Page 142 of The Chase
And I looked up at him, at his beautiful face and the wonder of him.
25
We stopped off for a bottle of fine wine on the way home.
I’d snuggled with Tobias in the back of his Bentley, all the way to Notting Hill. He’d wanted to return to The Dorchester but I’d persuaded him to bring me back to my flat. I needed an early start tomorrow to go over my files.
“Zara,” he whispered and pulled me in closer. “You’re so right. You rock my world. God, you’re an obsession like no other.”
Nuzzling against his warm chest I let out a sigh of happiness.
I was relieved when he let Coops off for the rest of the night and held back my grin when I overheard him tell Cooper to pick him up from here in the morning.
My toes had curled with excitement.
In the kitchen, Tobias set about uncorking the cabernet sauvignon, a 2012 Laira from Australia, and I grabbed two glasses.
We settled in the living room.
“You seem to know a lot about wines,” I said, taking a seat next to him on the couch.
He shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and threw it over the back of the sofa. “French ancestry. It’s in my blood.”
It tasted amazing; delicious blackcurrants adding to the flavor.
“Clara loves wine too,” I said. “She drags me along to wine tasting events.” We’d also had some epic trips to France but I wasn’t ready to share that right now.
“I can only imagine the mischief you both got up to.”
I gave a crooked smile. “Why technology?”
“My uncle was into it. I suppose that’s why you chose art, because of your dad?”
“Yes and no.” I thought back to Dad sharing his love of art with me. “I was about five years old when I visited my first museum. I became mesmerized by one of the paintings and forgot where I was. I couldn’t tell you the name of it now but there was a horse. I was worried because its rider was fighting a big dragon.”
“St. George and the Dragon?”
“Probably. The rendition looked so real. Like a photograph. When I finally broke from my trance my dad had moved on to the next room.”
“He should have been holding your hand.”
“I don’t remember being scared. Just ran off to look for him. He was in the adjoining showroom looking at another painting. Hadn’t even realized I was missing. What I remember from that day was how that painting made me feel. Invisible, I suppose. It drew me in and made me feel safe. I didn’t understand it then. Now I need to be around art or I get antsy.”
He gave a nod of understanding. “Art set you free.”
“Yes.” The wine warmed me and I sighed with contentment. “Each time I step foot inside a gallery it’s as though I’m drawing on the strength and the wisdom of the artists. Their profoundness. Art speaks to us. Connects without boundaries. There’s no other explanation for why it feels so timeless.” I placed my hand on my heart.
“Art teaches us how to be.”
“It stirs love.”
“Yes, it does.”
“You help me see art differently, Tobias.”
“How?”
Resting my palm on my chest, I let out a wistful sigh. “I feel like something’s opened up inside me. These feelings go deeper now. They’re more authentic.”
