Page 58 of Love Finds Home

The look in his eyes says so much more than his words do, and after the momentary squeeze I feel inside my chest, I reply, “Whatever works, right?”

“Speaking of, let’s get this stuff loaded so I can get back. You have everything else all packed?” Jorge asks Elle.

“What’s there to pack? I have stuff at my apartment in the Cove.”

“Alrighty then. Show me the masterpieces.”

Elle turns to the stairs with Jorge right behind her and I decide they might need some help and follow. I’m honestly hoping to catch a glimpse of the paintings again. Unfortunately, when I step into the studio, all the canvases have been boxed up for transport.

“You’re coming to help set up?” Jorge asks me as we watch Elle flit around the studio, gathering odds and ends and tossing them into an overnight bag.

“Told her I’d be there Wednesday. How hard was changing it up?”

“Oh, we owe a few people some future spots, but most were excited about the change.”

“That’s good. I want to see these again—they were amazing,” I tell him.

He gives me some serious side-eye. “You saw them?”

“Yeah, the other night. Why?”

“Even I haven’t seen them all, and I have no idea what order she’s going to put them in.”

“Um, well, I don’t know anything about an order, but they were amazing pieces on their own.” I shrug my shoulders.

“Baby girl,” Jorge turns from me and gives Elle a narrowed stare, “why is it that your man here has seen your work and I haven’t?”

“He’s not my man—”

“I’m not her man—”

We say it at the same time. I share a look with Elle while Jorge laughs at us.

“Oh, aren’t you two cute? But seriously, you’re going to make me wait to see them?”

“I already packed them up, J. Sorry.”

She doesn’t look sorry at all. In fact, she still looks almost nervous, like she’s afraid to show these pieces.

“Okay, I think I have everything.” She comes to a stop in front of us. “I’m going to follow J, and you’ll be there in two days?” she asks me.

“That’s the plan. Have a few things I need to do around here,” I tell her.

Jorge shakes my hand and Elle gives me an awkward hug before I follow them back out with the packed-up canvases. They wave as they pull out of the parking lot, and I take a few minutes to go back inside. That girl is firmly in my head. She’s definitelyin my cock. And if that odd thumping in my chest is to be believed—and I don’t believe him, he’s a fucking liar—she could be worming her way into my heart.

I’m so fucked.

After two days of following Keith around half the state, I’m no closer to finding anything on him than I was when I started. He’s met with the mystery woman both nights, but I still can’t gather any information about who she is, what they’re doing, or what the endgame for them is. Maybe Joker and I are wrong about him, and he’s just a high school administrator traveling to the colleges to help his students. What? It could happen. He travels between Briar Mountain and Diamond Cove, which have two of the largest campuses in the state. The absolute biggest ones close to the Briar Ridge Mountains.

I pull into Diamond Cove twelve hours before I’m supposed to be here because this is where Keith is. He did go to the campus and then found some hole in the wall Mexican place for lunch where he met the mystery woman. They exchanged very few words and left. I followed him to the hotel the wedding party is staying at. It shouldn’t surprise me that he’d show up for this event. There’s going to be an opportunity for him to rub shoulders with Tiny’s family. In every place we’ve been together, he is automatically attracted to the biggest wallet, without fail. If I had to guess, it’s why he’s with Ginny. He thinks there might be money because of her family.

I’ve been in more than one gallery in my day, but Elle’s is amazing. It’s a wide-open space with a balcony for seating. There are also classrooms and smaller studios on the outer edges, and a back staircase that leads to her personal studio. It’s black andnavy and silver with dark wood. It’s industrial but still homey. It’s a lot of things that shouldn’t work together but do.

“Like it?” Jorge smirks at me taking it all in.

“It’s amazing.”

“It is. And all of it was Elle’s doing.”

---