I’ll be back and you won’t like it.”
She stuck out her lip, then tossed the check on the table while grumbling under her breath.
He lifted her chin. “One week, baby girl. And stop pouting.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “What else do you need me to do?” Before she could answer, the doorbell rang. “Are you expecting somebody?”
“No.”
“I’ll get it.” He turned on his heel and headed toward the front door.
* * *
Terrence followed the directions on the rental’s GPS to Janae’s house, praying he hadn’t made a mistake. He’d never shown up at a woman’s house unannounced, and he’d never, ever hopped on a plane to visit one. This was so uncharacteristic of him, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He felt as if she’d cast a spell on him. He pulled up to a large one-story house in an established section of the city and parked. He climbed the three steps and rang the doorbell. While waiting, Terrence glanced out over the neighborhood and saw a few people mowing lawns. He turned at the sound of the masculine voice.
“May I help you?”
Terrence masked his surprise. The man stood a couple of inches taller, but outweighed him by a good forty pounds. “Yes. I’m here to see Janae. Is she home?”
The man frowned and looked him up and down. “Who are you?”
Terrence lifted a brow. “I’m a friend of hers. Is she here?”
He called over his shoulder. “Baby, there’s someone here to see you.”
Baby? He remembered Janae saying she didn’t have a boyfriend, so who could this man be?
“Why are you calling me...?” Janae asked as she came to the door. Her voice trailed off when she saw Terrence standing on the porch.
The man slung his arm around her shoulder. “Sweetheart, who’s your friend?”
Janae shrugged the arm off her shoulder and elbowed the man in the stomach. “Stop it, Devin.” She unlatched the screen and opened it. “Hey, Terrence. Come in.”
Terrence could tell she had a million questions for him, but didn’t say anything. He stepped into the house and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “How are you?”
“Fine.”
The man cleared his throat.
She frowned at him. “Terrence, I’d like you to meet my brother Devin. Devin, this is Terrence.”
Terrence stuck out his hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Devin.”
With Janae glaring at him, Devin grudgingly shook Terrence’s hand. “Same here.”
Janae led the way to the living room. “Have a seat. Can I get you something?” She wrung her hands nervously, then rubbed them up and down the sides of her shorts.
“No, thank you. I just wanted to come by and see how you’re doing,” Terrence answered, hoping to put her at ease. She wore a pair of shorts with an oversize T-shirt, and her hair was pulled into a ragged ponytail. Several strands had come loose, but he still thought her the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
