Page 132 of Play Book

“Ally. Hi.”

She gives me a polite smile. “Hi, Saylor.”

She’s carrying her sketchbook and a bag of something.

“What are you doing here?”

She hesitates, glancing at Colleen, who nods.

“I, uh, well, Uncle Canyon said I have to…finish what I started.” She looks uncertain but surprisingly not hostile. “And the art show is part of the class. I know it’s really late, but…” She hands me her sketch book. “There’s a lot of drawings in here. And then this.” She pulls a canvas out of her bag, and I’m momentarily shocked into silence.

It’s a watercolor.

And it’s breathtaking.

A little crude, because she’s still learning her way around the medium, but the basics are so, so good. I had no idea she was this talented.

“Ally…this is amazing,” I breathe. “When did you do this?”

“Uncle Canyon bought me some paints, the kind you suggested in the class, and I did it last night.”

“You did this last night?” I stare at her.

“Yeah… I wanted more than the drawings.” She thrusts the sketch book at me.

“Okay. Hang on. Let’s go in the back where I can spread these out.”

She follows me to the back where Rage is doing something on his computer, and he looks up with a smile.

“Hey, Ally.”

“Hello, Mr. Rageis.”

That was what he’d told the kids to call him. Somehow, having kids call him Rage bothered him, so he’d gone with formal.

“Whatcha got there?” He peers at the watercolor and cocks his head. “I’m no art aficionado, but that’s beautiful. Look at the detail on the mermaid. Her tail is sparkling…” He leans forward. “Can I buy this?”

“Rage!” I stare at him in surprise.

“You’re going to put a picture of a mermaid in your house?” Ally eyes him suspiciously.

“No. But my sister is pregnant with a baby girl and the theme in the nursery is mermaids. I think she’d love this.”

“They won’t be for sale until tomorrow,” I tell him primly. “You have to wait like everyone else.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He laughs.

“So, we don’t have time to get this framed,” I tell Ally, “but we can hang the canvas as is. Most of the art isn’t framed anyway, so it doesn’t matter. And I have some frames in the back for your drawings. Show me the two you like best.”

She pulls out her favorites—another of a mermaid and then the one of the unicorn she’d started in class—and I suddenly have an idea.

“What would you think if we added a tiny touch of color?” I ask. “The mermaid’s tail and the unicorn’s horn?”

“Oh…” Her eyes widen with excitement, and we work in companionable silence as I dig out the supplies I need and clip the first picture to an easel.

“You’re not going to the game tomorrow?” she asks me as I show her how to use the thick acrylic.

“We have the show, so I can’t.”

---