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“I need to see them,” Lacy said. “He’s my son and all.”
“Maybe some of them are things you don’t want to see,” Jennie said, laughing.
Laine felt her face blush. “Not like that.” She’d never do that to Carson even if she wanted to. “Most of them are sketches of his face. And they are home.”
“You’ve got to have some here,” Avery said. “I know you have sketchpads everywhere just like Josie. You can’t help yourself when you need to express what you’re feeling.”
“If it will help you all decide between flowers, fruit, toys or another piece of art, then I’ll bring them out.”
“Yes, please,” Ava said.
She knew she was going to be outnumbered. “You all vote and decide while I get my sketchpad.”
Which was in her office that no one entered but her.
She brought it out and flipped to a page of a pencil drawing of Carson. One of him smiling at her. Lacy almost cried and asked to see it closer.
She handed it over and let Carson’s family flip through the few she had.
“We decided to paint the fruit,” Delaney said. “Can you put the bananas up front since we are talking about our men?”
There was a lot of laughter to that statement and she could only imagine the things said when she went to her office.
“How about you arrange them the way you want? I’ll put a few bottles of wine with it if you’d like.”
There were a lot of head nods while Delaney did that and Laine opened the wine she had and poured the glasses after everyone made their selection between white and red.
She handed the glass of wine to Lacy, who looked up and said, “These are beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Tell me your favorite and I’ll frame it for you.”
“Really?” Lacy asked.
“Yes.” She leaned down and whispered, “If you want to find some pictures of Ava and Hudson, recent ones, I’ll do them too and put them together. Just for you.”
She thought Carson’s mother was going to cry, but she gave her a quick hug. “The best gift ever. Thank you so much. I know that isn’t what you do.”
“I can do just about anything, but it’s not my strong suit.”
“No one would know looking at these.”
She did have to admit that they were her best when it came to portraits and she wondered if it had to do with the love she felt for Carson that brought the emotion of the art to life.
Guess she’d find out when she did Hudson and Ava as well.
Ninety minutes later, there was a lot of laughter and a few empty bottles of wine. Everyone was leaving with their paintings in their hands and she was locking up the shop and walking to her car.
Rather than go home, she went to Carson’s house. He’d be out and home by now and he asked her to come stay the night.
They didn’t spend every night together. No way. It wasn’t her thing and not his either. But at least half the time one of them was at the other’s house unless Carson was working nights.
“Hi,” she said, coming in. “Something smells good here.”
“Frozen pizza,” he said. “There are a few slices left if you want some.”
“I’m starving,” she said. She walked in and grabbed one of the slices on the counter. It was cold and he hadn’t put it away yet. “All I had was a piece of fruit as I was leaving and a glass of wine.”
“That’s not healthy,” he said. “That’s all you’ve had all day?”
