ChapterTwo
Josh shook Connie’s hand,thankful this excursion was over and he could get out of this nowhere beach town and tiny cottage that smelled of paint and stale coffee. All he had to do now was give Ms. Holt the client’s list of revisions and wait for the end result. “Great. I’ll have my firm draw up the papers and have them senttoyou.”
“Wait,” Connie said. “You traveled all the way here just to ask if you could use that old picture? Couldn’t you have sent an email orsomething?”
“My client was concerned about the image getting spread around if we sent a copy digitally. In advertising, you always have to be a step ahead of yourcompetition.”
“You must really need thisdrawing,then.”
The twinkle in Connie’s eye gave Josh the feeling she was well-versed in negotiating. “Actually, I need a variation of this drawing. This one is faded and a little distorted, but we need something with the same passion, sameemotion.”
“I can’t.” Ms. Holt stood, grabbed a mug from the table and disappeared outside, taking his hope of saving his company with her. Between the agent’s negotiating skills and the artist’s obvious reluctance, this wasn’t turning out to be the cakewalk he had hoped it would be. He needed to seal this deal. It had to be that image. He’d already shown it to the client who loved it and was ready to sign on the dotted line for a multimillion-dollar contract if he could get the artist to do the requested changes. This one contract would finally get him out from under his father’s thumb. His old man never let him forget that he’d loaned Josh the money to start his company. Not to mention his father had only agreed to the loan if Josh promised to return to the family business if he failed.Vacuum cleaners,he thought with disgust. There wasn’t anything wrong with making vacuum cleaners, something his family had been doing successfully for generations, but it just wasn’t for him. He’d only ever felt suffocated under the weight of monotony in that job. He needed something with morecreativity.
“Hey.” Connie snapped her fingers in front of his face and he blinked. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll talk to mysister.”
He saw his opportunity slipping away as she headed toward the back door. He couldn’t let that happen. Snagging Connie’s arm, he said, “Let me talktoher.”
Connie eyed him then the door. “You don’t know my sister. She can be…stubborn.” When he still didn’t release her arm, she sighed. “Fine. I think you’re digging your own grave, but at least she can’t bury you too deep in allthatsand.”
Chalking the woman’s warning up to sarcasm, Josh made his way around the easel to the back door, spying a horrific painting of a grotesque house as he passed. It was lifeless and flat, nothing like the image in his hand. He couldn’t paint a stroke, yet he knew that wasn’t any good. Was this even the same artist? His enthusiasm at hiring the woman who had created such a magical image was fadingquickly.
He yanked the back sliding door open and stepped out onto a rickety wooden porch. The sand-laced breeze lashed at his skin and the sun shone bright in a clear sky, blinding him for a moment. He snagged his sunglasses from his coat pocket and coveredhiseyes.
Lily stood at the railing, looking out over the ocean. Her long, wavy blonde hair tied with a hair band, hung halfway down her thin back. It was beautiful, natural. Nothing like the other artists he’d met in the city. They always seemed to dye their hair every color of the rainbow and cut in the newest style, whether it suited themornot.
“I don’t mean to pry, but is there a reason you don’t want to sell this piece of art? Is it the money?” Josh eyed the peeling paint and dented metal downspout. Certainly twenty-five thousand would be enough to fix up this place. He clenched his fist. He was sick of money-hungry women. “I can talk to my client aboutofferingmore…”
“No. That’s more Connie’s thing. I’m happy if I can just paint or sketch what I want. Living in a small cottage on the beach, it’s perfect for me.” Lily didn’t look at him, her words only carrying softly on the wind. Nothing about her seemed forced or fake, yet there had to be some reason she was soreluctant.
If there was anything he knew how to do, it was to win a woman’s affection with a little charm. He scooted closer and eyed her half-empty mug. “Perhaps I can buy you a cup of coffee and we can discuss the terms, maybe come to some arrangement that will suit bothofus.”
For a moment, he thought he’d lost her as her gaze traveled over the vast ocean. Her expression looked as though she would rather be anywhere but standing on that porch talkingtohim.
Then she turned and smiled, mischievous andbeautiful. “Okay.”
Before he ended up stammering and embarrassing himself, he cleared his throat then said, “I’lldrive.”
“We don’t drive around here.” She batted her long, dark lashesathim.
“We don’t?” he asked, not liking where this wasleading.
She shook her head. “Nope. Follow me.” She sashayed through the back door with an inspired look and her head held high. “We’llbeback.”
Connie stood in the center of the room with her mouth hanging open. “Where are yougoing?”
Lily set her mug down on the counter. “Forcoffee.”
Connie narrowed her gaze on Lily. “Youwouldn’t.”
Josh hesitated. “Should I beconcerned?”
Connie smacked her forehead and sighed. “You have no idea. This girl will do anything for a good cup of coffee.” Dropping her hands to her sides, she said, “Listen, I’ll go get it. You two can stay hereandtalk.”
“No coffee, no conversation.” Lily winked at her sister, and he knew there must be some joke between them. Whatever Lily thought she could do to get rid of him, it wouldn’t work. If he could hold his own against his father, he could in any areaoflife.
“I’ll be fine. Let’s go,” he said, hischinhigh.
“Great!” Lily spun around and headed for the door. “Followme.”
