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I got up and headed toward the kitchen to grab another soda.
Billy had always been my biggest champion. He was the only person who had stuck with me through everything, even when I didn’t deserve it.
He never wavered.
He was a class act, and I owed him more than friendship. He’d pulled me back from the depths of hell more than once, and for that, I owed him my life.
I returned a moment later, settling myself next to Marin, as Billy answered the door and paid for the pizza. This evening was a much more relaxed affair compared to the dinner party Molly had organized. We ate around the table while music played, and everyone got to know each other.
“So, what do you do, Marin?” Eli asked as we all sat around, mostly finished with our food.
I’d met the man several times over the last year, and he seemed to ooze style from his very pores, from his designer clothes to his perfectly styled hair. He owned a small but well-known restaurant in New York, although Billy had yet to visit.
I thought it was a bit of a sore subject.
Kind of like the one Eli had just brought up.
I could feel Marin instantly tense next to me, and her cheeks reddened. Was she embarrassed?
“Um, at the moment, I’m not sure,” she answered honestly. “I’ve done graphic design for most of my life, but I went to art school, and I’d love to get back into my craft.”
Billy chuckled, placing a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “Oh, you’ve got his attention now. Eli is obsessed with art.”
Eli merely rolled his eyes. “Not obsessed. Just a very enthusiastic patron,” he said with a wink. “What type of art do you do?”
“Oh, um, I paint. Landscapes mostly. That’s why I moved down here initially. I wanted to open a gallery or, at the very least, sell my work to some of the local shops.”
“Really?” Eli leaned in, his interest piqued. “And you painted locally?”
“Why?” Billy teased. “Thinking of bringing a piece of Ocracoke home with you, dear?”
“I always bring a piece of Ocracoke home with me.” He set down his napkin and placed a dramatic hand on his heart. “Right here.”
Billy laughed, but the way he and Eli looked at each other was anything but humorous, and I turned away, all too aware I was intruding on a very personal moment.
“Well, I’d love to see some of it—that is, if you’re willing to share it?” Eli asked, his attention fixed back on Marin.
She hadn’t even shown her work to me. I wasn’t even sure she’d pulled any of it out of storage, let alone looked at it since she’d arrived in Ocracoke.
I wasn’t sure how it would affect her if she did.
I looked over at her, fearful this all might be too much, too soon. I could see her mulling it over as her hand fiddled with the stem of her wineglass. She looked over the heads of the two men in front of her, toward the window that faced her house, like she was staring right at the place where those canvases were.
Finally, she nodded, her lip turning upward. “Sure, let’s go.”
My eyes widened. “You want to go now?”
Eli and Billy seemed on board, sliding the chairs back to follow her as she immediately rose from the table.
She merely shrugged, the determination written all over her face. “If I don’t do it now, I’ll lose my nerve. And Eli leaves tomorrow, right?”
“I do,” he simply acknowledged.
“Well, okay then,” I said, meeting her gaze. “Let’s go.”
We left everything behind—the dishes, the pizza boxes, our drinks—and all four of us traipsed across the grass to Marin’s house. I gave her a quiet nod of appreciation when she pulled out her key and unlocked the front door.
The loud, annoying creak announced our entrance, reminding me of yet another thing I hadn’t fixed. The light flicked on, and everyone took a glance around.
