Rubbing her stomach, Maya smiled a little and looked down. “I will. Thank you, Apollo.”
Feeling a bit shy, Maya hurried over to the Honeysetts to get to work. To her surprise, they were far more capable and focused than she would have expected. As a result, the sculpture and glass components were finished far quicker than she’d anticipated. Part of it was probably because of how adept they were at controlling their fire—their ability to intensify or reduce the heat was absolutely unexpected and intriguing to Maya.
They did have to engage Apollo a couple of times to handle some heavy machinery to create some much more intricate partsthan Maya had originally planned. Watching him work while knowing that his hand was damaged was far more impressive, and Maya realized how much work he must have done to be able to hide it.
I really couldn't have been more wrong about him. If I were a better person, if I treated Naomi better, he wouldn't have been so critical of me. He was standing up for her. Without expecting anything for himself, apparently.Maya shook her head as she added expressions to the dragons’ faces, her mind wondering how she had ever thought that Apollo was interested in Noami beyond helping her.I guess I’ll have to tell Cosmo that he was right about Apollo.
That made Maya smile as she added the finishing touches. With only a few other tasks left, a couple of the Honeysetts had gone to join Misty. Maya noticed how good they were with their young cousin, and just how patient they were, even when she seemed to fire off question after question.
She had passed over her part to Cullen and was just watching the two groups of kids when Apollo came over to her. She mused, “It must be a family trait.”
“What is?”
“Patience and a willingness to help others.” She nodded toward the three kids who were painting a much more elaborate mural than she had thought possible.
Apollo followed her gaze, and he crossed his arms over his chest, but his face was one of amusement as he said, “You would know about patience. I can’t believe you let her draw on your floor.”
“Had I known just how skilled she is, I would have given her a much bigger square. Your daughter is incredibly gifted as an artist. It will be an absolute honor to have some of her early works in my shop. Someday, it will make this place very valuable.”
Apollo laughed. “There you go. Always thinking about the long term.”
Maya looked over at him. Before she could stop herself, she quickly moved, giving him a peck on the cheek.
Apollo placed his hand on his cheek and turned to look at her.
She gave him a sheepish grin. “Thank you, Apollo. I haven’t felt so comfortable and happy in a very, very long time.” There was more she wanted to say, but one of the kids called out to her, drawing her attention back to the task at hand. Feeling self-conscious and too afraid to see his reaction, Maya hurried over to help complete the work.
Once everything was done, Maya looked around at the happy family, who were chatting and joking. It had been a very long time since she had felt like a part of something like that. They were just as eager to get Apollo’s attention and approval, pointing out where they had contributed to the finished product. He looked over at her several times, his smile infectious each time.
“Miss Lady.” A tiny hand touched hers, and Maya looked down at Misty. “Do you want to look at my murial?”
Wrapping her hand around Misty’s, Maya said, “I would love to, Misty. Is there a story behind it?”
The child pulled her over toward the picture, the question inspiring a flood of ideas about her creation. Maya crouched down, allowing the child to get paint all over her dress as the girl excitedly pointed out different aspects of her drawing, an impromptu story growing with the excitement.
Chapter 11
The Feel of Family
It felt like all too soon Maya had to send the Honeysetts back with the sculpture. She had given them more time than she had thought they would need, but soon she would need to get Misty home, then return with Apollo back to the time where they had started. Giving the Honeysetts detailed instructions about safely moving the sculpture, Maya tried to keep her mind on the task at hand. Unfortunately, she felt some disappointment tugging at the edges of her thoughts that their time was coming to an end.
After imbuing a bit of her own magic into the gift, Maya ensured that it made it back safely with the Honeysetts, who were planning on flying back to the wedding venue. When all of the siblings were standing around the statue discussing a few things, she spoke to Cullen.
“If you want to have regular lessons, I would love to keep teaching you how to do this work. You are showing a lot of promise, and it would be incredibly helpful to have someone take over some of the work.”
His eyes widened. “Really? You would be okay with that?”
“Absolutely. You’ve got some real talent, and I would be honored to help you see just how far you can take it.”
“Thank you, Miss Strife! I promise, you won’t regret it!” He grabbed her hand and shook it with the vigor of an excited child.
“I know I won’t. See you tomorrow for your Valentine’s Day gift.”
“See you tomorrow!”
“Now, please go stand with your siblings. I’m going to bend time to get you back before the wedding. Don’t forget to smooth down your hair, though.” She stood on her toes and tapped on a cowlick.
Cullen blushed. “I’ll make sure to clean up. Aren’t you coming?”
