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Wearing a self-satisfied grin, I continued with my work.
“I’m surprised Eric didn’t join you.”
I didn’t look up from my sketch. “You haven’t talked to him?” I asked, knowing how close they were.
“No. I have had other things on my mind, so I’ve been avoiding everybody but my parents. And the only reason I’m not avoiding them is because I’ve been living with them for the past few weeks. I’m kind of in a… transitional period of my life.”
I lifted my head, waiting for her to proceed.
When she didn’t elaborate, I explained why her brother didn’t join us. “Eric has been busy with his latest shark-tagging project. He has a big presentation next week, so he can’t get away. He’s really disappointed.”
She smiled in response but again didn’t elaborate on what she was going through. “I need to give him a call. It’s not normal for us to go weeks without talking. You and your brother were always close, too. Right? How’s he doing?”
My stomach tightened involuntarily, and I gripped my pencil a little tighter. That was definitely a topic that was off-limits for now. “We’re not as close as we were growing up. We had a bit of a… falling out.”
Zoey closed her mouth and pressed her lips together. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” I answered with a hint of regret, mildly upset that my brother had ruined this moment for me without even knowing it.
“Well, I can’t wait to see the drawing.”
Her quick subject change didn’t go unnoticed, and I silently appreciated her sensitivity.
The finishing touches were almost complete, and the conversation kept me motivated.
“You obviously know what I’ve been up to. Eric said you were a graphic designer for a restaurant in South Beach. How’s that going?” I asked. I wanted her to keep talking.
Zoey’s nose scrunched up, and it looked like I’d hit a sensitive topic. “Eric doesn’t know yet, but I was fired last week.”
“Ouch,” I said. “What did you do?”
She leaned forward and widened her eyes. “Nothing.”
Nothing? I was expecting a dramatic retelling.
“You had to have done something,” I responded.
“Unfortunately, it’s a pretty boring story. The restaurant owner fired me and hired his niece.”
Her last smile was all I needed to finish the drawing, and I added the final shading to her lips. “I bet the niece is awful.”
She snorted. “Terrible.”
Fuck, that snort was adorable.
“What’s next?” I turned my sketchbook face down on the table so I could reveal my masterpiece during the next lull in conversation.
“I guess I’ll do some freelance stuff until I get another full-time job,” she said, then paused. “But I don’t want to work for someone else for the rest of my life.”
“Really?” My interest was piqued, and I leaned forward. “What do you want to do?”
“I guess I could start a design firm, so I don’t have to rely on just one client.”
“But that’s not what you really want to do,” I intoned, sensing she wasn’t telling me everything.
A knowing smile crossed her lips. “No, it’s not. I have always dreamed of writing cozy Christmas romance novels. I love the cozy settings and quirky characters, and I don’t think anything is better than finding love for the holidays.”
“What’s holding you back?”
