“What else did you hear?” Ford asked, panic raising his voice until he cleared it. Macie was silent for far too long. Ford’s freak out went nuclear. “Dammit, Macie, what else did you hear?”
“Wow. Bradford Coleman said dammit. The world’s coming to an end.” She sighed, loudly and, more than likely, deliberately. “I only heard you give Zac shit about coming to my place. Yes, he’s been there more than Lauren, but Lauren’s been busy with last minute wedding changes and her mother. So we catch up when we can, wherever we can. And there’s more going on between me and Zac.”
That got Zac’s attention. “Wait—”
“What?” Ford snapped. His concern about Macie overhearing his cold feet all but disappeared with Macie’s bold statement.
“We’re getting along. Like you and Lauren asked us to. Dare I say it, but we might even be friends.”
Ford smiled, but Zac’s entire body deflated. When Macie had said there was something more going on, he’d thought about how he’d stared at her long legs or caught himself gazing at her lips, wondering how they’d feel against his. He hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted her to call him out on it. For Ford’s sake, he nodded.
“That’s actually great.” Ford pushed himself up using the arms of the office chair. “I need to go, Zac. We’ll talk more later.”
“See ya, buddy.” Zac stood and held out his hand. Ford gave it a firm handshake.
“Bye,” Macie shouted through the phone. She waited three beats. “Is he gone?”
Zac picked up the phone and flipped it over. Macie’s smiling face stared back at him. “Yeah, he’s gone. So I guess it’s pocket dial day.”
“I always preferred butt dial. Although I’ve never been video butt dialed before.” She shrugged but the concerned expression told him she’d heard more than she’d let on. “What was Ford so worried about? What did I miss?” Macie’s tone softened with each word. “Not the wedding?”
He didn’t want to lie to her. But he didn’t want her to know that Ford’s cold feet were icy. It was a fine line to walk. “He’s just being a typical man. Nothing to worry about. He’s not going to leave her at the altar.”
“I’ll cut his nuts off if he tries.”
Zac laughed. “I have no doubt that you would. I like the hair, by the way. It suits you.”
Macie tugged on the blue stripe. “Thanks. So tonight?”
“Chinese?” Zac asked. “I’ll pick some up on my way over.”
“I haven’t had Chinese in months. That sounds so good. It’s been back to ramen and dollar frozen meals for me lately.” Macie let out a frustrated growl. “I can’t—”
“My treat. We’ve got a lot of information to go over tonight. I need you well-fed to focus.”
“Valid point. You know my focus disappears when I’m starving?”
Zac smiled. I know more than you realize. “Pork fried rice, no onions?”
“Yes.” Her voice took on a breathy, seductive tone. Zac wanted to hear her whisper that in his ear. “You remembered my Chinese order?”
“Did you forget the once a month Chinese meals when Ford and I still lived in the dorms? Lauren dragged you over to our room and we’d stuff ourselves while we studied.” He knew she remembered. It was one of the few times they’d get along. At one point, Zac had even helped Macie get through a math course. Macie only ever ate the pork fried rice.
“Good times,” Macie said. “I’ve got to go. I... I’ll see you around seven.”
She disappeared before Zac could respond. It was just as well. He was about to say ‘it’s a date’, which it wasn’t.
But he wanted it to be.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Things had been weird. The universe aligned in a way that made Macie nervous. She waited for the bottom to drop out. Since Zac had come over to help her set up her online business, they’d talked almost every day. Both online and on the phone. He’d been amazing, and he’d seemed happier. She had noticed his lack of enthusiasm for his job over the last month, but helping her rejuvenated him. That made her happy. A lot about Zac made her happy, lately. Just being in his presence lifted her out of any funk.
It also helped that she’d gotten her first freelance job through her website. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. The next step was to sell her artwork. That was a much harder road to walk, and she needed to build her inventory. That would take time, especially since she hadn’t finished Spiral. She stared at the painting. It was still missing something important. She glanced at the time on her phone. It was early, and the bachelorette party wouldn’t start until three. Zac had offered to meet her at her place. He wanted them to show up together to make sure everything went as smooth as silk. The first part of the party wasn’t one Ford, or any of the other guys, would appreciate.
Macie stripped off her clothes and grabbed her brushes. The edge of the inner canvas needed covered. With what, she didn’t know. She only knew it needed to be dark. The paints sat unopened beside her palette. Instinct had gotten her this far, so she reached the tube that spoke to her, Payne’s gray. Seemed appropriate. A tube of Crimson Alizarin hid behind a tube of Cadmium Red. The crimson was darker, and it would do better against the gray. Especially after she mixed the gray with Zinc White. Macie loaded her palette. Leaving globs of gray and white along the edges and pulling small portions toward the center to mix. A small amount of crimson sat alone. She put on her headphones, blocking out the world and letting the sound of a thunderstorm fill her head and take her to a place where her mind focused only on the task at hand. With a small brush,
