Page 27 of Strictly Friends
‘Oka-ay,’ Ruby said, still baffled as to where all this was going.
‘So, the thing is, I’ve been trying to come up with a concept I can get excited about. Now, I visit Sorrel Island every year because it’s always been a real creative place for me. But I’ve been here almost two damned weeks and, so far, nothing! Then, just as I’m about to lose it, the island gods sentyou!’ He threw his arms into the air with all the energy of an orchestra conductor at the finale of a symphony.
‘Me?’ Ruby exclaimed, not sure whether to laugh or simply grab Jake and run.
‘Yes,you!’ he repeated impatiently. ‘So, will you let me paint you?’
‘Paintme! Why me, for God’s sake? I’m hardly your model type!’
‘You don’t know my type,’ Mac pointed out. ‘Besides, everything about you ismagnificent! Everything... your height,your colouring, your body – it’s all perfect for the Caribbean-island-goddess idea I’ve been playing with!’
Despite his over-the-top effusiveness, Mac sounded sincere, but Ruby’s first instinct was to flatly refuse his request. Although her schooldays were far behind her, the years of being taunted about her height had left her deeply insecure about her appearance. The idea that she could model for a portrait destined for a prestigious exhibition sounded patently ridiculous.
She opened her mouth to turn down Mac’s offer, but Jake tugged hard on her hand and when she looked down, his eyes shone with excitement.
‘Do it, Mum! You’d be a brilliant model and I’d get to watch him while he draws you.’ As if sensing her hesitation, he looked at her with pleading eyes. ‘Pleeeease?’
Mac looked at the boy quizzically and then knelt on the grass, bringing himself to eye level with Jake. ‘Are you interested in art, son?’
When Jake nodded vigorously, Mac looked up at Ruby, who shrugged in agreement. ‘He loves drawing and he’s very talented.’
Mac’s gaze moved speculatively from Ruby to Jake and then he stood up and brushed the grass off his trousers before facing Ruby squarely.
‘Well, then, how about we make a deal? You sit for me, and I’ll let Jake watchandI’ll give him some free art lessons while you’re here. What do you say?’
‘That’s pure bribery!’ she protested. ‘Besides, why would I let a perfect stranger hang around my son?’
‘That’s a fair point. Look, Ruby, all I’m suggesting is that we help each other out here. I know I’m a stranger, but I swear MissIda will give me a great character reference.’
‘Please, Mum?’ Jake begged in a voice thick with longing. ‘I’m already missing Art Club, and Mac’s arealartist. I want him to teach me.’
Ruby sighed, wishing Griffin was there to help her work out what was best. The only reason she had come to the island was to sort things out with Kenny so Jake could move on with his life. She certainly hadn’t counted on this – this ridiculously handsome stranger who seemed bent on digging into and exposing her deepest insecurity. She looked at the naked entreaty on the faces of both Mac and Jake and allowed herself to consider the possibility of being a real, live model. Clearly, George Clooney – okay, Mac – didn’t see her as an unattractive, intimidating hulk. He actuallywantedto paint her! Furthermore, if the man was as renowned an artist as he claimed to be, this would be an incredible opportunity for Jake to learn from the best. Moreover, she’d be right there to keep an eye on his interaction with her son, so what could it hurt?
Mac had been watching the changing expressions chasing across Ruby’s face as she wrestled with her decision. ‘I promise I won’t interfere too much with your holiday,’ he pleaded. ‘I’m talking about a couple of hours a day for a week or so, tops. I just need to get the preliminary sketches down and I can take it from there.’
Mac’s dimpled smile and wheedling tone were so at odds with his earlier hauteur that Ruby couldn’t help laughing.
‘I still don’t get why you’d want to paint me, but if it helps Jake, then okay.’ She shook her head resignedly as Jake cheered loudly and Mac joined in.
‘So, can we start tomorrow morning?’ Mac asked, rubbing his hands together and skewering her with another dazzling smile.
Mesmerised, Ruby bit her lower lip and stared at him wordlessly. Once again, Jake nudged her, and she blinked and cleared her throat.
‘Um... sure. Jake does his schoolwork in the mornings, so it would need to be after that.’
‘Whatever’s good for you guys works for me,’ said Mac, ‘but I like to start as early as possible to get the best light. That okay?’
Ruby nodded, already regretting her decision. Just being around Mac left her feeling flustered, and the idea of spending hours with him every day suddenly seemed fraught with challenge.
Whichever way she looked at it, her straightforward mission to set her son straight about his father was becoming more complicated by the day.
19
‘After you,’ Kenny said, stepping aside and gesturing towards the open front door.
Ruby hesitated, troubled by even the symbolism of crossing the threshold into Kenny’s home. She had assumed dinner would be at a restaurant until he had casually remarked in the car how much he was looking forward to cooking for her again. Before she had time to object, he had turned the car into a driveway and was pulling up in front of a white two-storey building. Despite Jake’s wishful thinking, his father’s house in no way rivalled Paradise Inn for size and, unlike MissIda’s plantation-era mansion, was built in a contemporary style with clean lines and solar panels in one side of the roof. In the falling dusk, spotlights in the front garden illuminated a profusion of colourful flowers tamed into neatly fashioned beds.
While Ruby wavered on the doorstep, Jake slipped past her with an impatient tut and dashed in. Torn between her son’s obvious excitement at seeing his father’s home and her desire to avoid getting pulled any further into Kenny’s life than she had to, Ruby reluctantly followed suit. Inside, the layout was open plan with high ceilings and large glass windows. On one side, the hall flowed into a spacious living area with a huge sofa and furnishings in shades of grey and white. To the right and through an archwaywas a formal dining room with a polished mahogany table and matching chairs upholstered in grey. If MissIda’s house spoke of warmth and colour, Kenny’s was sleek and modern with an elegant simplicity. Despite the openness and monochromatic decor, there was nevertheless a welcoming feel to the place and an even more welcoming aroma wafting across from the other side of the dining room.
