Connie gave her a dismissive wave and turned her attention to her computer to find the next humiliating job for Lily. Connie meant well, and Lily loved her sister. Heck, Lily would’ve starved by now if Connie hadn’t lined up work for her. She sighed again then brought the picture closer to her face to study the lines and shading of an anatomically inaccurate half-clothedgargoyle.
Two hours later the doorbell chimed and Lily happily tossed her paint brush into her rinse water, seeing the visitor as a means to make her escape. Unfortunately, before her butt was off the chair Connie had already lunged into action. “I’ve got it. You keep working. Oh, I may have another commission coming, of a treehouse.”
Lily fell back into her chair, chastising herself for agreeing to accept commissions for art pieces. As a business woman, Connie was great at selling things, and Lily knew her sister had her best interest at heart. Still, she felt like her soul was being sold to the highestbidder.
The front door squeaked as Connie opened it, then a deep, deliciously distracting voice said, “Excuse me, I’m looking for someone by the name of Lily Holt. I was told I could find her here.” Curious and happy for an excuse to ignore her project, Lily slipped from her chair and tiptoed toward the front door. Perhaps she could get a front row seat to her sister’s skills. Connie always amped up the charm when meeting newpeople.
“Who may I ask are you?” Surprisingly, Connie’s tone soundedsuspicious.
“My name is Josh Raymond, from the Raymond Advertising Agency. I’d like to speak with Ms. Holt about a piece ofartwork.”
“Why didn’t you say so? Come inside,” Connie said, oozing enough southern charm it would put Scarlett O’Hara toshame.
Lily moved behind the column at the edge of the kitchen and snuck a peek at the stranger. Dark, wavy hair, tall, and well dressed, he looked more suited to the galleries of New York than a small beach town. Yet that was just at first glance. The back of his hair was slicked down, making her think it was probably unruly most of the time. Despite being Italian leather, his shoes were dusty from the sand that blew around everywhere in a beach town. He appeared as out of place as Connie did here, yet the contradiction only peaked her curiosityevenmore.
Connie offered him a beaming smile, no doubt having already assessed his wealth.Good, Lily thought. Maybe a male distraction with money to spend would get Connie off her back for a day or two. The man’s looks would have been enough motivation for most women, but notConnie.
“Can I offer you some coffee or tea?” Connie asked, gesturing him toward the small kitchen. “I’m Connie, bytheway.”
“Nice to meet you, Connie. And thank you, but nothing for me. Is Ms. Holt here?” he asked. The man turned, and Lily caught a glimpse of the most brilliant blue eyes, the kind that leapt out and capture yourheart.
She raced to retrieve her colored pencils and sketchbook, then started blending shades of blue on a fresh sheet. It was somewhere between the brightness of electric blue and the depth of cobalt.Unique and mesmerizing.She tried to capture that feeling onpaper.
“Lily, we have aguest.”
Lily’s head shot up, only just realizing they had beenwatchingher.
Josh offered his hand. “Ms. Holt. I’m JoshRaymond—”
“Yes, from the advertising agency. I heard you.” Ignoring his hand, she turned her attention back to her sketchbook. She wanted to find that color before itwasgone.
“When you were spying on us from behind that column?” Josh asked with a smile. His expression was all business, yet a hint of playfulness slipped through. It distracted her enough that she lost the snapshot in her mind. As she stared at him, trying to recapture it, a shadow darkened his face. She shuffled close and angled her head so she could get a good look at him, and he quirked a brow at her. Then she remembered her sister’s chastisement after things fell apart with Stephon.“You’ll never catch a decent man if you keep acting like a crazy art fool.”Embarrassed, Lily abruptly stepped back. “Sorry. It wasyoureyes.”
His other brow joined its partner high on his forehead. “Myeyes?”
“Yes, um, the color. It’s unique, and I wanted tocaptureit.”
Connie shook her head. “My sister isn’t as strange as she seems, Ipromise.”
“No, it’s fine. The color’s blue,” he said, pulling at the collar of his suit. She never could understand how businessmen tolerated being so overly dressed, especially insummertime.
Did he think she couldn’t see the color for herself? “No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s more than that. There’s depth to it and a lightness, like swirls of kindness mixed withintrigue.”
“You get all that from my eyes?” heasked.
She blinked at him, surprised he didn’t go running from the cottage. Most people she met would find any excuse to leave if she said something like that to them. “Yeah. It’s my passion, what I love to draw. The soul behind an image or item. It’s not just about slapping paint on a canvas and calling it art.” She couldn’t help but eye the canvas on her easel with the ugly house. The house whose soul had been smothered by garden gnomes, gaudy paint and scantily cladgargoyles.
“I see. Well, I’m here to ask you for permission to use one of your art pieces for an advertisement we’re working on for nextValentine’sDay.”
Interest in his eyes vanished and she did her best to suppress an eye roll.Great. The only thing worse than being commissioned to do bad art pieces was advertising. Cheap slogans for the masses slapped on art meant to portray so much more. Was that all her art was anymore? Was that all the ability she had left? “Let me guess, you want to use that heart I painted for that French client in New York. Go ahead, what do I care. It’s garbageanyway.”
“No, I want to use this.” He withdrew a piece of folded paper from his pocket. Even before he opened it and handed it to her, she knew what it was. It was a drawing from three years ago, though it felt like a lifetime. “It was amessage.”
Lily shook her head, not wanting to look at the image of a couple happily embracing on Enchanted Island. “No, it was supposed to be, but I’m not much of a writer, so I drew this.” She hadn’t been able to find the words to express her wish, so she drew it instead. Her wish for the man she thought she loved to stop cheating and stealing from her. Yet it took another year for her to really see the truth. That day she’d thrown out the picture of her wish, the way the man she’d loved had thrown out her trust. She sunk into her seat. “Where did youfindthat?”
“eBay.” He cleared his throat and tugged his tie away from his neck. “Actually, my partner, Allen, found it and brought it to me. We both think it’s perfect for the campaign we’re working on. So does the client. He wants to use this but with some tweaks. We’d like you to redraw it with those tweaks, but I’ll need to have it for my meeting back in New York inthirtydays.”
New York and her message in the bottle, two things she never wanted to see again. And the thought of her ex ever seeing the image of what could’ve been between them, the proof of her affection for him, made her stomach knot. “Why would anyone sell thisoneBay?”
