Chapter 13 #2
“Good question. My friend who started it deals with depression and seasonal affective disorder. You know, becoming more depressed during the winter because of the lack of sunshine. So, she wanted people to be able to get out and have fun one last time before winter takes over. They have standing heaters in the tents to keep people warm so the focus can be on having a good time despite the temperature.”
“Wow, that’s such a cool idea.” She glanced back at the tents and rubbed her hands together. “All right then, where should we start?”
Drea flashed a mischievous grin and Cassie wondered if she had committed too soon. “Follow me.”
They wandered past face-painting stations that took the medium to a new level.
There were no little kids running around with basic shapes and whiskers slathered across their faces.
No, kids and adults were completely transformed into realistic animals and avatars through a beautiful amalgamation of colors and shadows that seemed more like magic than paint.
Drea stopped in front of a blank canvas that extended from the ground to above her head. “Here we are.”
The woman running the station handed them white Tyvek suits and goggles. “You’re going to want to put these on.”
Cassie raised her eyebrows at Drea, wondering what the hell she had gotten into. Drea gave a single nod with an expression Cassie could only interpret as go on, try it.
Once they were suited up, looking like a bunch of Oompa Loompas without the crazy hair, but only because hers was inside the suit, the woman handed them each a paintbrush and pointed to the open cans of neon paint on the ground.
Drea put her brush down and jogged the few feet to the canvas. She spread her legs apart and held her arms up like she was about to do a rendition of “YMCA.” “Hit me,” she said, before Cassie could ask what the hell she was doing.
“What?”
“Get some paint on your brush and throw it at me.”
Cassie hesitated for a moment, eyeing Drea, then the paint.
“You might want to make it good too, because I’m up next.” Somehow she managed to waggle her eyebrows even underneath the goggles.
That was enough to get Cassie over the hump. She dunked her brush into the neon pink paint and flung it like a baseball pitch at Drea. A wet thud sounded as paint slammed into Drea’s chest and across her face and left arm.
Cassie paused, wide-eyed, teetering on the edge of exhilaration and the feeling of having done something bad. But damn, it felt good to be bad.
Drea grinned, her white teeth shining through pink paint. “That all you got?”
The challenge in her voice and the dare in her eyes hit the competitive part of Cassie and she went all in, slinging color after color, even two brushes at once.
When she finally reached a point of completion, her breath ragged and heart racing, Drea stepped away from the canvas and they surveyed the scene.
Bright pinks, blues, greens, and yellows filled nearly every inch of the canvas except for the negative space where Drea had stood. The androgynous human left behind with splayed limbs exuded power, strength, and something else. Cassie stared at the arms raised defiantly to the sky. Joy.
Drea turned to her, and up close Cassie realized how drenched she was in paint. It started as a small laugh that took on a church giggles kind of fervor. Drea posed with her hands on her hips as Cassie tried to stop, but it turned into a hiccup, causing her to laugh harder.
When she finally caught her breath, Drea smiled at her. “Feel better?”
She nodded with a grin still fixed to her lips, biting back any further laughter.
Drea grabbed a fresh brush and held it up.
“Good.” She looked down at the brush and slowly dragged her finger along the bristles.
The air stilled and a shock of heat ripped through Cassie, causing her grin to falter.
Drea’s eyes met hers in one of the sexiest looks Cassie had ever received, only to somehow turn even sexier as a slow smirk spread across her lips.
Cassie swallowed but couldn’t look away as Drea cocked an eyebrow. “Because you’re next.”
All heat dissipated from Cassie’s body in an instant, and she gulped for an entirely different reason.
No matter how much Drea had scrubbed in the shower, she kept finding specks of paint on her body and in her hair. She scratched at a spot of green on her arm then poured herself a large mug of black chicory coffee to prepare for the long day to come.
She started to walk to her bedroom but paused to look at the river along the way as she sipped her coffee.
Gray clouds threatened the horizon, but a peaceful blue stretched across the rest of the sky.
She checked the weather again on her phone.
Still a 15 percent chance of rain. She and Cassie had come up with a plan B in case the courtyard couldn’t be used due to weather, but the courtyard was definitely the better option, so she hoped for everyone’s sake that the weather cooperated.
Pickles followed her to the bedroom, hopping up the two steps to the raised floor. She stopped in front of the three panels, trying to see them as objectively as she could. “What do you think, Se?or Pickles? Think they’ll like it?”
He rubbed his chin against her shin and purred.
“I hope you’re right.”
She put her mug on the desk and started preparing the panels for the drive to the venue. As she wrapped each one in plastic to protect them from transport and potential weather, her mind wandered to the previous day.
Cassie had seemed almost like the woman she had come to know before Molly’s world blew up.
It had been nice to see her smile and laugh again, both of which had been pretty rare in the previous weeks.
And as Drea intended, the painting experience had piqued Cassie’s competitive spirit, something Drea hadn’t seen since their pool game, as well as provided both of them with an avenue to release some pent-up stress.
But the thing that had stayed in her mind all night was the drive home, or rather the arrival at Cassie’s place.
Though there had been some banter and healthy tension between them at the event, as they sat in the car outside Cassie’s place, it seemed to occur to both of them that it felt an awful lot like the end of a date.
It was probably Drea’s fault, which was typical.
They had been out alone together before, doing stuff for the different weddings, but there was always a bigger purpose to those situations.
This was the first time they had gone out just for fun.
Cassie had looked adorable if she was being honest. Maybe for the first time ever, her bright purple lipstick was the minor character amid a cornucopia of brilliant colors. Her hair even matched. It was like a palette had finally met its muse.
Drea had been in plenty of scenarios with women before and she had always risen to the occasion, finding exactly what they needed when they needed it, no questions asked.
And no expectations afterward. But this was different.
It always seemed to be that way where Cassie was concerned.
Something had held her back. A feeling deep in her chest held her captive, paralyzed from doing anything that would come so naturally in a similar situation.
Cassie had ended the awkwardness first by opening the door, allowing Drea to take a breath of air for the first time in what felt like hours.
And Drea was ready to speed the hell out of there, but Cassie reminded her about the centerpieces and altar, so they pretended to be normal as the awkwardness continued until they had loaded Drea’s car. Then another quick and awkward goodbye.
It reminded her of high school, before she had honed her skills with women, and before she had written off the possibility of a future with one.
She shook the thought from her mind and checked her watch.
She had to get to the wedding venue. It was time for two people who did believe in love to start their future together.