20. Picture Perfect
20
Picture Perfect
Anton
A s it turns out, portrait painting is terrifying.
“Dude. You’re making Kennedy look like Sasquatch.” TJ clucks his tongue at Del, who’s currently painting Stephen Kennedy, our team’s star wide receiver. He showed up ten minutes after Rose, and now I understand Poe’s thought process. Del is painting Kennedy and vice versa. TJ and Poe are painting each other. Which leaves Rose and me as partners. The six of us are facing each other, two by two at Poe’s dining table. TJ and Del are sitting across from Poe and Kennedy. Rose and I are staring at each other. We’ve got canvases set up on easels and a rainbow of acrylic paint arching between us. Poe has even provided multiple sizes of brushes.
As if that would help our cause.
I stare at my portrait of her. How am I ever supposed to capture her essence with acrylic paint? How can I possibly do her justice? I don’t know, but I’m giving it my best effort. For the first time in my entire life, I’m grateful my mom made me take private art classes as a kid.
I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time trying to paint her mouth. Probably because I can’t stop thinking about kissing that smile off her lips. She told us we should carry on and forget that she’s even here. Fat chance. I’m hyperaware of her. Every shift in the chair. Every intake of her breath. The way she tips her chin when she’s concentrating. The subtle smell of rose water that’s always been her signature scent.
“Am not!” Del huffs, glancing across the table at Kennedy. “Don’t listen to him, K-man. You look bomb.”
“Guys.” Poe dips his brush in some black paint and swipes it across the top of his canvas. I think he’s trying to paint TJ’s hair, but I can’t be sure it’s not some sort of impressionist snake or something. “Quit it. We’re supposed to be vibing.”
I glance to my left, where Kennedy is attempting to paint Del. “If it makes you feel any better, it’s giving Abominable Snowman over here.”
“I resent that,” Kennedy says with a scowl.
Rose snickers from where she’s sitting across from me. She taps the bottom of her paint brush against her chin, bobbing her gaze up at me and then down at her canvas. A lock of hair falls over her cheek, and I want to reach out and tuck it behind her ear.
“Hey.” Poe lightly punches my shoulder, drawing my attention. “Don’t give anything away. The grand reveal at the end is the best part.”
“Says who? Have you had painting parties with people other than us?” Del pouts. “If you say yes, I’m going to be jealous.”
“Saw it online.” Poe shrugs. “I wouldn’t paint with anyone but you guys.”
I look over at Rose, who is eating this up. She’s trying and failing to press her lips together and swallow back her smile, but it keeps breaking free. She clears her throat when she spots me staring at her.
I want to say something witty and impress her, but I can’t come up with a line. The guys and I have been joking around, but it’s like I’m so aware of Rose and so aware of how I don’t want to mess anything up that I can’t seem to string together a decent sentence where she’s concerned. I just keep staring at her. Like an obsessed puppy, waiting for her to give me a treat.
Am I panting? Is my tail wagging out of control? Probably. I’m a mess. A slobbering, foolish, gone for her mess .
We paint for another thirty minutes, lobbing fake insults and jokes back and forth. Rose asks the guys some questions about the team, but she doesn’t seem too worried about getting information for the article.
“Alright. It is time.” Poe sets down his brush dramatically.
TJ makes a face. “Okay, Rafiki.”
Del starts humming the instrumental chorus from The Lion King .
Poe rolls his eyes before holding up his painting of TJ for everyone to see. “Well, Teej, I promise I love you more than my painting suggests.”
We all cackle. TJ shows off his painting of Poe, which looks like a cross between a LEGO figure and Frankenstein. Kennedy and Del go next, and we have a good laugh at the Sasquatch and Abominable Snowman lookalikes.
When it’s Rose’s and my turn to share our portraits, she starts by saying, “Painting has never been my gift,” before turning her canvas toward me.
I can’t help but grin at the curlicue of hair she’s painted over the top of my forehead. She’s made my jaw extra square, which I secretly love, and she’s painted me with a wide smile. I like seeing myself like this—through her eyes.
“It’s really good.” I take the canvas from her, studying it up close.
“There’s something about your eyes. Don’t think I could ever get them exactly right, even if I tried all night,” she mumbles, almost to herself.
I flick my gaze to hers, and we’re locked in like the snap of two magnets. She’s studying the eyes in question, and I’m doing the same. For the life of me, I can’t get words out.
“ O-kay .” Kennedy slaps my back, severing the moment. He doesn’t know the backstory here, so I can’t blame him. “Show her yours, man. It’s good.”
I set down Rose’s painting of me and hold up the one I did of her. I spin it around for the other side of the table to see.
Rose’s jaw drops.
Del and TJ gape.
“Dude. What the heck? Are you good at everything?” TJ scowls at me before swiveling to glance at Rose. “It looks just like her.”
“Thanks,” I say. I don’t take my eyes off her.
She reaches over and grabs the canvas. Our fingers brush, my whole hand heats at the electric pop, and she sucks in a breath, but she doesn’t take her gaze off the portrait.
“Nice, man.” Del nods approvingly.
