Page 36 of Her Painter Bear Mate

"Roleplay? Fun." Dee gestured towards the first room. "Shall we?"

With a nod, they set in motion. Clarissa had already seen all the paintings in Dee's studio, she'd even given her opinion and suggestions on some of them. But seeing them in a gallery was always different. The broken white walls gave all the pieces the necessary breathing room and the frames provided just a little bit of extra texture and character.

She'd always been a fan of Dee's work but this was a cut above her usual work. The lines were confident and bold but the dichotomy of the buildings and the countryside brought the real tension and drama to the piece. They were very clearly improved versions of what she so clumsily demonstrated on that fateful night.

And to nobody's surprise, plenty of them were already marked with a sticker to indicate they'd been sold. The whole thing was truly a triumph.

Ever so often, Dee's hand grazed over Clarissa's hip, exactly where her bear mark sat. It was entirely on purpose and always came with a little playful grin.

"Dee Lewis!" A tall dark man with a powerful stride came their way, his mouth twisted up in a big smile. "There you are. Great work tonight, congratulations. I love the collection."

Dee beamed. "Thank you, Mr Kabelo. It's always a pleasure to show in your gallery. I'm glad I ran into you now, this is my partner, Clarissa Foster."

With a polite smile, Clarissa held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, I've heard a lot about you."

Surprise welled up in Clarissa. "You have?"

"Yes, Dee said you were responsible for her inspiration for these pieces so I checked out some of your work. I know some people think nature is boring but they reminded me of my hometown. I found them quite moving." He fished a business card from his breast pocket and extended it. "If you're not exclusive with another gallery, we should talk about having a collection of yours sometime."

Clarissa stared at the card, dumbfounded, overwhelmed, grateful, and in disbelief all at the same time. She knew how the art world worked well enough, it was all about connections, that much was true. But it was even more about money and a gallery like this would never invite her if they didn't think she would sell.

She glanced at Dee. "Did you do this?"

"No, I didn't know he was going to do that. I only mentioned you in passing, at least, I think it was in passing." A thoughtful look appeared on her face. "Hmm. Maybe I have been talking a lot about you."

"Wow. This is big. I... Wow." Clarissa held onto the card like it was made of gold. It might as well be, this could be her golden ticket to earning more money with her painting. If she managed to find enough time to create a full collection. She'd seen first hand how much time and effort it had taken Dee. Sleepless nights, long days, obsession at its finest.

She didn't think she was capable of that at the moment but she put the business card in her handbag all the same. Even if she could never make it happen, the offer was there at least. That was validation in itself.

They continued on through the exhibition and one painting caught Clarissa's eye. It was different from all the others and not just because the paint was still wet. The skyscrapers weren't prominent like in the other pieces but instead, they were hidden in the background and behind a large farmhouse. There was more focus on the landscape too and the flowers in the foreground were very familiar because they looked a lot like how she painted them.

She turned to Dee, searching her girlfriend's face. "I don't remember seeing this one before."

"It's new."

"It's different from the others." Clarissa leaned in closer. "And it's not for sale? I'm confused."

"It's a house," Dee said.

Clarissa chuckled. "I can see that."

"In Crescent Valley. I'm thinking of buying it."

And just like that, Clarissa couldn't breathe. "What?"

"I can't keep squatting at my parents but I don't want to return to the city, not without you."

"I can't---"

"I know, you can't leave your dad. Not right now, anyway. So I'm moving here. It makes the most sense."

Tears pooled in Clarissa's eyes, threatening to fall. "But you love the city."

"I went to the city because I couldn't paint in the village. But now I can. And you're there. That's all I need. Painting and you." Dee was never one to mince her words. She didn't need to. "The house is really beautiful too. It's ten minutes from the store, there's a large fenced-in garden, and there's a lot of space. In fact, enough space for two studios."

"You want me to move in with you? Just like that?"

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