“Going somewhere exciting?”
“Just a day trip to the mountains,” Charlie called up.
“How lovely! You two have a wonderful time!” Mrs. Calhoun beamed at them, then stage-whispered loud enough to be heard across the parking lot: “He's a keeper, dear!”
Charlie's face went pink as they got in the truck.
Ben was grinning. “She's something.”
“Yeah, she’s something all right. Everyone in the building probably knows about you by now.”
“Is that a problem?”
Charlie looked at him, considering. “No,” she said as she broke into a huge grin. “No, I don't think it is.”
As they drovealong through the mountains, Charlie took out her Moleskine notebook and flipped it open. Her packet of colored pens and pencils came next, and soon she was sketching something. Ben assumed she was drawing the distant peaks that came into view over the treetops every time they came around a bend.
“We can stop for a few minutes if you’d like. There are several scenic views along here and you could snap a photo for later.”
“No thanks. I can see what I’m drawing just fine from here.” She smiled at him.
He couldn’t wait to get to Loveland Pass, just so he could see what she’d been drawing. He loved her quick sketches even more than the bigger pieces she worked on at home. Her sketches held life and movement in their quick pen strokes. She’d have to draw quickly, since her subject kept appearing and disappearing from view. Unless she was sketching the road, but even then, it twisted and turned, changing shape like a sidewinder crossing a dusty plain.
She hummed quietly to herself, which meant she was happy with whatever she was capturing on paper. Her whole demeanor softened the atmosphere in the truck, making him so comfortable, he forgot to be self-conscious. As much as he wanted to get there and see what she’d drawn, he wanted to keep driving forever, keep the easy, golden, satisfied feeling in his chest, knowing she was happy, in her element, and he could just exist with her in the world. That was more than he’d ever expected in a relationship.
But roads didn’t always go on forever, and eventually, he saw the sign for the turnoff.
Be grateful for what you have. A perfect two hours with Charlie happy beside you. The memory of this feeling will be with you always. Always.
He eased into a parking spot. Charlie straightened and blinked as she looked out the windshield.
“We’re here?” she asked, sounding surprised as she closed her sketchbook and tucked it into her bag.
“Yes,” Ben answered. “I would have thought you’d seen the signs since you were sketching. You were so engrossed, but I guess you were too busy focusing on the landscape in the distance and not things up close.”
“That’s not what I was looking at or sketching.”
“No? So you were sketching the road itself?”
“No,” she laughed lightly. “You really don’t know, do you?” Her voice had turned soft, threaded with wonder. “Would you like to see?”
“Of course. I’ve been wondering what had your rapt attention for an hour.”
She grinned and reached back into her bag. She took out the Moleskine and flipped through several pages until she came to the latest sketches. She gazed at them fondly for a moment before those gorgeous hazel eyes looked back up at him through her lashes. She flipped the cover closed, her thumb bookmarking the pages, and handed over the book.
Ben slid his thumb between the pages as he took the Moleskine. He flipped it open and stared for a moment at the sketches, dumbfounded.
“These are…these are all of me.”
Ben shook his head, his eyes never leaving the book. She’d done several of him, some from the side, some in three-quarter view. Ben staring straight ahead and gripping the wheel. Ben with his mouth slightly open as he sang along to the radio. Ben smiling, glancing at her. Snapshots of their drive up, one after the other, after the other. And they were…flattering. She’d somehow captured the way he’d felt—at peace, happy, content.
“Is this how you see me?” he asked softly.
“Sorry, I’m not good at portraiture…”
“I’m absolutely…you made me look…attractive.”
Charlie widened her eyes for a moment, then laughed. “That’s because you are, Ben. How can you not know that?” Some of the laughter faded from her eyes, replaced by a quizzical look. “You really don’t know, do you?”
