Page 26 of Love Is an Art
“You do want to work for FLAFL, right?” Miranda puts down her paintbrush and faces me, her gaze serious.
“I do. I really do.” I stare off at our wall, filled with Miranda’s art, including some paintings that she was never able to sell, even though we both loved them. “As much as I hate the politics of corporate law life, if I get any more used to this salary, I’m not sure I will be able to give it up. Some would say I have the best of both now. I can do some pro bono and also cases covered byThe New York Times.”
“Those are all valid thoughts and feelings,” Miranda says. “But give yourself the choice. Make sure your priority is the bonus.”
“Don’t worry. My priority is still my career before a guy. If anything, the possibility of dating Zeke helped my career because I settled his fund’s case and won huge brownie points.”
Miranda turns back to her painting and picks up her brush. I dab a few more strokes.
“Then you should go for it,” Miranda says. “Your painting doesn’t look that bad.”
My painting is a little better. The blue-green color matches Zeke’s eyes. Oh no. I’m already in too deep.
Okay.
One more chance to make him like me for myself. One fun date before I tell him I’m a lawyer. Hopefully, he’s not good friends with Jurgen, and he’ll understand about our attempt to entrap Scammer Guy when I tell him the truth. So, I guess that’s my plan.
And if he doesn’t want to date a workaholic lawyer, better to know now. Before I fall any harder.
Chapter eight
Tessa
TimetotrapScammerGuy and persuade Zeke that I’m creative and fun. Right now, I’m sitting at my desk, meticulously adding paint under my nails with a toothpick. Miranda comes into my bedroom.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Have you ever looked at your hands?” I ask. “You always have paint somewhere.”
Miranda looks at her nails and acknowledges this. She shows me some announcement on her phone. “If you really want to persuade Zeke that dating an artist is not all fun and games, you should invite him to this MoMA brush technique lecture. I once went with a friend, and she fell asleep.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. We’ll see how this date goes. But lying is too stressful for me. I’m not planning to pretend to be an artist on another date. How do I look?” I’m wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans, boots, and a chunky, gold bracelet.
“Good. Artsy. Ready for a painting party.” Miranda types on her phone. “Anyway, I emailed the info about the lecture to you.”
The doorbell rings. I check the video monitor and buzz Zeke in. I open the door and wait on the landing as he comes up the stairs.
“I’m on the third floor,” I yell down, peering over the balustrade. He looks good. He’s wearing a white, button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans, and sneakers.
Upon reaching our floor, he sports a huge grin, and butterflies flutter in my stomach. I smile back.
As he enters our apartment, his eyes widen. Our living room is basically Miranda’s art studio. Three floor-to-ceiling windows with indigo curtains, currently tied back, frame the south wall. In the middle is our long, oak table, an oasis amidst the easels, drying canvases, metal cans of paintbrushes, and plastic pots of paint. Our walls are covered with Miranda’s canvases of vibrant colors—blue, yellow, pink, purple. It has this wonderful, zippy, crazy vibe.
“Wow.” He steps inside and stares at the art. “These paintings are amazing.”
“They’re not mine,” I say. “My roommate, Miranda Langbroek, is a well-known artist. Most of these are hers. She’s much better than me.”
“The one who is the female lead singer of The Tempest?”
“Yes.”
“She’s multi-talented,” he says.
“She is.”
“Where are yours?”
“Oh. Mine. I have a long way to go.” Miranda insisted on hanging my six attempts in the corner to “inspire” me.As if.My third skyscape is the best of all my practice ones. It’s much improved from the first blue-purple blob painting—excuse me, ultramarine and violet work. I also tried twice to create an abstract composition in case that was easier. The first resembles the test sheet of paper when someone wants to see what each color looks like before actually using it. The second looks like throw-up—not the vibe I want on my date. There’s also my tree in a rain-drenched background. I used crinkled-up aluminum foil like the video recommended. A bare tree is recognizable. I think.
