Jess changed out of her dress and into more comfortable clothes—denim capris and a T-shirt—then organized her new supplies and studied the painting she had been working on for a week. She was happy with how it was progressing, and she spent an hour and a half working on it, trying to focus. But something wasn’t quite right.
She stepped back and thought for a moment, and then, to her surprise, she rushed forward and removed the canvas from the easel and replaced it with a fresh one.
Something else was calling to her right now. She pulled out the photo of the first day, and then the sketch she’d done, and knew she had to paint it. The one with Bran looking out to sea.
For a moment she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. Two nights with a man and suddenly he was her subject? And yet, she’d been drawn to that moment time and again over the last few weeks. The loneliness telegraphed in his body language, in the gray sea beyond him and the weary lighthouse. A thread of excitement wound through her as she started the process of turning canvas to art. She forgot the time, forgot to eat, forgot everything but the work until there was a knock on her door.
She checked her watch, shocked to discover it was almost four in the afternoon. She removed her apron as she made her way to the door, and opened it to find Tori on the other side, a frown immediately replaced by a relieved smile as she saw Jess in the doorway.
“Oh, good, you’re all right!” Tori slipped into the boathouse, leaving Jess feeling off balance. She’d been so swept up in work that the interruption had her head trying to catch up.
“All right?” she parroted, following Tori into the main room.
“I stopped by yesterday and you didn’t answer.”
“Oh, is that all?” Jess laughed a little. “I went into Halifax for supplies.”
Tori’s brow wrinkled. “You did? But your car was here. And I texted, too. Gosh, I hope I got the right number.”
Jess felt the heat creep up her neck. She hadn’t even checked her phone since yesterday afternoon. She’d been utterly preoccupied—first with Bran and then with work.
“How did you get to Halifax?” Tori asked, and the heat reached Jess’s ears.
“Oh, um, Branson had some things to do so we went together. No biggie.” She smiled widely. “And it saved me from having to navigate the city. Bran’s much more familiar.”
Tori’s face sobered. “You and Bran, huh?”
Oh, Lordy. She had such a horrible poker face. “Yeah, well, we get along okay now.” A memory slid into her brain, of his face in the shower this morning, and she struggled to breathe. “At least he doesn’t hate me anymore.”
“Oh,” Tori said, “no danger of that. He walked you home the other night.”
“It’s no big deal,” Jess replied. And hoped beyond hope that Tori hadn’t seen his car yesterday morning.
“Well, I’m hoping Jeremy and I didn’t make a mistake.” She rested her hand on the countertop. ?
?We kind of pushed you two together, you know? Bran needed someone to shake him up a bit. But...” She peered into Jess’s face. “It’s more than shaking up, isn’t it?”
Jess had to make light of this. She really didn’t want Tori to butt in, or start asking more detailed questions. For one, she didn’t know how she’d answer. The last two nights had been amazing, but they’d also shaken her more than she wanted to admit.
“I promise you have nothing to feel badly about. I like Bran, he likes me, and sometimes we spend time together without fighting.” Indeed. “Really, Tori, it’s no big deal.”
“So you’re just enjoying each other’s company?”
Jess let out a relieved breath. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”
Tori tapped her finger on her lips. “Hmm. Okay. I’m going to shut up now because I don’t want to pry too deeply. I just...well, we love Bran, and I like you a lot, Jess. Jeremy and I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”
The words were heartfelt, so Jess relaxed a little and motioned toward the tiny table and chairs. “Listen, sit down for a bit and let me get you a drink.”
Tori did sit, and as Jess went to the fridge, she called out, “So where’s Rose this afternoon?”
“Sleeping. Jeremy’s home and working in his office, with the baby monitor next to him.” Jess turned around and saw Tori smiling. “I love her to bits, but going somewhere, even for thirty minutes, without a baby and the requisite gear is so nice.”
“You didn’t venture far,” Jess teased. “Soda water okay? I have some flavored stuff. Lemon lime or grapefruit.”
“Ooh, grapefruit, please,” Tori replied. Jess retrieved two cans, opened them and poured them over ice before returning to the table. She sat across from Tori and tried to relax, though she was still feeling odd about the whole thing. She wasn’t accountable to anyone, but the night away was still more of a secret than anything, for the simple reason that she wanted to avoid questions.
“You started a new painting,” Tori said, staring at the white canvas. “What’s this one?”