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“He’s the artist,” Luke replied, “but I doubt he knows much about mixing paint.”
“Fortunately, I do. Once Rafael sketches in the figures, I’ll block out the whole mural as though it were a paint-by-numbers kit.”
As Luke listened to Toby describe the steps he intended to take, his gaze followed Catherine as she circled the whimsical feline. Her whole expression glowed with delight, but that she might also admire the cat’s flamboyant creator increased Luke’s dislike for the artist tenfold.
“It sounds as though you have a good game plan,” Luke said, eagerly edging toward the door, “but I want your name on our contract before the work begins. I’ll bring it over as soon as it arrives by messenger.”
After Luke returned to Lost Angel, Catherine was left to contend with Toby and Dave, who were eyeing her much too appreciatively. She made a mental note to wear a less formfitting T-shirt the next day. The men helped her organize the painting supplies in the order they would be used, but if there were a chance to slide a hand across her shoulder, or brush close with their whole bodies, each made the most of it. At another time, she might have thought their antics amusing, but she was far too tense to be more than deeply irritated that day.
She was relieved when she checked her watch. “It’s time for lunch, and I want to make certain the kids have the clothes they’ll need. I’ll see you later, Toby.”
“I doubt there will be much to do today,” the sculptor complained, then his expression softened. “You come on back anyway, and I promise to keep you entertained.”
Dave laughed at Toby’s suggestive invitation. “She’ll never be that desperate for entertainment. Come on, Cathy, I’ll walk you back to Lost Angel.”
She debated a quick moment, then left her car parked beside the Victorian. “It’s another beautiful day,” she exclaimed as she and Dave crossed the street with the light. She hoped if she always kept their conversation focused on the mural or Lost Angel, he would eventually perceive her lack of interest.
Dave swung the hedge clippers up to rest on his shoulder. “It sure is. I hope you won’t mind my saying this, but I think you ought t
o see if Toby actually delivers on a few of his endless boasts before you trust him with much.”
“It is his house,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, and he’ll remind us of that fact every chance he gets. Luke was smart to have a contract drawn up so there will be no misunderstandings. But then he is terrific with details. Of course, thinking is about all the guy does do.”
Catherine knew without glancing up that Dave would be wearing his usual affable grin and hoping she would laugh right along with him. She wasn’t even tempted. “If I were you, I wouldn’t make fun of Luke. He could just as easily have nixed the mural project, but he’s been very supportive.”
“You call doubting that Rafael did his own drawing being supportive?”
She hesitated a moment but decided against revealing Luke’s reasons for appearing skeptical. “No, but generally, he has been very helpful. Did you have any time to work on the greeting cards?”
“Sure, there isn’t much happening here on the weekends. Come on in the office, and I’ll show you.”
Catherine needed to turn in the paint store credit card receipt to Pam and followed him. It was time for the secretary’s lunch break, and after accepting the receipt, Pam happily relinquished her seat at the computer and grabbed her purse.
“Wait until you see what Dave has done,” Pam enthused. “Rather than use whole drawings, he selected the most meaningful part of each. The cards will be spectacular, and I bet all of our volunteers will want them for Christmas.
“Our would-be painters chose some clothes, although I swear they made such awful choices, they’ll resemble clowns when they paint.”
“I don’t care how they look. I just don’t want them to worry about ruining what few clothes they do own,” Catherine replied.
“Well, don’t you worry another minute over that,” Pam advised. “We’ve got a mountain of clothes best used for painting, and I’ll see they get every stitch.”
As soon as Pam had left the office, Dave laid his hedge clippers aside and slid into her chair. He quickly opened the mural file. “Rafael’s design will be the big seller, but take a look at these others and tell me what you think.”
Catherine knew all the designs well enough to appreciate how skillfully Dave had cropped his photos to give the artwork the maximum impact. As he clicked through them, she was amazed. “You’ve improved them all,” she complimented sincerely. “Even Tina’s trash-sorting angel and winged cat look better with a tighter focus.”
“Focus used to be one of my favorite words. It’s time I started using it again. Speaking of which, do you have a minute?”
“Sure, what is it?” She crossed to one of the visitor chairs. She liked Dave but not in the way he liked her, and she didn’t want to give him any false hopes by remaining close while they talked.
“I’ve still got a couple of my good suits, and with a little work on my résumé, I might actually get some interviews. Of course, I’ll have to cut my hair to pass for the corporate type again, but that’s a small price. What I’m trying to say is that I intend to win back everything I’ve lost. I may have wandered a while, but it won’t be much longer, and I’ll have my life back on track.”
“I know you will. Although you’ll surely be missed here.”
Before Dave could respond to her encouragement, Detectives Garcia and Salzman came through the door. That day Salzman was dressed in a tan suit and Garcia in navy blue, as though they had swapped outfits to double their wardrobe options. Salzman was carrying a lumpy black shoulder bag which looked as though it might contain hand grenades.
Catherine immediately leapt to her feet and hurried to knock at Luke’s door. “The detectives are here,” she announced.
