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"I couldn't sleep. Too much going on," he said. "But it's going to be an amazing night."
"I'm glad you're excited," Eva told him.
He grinned. "Are you kidding me? I get to help you celebrate love. I'm ecstatic."
Eva blushed.
"Seriously though, Claire seems perfect for you."
"Thanks." Eva couldn't keep the smile off her face.
Around noon, Claire arrived lugging her chosen pieces. "Thank you again for doing this," Claire said as she came over to kiss Eva's cheek. She helped Claire carefully hang each painting, making sure each was perfect and exactly where Claire wanted it to be before they moved onto the next one.
By the time the afternoon was over, they had set everything up, and the space looked even better than Eva had imagined it would.
Claire stood in the center of the room and smiled. "This is going to be wonderful."
Eva took her hand and squeezed. "It really is. Nearly everyone in town is going to be here tonight. I'm so proud of you."
Claire's eyes shone. "Thank you."
The afternoon passed quickly, and soon enough it was time for the cafe to close and for the night to begin.
Within an hour, the bakery was packed with supportive locals praising Claire's art. Michael weaved through the crowd refilling glasses and passing around sweet treats.
When Lily arrived with baby Max, Eva waved to them, glad they had decided to come as well.
"Everything looks incredible," Lily said. "How did you pull this off?"
"It was mostly Claire," Eva said, nodding to her.
"Your paintings are beautiful," Lily said to Claire as she stepped closer. "I love the sketch you made of Max and me. I had it framed."
Claire grinned. "I'm glad. I'm so happy with how it turned out."
A young couple approached Claire next. Eva stayed close, in case anyone needed anything, but Claire seemed to be doing fine on her own. She was smiling and happy, talking with people as if she'd been doing gallery showings for years, and not having her first one tonight.
"Could you paint our wedding portrait? We're getting married in two months," the couple asked.
Eva beamed at her, happy to see Claire readily agree to the project.
"What about pet portraits?" A man asked her. Claire quickly agreed to that as well.
Eva stepped closer once Claire was alone again. "Looks like you're getting lots of commissions."
Claire blushed. "Yeah. This is insane."
"You're amazing," Eva told her.
"Thank you. For believing in me and making this happen. I can't believe I have a showing, and it's selling my art," Claire said.
"This was all you," Eva reminded her. "I'm just your biggest fan."
"I love you," Claire whispered.
Eva's heart fluttered. She'd wanted to say those words first. She called Claire her love as a term of endearment, but saying those words made it even more real. "I love you too."
They shared a soft kiss, before Eva was called away to help a group that had just walked in.
