When I reach the studio, I’m thankful to see a parking spot right on the main street, only about a block down. One thing that sucks about the building is the parking. Because it’s on a busy main street, there isn’t great parking, but I’m pretty sure the people around here are used to it. It’s just something I’ll have to get used to.
I get out, grab my laptop bag, lock the doors, and walk a few feet before I realize I forgot Mr. Fluffers.
Will Delilah actually know if I left him in the car or not?
Yes. Somehow, she will absolutely know.
I spin around and go back to the car, unbuckle his seat belt and pull him out before starting towards the studio again.
“That could be considered cub abuse.” I look to my left to find a dark-haired guy smiling at me while cleaning paint brushes in a dirty bucket of water. I raise a brow at him. “Leaving the bear in the car.” He points towards it with a wet and paint-splattered hand. “It’s hot out here. He could have died.” There is humor in his tone and a smirk on his lips, so I know he’s just messing with me.
I hold up Mr. Fluffers, my brow still raised. “Pretty sure he’d have survived, considering he’s immune to overheating.”
He nods, flashing me a bright-toothed smile and my chest warms. He’s good-looking. Very good-looking, actually. Dark hair, light-blue eyes, tan skin, and a perfectly sculpted body. Younger than me, probably midtwenties if I had to guess. He’s crouched on the ground while he works on cleaning up, so I can’t tell how tall he is, but I don’t think he’s taller than my six-foot-one height. “A bear with superpowers. How convenient.” He squeezes his brush out, keeping his gaze on me. “Is he yours?”
A smile of my own crosses my lips. “Grandchild,” I admit with a shrug.
“You’re new here.” He says it as if he’s telling me and not asking. It’s a little odd, but I know this is a close-knit community so I’m not really surprised.
“I could be a tourist.” He’s wiping his hands on a well-used rag as he stands to his full height, which is only about an inch shorter than me.
“You’re not. I’ve got a sixth sense for these things. Some even call me special.” He holds his hand out, taking a step closer, and I get a whiff of something that smells so damn good. As he gets even closer, I realize it’s him who smells so good. “I’m Jack.”
I shove Mr. Fluffers under my armpit and take Jack’s hand, noting how cool and soft he feels, shaking before letting go. “Anderson.” He nods and takes a step back, shoving his rag into the back pocket of his well-worn jeans.
“Let me guess…” He looks me over for a long moment, rubbing at his chin with the side of his hand. “Photography. Just bought the studio down the street.” I look down the street, entirely shocked and maybe a little creeped out over how he knows any of this. And I must not be hiding it well because he starts to laugh, which only makes me confused. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I’m Melinda’s grandson.”
“Ooooh!” I laugh and shake my head. “Now that makes sense.”
“I help her with her website, so I was the one who put up the sale posting. I recognized you immediately.” His voice is a little flirty and I decide to go with it.
This is a new beginning. I’m out in the open now and working on being true to myself and who I am. I don’t want to start this new chapter on a lie.
“Hopefully for good reasons and not due to my large nose.”
“Definitely good reasons.” He tilts his head to the side just slightly and we stare at each other for a long moment, regarding one another. My cheeks start to burn, and I know they must be turning a bright shade of pink, so I finally clear my throat…
“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to work. Hoping to get the studio up and running sooner rather than later.”
He nods with a grin, and I turn and start to walk, only getting a few steps away before he’s calling after me.
“Hey, Anderson!”
I stop and spin around, finding him standing in the same spot. “Looking for someone to paint your windows? First-time client, free of charge.” He smiles, making my stomach twist. His smile is enticing and tempting, making him look even more handsome than I thought he was in the first place. And he’s funny. I love a good sense of humor…
“Sure,” I say. “Stop in when you’re all set and we can chat.”
He holds up his hand in acknowledgment, and I wave before turning and making my way to the studio.
