“No, you listen. Sebastian has suffered a lot.” She stepped closer until we were face to face, inches apart. In her heels, she was as tall as me. “I’m sure he’s told you about Lara, his almost fiancée. That toxic relationship nearly ruined his future. He could have ended up in prison. I was glad when she ended things, but the trauma changed him forever. He closed up emotionally and became what could sometimes be mistaken as a heartless, shallow jerk. Until you showed up.”
She paused, waiting. I kept quiet.
“You changed him back somehow. He opened up to you in a way he hadn’t in decades. He told me you were the most honest,genuine, amazing woman he’d ever met. And yet you broke his heart.”
“He broke my trust, Janine.” I couldn’t stay quiet. “That night at the gallery, I thought he’d made a fool of me.”
“He did no such thing. He just wanted to help.”
“I know that now. But you, of all people, should understand how I felt when I heard your highly abridged version of Sebastian’s involvement. It’s true, I should have asked him for the truth. But he’d had weeks to tell me. Surely you can understand how I felt. Aren’t you supposed to presume people are innocent until proven guilty? Don’t I deserve the same consideration?”
A ghost of a smile softened her features.
I pressed on. “I never meant to hurt him. Everything was a huge misunderstanding.”
“He’s a wonderful man, and he deserves a woman who’ll offer him the same love and devotion. He doesn’t deserve to be hurt again.”
“I won’t hurt him. I promise. I swear to you.”
She watched me for several moments. “We’ll see.”
With that, she continued to the staircase and climbed the steps, leaving a hostile, drafty silence behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jesse
Sebastian and I fell into a new routine that worked like magic. Despite the dark cloud of Janine’s disapproval, I did my best to make him happy. After all, a relationship was between two people. Three was a crowd—unless we counted Robin, who was both a delight and a pest. Sometimes we’d find the apartment littered with toilet paper, and Robin sleeping angelically in an impossibly twisted position, exhausted after redecorating. Other times, we had small victories, like when he learned to stop chewing the plants or sharpening his claws on the sofa. Educating a kitten was a slow process.
The work on Ben’s house moved along quicker than I’d anticipated, probably because I loved creating the art. I rarely put in less than ten-hour days. Afterward, I drove home, zombie-like, and Sebastian would revive me with great meals, hot showers, tender massages, and incredible sex. I’d started preparing breakfast some mornings. It was hard not to get discouraged after my burned caramel-apple sauce and cinnamon toast triggered the smoke alarm, but Sebastian was a patient teacher.
One day, he insisted on seeing what I’d done at Ben’s house. Since Ben was still out of town, I decided it couldn’t hurt. Sebastian’s reaction boosted my ego like nothing else. By the time I finished the tour, he was already planning to have me redecorate his apartment, jotting down ideas for wall paintings and colors.
“Go away.” I laughed. “I’ll need a month to recover after finishing all this. Don’t talk to me about future projects now.”
“You’ll need to look at things in perspective when you’re a full-time artist.” He winked.
“I’m not sure if that will ever happen. It’s been a good couple of months, but that doesn’t mean I’ll make a living just from my art.”
“Oh, I think you will. Remember that article in ARTnews?” He referred to one of the most prestigious art magazines in the country. “They wrote a glowing piece about your exhibit.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I recalled the article. I’d saved screenshots on my phone that I looked at every day.
“I did receive quite a few emails after that article. I’m actually negotiating a few contracts right now. An interior design company asked me to consider a consulting position, based on commission.”
Sebastian was gazing at the complex mural on the bedroom wall, portraying a foggy night and a yellow boat on a lake.
He turned around. “That’s wonderful. What did you tell them?”
I grinned. “I told them to send me an offer. Between that, the hardware store, and the freelance work, the money could add up to a decent amount.”
“I thought you were going to hire someone to manage the store permanently.”
“That’s the plan. I’ll have to organize interviews soon. Lucy starts college in the fall, and she won’t be able to work full-time anymore. I’ll hate losing her.” I shook my head. “She’s amazing. Sales seem to have doubled since I hired her.”
Sebastian wrapped his arms around my waist. “I’m sure you’ll find someone just as good. If you like, I can help with the interviews.”
I smiled, remembering some of the nuts I’d talked to last time. “That could be interesting. Now, go to work. I need to finish this by tonight. By the middle of next week, I should be done with everything.”
