Page 76 of Beautiful Exile

I help up my landscape. “The mountains.”

Benny’s face screwed up. “Mountains make you happy? Dumb.”

“Benny,” Arden’s voice cut in, a sternness to it I hadn’t heard before. “We don’t talk to others that way. What’s our motto around here?”

Benny ducked his head, his cheeks flushing. “Everyone’s art is beautiful. Everyone has their own path.”

“That’s right.” She patted his shoulder. “And yours looks awesome.”

Any embarrassment disappeared as he lifted it to her. “It’s you.”

I swore Arden melted.Dang that kid for stealing my moves. “I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s done for me.”

My gaze cut to her. “Better than cheeseburgers when you haven’t eaten all day?”

Arden choked on a laugh. “Just a little.”

Benny sent me a smirk and mouthedsucker.

I pushed to my feet, stretching as Arden encouraged each tiny artist, giving them pointers as she made the rounds. When she got to me, she stopped and glanced into my eyes. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Mr. Pierce.”

Fuck.

My dick twitched, and now was so not the time. I thought about the disgusting smell of a hockey locker room after a game, sweaty gym socks, anything but Arden’s sultry voice calling me Mr. Pierce.

I snatched up my painting and handed it to her, waiting for her assessment.

“He needs to work on his shading,” Benny said from across the table.

Arden looked up at me, her eyes dancing with mirth.

“Everyone’s a critic,” I muttered.

“He’s not wrong,” she said, pointing to an area of the mountains. “If you add some shadow here, the mountains will look more three-dimensional.”

I leaned in closer as I took the painting back. “I’ll work on it, Miss Waverly.”

Arden’s lips parted on a sharp inhale, those berry-stained pillows just crying out for a kiss.

“What about mine, Miss Arden?” Isabella demanded, thrusting her paper out. “It’s fireworks.”

The painting was like the kid: wild and full of color. The paint was layered on so thick the paper had wrinkled and curved in places.

“Izzy,” Arden said, grinning at her. “I love it! I think it’s your best one yet.”

“Yes!” Isabella did a little boogie in her chair, fists and painting raised.

“Show-off,” Benny muttered under his breath.

Isabella’s gaze narrowed on him. “Just because Miss Arden got a new boyfriend doesn’t mean you get to be all grumpy.”

“She didn’t,” Benny yelled.

I might not have kids, but hockey players were kind of like overgrown toddlers at times, so I knew the start of a brawl when I saw one. I went for redirection. “Who can help me make my mountains not suck?”

All three pairs of eyes came to me, their tiny jaws dropping.

I winced, glancing at Arden. “Is suck a bad word now?”

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