There isn’t much left to do here today other than cleaning. I’ve ordered everything I need, and I’m just waiting for it to come in. Most things will be here by the end of the week, but a few stragglers won’t be here until the beginning of next week. It gives me plenty of time to get the place painted and work on promoting the opening, which will hopefully help with bookings. I’m also working on setting up the website so people can book right online and not have to call in, which is going to save me a lot of time.
Times are changing and long gone are the days of people wanting to chat on the phone. Now, if someone can avoid human contact, they do.
I put Mr. Fluffers on the bench by the window while I gather the cleaning supplies and get to work. I clean from top to bottom, starting in the two back studio rooms, then move to the storage closet, changing room, bathroom, and then the front room. Thankfully the walls are in good condition, so just a good coat of primer and it’ll be good to paint. The floor is also in great condition, so I don’t have to do anything to it. After painting, I’ll be able to hang up the equipment for the backdrops, the lighting, and then all the portraits I’ll be showcasing in the front room as a means to get people to book with me.
When the cleaning for the day is done, I set up my laptop and hot spot for internet, considering they won’t be able to get here until tomorrow to hook up my business phone and internet line.
I’d already purchased my domain, set up an account, and started working on a basic template for the website. I have most of my photo albums up there as proof of my work, and next, I’d planned on working on setting up the scheduler that is supposed to send me an email every time someone books.
Everything seems to be in order, so I do a test run, but never get the email. I even check my spam folder. Nothing. I go back in and look through the settings, but can’t figure it out. I’m about to give up when a knock on the front door makes the decision for me. I look up to see Jack holding up a tray of drinks and a white paper bag.
So he’s handsome, funny, and thoughtful?
I suppress the groan I feel, knowing now is not the time for me to even be considering dating anyone. Hell, even crushing on someone is not what I need to be doing right now. I need to focus on getting our new life in order and making sure my kids are good. Yeah, flirting was a good idea earlier, but I wasn’t expecting it to go further…
Wait. Why am I even letting myself think like this? The guy is here with drinks and a bag. For all I know, it’s all for him.
But… am I really going to go through life always putting my kids first and never myself?
My kids are the most important thing to me, but if I’m not in a good place, then I can’t help them be in a good place.
I’ve spent my whole life living a lie, living in secret about who I am.
I now have a chance to fix that. To live life freely. I have the support of my children, so what’s holding me back? Coming up with excuses isn’t going to help me.
I move around the counter and unlock the door to let him in.
“I come bearing gifts. I didn’t see you bring a lunch box or anything, so I assumed you’d be hungry. Hope you like coffee and bagels.”
“It’s almost like you’re in my head.” He throws a smile over his shoulder as he moves towards the counter and puts the food down. Right away I notice how comfortable he seems being in a place he doesn’t know, around someone he doesn’t know.
“I really was joking when I said I have a gift, so hopefully coffee with milk and sugar is fine with you?” he says.
“It’s just the way I like it.” I lock the door back up and move around the counter as he begins to pull things from the bag.
“You can take your choice of bagel. I got one sweet and one savory. One chocolate chip and one spinach.” He holds them up, both wrapped in white paper so I don’t know which is which.
“Definitely the spinach.”
“Good, because if you’d have taken my chocolate chip bagel, we’d be fighting.” I laugh and take the bagel he hands me.
“I have both cream cheese and butter.” He looks up at me with a raised brow, and I’m starting to feel like this is a quiz.
“How about both?”
“A man who doesn’t care about calories? You just get better and better.”
I try to hide my smile by scratching my nose, but it doesn’t seem to work. He shoots me a wink and then we eat our bagels and drink our coffee, chatting over all sorts of things. The conversation is easy and I rather like the sound of his voice.
He tells me about the town and how he’s lived here since he was eighteen. Tells me all the secret spots to go to and throws in little hints of himself here and there. I talk about my house and the car and let him know I have two kids but don’t get into much detail other than that.
Getting comfortable with being open is definitely going to take some time and lots of practice. Even if this chat is going easy, it doesn’t mean they all will.