“It’s one of my favorites as well.”
“Pete’s also the one who told me I should have a hobby and suggested I try my hand at drawing. He said even if I never show it to anyone, even if it’s godawful, it’s something to keep me busy so my mind doesn’t wander.”
“Your work is anything but godawful.”
“And speaking of art.” Erik leaned forward and flicked his finger against the sketch pad. “Time to get to work, Ms. Powell.”
She grinned. “Yes, sir.”
Since Erik was self-taught, he had no clue if there was a right way to do this, but he figured he’d start with something easy. So he fetched a teacup and a saucer from the kitchen, set them on the coffee table in front of Chloe, and told her to draw it.
Her tears had dried, and he was grateful for that. He still couldn’t quite process it. She’d cried for him. And while he could shrug that off as Chloe just possessing a soft heart and she’d likely cry for anyone, that didn’t explain why she’d kissed him.
Just the memory of the kisses they’d shared had him shifting awkwardly in his seat to find a more comfortable position, which was pretty much a lost cause. She wanted him.Him. Scars and all. It didn’t make sense, but here they were.
“I think a five-year-old could’ve done better,” she remarked, staring at what she’d drawn with a critical eye.
“Hey, don’t do that. I told you to draw a teacup, and,” he pointed to the sketch, “that is clearly a teacup. For a first attempt, I’d call that a win.”
“Right. Practice.”
“Just like any skill. I doubt you were hitting the notes you can hit now when you first started.”
Chloe laughed. “So true.”
She went back to work, attempting to shade when her doorbell rang, and she stiffened. Erik glanced at the Ring-cam feed on the laptop. “It’s just Jayla.” She visibly relaxed, and as Erik got up to let his partner in, he was cursing Jackson Savoy. Chloe should not be afraid every time her doorbell rang, or when there was a noise outside, or when her phone would ring.
PTSD. Erik had seen it before, and Chloe had it in spades.
Opening the door, Jayla strode in, all well-rested and smiling. “Hello, kids. What are we up to?”
Chloe was the one who answered. “Erik’s teaching me to draw.”
Jayla shot him a beseeching look. “Aw, I want to learn, too. Pretty please?” With prayer hands, she bounced up and down.
Erik huffed a laugh. “The more the merrier.”
“Yay!” Jayla bolted for the couch and threw herself down next to Chloe. “What are we drawing?”
“A teacup.” Flipping to an empty page in the sketch pad, Chloe tore the page out for Jayla, then pushed some pencils her way.
With both of them hunched over their work, Erik settled into the recliner, and when Chloe began to hum, he closed his eyes and listened, immediately recognizing the tune. It was “Sempre Libera”fromLa Traviata. His lips curved with a smile. This was nice.
Later, they were picking up the art supplies and talking about what to make for dinner when the exterior door buzzer sounded, announcing that someone wanted to be let in. Since Jayla was closest to the laptop, she checked it, then softly cursed. Erik came to immediate attention, joining her to see who was here. Would Savoy be that ballsy?
All he could see on the camera feed was a big, toothy smile. A smile with fangs. Then they pulled back so their entire face was in frame.Fucking Kong. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“Shit,” Jayla uttered as more familiar faces were revealed beyond Kong, and he held up a board game, waving it in front of the camera. “I guess I should’ve been clearer.”
“What do you mean? He texted me about game night, and I told him no.”
“He texted me too.” Jayla held up her phone, and Erik read the messages on the screen. The time-stamp was right after Kong had texted him.
Kong:Game night at your place?
Jayla:Staying with my charge now that she knows we’re protecting her
Kong:K
