Page 59 of Painting Celia

You’re always overreacting, Celia Rose.

Shaking her head, she went inside. He could clean the window himself—to her standards.

Aware that he could see her from the pool house but wanting to take back her space, Celia paced. Living room to kitchen. Kitchen to living room.

She’d never seen him cowed like that. Happy or mad, he was always so sure of himself. Had she been too hard on him? He’d been trying to apologize for what felt like hours. Of course, he was wrong, but he’d tried, and now she’d just made him feel bad too.

You say you’re sorry, Celia Rose!

Ugh, Mom’s voice in her head again? She’d been doing better since lying her way out of the calls.

León hadn’t been intentionally rude. He just forgot her in his obsession with painting. He wanted this one so badly. León was an artist, temperamental, expressing himself, feeling out loud. That was what she wanted in life. How could she fault him for doing it?

Fine. She was trying to get better at this. What was she feeling right now?

Guilty.

She turned to look back at the door.

I WAS WRONG

I’LL DO BETTER

ONE MORE CHANCE

PLEASE

She texted him.

He knocked on the door moments after she hit send, and she let him in. She’d practically worked herself up to apologize to him, but he beat her to it.

“Celia, I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I’ll listen more, I won’t get carried away. I—” He paused, eyes widening, and clapped a hand to his mouth. It tugged a small smile out of her.

“León,” she said, shaking her head. “Sit down.”

She moved to her place by the stove as he obediently climbed onto a stool, obviously dying to explain but keeping his mouth shut. About time.

She leaned on the countertop, onto her elbows, her hair falling forward. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, but you have to stop bossing me around.” His earnest dark eyes weren’t quite contrite, but he was at least silent. She took a deep breath. “I’ll still pose, but I don’t want to stop the lessons.”

He nodded eagerly. “That’s fair.”

“I can only pose for a few hours a day. I want something to work on when you’re busy.”

“Of course. Yes.”

“We start back up tomorrow.” She leaned in to make her point.

He nodded again, glancing down at her chest as she leaned forward. Did he think she didn’t see things like that? “I promise, Celia,” he vowed. “I’ll do better.”

His relieved grin made her feel better. She’d stood up, and he was okay with it! She wondered how long he would make it before pushing her again.

He leaned onto the island, settling on his elbows like her. “Is it too late to pose tonight?” he asked. “I can’t paint anything else until this one is on canvas. Will you?”

She sighed. So, not long then. “Would I need to be in the water?”

“No, next to the pool is fine. It’s the lighting I’m after. The colors. I can finish and be ready to concentrate on your lesson tomorrow.”

She reached up to tuck her hair behind an ear, checking the clock on the stove. She had hours to go before bedtime anyway. Better to work than to think. She was tired of thinking.

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