Page 36 of The Story of Us
“Did anyone come by?” The thought of disappointing any of her regulars was too much. Anddamn. She’d rung Callum’s dad and suggested he continue attending art classes and the sports training, and then she’d done this. Not shown up.
“No. And it’s fine. Nate was dropping off some firewood before his sports thingo with the kids, and now he’s taking the class for you.”
Eloise stopped, her heart betraying her by fluttering with gratitude. “Nate’s taking my class?”
“Is that a problem?” Alice asked.
“No, of course not.” As well as being a talented writer, Nate was also a beautiful artist. She’d asked him to consider teaching at KPs before, but he’d always declined.
“Come on, Joan and Lulu are here too. I bet they’re giving him a hard time. Let’s go watch.”
* * *
Joan grabbedNate’s arm and pulled him towards her canvas. It was covered in bright pink and purple dots. Some were arranged like flowers, others in lines or squiggles. “You know what I’ve always thought this class would benefit from?”
Lulu cackled. Never a good sign.
“Hmm?”
“Still life, and not those boring fruit bowls Eloise drags out occasionally. Now that you’re teaching here?—”
“Just for today because her meeting ran late.” Nate was still confused about why Eloise would’ve booked a meeting so close to a class when she normally guarded the time around these sessions fiercely. Whatever it was, it must’ve been important.
“—but think how fun it would be to spice things up a little bit. We could have nudes! Not with the children here but that’d boost numbers.”
Nate’s gaze swept the room. Every station was full. Paintbrushes swished across canvases, and the big table in the centre of the room was covered in butcher’s paper and crayons.
“The numbers seem fine, and something tells me you’ve already tried to convince Eloise about this, and she said no.”
Lulu’s chuckle confirmed his suspicions.
Joan dipped her brush into a paint pot and pursed her lips. “It was worth a try.”
“Are you two ever not up to something? Since when do you come to these?” Nate asked the pair, even though he had a sneaking suspicion about why they were there, especially since Lulu had called him earlier to ask if he could drop off some extra firewood. Imagine his surprise when he arrived to find the woodshed still almost full from when he’d last stocked it.
“Can’t two friends enjoy an afternoon of painting together?” Lulu failed to hide the smirk all her boys, including Nate, had inherited.
“And check how the program is working. Reporting back to the committee, et cetera,” Joan added.
“I see.” He didn’t.
Movement near the window caught Nate’s eye, and Eloise hurried into the room, trailed by Alice.
He’d seen her in a lot of different outfits over the years, which sounded creepy even just in his mind. From paint-splattered jeans to the fancy dresses she’d worn to Charlie’s wedding stuff. But never like this.
Like a boss.
Her black jumper dress fitted her like a second skin, and her hair was loose, tumbling down her back in a riot of curls. The way she dragged her fingers through it told him she’d just undone her usual plait. But that had nothing on the effect her ruby-red lips had on him. How her mouth opened ever so slightly, the flash of teeth sinking into her plump bottom lip when their gazes met. His hands tingled, and he catalogued the moment so he could describe it properly when he got home. Who was he kidding? His words would never accurately reflect the hold she had on him. How her presence made the rest of the world fade into the background.
The arrival of the blond boy from sports training—Callum, that was his name—along with a tall man in King Gee workwear pulled Nate’s thoughts away from what Eloise might be wearing underneath that tight dress.
“See, Dad,” Callum said loudly. “Nate’s here. I bet I could ask him for some extra pointers before training. If I caught the bus from school, then you could just pick me up after training. Nate and Eloise wouldn’t mind if I got here a bit early. Would you?”
Talk about being put on the spot. Nate glanced at Eloise, who nodded and put her hands on her hips. The way his stomach twisted told Nate that there was a plan afoot right now.
“I don’t mind at all,” Eloise said.
“And you’re here every week?” The man addressed this question to Nate, not Eloise.
