Page 16 of Love Me

She’s sincere, but there’s regret in her voice.

“It’s selfish, I know, but I wanted to be the one to have Sharia’s work on the walls of my gallery. To explain to buyers how awesome she was in life as a mother. And how, even though her voice is gone, her art remains timeless. She had this special technique she did with watercolors …”

I listen as my best friend lights up as she talks about the artwork of a woman whose life was cut off so young.

“I’ll leave work early to meet you next week,” I tell her an hour later as we sit on the couch.

She gives me a curious look. Instantly, my gaze drops to her lips, twisted to the side.

The urge to run my thumb along the seam of her lip is almost overwhelming. The feelings pushing through me solidify the decision I made about the course of our relationship. Things need to change between us.

Now isn’t the right time for that discussion, though.

“You’re going to leave work early? Won’t that big, fancy architect firm you work for have a problem with that?” She teases.

I give her a one shoulder shrug. “I don’t give a shit what they do or don’t think. Besides, I don’t work for them anymore.”

Gasping, she pulls back. “Did you get fired?”

I frown, and she laughs.

“Of course you didn’t. So you quit. What are you going to do now?”

“What? You think I’m going to go broke?”

She rolls her eyes. “That’ll never happen.”

“I got a new job.”

“So, you were at this new job this morning. Please, tell me …”

“Yes,” I finally say. “You’re looking at the newest director of architect design at Townsend Real Estate.”

“Yes!” She moves around the island and leaps into my arms, wrapping her body around mine.

The deep laugh that pushes through me is more about having her this close to me—right where she belongs—than my joy over my job.

Before I can get my fill, she pulls back and then pushes my shoulders.

“What the hell took you so long? Why wasn’t that the first thing you told me when you walked through the door? Wait, when did you make the move? Is Uncle Joshua excited to have you there finally?”

“I needed to make the move in my own time. Your family was here, and then you started to talk about your gallery. I just completed my first week. And yeah, he’s stoked to have me as a part of the family business.”

I answer her questions all in one shot.

“You look happy about it,” she says, her smile growing wide.

“I am.”

“I knew this move was coming,” she says cheerfully. “I could feel it. You’re going to do amazing things at Townsend. I fucking know it.”

Pride swells in my chest at her words. My best friend has always been my biggest and loudest cheerleader.

“You’re going to paint the Williamsport Skyline with your innovative building designs,” she continues. “You’ve already been doing that at the other firm, but now, you’ll have your name on the designs you create instead of the firm whose name you're not attached to.”

“Design is a team effort,” I tell her.

She waves a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah. Butyouare the star. Your art is the buildings you create. Me?” She points to herself. “I can’t draw a straight line to save my life, but I know real art when I see it, and I’ve always known you would make an impact in this field because you’re so damn talented.”

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