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Tessa had enough life experience under her belt to weather whatever storms appeared, and Mary Elizabeth should know that. So should her children and her ex, she thought, anger spiking despite her attempts to stay calm. "Ladies, time to head out. Shall we?"
The other Babes apparently sensed the tension in the room if the exchange of glances Tessa witnessed was any indication. They moved to don jackets and gloves for the windy walk, and Tessa waited impatiently for them to finish before opening her door.
"I'm just worried about you, you know," Mary Elizabeth murmured as she moved by Tessa out the door.
"Don't be. Kirk and I are fine. You'll see." The words sounded terse and argumentative, but Tessa couldn't help it. She was too old to be dealing with this type of nosiness, even from her best friends. "As to Christmas dinner, I'll ask Kirk to join us. How about that?"
The next fewdays flew by in a whirlwind of activity for Izzy. She couldn't have asked for a better or more gentlemanly host in Everett. Every day he and Jacob closed themselves in Everett's office for several hours to work, and Izzy used the time to organize her temporary studio. By day two, she had things as she liked them and prepped her canvas to begin something new.
Having done mostly seascapes, she remembered Everett's words about cityscapes. She chose her palette of colors and set her easel up in front of the windows. Outside, the sky was overcast and a light drizzle pelted down from above. She gazed down at the traffic below, and in an instant, her mind flashed with the image she wanted to paint.
She lost herself in the process, the sound of her brush swirling over the canvas as she created the moody gray sky, the rain-dampened buildings and blur of lights on glass. She pictured a woman on the street, black dress and flowy raincoat, a Victorian-era umbrella covering her upper body as she hustled to get out of the weather.
Izzy lifted her brush and took a step back, staring at the picture that had poured out of her in precise detail. Only one thing was missing. Biting her lip, she dipped her brush into the black again and outlined an image. Male. Broad shoulders dressed in a suit, dark head bare as he walked several steps behind the woman, his stride long as though he tried to catch up to her.
In an instant she knew the title of her work.The Pursuit.
Her breath turned shallow as she added the fine lines and details required. The shine and shadow of his rain-logged Italian leather loafers, the thickness of his hands. The purposeful intensity of his body.
She stopped once more and took another step back, tilted her head to the side as she looked for things to fix or adjust. There were none. At least at the moment.
Izzy glanced at her watch and noted the time. The painting had taken shape so quickly she had time to start another if she wanted. Everett wouldn't be ready to go out for their afternoon adventure for at least another hour.
Izzy moved the first painting to the wall to dry and set about prepping another canvas. She'd take a look at her first work tomorrow. See if it needed more after some time away from it.
Canvas prepped, she followed a drop of rain as it trickled down the window across from her.
This time the image that appeared was one of the woman alone. She was in a park, sitting on a bench, watching a fountain spew water up in the air. Her face was only partially visible, more shadows and hollows than distinct features. She held a book on her lap, pen in hand, but her gaze was on the fountain.
Daydreaming.
Getting away from Carolina Cove and coming to New York with Everett had definitely stirred her creativity. Images and titles burst out of her, faster than she could paint them. Yet another gift from Everett, even though this one was born from within her rather than given.
These images were a little darker due to the gray of the concrete around her subjects, but no less compelling in the mood they evoked. She lost herself in the joy of her art and jumped when strong hands lightly landed on her shoulders. "Oh!"
Everett's low chuckle caressed her in a touch.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I called your name twice but you were very into it."
She turned to face him and watched as his smile widened before he reached up and gently wiped his thumb over her cheek.
"You're your own work of art," he murmured, holding up the thumb for her to see.
Izzy shrugged and smiled. "Occupational hazard," she quipped. "I never know where I'll find paint."
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized the imagery they portrayed. Heat fused her cheeks once more, and she wondered if she'd ever get to a point where she wasn't tongue-tied around Everett.
"Hmm. Maybe I should check you over. To help," he suggested with a wicked grin.
She forced herself to narrow her gaze and hold up the brush in warning. "Don't even think about it. You said no sex."
"Did I?"
"Yes. And…I'm holding you to it."
"Shame. I suddenly have an urge to buy body paint. Are you sure you're not interested?"
The man could turn a nun into a pole dancer with his words and the look in his eyes. "What, um, are we doing today?"
