Page 4 of Her Painter Bear Mate

Frustratingly observant.

Dee pressed her phone against the payment machine, holding it still until it beeped.

"When did you get back in town?”

She put her phone away. "A few weeks ago."

"Are you staying long?" Clarissa asked casually, like they were old friends catching up over drinks.

In a way, they were. In other ways, they definitely weren't. Dee hadn't forgotten how she came second place on all the local art competitions, always bested by Clarissa. It had been the most infuriating thing in the world and no matter what accolades she collected afterwards, she could never forget that feeling of inferiority.

Just standing in front of Clarissa right now was bringing back those old feelings even if there was no reason to. Dee had sold her paintings in some of the biggest galleries in the country, she was the bigger artist by far. But things weren't as cut and dry like that, they never were when it came to art. Fame and quality had nothing to do with each other and Dee found herself wishing she could see one of Clarissa's latest works, just so she could reassure herself that she'd become the better of the two.

Dee realised she'd just been staring and glaring. She cleared her throat, bringing her thoughts back to the conversation on hand. "I don't know how long I'm staying yet. As long as my sister needs me. She just had a baby."

"I heard. He's very cute."

The comment made Dee frown. "You've seen my nephew?"

"Only pictures. I'm friends with Asim. We're on the same trivia team."

"I didn't know that," Dee said, suddenly worrying about having to see her nemesis at a family gathering. It was bad enough that she ran into Clarissa here, she didn't want to see her again.

"Do you want a bag for your precious brushes?" Clarissa asked, a sharp reminder that it wasn't just an old rivalry that stood between them. She was impudent too.

Dee glared at her. "I think I'll manage."

"Don't forget your eraser."

There really were very few people as infuriating as Clarissa Foster. With a sharp inhale, Dee grabbed her things and stomped towards the exit.

Clarissa called after her. "It was good to see you, Dee Lewis!"

The feeling was not mutual.

FOUR

Dee

Dee precariously balanced the tin of brownies on top of the plastic containers with food as she rang the doorbell. Stumbling came from the other side followed by a low curse before the door swung open.

Her brother-in-law gave her a wry smile as he brushed his dark curls out of his face. "Hey, Dee. Come on in."

She greeted the taller man with a quick hug. "You okay? Sounded like chaos inside."

"It is, I ran into a box. We have so much new stuff, our house is way too small for all this. Who thought it was a good idea to have a child?" he said but his face radiated happiness and contentment that only had been there since he became a father.

"It was your idea, Asim. Yours and my silly sister," Dee said as she entered the kitchen. Asim hadn't been lying, it was chaos. The dishwasher hadn't been unloaded, there were many unopened parcels by the door, and the laundry basket was spilling over.

It was a good thing she came over.

She deposited her tubs and dessert on the counter. "Mum sends food. I believe it's tuna casserole, cottage pie and lasagne, both with beef mince, and the last one is some sort of goat cheese experiment so good luck with that. The brownies are from me."

Asim instantly got a plate and knife from the cupboard. "Great, she’s been craving these brownies so I'll bring her a slice right away. Are you having some? Tea? Coffee?"

"Just some tea, thank you."

"I'll bring it to you. Sissy is in the living room with Michael," he said, handing her the plate with a massive slab of brownie on it.

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