I dip my chin in response.
Finally Rose meets my gaze. “It’s beautiful.”
“You are.”
Rose’s cheeks turn scarlet.
Well, shoot .
Did I say that out loud?
“I mean…”
TJ jumps up from his seat. “I’ll help you clean up, Poe.”
“Let’s wash the brushes in the laundry room sink.” Poe takes his cue from TJ, and all of a sudden, the guys are like a cleaning tornado. And then we’re alone.
“I should probably get going,” Rose says, her eyes on me.
“Sure. Okay. Yeah.” I’m stumbling over myself like a man walking around in the middle of the night.
She lets me lead her to the door. I rest my hand on her back and keep it steady, even though the feel of the curve of her hip is enough to make me want to pull her fully into my arms. It’s at once familiar and new, and all I want to do is hold her.
I help her into her coat in the foyer, and she bobs her chin in the direction of the dining room. “Your friends are great. You’re lucky to have each other. ”
Don’t I know it. The very camaraderie I was always missing in Penwick, when I had everything being handed to me, I found in the middle of Wisconsin, working my tail off. Go figure.
I peer over my shoulder to see the four of them peeking around the corner. They’re like four oversized members of the neighborhood watch. I shoo them away.
Rose chuckles. “Good luck on Sunday, guys,” she calls.
I turn back to her. “You’ll be at the game, right?”
“I’ll be there.” She grimaces. “Actually, so will my whole family.”
My eyebrows fly up. “Your sisters?”
“And Mack and Collin, yep.”
“I’ll do my best to put on a good show.” I wink.
“You always do.” Her response is so immediate I think it surprises even her. She blushes furiously. “I mean, I’m sure you do.”
“Rose Kasper, have you been following my career?” I cross my arms.
She crosses hers right back. “No comment.”
I grin. “If you want to bring your family down to the players’ entrance after the game, I can show them around.”
Rose’s eyes widen. “You’d do that?”
When will this woman realize there isn’t really anything I wouldn’t do for her?
“It’s not a huge deal. Besides, Ned loves getting footage of us being interactive with the fans.”
“A win-win, then.” Rose shifts her weight between her legs. “Hey, uh, will Duke be at the game?”
“I think so. Why?”
She blinks before meeting my gaze again. “It might be nice to get his perspective for the article—if that’s okay with you,” she adds. “You guys were close as kids. He’d be a good Penwick source, right?”
“Sure. Duke loves the spotlight. He’ll be all for it. Bring your family around, and you and Duke can talk then. ”
“Great. It’s a date. I mean”—Rose blanches—“ not a date with Duke. Or you. It’s a plan. A good plan.” She steps back. “See you Sunday.”
She’s adorable when she’s frazzled. And thank goodness I’m not the only one who’s off my game.
“Bye, Rosie.” I close the door behind her and turn around.
Del, TJ, Poe, and Kennedy are standing side by side, like a wall of muscle, with their arms crossed and serious expressions on their faces.
“Who died?” I quip.
“No one except your rizz, man.” TJ shakes his head.
“I don’t need your opinion on my rizz.”
“What you need is a full-fledged intervention. That woman is still hung up on you, and you’re obviously in love with her.”
“She’s the reason for your tattoo.” TJ blows out a breath. “I mean, hello .”
“But you hardly said two words to her tonight. And no goodbye kiss.” Del plops down on the sectional. We all follow. “What gives?”
“She makes me nervous—in a good way,” I admit. “But I’m still nervous.”
“It’s time to put yourself out there, then. Go big or go home.” Poe sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. How, I’m not sure. I’ve never seen him in a serious relationship.
“Poe is right. You got to level up.” Del rubs his hands together.
“Flip the script.” TJ nods slowly.
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Dunno, but between all of us, we can work out a solid game plan.” Del shrugs. “Just like on the field.”
Kennedy glances around. “No clue what’s going on here, but you know I’m in.”
TJ and Poe nod seriously, and I figure what the heck .
“I can use all the help I can get.”
“Excellent. Let’s get ready to rumble,” TJ says with a TV announcer inflection to his voice. We all lean in, and as silly as we probably look, five football players devising a game plan for my romantic future, I can’t help but be filled with gratitude for these guys who love me enough to want to see me happy.
“Operation Help Anton Get Rose Back has commenced,” TJ says.
“That’s way too long of an operation name,” Poe argues matter-of-factly. “All the good operations have titles that roll off the tongue. Look at the World War II history books.”
“Let’s not compare my potential relationship to a world war.” I wince.
“We’ll workshop it,” Del says, bringing us back to the point. “Now here’s what I think. She brought you a gift tonight. You should return the favor.”
“I was already planning on it.” I outline my idea for them.
“That’s good, man. A good start.” TJ points at me. “After this weekend, I also think you should meet her on her turf for a change.”
“Go on.”
TJ, Poe, and Kennedy start tossing around ideas, but Del catches my eye and turns serious. “You sure you want to go all in with her again, Bates? I like Rose, but I’m not the one with my heart on the line here.”
Del is right. Can I do this again? Or maybe the better question is, how can I not?