Page 43 of The Wrong Side Of Us

“What do you see?” Derek asked, his eyes roaming the painting cautiously.

There was a woman hunched over, hugging her knees while the world around her seemed to crumble. She wore a warrior suit but appeared weak.

She’d given up the fight.

Her world was a literal war zone, and the woman had given up.

“You’re thinking she’s given up, don’t you?” Derek gave me a knowing look. I nodded, looking up at him, for the first time since we started talking truly meeting his eyes. “Well, look at her facial expression. Do you see it?”

Her face looked fierce. Her eyes shone with bravery, and if I looked closely, I could even see a hint of a smile on her face.

“Yeah, I see it.” My voice was a mere whisper.

“Yes, she’s hunched over. She’s protecting herself. And yes, the world around her is falling apart, but what does her facial expression tell you?”

I smiled softly. “That she’s going to get back up.”

“Exactly,” he said, smiling back at me. “Her world is crumbling, but she’s letting it pass because in the end, she knows she’s stronger than what’s going on around her.”

“That’s beautiful,” I murmured, now having a new understanding of the painting.

“Truly is.” Derek grinned. “As are you, by the way.”

I flushed; the man wasn’t directly flirting, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was trying to do.

“Thank you.”

He shrugged, downing the rest of his wine. “I figure someone like you can’t be single. But hey, nothing more than a friendly cup of coffee won’t hurt anyone, will it?”

“That depends on your intentions,” I heard Nathan’s voice.

There was no mistaking his jealousy. Nathan gripped my waist tightly as if forgetting that the man in front of him was a potential client.

“Hey,” I breathed. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Nathan smiled at me, tilting my chin up and placing a kiss on my lips.

“I’m taking a wild guess that this is the boyfriend?” Derek said with a raised eyebrow. “You could have told me you were dating the owner of the gallery. Now he may not sell me the pieces I want,” Derek teased.

Nathan sighed, shaking his head. “What are you doing here, Derek?”

“You know him?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Acquaintances,” both men replied at the same time.

“Okay,” I said, glancing between them. I was hormonal, yes, but the testosterone war about to ensue was one I didn’t want to be a part of. “I’m going to take a walk. I’ll see you later?” I asked Nathan.

“Yeah.” He pressed a kiss on my temple. “We can have lunch in about an hour?”

“Sounds good,” I said, squeezing his hand. Finally, I turned my attention to Derek, who still stood, watching us curiously. “It was nice to meet you, Derek.”

“It was, Evelyn. I’ll be waiting for that coffee, hm?”

***

Once in the office, I took a seat by the desk, closing my eyes. I could hear the chatter of the people out in the gallery, the excitement in their voices, while all I could think about was Hannah’s call.

Was Derek being there a sign that I should talk to her?

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