AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He’d been going to the hospital alone every day, which she thought was natural since Aidan was awake and was doing so much better. She’d wanted to give them time to talk—or not talk—time to interact however brothers interacted. When Aidan had been in the coma, she’d gone to the hospital to support Daniel, but she figured that if she tagged along now, she’d be a third wheel.
They hadn’t been out together—for lunch or dinner or a walk...only the coffee at the Sentient Bean. She’d chalked that up to his new schedule that was dictated by Chloe’s camp. And now she had learned through her sister, of all people, that Aidan might be having memory issues. Daniel hadn’t said a word and that was weird. She had no idea if Aidan’s memory loss was confined to Kate—if he remembered Daniel. Or Chloe. Please, God, let him remember his own daughter. It would be devastating for a five-year-old if her father didn’t remember her. She wouldn’t understand.
But she didn’t know, because Daniel hadn’t told her.
“Hey, listen, I have to run. My first appointment is going to be at the salon in a half hour. I need to scoot.”
After Kate breezed out, Elle stood alone in the sunroom, looking around. Her fingers toyed with the necklace Daniel had given her. She’d set up her easel in the corner and put her brushes in the antique box. She had been working on a painting. It still needed a lot of work, but she was happy with the way it was taking shape.
It suddenly dawned on her that she could stand at her easel right now and paint all day long if she wanted to. When Roger left, she had been forced to regroup and rethink her path. Straight out of art school, her plan had been to be a full-time artist after they got married. Roger had been a business major at the University of Georgia and had graduated a semester ahead of her because she had opted to stick around Savannah and pick up an additional class taught by one of her favorite contemporary artists who had agreed to teach at SCAD for that semester only. Roger had landed a good job with an accounting firm straight out of school and the plan had been for him to work while she finished the extra semester and they would get married after she graduated.
When he’d walked out on her, he’d taken with him her chance to paint full-time. She had to get a job that allowed her to support herself. Teaching hadn’t been her first choice, but it was logical and it paid the bills. So, she’d picked up her teaching certificate and had put down her personal art.
As she looked at her painting in progress—a large study of the Christmas garden outside—it hit her. She wasn’t so eager to get back to her so-called life in Atlanta as much as she was running away from the risk involved in having another shot at all the things that she once thought would make her happy.
Since the county had made sweeping budget cuts, it was a given that she wouldn’t get another job teaching art. If she was lucky, in the fall, she might land an ESE—exceptional student education—position as an art therapist. What was more likely was she would be placed in a curriculum specialist position, which would require her to spend several months training, or they might even put her in some kind of coaching position.
While she loved the chance to work with kids, even elementary art wasn’t her dream job. It went downhill from there when she thought of the other nooks and crannies where they might stick her. Those jobs wouldn’t make her feel happy or fulfilled.
Not like she’d been while surrounded by her family at their beautiful inn.
Not like she’d been when she’d taught the guests art journaling.
Not like she’d felt when she was with Daniel.
What was wrong with her? If she kept running, not only would she keep getting farther away from who she was and what she liked to do, but she’d push farther away from the man she loved.
She wasn’t falling in love with Daniel Quindlin. She was way past falling. She was in love with him and it scared the bejeebers out of her.
Suddenly the only place she wanted to be was with Daniel. She hoped it wasn’t too late. She knew the only way to find out was to put herself out on the line.
* * *
Daniel was up on a ladder in the dining room, surveying the severity of the water damage. It was too bad that Wiladean and Zelda had only cosmetically masked the problem, because it looked as if the moisture had caused some wood rot and that meant repairing it was a bigger job that would take longer. He wasn’t looking forward to delivering the news.
