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“I don’t know his name. But she dives off a boat to get away from her husband.”
“Oh! You’re thinking ofSleeping with the Enemy,” Charlie explained.
Mack snapped his fingers. “Yes, that’s it. I knew it was Julia Roberts.”
“Can we please drop it now?” I asked, wanting to get on with this night. “You’re making me regret inviting you.”
“Sorry,” Mack replied. “Hi, Charlie. Good to see you.”
She laughed. “You as well.”
“Okay, it seems as though we’re all here. You will each have an easel and a palette of paints. Today you’ll be painting your favorite thing. What makes you happy or brings you solace. Your painting can be abstract or realistic. The choice is yours.”
“So no nude models for inspiration?” Mack touted with a chuckle that earned glares from all the women. “Wow, I was kidding.” He leaned over to me. “Although that would have been much better.”
“Just paint something, will you?”
We each put on a large smock and picked a blank canvas to sit in front of. The easels were arranged in a way so that no one could see what anyone else was painting. As soon as Tabitha told us the assignment, so to speak, football immediately came to my mind. But would that be too obvious? Yet it was the truth. Nothing made me happier than that. Then something else popped into my mind.
Mack must have had a brilliant idea, because he was completely engrossed in whatever he was painting. Glancing around the room, it seemed as though everyone was. All except for Charlie. She stared at her canvas before finally lifting her brush.
For almost an hour we all sat practically silent, finishing our masterpieces.
A diner-style bell sounded, and Tabitha stepped in the middle of all of us. “Are we finished?”
Charlie tilted her head, wiped the canvas off with a tissue, then nodded.
“Fantastic, let’s see what everyone created.”
Lucas went first. He’d painted a woman wearing a hat and holding a football. It didn’t look half-bad. Granted, the woman didn’t look like Harley, mainly because she didn’t have any facial features. Harley got up and kissed Lucas. “That’s so sweet.”
Harley went next. Hers looked as though it could be hung in a gallery. Two people picnicking in a grassy field dotted with pink and yellow flowers. They sat on a purple blanket, and next to them was a basket, a hat, and a football. It was stunning.
Even Tabitha thought so. “That’s beautiful. Did you study art?”
“Yes, and design.”
Of course, she designed hats for a living. I would assume you would need a bit of artistic talent for that. Sophie was next. Hers was of a beach and a sunset. Then Mack turned his around, and we all laughed at the stick figure with two circles on the vertical line, holding a football.
“Hey, that’s mean,” he touted. “You’re hurting her feelings.”
“Oh, that’s a woman?” Lucas quipped.
Mine was a bouquet of wildflowers. I did draw a football on the vase. “That’s pretty,” Charlie said, not knowing it was because it reminded me of her perfume.
To cover myself, I added, “Figured it was easier than drawing a person.”
Charlie stood and turned her canvas toward the group. No one said a word. A stack of books sat on a table. They were so lifelike it looked as though you could touch them and feel the leather bindings. Rather than actual titles, the spines read,Hope,Love,Laughter,andLife.
We all complimented her. After Tabitha told us to sign our canvases, we headed to the front of the room.
“This was so much fun. Thank you, Collin. Probably my best first date ever.” She rolled onto the balls of her feet and kissed my cheek.
“I have to say, thanks to the company, it’s mine too.”
Chapter 18
Charlie
