Page 101 of Finding New Dreams

“Thought I’d see your progress for myself. The young lady over there said you’d be back from wherever you were soon, so I’ve been waiting. Where were you?”

I scowled. “We had a bachelor and bachelorette weekend for my sister’s wedding party.”

His eyes narrowed, glancing at Rose again. “Did you…behave?”

I grimaced. It was his way of asking if there was another mess he needed to clean up. As much as I appreciated what he’d done for me in the past, I hated that he thought I couldn’t handle myself. And the last thing I wanted was for him to make Rose feel like she was just some random girl I’d hooked up with at a party.

We may have hooked up, and it may have been at a party. But Rose was anything but random. In fact, I had some very specific feelings about her. But I needed to throw my bloodhound of an agent off our scent.

“Do you want to see my work or not?” I asked abruptly, shoving past him to the studio.

Rose unlocked it, and we went inside. It was just as we’d left it, my painting covered. Feeling like I might vomit, I unveiled my mostly finished masterpiece.

Ozzy hummed in appreciation, his smile turning shark-like. He never saw the art. He just saw dollar signs.

“Hmm, yes, yes, I think this will work. Just let me…” He took out his phone and took a few pictures.

As he tapped around on his screen, I looked over him at Rose. Her dark eyes were already fastened on me. Her brows scrunched together.

“I’m sorry,” I mouthed to her.

She gave a slight shake of her head.

“Yes,” Ozzy said again. “I’ll let you know what he says.”

“Where are you staying?” I asked.

“At your sister’s lodge. You know, Pine something or other. Also quaint. No room service.” He sniffed. “But I’ll be checking out tomorrow morning, so I won’t be interfering with…the wedding.” He smirked at Rose. Then skewered me with a glance. “Keep working.”

A dark cloud of questions and uncertainty hung in his wake.

Rose tapped her fingertips on the bench, her eyes darting from my painting to me to the door Ozzy had vanished through.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted out. “I had no idea he was going to be here.”

“Because you weren’t responding to his calls?”

“Well…yeah.”

Rose’s fingers stilled. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pry. It’s not my business.”

“You’re not prying. I just…I didn’t want him to see my work yet.” I raked my hands through my hair, pulling it tight. “He has a tendency to get overbearing, as you can see.”

Her expression smoothed. “So, you weren’t hiding anything else?”

I frowned. “No. Why? What else would I be—”

She looked away, biting her lip.

“You? Rose, no, I wasn’t trying to hide what we’ve been doing. He makes assumptions. He’s seen the worst of me, so I can’t blame him.”

She nodded slowly. I hated the uncertainty in her eyes, the hunch in her shoulders.

I took a hesitant step toward her. She didn’t move away, so I took another. I covered her hand with mine.

“I would never hide you, Rose. I’m the lucky one here. If anything, I was trying to hide him from you, from my life here.”

Her eyes searched mine. “Why?”

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