Read Online His Work of Art by Shannyn Schroeder - Free Book Online Page B

her invitation, which meant that she couldn’t rescind. The best she could hope for was that he wouldn’t want to.
    â€œMy mom will be here in a little bit to relieve me. Can you wait? I’ll follow in my car.”
    Damn. How was she going to explain him to the guys? “Sure,” she answered with a tight-lipped smile.

    As soon as he accepted Reese’s offer, Adam questioned it. Her face froze and he thought that maybe she didn’t really want him to come. Then why invite him? He didn’t even know why he’d accepted, other than he wanted to see a different side of Reese. They’d spent a bunch of time together, but he only got to know one side of her: the writer.
    He knew the writer pretty well. She was controlling and demanding, yet scattered in her thought process. She was messy. It was the best way to describe her. He wanted to know if she was like that in every aspect of her life.
    Before Reese had the chance to say or do anything else, his mom breezed through the door. Since he didn’t have classes on Thursdays, he’d started opening the store so she could have time off. She insisted that she close on those days, though. It was like she couldn’t be happy leaving the shop alone for an entire day.
    â€œHey, Mom.”
    â€œHi, honey. Reese, it’s good to see you again. If you become any more of a fixture around here, I’ll have to put you to work.”
    The offhand comment sparked something in Adam’s mind. Reese would be good here. She’d already proven it. She hadn’t mentioned anything about moving away from Chicago after graduating, so she might be a good fit to replace him. His mom would be in good hands and he would worry less.
    Huh. It was a weird feeling to acknowledge that he would trust Reese with his mother. Well, at least the shop.
    â€œYou ready?” Reese asked.
    â€œYeah. See you tomorrow, Mom.” He grabbed his jacket and followed Reese out the door.
    They drove down to the Lincoln Park area. They were near DePaul University and traffic was thick. Reese pulled into a small parking lot, but didn’t park. He pulled up alongside her.
    She rolled down her window and said, “You can park here. They only have two guest spots. I know the neighborhood, so I’ll find something on the street.”
    â€œNo. That’s crazy. I’ll find metered parking.” Now he felt bad that not only was he intruding on her night with friends, but she’d lose out on free parking too.
    â€œNo.” She shook her head and waved. “Hold on. Let me call Lee and see if there’s another spot.”
    She tapped away on her phone while they sat in their cars blocking the path for anyone else who might go by. “Awesome!” She yelled, “Take this spot. Lee has an assigned spot that he’s not using because his car’s in the shop.”
    â€œYou sure?”
    â€œYeah.” She rolled up her window and drove away, not giving him a chance to argue.
    He pulled in and waited to see where she’d come from. A moment later, she was walking toward him carrying a grocery bag in addition to her usual one. He got out of the car and met her. He pointed to the plastic bag. “Should I have brought something?”
    â€œNah. This is just some chips and salsa. The guys will have pop. We take turns bringing food.”
    She led the way to a three-story walk-up. The building was old, and it didn’t look like much had been updated, unlike many of the other buildings around them. Reese shoved through the exterior door and rang a bell. The buzzer sounded and she opened the interior door.
    Adam continued to follow her up the stairs. When they got to the third floor, a door on their right opened, but no one greeted them. They took off their coats and hung them on an already overburdened coatrack.
    He looked around the apartment. It was nothing special. A futon sat in the corner with a table smashed against it.