Dustin pulls back from me. “It’s early still. Do you want to do something?”
“Sure. What do you want to do?”
“I’d love to watch you paint. You could show me some tips.”
Excitement thrums through me. I’m dying to get back to my paints and start working on some of the full paintings I sketched this afternoon. “I’d love to teach you.”
Dustin and I get Squint, and we cross through the back yard to Jera’s house. “Do you mind feeding Squint while I get my paints ready?”
“Sure.”
“Everything is in the kitchen. He gets one scoop.”
Dustin goes to feed my dog, and I pull out my supplies in Jera’s library. There’s only one chair at the desk, so I drag in another chair from the living room. I set it next to the desk where Dustin can see everything I’m doing.
He comes back into the room. “I fed Squint. But I noticed the bowl is the kind that collapses for travel. Same for his water. Is that all you have? A set of travel bowls?”
I look up from Jera’s desk, the guilt once again assaulting me. I don’t want to lie to Dustin again, but now isn’t the right time to tell him the truth. Maybe I can get around it by not really lying to him. “He doesn’t really care about the bowl, as long as he gets fed.”
Dustin laughs. “I can tell that’s true.”
“Okay, sit here. I’ll show you how I start my paintings.” I take a pencil and lightly sketch the beach scene, explaining as I go why I’m putting certain things in different places.
“So, it’s much more involved than just sketching what you see. You have to think about composition as you do it?”
“Exactly.”
I show Dustin how to mix the paints on the palette and how to apply large washes to the paper before going into the details. I have fun showing him how to work with the paper to create light and dark contrast in the paint. Dustin seems fascinated, and he watches me as I explain everything.
“You really know what you’re doing. This had to have come from more than just one or two art classes in college.”
I bite my lower lip. He’s right. I attended an art school, while Jera attended some fancy film school in L.A. I stare at the watercolor paper. I have to tell him the truth. “I attended the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.”
“That totally makes sense. I bet you thought you were going to be an artist before your acting career took off.”
“Yeah,” I say quietly.
Dustin doesn’t notice the shift between us. “This looks fantastic. Can I try?”
I pull out a sheet of watercolor paper. “Of course. It’s best to start just by getting used to the paint. Paint some shapes, paying attention to how the paint goes onto the paper. You can use some of the techniques I’ve been showing you.”
Dustin works along side me, trying out different brushes and paints. I watch him as he explores the thing I love most. It touches my heart that he wants to learn something that means so much to me.
“Where does your mom live?” Dustin asks as he swirls his brush into the water container.
“She’s in Washington state.”
“Do you see her often?” He glances at me, probably trying to gauge how close I am with my mother.
“Yes. She comes to visit quite a bit.”
“You mentioned how hard it was for your family when your father left. How is your mother doing now?”
“She’s doing well. After—” I almost said Jera, but luckily I stopped myself, and cleared my throat. “After I landed my first movie, I helped my mom get out of debt. She’s remarried now and living her best life.”
Dustin dips his brush into the burnt umber. “Do you like your stepfather?”
“Yes. He’s a really nice guy. My sister and I are so happy for my mother.”
He smiles as he applies the paint to his paper. “That’s great.”
“My stepfather is really into classic cars. They travel all over for that. They’re in Tennessee right now getting ready for some big classic car show.”
Dustin raises his eyebrows. “So, he owns a classic car?”
I nod. “Several. His baby is a 1955 Thunderbird. That’s usually the one they take.”
Dustin swivels in his chair. “Really? I’d love to see it.”
I pull out my phone and pull up social media. “He’s always posting photos of it. I’ll find one.”
It doesn’t take me long, and I hand my phone over to Dustin. He lets out a low whistle. “That’s gorgeous. I bet he would love it if you made a painting of his car.”
What a fantastic idea. “You’re right. Thank you. Now I know what I’m giving him for Christmas.”
“I love the blue color.”
“You should see it in person.”
“Do they ever drive it here when they come visit you?”
“Yes.” At least, they do when they visit me in Denver. I should probably change the subject. “How are your shapes coming along?”
He shows me his paper. “This is harder than it looks.”
“You’re doing good. I see you’re learning how to create different colors and shades. Great job.”
He smiles. “You’re being kind.”
“I’m being honest. The hardest part is learning to work with the paint instead of against it, if that makes sense.”
“Yes, I totally understand.”
We paint together, losing track of time until I look up at the clock. “Oh, it’s almost midnight. We should stop.”
“You’re right. My costume fitting is in the morning.”
We stand and walk to the sliding glass door that leads to Jera’s back yard. Dustin slips his arm around me as we step outside. “Can I come over after my appointment tomorrow?”
“Sure. I need to film my class, but I’ll text you when I’m done.”
Dustin pulls me to his side. “I’m glad we got to talk today. I feel like we took a step forward in our relationship.”
His words both thrill me and devastate me. We did take a step forward, but each step forward will simply mean more heartache when I finally tell him who I am. I shove that thought out of my mind. I can’t think about tomorrow night. It’s going to be too difficult as it is. I’ll deal with it later.
I turn to him. “Thanks for such a lovely day.”
He puts his hands on my shoulders. His touch warms me to my toes. “You mentioned you have a photo shoot this week. What day is it?”
“Thursday.”
“So, after you film your class tomorrow, you’re free?”
I nod. “Yep.”
“Will you be free by lunch time?”
I’d have to get up early. I hate getting up early, but tomorrow is our last day together so I smile. “I can be.”
“Great. I think I can whip up another surprise for you.”
“I can’t wait.”
He gives me a kiss before leaving. I watch him walk across our back yards and disappear into his house. I have one more day to spend in this fantasy before I have to tell Dustin the truth, and break both of us.
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