Page 8 of Trash and Treasure
“What do you want to do?”
Jack shrugged. “I’m the new guy, remember?”
Mico decided to take a risk. “You said you liked the art you saw at the library, right? Would you like to see more by the same artist?”
Jack’s immediate grin eased Mico’s nervousness. “There’s more? I’d love to go.”
They finished their snack and then headed back toward town. As he drove, Mico tried not to overthink the situation.It’s not like I’m inviting him up to see my “etchings.” I’m not planning to seduce him. But I’d like to see his reaction to my art. After all, he already knows my reaction to his donuts.
You’re bringing him to your den,his raccoon spoke up.Will you mate with him?
Mico remembered at the last minute that Jack was in the car and wouldn’t understand that any rude gestures or facial expressions weren’t intended for him.Humans do things a little differently. We’re not going to “mate.” And it’s not a “den.”
His shifter self gave a derisive sniff.Keep telling yourself that.
Jack looked puzzled when Mico turned into the long driveway that led to his house. “The art exhibit is in the woods?”
Mico chuckled. “Kinda. It’s the artist’s studio.”
Jack looked around once they parked and got out of the car. “Is it okay for us to be here?”
“Yeah. I have permission. Come on—take a look around,” Mico coaxed, gesturing for Jack to follow.
Mico had never shown most of these pieces to anyone. A few works had gone to exhibits and come back again, but Jack was the first person Mico had wanted to bring to his place. Now, he found himself holding his breath, hoping that Jack liked what he saw.
“Wow,” Jack breathed as he moved slowly from piece to piece, carefully examining each one. Mico knew the eclectic work wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Sculptures combined metal and wood to create new forms. Mobiles made from glass and ceramics hung from branches, catching the light and jangling in the breeze. A bottle tree harkened back to legends about protective magic, while painted stones and twisted aluminum found new life as whimsical animals or fantasy flowers.
“The pieces at the library are a little more mainstream,” Mico said, still nervous. “You can see a broader range of materials and themes here. Some are definitely a work in progress or early in the learning curve.”
“I love it,” Jack said in an awed voice. “The idea of taking things people threw away, that they couldn’t see any value in keeping, and making art—” His voice choked off, and Mico wondered what had happened to him to make the idea so emotional.
“That’s what I like about it too, Mico replied. “People miss out on a lot of things when they don’t bother to look closely.”
Jack had wandered a few steps ahead and came to an abrupt halt when the “treehouse” came into view. “Oh my God. That’s perfect.”
Mico couldn’t help grinning, and his raccoon gave him an I-told-you-so look. “You think so?”
“I climbed a lot of trees when I was a kid,” Jack said, with a slight hesitation that made Mico think he was leaving out part of the story. “Always felt safer up in the branches. I loved movies where kids had a treehouse. But this…it’s the grownup version, and it’s absolutely beautiful.”
“Would you like to go inside?” Mico offered.
Jack looked at him with wide eyes. “Won’t we get arrested? What if the artist is home?”
Mico chuckled and pulled the key from his pocket. “We won’t get in trouble. The ‘artist’ is right here. This is my place—and my art.”
Jack’s expression was a mix of wonder and something else Mico couldn’t identify. “You—? The display at the library…”
Mico nodded. “It means a lot to me that you liked the library exhibit and the pieces here without knowing I made them. I’ve, uh, never brought anyone home before.”
Jack smiled at the shared secret. “Really? Thank you. And yes, I’d love to see the treehouse.”
Mico led the way up the stairs. “The deck goes all the way around, which is nice at different times of the day. I did as much of the work on it as I could myself, except for where I needed to bring in a professional.”
They circled the house on the deck before Mico unlocked the door and headed inside. Jack immediately gravitated toward the big window in the living room near the wood stove. Mico hoped the furniture wasn’t too shabby—he’d put everything he had into the land and the house, so decking the place out took creativity.
Fortunately, Mico’s art made him an expert at seeing the potential in cast-offs, and he had found everything he needed at yard sales and thrift shops. Small pieces of his art decorated the space along with pictures and knick-knacks he had carried home from the same places.
“The windows are all insulated glass so I can have a good view and not freeze,” he rambled. He hoped Jack liked the inside as much as he had the outside. “It’s not fancy, but it’s cozy.”
