“Erik!”
Stopping, he turned to look at her.
“How did you know the answer?” That had not been an easy question.
Instead of satisfying her curiosity, he asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be rehearsing?”
“They’re going to be blocking a scene I’m not in, so I have a bit of time.”
She gazed at him expectantly, but instead of answering her question, he nodded and turned away, heading into the sets department. Chloe wouldn’t be shrugged off that easily, and she set off after him again, calling out, “So how did you know?”
“Know what?”
Was he being deliberately obtuse? “The trivia question.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I like opera.”
That he was a fan was surprising enough, but to knowWozzeck? That wasn’t one of the more popular operas. He had to be a trueenthusiast, and that piqued her curiosity about him even more. “How did that happen?” she asked, as he began setting up his work area, laying out brushes and tubes of paint. “Were your parents fans?”
“No.”
Chloe refused to be put off by that brusque response, and hoping that if she divulged a little bit about herself, he might open up too, she offered, “My mother adored opera; any kind of musical theater, really. My dad’s in the military, so we moved around a lot when I was growing up. But no matter where he was stationed, Mom always found the closest opera house or theater. She and I would go to a show as often as we could.”
Erik’s response was a grunt, his attention fully on his work.
“Want some company?” Without waiting for a response, she sat down on the floor, close enough to watch but still giving him ample space to work.
She took his next grunt as permission, and since he’d made it pretty clear he didn’t want to talk about music, she changed the subject. “Where did you go to art school?”
“I didn’t.”
“You’re self-taught? You have such an eye for detail.”
That weird feeling in Erik’s chest was back. He’d answered her questions, mostly, so she should have gone back to her friends and more stimulating company. Why was she sitting here, then, looking for all the world like she was exactly where she wantedto be? Like she wanted to be with him. He was tempted to call Jayla and get her opinion since he was pretty sure this went beyond someone just being a nice person.
“Do you need quiet while you work?”
She had a beautiful voice, even when she wasn’t singing, and Erik found it soothing. Realizing his hand had stilled, he resumed mixing his paint to get the right shade. “No.” He preferred some level of noise and usually played music while he painted. The quiet allowed too much time for him to think, and his thoughts, if left free to wander, tended to end up on dark paths. Or, at least they had, before they’d become all jumbled up with Chloe Powell’s confusing behavior.
“I always wanted to learn how to paint.”
Looking up from his palette, he recognized the almost wistful look on her face and picked up a clean brush to hand to her. “Do you want to give it a whirl?”
Chloe let out a delighted laugh, but waved off his offer. “Believe me. Youdo notwant me anywhere near your work. I’ll make a mess of it. I can barely draw a stick figure.”
Erik was pretty sure she was exaggerating. “I could give you a few tips, if you want. Teach you a bit.”
The silence that followed his suggestion was deafening, and Erik wanted to kick himself for making the offer. Of course, she wouldn’t want to be taught by the scarred freak. That would mean spending more time in his company, forced to look at his hideousface. Now, she was probably all uncomfortable, struggling to come up with a way to decline without offending him.
“Are you serious right now?” she asked in a sudden rush, her voice all breathy.
Erik eyed her, trying to figure out what she was feeling. Shock? Horror? But the bright smile that bloomed on her face threw him for a loop as she exclaimed, “I’d love that!”
She leaned forward, reaching out to touch his arm, and the contact was so unexpected, so unnecessary unless maybe shewantedto touch him, that his brain was barely able to process her excited chatter.
“When can we start? Tonight? Tomorrow? Oh, but where should we do it?” Her face turned thoughtful. “I don’t know if Lattie would want us hanging around here after hours.”
“Er… You could come to my place?” Shit. She wouldn’t want to do that. In a rush, he corrected, “Or you could pick a place. Whatever.”
