Page 65 of Unsealing Her Fate

“Thanks, but actually, I wanted to make sure you’re alright.” He shoves his hands in his pocket, a worried look on his face.

Confusion crosses my face. “Oh, yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?”

His expression turns amused, like I should know something but don’t. “About Tony at the bar on Saturday night. I just want to make sure he didn’t spook you. He’s mostly harmless, but his mouth gets away from him sometimes.”

“Oh, that!” I wave a dismissive hand. “No, I’m fine. I haven’t given that man a single thought. Frankly, he’s the least of my worries.” My eyes widen. I shouldn’t have said that out loud.Damnit, Andrea!I don’t need to attract the attention of the town detective. I laugh, trying to brush it off like it was nothing. “Well, you know what I mean.”

His eyes narrow a bit. “No, I’m not sure I do. You want to talk about something?” His hands ball into fists before he plants them on his hips, a stern look on his face.

“Nope! Let me get that coffee for you!” I squeak out, turning and practically running to the coffeepot.

My hands are a little shaky as I pour his cup. I put too much sugar in it for my taste and then add the cream. I turn to place his coffee on the counter for pick up because I don’t trust myself to hold it any longer. When I look up, I find that Jack has moved down to this side of the counter. His brows furrow, and there’s an intense look on his face as he stares at my hands. I quickly tuck my shaking hands behind me, plastering on a fake bright smile.

“Is there anything else I can get you?”

My voice snaps his eyes up to mine. He holds them for a moment, a pregnant pause hanging in the air as he clearly tries to work something out in his head.

Finally, he shakes his head. “No, thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow, Andi.” His voice is rough, as if he’s upset or even angry, but I can’t figure out which.

Heisa detective, though. Not knowing something he deems important would probably upset him.

He starts for the door, turning suddenly before he reaches it. “By the way, I like your hair.”

Before I can even respond, the door opens, and he’s gone. I blush, though I don’t know why. I get back to work, trying to shake off the whole encounter and settle my nerves.

The morning passed in a blur, and the last of the lunch crowd is gone. Irene and I are up front wiping down the tables. Now is as good a time as any to ask her about the paintings, so I work up the courage.

“Hey, I have a question.”

She continues wiping away. “Shoot, honey”.

I stop cleaning, wringing my hands nervously. “Well, I really love to paint.”

She stops for a second, looking at me. “That’s great, hon. I didn’t know that.” She goes back to wiping the tables.

I clear my throat. “Well, Charlie was over at my place last night and saw one of them.”

My nerves are getting the best of me. Maybe this isn’t a great idea. I don’t need to sell them. I can do them on my own time. Besides, I just need the outlet more than anything.

Like she overheard my racing thoughts, Charlie breezes to where we are, determination and maybe even a bit of annoyance at my lack of follow-through in her eyes. “Oh, no you don’t, girl. You’re not backing out!”

Irene stops, looking between the two of us while trying to figure out what’s happening.

“It was a silly idea. I don’t…” I start, but my words fall away.

I don’t know why I was so excited about it this morning. I’ve told myself over and over that I need to live life for me. Doing what makes me happy, so that I can start thriving instead of just living. But there is a pesky little voice in the back of my head that rears up every time I try to push out of my comfort zone. It tells me no one will like my paintings, that I’m not good enough, that I’ll never be good enough. It stops me in my tracks every time.

Turns out, that little voice isn’t stopping anything this time because Charlie rips off the Band-Aid for me.

“Oh, no, no, no! It’s not silly at all. Irene, Andi over here is a very talented painter, and I think we should let her hang them up here in the café to sell them on the side.”

I gasp. “Charlie! I would have asked her when I was ready!”

She gives me an amused grin. “We both know that’s not true. You got cold feet. I could hear the hesitation from where I was standing back there. I’m not going to let you hide anymore. It seems you’ve done enough of that for a lifetime.”

Her words knock the breath out of me. No truer words have ever been spoken in regard to me. What she doesn’t know is I’m not done hiding yet. At least notentirely.

Irene steps toward me, gently touching my arm. “Dear, I think that’s a wonderful idea. If Charlie says they’re good, I believe her. Plus, the shop could use a little facelift with some new art. If you don’t want to sell them right away, you could just put them up and see what everyone’s reaction is?”

---