Page 8 of I Love My Mistake

Amber grins at the image and looks at me with eyebrows so high that if they got any higher, they’d be in the space shuttle. I lean in and whisper back, looking from one to the other. “Yes, that’s exactly what he is. And if I bring you there, you’ll try to steal my heart back. But then the curse would be solidified forever! And my heart would be lost for all eternity.”

Jessica thinks about this. “Oooo, that’d be bad.”

I lean back and say, “It’d be very bad,” in my normal voice. Truth is, though? I don’t like how close she got about the heart held hostage part. “He’s very serious about his work and he doesn’t like to be interrupted. That’s all.”

Amber gets it. “I hate it when people show up at my office unannounced.”

Jessica agrees, “Yeah. I guess I think of what I do as work… and what you do as play. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. He’s not that interesting. He’s just a guy who’s giving me a break on rent for studio space.”

Amber picks up on this and points out something I hadn’t thought of before: “Then he must really believe in your work.”

This warms my heart unexpectedly. Does he? I hadn’t thought of the possibility. I bite my lip, thinking about it, and pick up my mug. I offer to them, “Another time though. Let’s plan ahead, and I’ll make sure he’s not there.”

Amber smiles and drops it. Jess still looks like she wants to go, but has no argument to make. The subject is dropped… or so I had hoped. Jess’s frown vanishes and she says, “You should have a show soon! Then everyone can see your greatness!”

My stomach rolls over again and I take a deep breath and crinkle up my nose, make a tssss sound like a ball deflated slowly, shaking my head. “I don’t think I’m ready yet, Jess.”

Amber inspects my face, her intelligent blue eyes inspecting me. “You’re going to be great Nicole. You don’t have to be scared.”

“I’m not scared!” I look from one to the other, but they see right through me. And here I thought I was hiding it.

“Is he really there today?” Jess asks, and Amber looks at me to inspect again.

“Yes! Yes! He’s really there! I’m not lying so you don’t see my stuff before I’m ready. God, you guys – stop!” I grin, but they’re not sold. I’ll stick to my guns though and…

“Nicole!” a male voice interrupts. I look up to see who just saved me, but it takes me a second to recognize Danny, Grant’s friend.

“Danny! Oh, hi!” I put down my coffee and stand to give him a hug. I stay standing next to him, practically looking him in the eye since he’s not much taller than I am. Nice body, though.

“I was just leaving,” he tells me apologetically, and I turn to follow his eyes to a pretty brunette who’s looking at me as she’s walking to the front door. She’s obviously wondering who the hell I am and why hasn’t Danny stayed locked at her side like a good boy?

“Oh, that’s too bad. I’d ask you to join us.” Would I? Maybe…

“I didn’t see you sitting here, or I would have come over earlier,” he says, with that same warm smile I so appreciated when Grant was being a bully.

“We just got here. Oh, these are my girlfriends, Amber and Jessica.” They wave from where they sit at the table.

“Hi,” he says to them, “Danny. Nice to meet you. The food is amazing here, isn’t it?”

Jess nods and Amber says, “We’ve only been here once, but we loved it,” and nods, too – all smiles and elven cuteness.

Danny turns back to me. “Well, it was great running into you. I was sorry you had to leave so early that night. Oh! Did you sell the painting?”

“What painting?” I ask, searching my memory. Oh, shit. “Oh – the painting. I didn’t. The buyer didn’t show. He was coming over from Williamsburg and the trains were off that night and he got frustrated.” This is the problem with lying. It breeds more lies. Blech.

“Well, next time. It was really good to see you.” He gives me a warm hug again, which I hold and look at the brunette through the window as I do it, just because I don’t like the look she’s giving me. He says goodbye to the girls and leaves us there to talk about him.

As soon as he’s out of earshot, I sit back down and we all lower our heads and bring them in together to talk in a hushed conspiratorial tone.

Jess first. “He’s cute!”

Amber next. “And he’s obviously into you.”

Me last. “You think so? He is cute, isn’t he?”

Them together. “Soooooo Cute. So cute.” Their heads are both bobbing yes, like I should go grab him right now. I reach up and push them together with mine for a head-hug.

“I love you, guys.”

When we separate, Jess asks me, “There wasn’t any buyer for a painting was there?”

“No, I used that as an excuse to escape Grant on our last – and I do mean last – date.” I pick up the menu, even though I already know what I’m getting. Why do I do that? I set it back down as Amber looks at me.

“I saw you do that once. Use an imaginary buyer who wanted to see a painting, to get out of a place. You better not do that with us.”

I glance from one to the other of my very best friends in the whole world. “Me? I’d never.”

Just as the server comes up to finally take our order and get our stomachs to stop growling, Jess balls up her napkin again and throws it at my face, but I catch it. My dad wasn’t an accountant, after all.

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