Chapter 20
TWENTY
“Yay, you’re here. Come on through,” Willow said as a deep woof came from somewhere out of view. She wore a paint-covered apron as she led Maddy through a workshop fragrant with the scent of wood shavings.
“It smells good in here.” Reminded her of the forest.
“It does, but it’s also full of shavings and sawdust. We’re going to paint in the studio room in the back so we don’t get any of it in our paint. Tripp’s been working like crazy to finish up another commission, and I didn’t have time to clean up properly in here before everyone arrived.”
On the way through, they passed a large headboard that was carved from a red-toned wood that smelled like cedar and laid out on some sawhorses. It had a clear West Coast-inspired design with tall evergreens and an eagle perched on a bare branch.
The detail of it was stunning, the feathers so lifelike Maddy wanted to stroke her fingers across them. “Wow, it’s gorgeous. He’s so talented.”
“He really is. Carving is his favorite, and he’s turned it into a niche market. Word of mouth has been the best advertising for him. Blaine’s been great in spreading the word to his friends and business associates. Tripp’s had four commissions from them already.”
“Glad to hear it. I took the desk he carved to your cottage. I loved it so much that Blaine gave it to me.”
“The big heavy one?”
“Yep. Lachlan and Grey moved it for me.” She still owed them.
The rest of the group greeted her warmly when she walked into the painting studio.
Sprawled on the floor under the table near the empty seat that had to be Willow’s, Rufus paused gnawing his chewy long enough to look up at her, then went back to work.
No barking because he was too busy with his treat.
Xanthe sat next to Bronwyn on the far side of a long rectangular table. Xanthe’s friend and coworker Allistair was there too. He was always included on girls’ night.
Maddy sat across from them where a rectangular canvas had been laid out with some art supplies. Everyone was sketching a design onto their canvas.
“Have you got an idea in mind?” Willow asked her.
“I think so.”
“Great. Go ahead and lightly sketch out the basic shapes and layout with the pencil. And don’t accidentally stick your brushes in your drinking glass instead of your paint water.”
Maddy pushed up her sleeves past her elbows, visualizing what she wanted to paint.
“How are things at the cottage?” Willow asked her. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s perfect. I love having my own space.” And not being in anyone’s way. It did feel a little lonely at the cottage, especially at night when it hit her that she was all alone in the house. She’d become so used to having Blaine and then Xanthe living upstairs.
“What’s everybody painting?” she asked.
“Give you two guesses what I’m doing, but you’re only gonna need one,” Xanthe said, brow furrowed in concentration as she drew her pencil across the canvas.
“An orca.”
“Bingo. Gonna try to paint water and some dorsal fins sticking out. I’m painting Onyx. Or I’m gonna try to.”
“Are you for real?” Allistair said, giving her an accusing look. “Now I won’t be able to look at it without choking up.”
“No, you should smile when you see it,” Xanthe said. “I want to honor her memory. Hopefully, I won’t butcher the execution too badly.”
“I’ll make sure you’re happy with it,” Willow assured her. “Maddy, what would you like to work on?”
Inspired, she picked up her pencil. Began lightly sketching basic shapes. Thinking about her day with Lachlan. Of all the things she wanted to know about him.
Her toes curled when she thought about their kiss.
“What is that?” Xanthe peered at Maddy’s canvas, gasped, and set her brush down. “Oh my God, that’s Oscar. Al, look.”
He leaned over to check out Maddy’s canvas. His eyes widened a bit. “Holy shit, it is. It looks just like him.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “I thought you said you hadn’t painted before.”
“I haven’t.” She used to draw a bit in her teens in the little sketchbook someone had bought her, but stopped when she started college.
Maybe she should start again. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it. The simple pleasure of shutting her mind off and doing something creative. It was freeing.
“You’ve definitely got a good eye,” Willow said, coming up behind her to look over her shoulder. “His little face is just precious.”
He was cute. But she hadn’t put any paint down yet.
“Can I ask you something?” she said to Xanthe.
