Thirteen
The quiet life was waiting for Liam when he got back to Stuart Island. He was happy to ease back into it, combing through footage and posting his paintings on the ChatterSnap app.
If anonymous online avatars were to be believed, there were at least ten serious buyers planning to come to the farmers market the next week.
He had seven new paintings completed, but whenever he sat down to paint the eighth, every brushstroke went wrong, the colors refused to blend, and the canvases ended up in the garbage.
It felt like he couldn’t see what was right in front of him. He dumped the latest attempt, then pulled out a new canvas just as Joey’s plane pulled up to the dock.
Liam stood from his seat so quickly he knocked the easel to the ground.
“Morning, Joey!” he yelled as he approached the plane.
Joey was bent over, tying the plane to the dock. “Hey man!”
Liam peered through the windows of the plane. There didn’t seem to be any passengers. “How are you?”
“Good! Did you see me trying to get to the dock? I kept getting pulled back out.”
“Ah, I didn’t. I’ve got my head in the clouds, I guess.”
He waved a hand. “It was wild. The water looks calm, but there’s a crazy current. Anyway. How are you doing? Did you get your restraining order yet?”
“Not yet.” Liam held up his hand, fingers crossed. “Here’s to hoping.”
Joey laughed. “I’m surprised you walked in there voluntarily. Did you really record Mrs. Smitt yelling at Mackenzie?”
“Oh yeah. That was great stuff.”
“I have to see it.”
Liam nodded up the hill. “Have you got a minute? I’ll show you. I haven’t had a chance to review it yet.”
“Yes! ” Joey said, grinning.
They got to Liam’s room and he loaded the video onto his laptop. He started playing as Mrs. Smitt walked down the stadium stairs. Joey hummed The Imperial March and Liam burst into laughter.
By the time Mrs. Smitt started yelling at Mackenzie, both of them were bent over, tears streaming down their faces.
“Okay, okay, stop,” Joey said. “I can’t take it. This is hilarious.”
Liam paused it and let out a slow breath. “Whew. Sorry. I don’t know why it’s so funny.”
“It’s the rage on her face. She’s so small, yet so angry.”
Liam paused the frame on Mackenzie. “I really enjoy the bored expression on Mackenzie’s face.”
“The clipboard!” Joey said, pointing. “Where did she get that? Is it a prop?”
Liam felt himself starting to slip into laughter again. “No, someone gave it to her. She was checking things and ignoring the glare.”
Joey stood, wiping tears from his eyes. He walked to the far side of the room where Liam had stacked paintings.
“This looks like a decent place to stay,” Joey said. “Did you paint all of these?”
Liam shut the laptop. “Yeah.”
Joey sifted through the canvases. “Whoa. Is this my plane?”
“Yeah. I paint whatever is around. You can have it, if you want.”
Joey held it in his hands, his wide eyes scanning back and forth. “Really? It’s awesome.”
“It’s yours.”
“How much do I owe you?”
Liam shrugged. “How about a ride to the tea shop?”
Joey tucked the painting under his arm. “Deal. I’m supposed to fly one of the contractors back in like thirty minutes.”
“Works for me,” Liam said.
They walked back down to the plane and waited.
“Where are you staying?” Liam asked.
He winced. “Russell was going to rent a place for me, but he ended up letting me use one of the rooms in his house in the meantime. I’ve just never left.”
Liam narrowed his eyes. “Are you kidding me right now? I’m staying in a studio in the middle of nowhere, and you’re in a mansion?”
“I’m sure if you wanted to, you—”
A smile broke Liam’s scowl. “I’m kidding. Totally kidding. I love it here.”
Joey let out a breath. “You almost got me. You’re good at not breaking character.”
He wanted to find a segue into talking about Mackenzie, but it was too awkward. Instead, he said, “Thanks.”
The flight was quick, and soon Liam stood in front of the place that clouded all his thoughts.
“Maybe I’ll set up out here,” he announced.
Joey had a hand on the front door of the tea shop. “At least come in and get something to eat.”
Mackenzie’s car wasn’t in the parking lot. What was the point of going in? She might still be inside, though. Maybe her car stayed at her granny’s place…
He followed Joey in. Eliza was at the register, and she broke into a grin when she saw Joey. “Hey there handsome.”
“Why hello, little lady.” He leaned an elbow on the counter. “What’s cookin’?”
Liam stayed back by the door. “Hello.”
“Oh, hey Liam!” Eliza leaned to look past Joey. “Interested in a lemon rhubarb scone?”
“Sounds delicious.” He cleared his throat. “I was thinking of setting up outside to paint the tea shop, if that’s all right?”
“Yes! Please do. Granny would love it. She’s at the cottage right now, but maybe I could buy it from you for her?”
“If it’s half decent, you can have it for free.”
She waved a hand. “No, I will definitely pay for it. I can bring you some tea outside, too. Do you need a table or anything?”
“No, I’ve got everything I need, thanks. I’d love to try the raspberry tea.”
“I’ll bring out a pot!”
As he set up his easel, he positioned himself in front of the tea shop so he could capture the view of the sea behind it. The sky was a wall of solid blue today. It would be a good place to start.
He mixed in a touch of white and made the first dabs on the canvas. Liam stood back, staring. A touch more gray, maybe, to balance the hue.
That did the trick. Then he moved onto the tea shop. The old wooden boards were painted a beautiful seafoam color. He made sure to note the position of the sun and the shadows. It looked perfect in this light, like something out of a storybook.
The painting was turning out all right, but it was impossible to capture the magic of the place or the electric zing he felt every time he looked over his shoulder, sure Mackenzie was about to pull up.
He was painting the windows on the tea shop when he heard a “Hey!”
Liam jumped. How had she snuck up on him? “Mackenzie. Hi.”
She gasped. “Liam! I didn’t know you painted things too.”
He took a step back. “Did you think I sat at the top of the hill just to spy on everyone?”
“I mean, I didn’t know you were good at it.” She smiled at him, squinting against the sun. “This is really nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Maybe a cloud would do some good. The sun was beating onto him now, his heart beating too fast, his skin growing hot.
“It’s a magnificent day, isn’t it?” she said, tilting her head.
The intense sky lent blue to her normally gray eyes. She smiled up at him, grinning, really scrunching her nose when she said, “Magnificent.”
“It is,” he managed to say.
“I don’t want to interrupt you. Enjoy the day!” She walked past him, pausing at the tea shop door for a moment and staring at the sea.
Her outline was dark against the water, and she stood with one hand on her hip and the other to tame her hair in the wind.
She turned around, still squinting. “The water’s so calm today. I wish I could go out and enjoy it.”
“Yeah,” was all he managed to say.
He watched her as she slipped inside the tea shop, his stomach churning.
The water only looked calm at the surface, but of course, he wasn’t going to correct her.