Eyes bulging, I look at her like she’s grown two extra heads. Even though it’s just the two of us, I still think her voice is too damn loud.
“No!” My hand falls away from my tummy.
Narrowing her eyes at me, she still looks suspicious.
“Then what is it?” she poses. “What’s holding you back from being completely open with him about this? Don’t you think he deserves it?”
“Of course I do,” I sigh. “It’s just complicated.”
“How so? You’re not pregnant. So how much messier could it get?” she probes with a stern look on her face.
Shrugging, I fail to voice an answer so she goes on.
“You’re a kindergarten teacher posing as a financial advisor and working for his brother. A brother he hasn’t spoken to in years. A brother who also won’t tell you why he’s so obsessed with having his estranged brother as a client. Did I miss anything?”
Charli watches me expectantly as I continue to fidget in my seat like a teenager under their parents’ scrutinizing gazes.
Knots form in my stomach as I open my mouth to tell her my secret.
“I’m in love with him.”
Charli’s reaction isn’t what I expect. Unblinking, she gawks at me like I’m the one with three heads now. Then she bursts out laughing.
“Well, duh. Anybody could tell you that just looking at you from a mile away.”
Feeling exposed, I look at her in shock.
“What are you talking about? These feelings are new.”
Charli shakes her head knowingly. “Maybe you’re just putting a name on them but you’ve been in love with him for quite some time.”
Still reeling from her dismissive response, I purse my lips and pout, “Elaborate.”
“Whenever you two are in the same room, it bounces off you in waves and smacks everyone in the face. Hell, it’s coming off you now and he’s not even around!”
Gaping at her, I feel like I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
I want to ask her how she’s so sure, but she’s still talking.
“Don’t forget, I’m your best friend. I’ve seen you through your puppy love phase with Mason and up to that last jerk you dated whose name we won’t mention.”
She’s talking about my ex from two years ago. What a scumbucket. He cheated on me every second of our relationship and I was crazy enough to be heartbroken over it.
“The point is,” my best friend continues. “I know what love looks like on you, and you’re deep in it right now. I think this is the worst case yet,” she summates.
I don’t have a problem admitting she’s right about that one. I’ve never felt this before. How did I go from rolling my eyes at Andrew’s bold advances to daydreaming about his phone calls?
It’s ridiculous how much I miss him when he’s not around. I barely even sleep at my place these days. It’s like I’ve become dependent on him without even realizing it.
Just his presence is comforting and that’s how I know I’m in a hell of a lot deeper than I bargained for.
“You being in love with him is even more reason to be honest with him before he finds out from another source. You won’t be able to hide the fact that you’re an elementary teacher forever.”
As she finally starts the car.
“Doesn’t it bother you that you can’t share Thriving Together with him?” She interrogates, name dropping the project I’ve spent most of my summer trying to secure funds for.
Damn it, she’s right.
“Look at it this way,” she says putting the truck in reverse. “Andrew is probably falling in love with you, too. But you’re only allowing him to experience a side of you that isn’t completely true. How would you feel if someone knowingly let you fall in love with a lie?”
Thirty-six
ANDREW
Two days after our messy encounter, I’m back in the basement. I finally have time to cut and stretch the canvas over a wooden frame I constructed using scraps from my studio.
Picking up the canvas, I walk over to my work table and spread it out evenly across the metal surface.
With my lamp shining down on it, I get a good look at it. Black and red splatters cover the cloth material. The colors swirl together near the center but the lines in the furthest corners are distinctly red.
With a smirk, I recall the way Lilah clenched the sheet as I took her from behind. She was squirming like a lover possessed in order to get away from my pounding. But there was no escape.
The artwork in front of me is very different from the paintings I usually create. Body paint isn’t my preferred medium.
I briefly debate whether to include this in my upcoming show. Every time I look at it, my cock stirs as memories from that night come flooding in.
Do I really want to invite others to get a glimpse of something so personal? I feel like I’d inadvertently be sharing a piece of Lilah with my audience and my possessive instincts kick.
I want her to myself.
For the next few minutes, I work efficiently, using the staple gun to clamp the canvas in place against the wood.
Just as I flip the painting over to study the finished product, I hear footsteps on the staircase across the basement.
When I look up, my housekeeper Gladys is standing near me.
“Mr. Knight, what would you like for dinner tonight?”
It isn’t until she asks that I realize I’m even hungry. I haven’t eaten since noon, when I took lunch to Lilah’s office. A quick look at my watch lets me know that it’s going on seven now.
Lilah should be arriving soon. She said she’d be over after going to yoga with Charli. I can’t remember the last time she slept at her place.
With that in mind, I get a clever idea that I’ll only be able to pull off with Gladys’ help.
***
Cooking isn’t as easy as Gladys makes it look. I’m seriously doubting my bright idea to cook for Lilah. Honestly, I want to give up
