fall to the cup before she pulls it up to her mouth. She tentatively takes a small sip. "This is cocoa," she says quietly. "You were going to drink this?" "It's my new favorite beverage." I reach to take the cup from her hands before I take a swallow and give it back to her. "We can share if that's okay with you." Her tongue darts over her bottom lip as she pulls her gaze back to my face. "I'd love to share with you." *** "A lbert can get you another one of those." I motion towards the cup she just threw into the trash. "I wouldn’t mind sharing another with you." "I've had my fill of cocoa for the day." She moves closer to the large canvas that I've spent the last few hours working on. "This is really beautiful." "Coming from someone who doesn't like art, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not," I tease. "I'm going to pretend that it is." "It is." She pushes her hand against my arm. "I love it." "Tell me what you like about it?" I don't move. I don't want to lose the sensation of her skin touching mine even if it's something as genuinely innocent as a friendly tap on the arm. "It's vibrant." She tilts her head slightly as if she's trying to soak in the painting from another angle. "It tells a story, doesn't it?" I nod. "In a way every painting has its own unique story to tell." "What's the story of this one?" she asks as she moves closer. I feel bereft when her hand drops from my arm back to her side. "It's not really my story to tell." I move so I'm standing right next to her now. "When I paint, I feel things that I have to express on the canvas but when someone looks at my work, the story that they take away from the finished piece is what really counts." Her eyes dart from the painting to my face. "I have to decide the story myself?" "In a way you do." I nod as I look into her eyes. "If a painting is right for you, it will touch you inside." "Inside of here?" She pulls both of her hands to her chest. "I'll feel something for it here?" "Exactly." I reach past her to point at the lower right corner of the canvas. "I name each piece when I'm done. I paint the name right in this spot but many people who purchase my work don't see what I see within the brush strokes." "What's this one called?" I stare down at her. There's no way that she can know that she's inspired me to paint this. "I haven't chosen a name for it yet. I won't until it's done." "It's not done?" Her brows rise. "It looks done to me." "That's why I'm the artist and you're the lawyer." I push against her shoulder with my bicep. "I will be a lawyer one day." She pulls her eyes from the panting to my face. "I'm going to be such a good lawyer." "I have no doubt that you're going to be the best at whatever you do."
Chapter 15 Z oe I've been at his studio for close to two hours now and still haven't brought up the reason for my visit. I should. I want to but I'm enjoying listening to him explain the intricacies of every painting that's hanging on the wall. "I'm going for lunch soon, sir." Albert suddenly appears next to us. "Can I get you or Zoe anything?" Beck is just about to open his mouth to speak before I interrupt him. "I'm going to take Beck to lunch." "You are?" His eyes dart from my face to Albert's. "I guess that you don't have to get me anything, Albert. I already have plans." I smile at the playful lilt in his voice. He's charming. I'm well aware that he probably knows it but there are flashes of a man who is just naturally charismatic. I saw that just now and it's endearing in a way that surpasses the accomplishments and accolades. At a very basic level, he's just a man who knows how to paint. I doubt many people in his world see him that way anymore. "I'm sorry if I made an assumption," I whisper when I think that Albert is far enough from us that he can't hear me. "I should have asked if you are free." "Do I look like I have a lot to do today?" He throws his arms out to his sides. "You can take me to lunch today or