AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She put a finger on her chin in thought. “First, try to apologize again.”
“I did.”
“And bring her flowers!”
“Hmm. I don’t know what her favorite flower is.”
“Get her sunflowers! They’re the perfect summer flowers, and it’s a sign of when you fell in love.”
I ruffled her hair, and she gave me an annoyed look. “How do you know I’m in love?”
She rolled her eyes at me again. I bit my tongue from telling her that her face might stay like that if she kept doing it. That was a total dad thing to say.
“Because you’ve been so mopey! I hate it!” She stared at my sketchbook. “You should do something with those sketches.”
“Like what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Make her a painting or something. Show her how much she means to you.”
That wasn’t a bad idea. Although I sent her the logo for her shop and she never responded. I kept refreshing her shop too, and she hadn’t updated it. I made the crystal logo perfect for her, and she wasn’t using it.
I flipped through my sketchbook of all the sketches I did of us in the Poconos, and a plan started brewing in my head. I think I knew how I could win back Gemma.
I texted Declan.
ME: Is there any availability in the loft? Maybe next month. I have an idea to get Gemma back.
DECLAN: Will she come back to the brewery if I say yes?
ME: That’s the plan.
DECLAN: On it, let me move some things around.
“Is it okay if Sophia comes over?” Skye asked.
“Sure. Text me if you need anything. I’m gonna be in the basement painting.”
She looked excited at that. “Oh. What are you gonna do?”
“Paint my feelings,” I said as I walked upstairs into my bedroom.
I changed into painting clothes, but before I went downstairs, I sat at my computer. I ordered a bouquet of sunflowers to be delivered to Gemma with a card. It bothered me that she wasn’t giving me the chance to explain myself. I messed up by not giving a thought to her when my sister got injured. I understood why she was angry with me, but I wanted to make amends. I didn’t stop loving Gemma when we left the Poconos, and I knew she didn’t stop loving me.
I grabbed my paints and my sketchbook and headed down to the basement. I put my headphones on, grabbed one of the blank canvases, and put it on the easel. Spending time on my art at the cabin was the first time I created for my own enjoyment in a long time. A part of me had come alive when I was at the easel again. I got so busy taking care of my sister and being the provider that I didn’t realize how much I missed working on my art for fun.
I opened my sketchbook and flipped to the sketch of the two of us on the dock together. I had my arms around her from behind, and I was kissing her temple as we looked out onto the water. It was so clear in my mind, the image of how we fit so perfectly together. And how I messed it all up by a simple mistake.
I drew on my easel and started to work. I was going to lose a lot of sleep over this, but I had to win her back. If not, having an art show in the loft would be a cool event for the brewery. It was a win-win for Declan.
I set up the last painting on the stand in the loft and looked back at my work. When I asked Declan to cut my hours, he didn’t even question it. He shuffled the schedule around and had the new girl take more shifts while I spent the next month painting my ass off. I’d never painted this much in such a short time, but I hoped the lack of sleep was worth it.
“Wow, these are amazing,” a feminine voice said from behind me.
I turned around and saw Avery MacGregor standing behind me, surveying my work. Of course, I enlisted Avery’s help with the art show plan. She owed me for meddling.
“You think you can get her to come?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’ll guilt-trip her into thinking it’s for me so I can get out of the house.”