“Of course. Shoot.” Xanthe added a dab of blue paint to her canvas.
“Is there something wrong with Lachlan?”
Four pairs of eyes shot to her. “What do you mean?” Xanthe asked, clearly confused.
“I mean, why is he single?” He was handsome, kind to people, ran his own business, owned his own home…
It made no sense to her that he was single, and now she was emotionally and physically invested in him. If there were any red flags she’d missed, she wanted to know. Her experience with men was limited, and after what had happened in Syria, she didn’t trust her judgment.
“Has he ever been married?” she continued.
“Yes. But his wife died.”
Maddy stared at her, the end of her paintbrush poised in the air. Oh no… She’d just jammed her entire foot in her mouth without meaning to. “When?”
“Before I met him, before he moved back to Skelly. He never talks about it, and I don’t ask. I think he’s dated a bit here and there, but he hasn’t had a serious relationship since I’ve known him.”
“Nope,” Allistair agreed, frowning in concentration as he swept his brush on his own canvas. “He’s quiet about the dating thing too. Man’s almost as much a vault as his brother, never tells me anything juicy when I ask. It’s annoying.”
“Speaking of juicy, what happened to your date you were supposed to bring tonight?” Xanthe asked him.
Allistair wrinkled his nose and kept painting. “That’s all over.”
“What? I thought you guys really hit it off.”
“So did I, but it turned out he wasn’t the person I thought he was.”
“In what way?”
“He doesn’t recycle. Like, ever. That was the first red flag.
I chose to ignore it. Then I noticed how often he eats red meat.
Mostly burgers. It was like he was allergic to vegetables or something.
I don’t know how many cows have died because of that man during his lifetime, but it’s a lot.
Not to mention the environmental implications of that, or the long term impact on his arteries and colon.
And don’t even get me started on how gross it was when he used the bathroom.
My lavender air freshener didn’t stand a chance against that kind of stench. ” He shuddered.
Maddy laughed with the others. Allistair was so funny.
“Honestly, I’m over the whole dating thing,” he said. “Dating’s stupid, and I’m sick of it. What I really want is someone to come home to every night. A partner to build a life with.”
Maddy wouldn’t have thought she would ever want that for herself, but the idea of coming home to Lachlan every day was dangerously appealing.
“I so hear that,” Bronwyn said, busy mixing paint on her palette. “Dating’s fun for a while when you first start, but it gets old fast when nothing sticks. Especially online dating. It’s a freaking minefield.”
“Girl, preach,” Allistair said with a nod.
“You could get a cat,” Maddy said. “Dogs are better for companionship, but they need more time and attention and you work long hours out of the house. Cats are easier to take care of.” She’d always wanted a cat. Would make it happen one day.
Allistair took that in with a solemn nod. “That’s true.”
“Unless you could take the dog to work with you?”
Allistair looked at Xanthe, who was technically his boss, face brightening. “Oh my God, could I?”
“I recently heard about a rescue dog that can detect whales by sniffing out scat floating on the water. If you can find one that does that, I’d be open to it. We could take it with us on research trips,” she said, setting her pencil down to examine her drawing.
“So coldly logical, even when it comes to pets.” He shook his head. “What about you, Mads? Got any dating horror stories to share?”
“I don’t date much.” Or ever, really.
“But? I sense a but.”
Maddy darted a glance around the table, unsure what to say, if anything. She was a shit liar, everyone knew that. Plus she’d just asked about Lachlan.
Allistair’s eyes lit up. “Oh, there is someone. Tell.”
She shifted in her seat, shooting a guilty look toward Xanthe. This kind of conversation was totally foreign to her. She wasn’t sure what the etiquette was, and this was complicated because everyone here knew him.
Watching her intently, Xanthe raised her eyebrows a fraction. “Are you seeing someone?”
“I… Sort of.” Nothing serious or even spelled out clearly, but she liked him enough to risk seeing where it went.
Xanthe’s silver eyes widened in understanding. “Oh my God, is it Lachlan?”