Page 168 of Deliverance

This is the first time I’ve seen her wearing something other than a suit in public and the urge to verify that this is truly the same woman who keeps an extra steamer in her car is overwhelming.

I rush past the guests to greet her and inspect her getup, my hand slipping against Zander’s, seeking contact. “What happened to my Tina? What did you do to her?”

“Nice to see you too, Drew.” She smiles, her gaze darting between me and my date, secretly evaluating.

We haven’t really discussed the fact that my face has been all over the celebrity gossip sites lately, especially after Zander openly posted a photo of us on his Instagram with a single word caption.

#myeverything

The image gathered close to half a million likes and thousands of comments I didn’t dare to read, but I grinned like an idiot at the shot anyway, not quite believing that Zander Shaw was my boyfriend.

Apparently, Tina’s been keeping her own not-quite-so-professional relationship with Dominic Fiery a secret. Because people who are simply industry acquaintances don’t go to the trouble of dressing up like Charlie and Maverick from Top Gun.

“We have a table,” I tell them, pointing at the booth across the room crammed with Santiago’s friends.

My phone pings in my purse and I fish it out to check who the message is from.

Preston: can’t find the entrance

I shoot her a quick text with instructions on how to access the lot and we end up going back and forth, only to find out the Uber dropped her off at the wrong intersection.

“I’ll go downstairs to grab her,” I explain, gesturing for Tina and Zander to wait for me at the table, but Zander isn’t having it. He insists on tagging along.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I tell him as we enter the elevator and the attendant shuts the doors.

He seizes my hand in his and presses my knuckles to his chest, something dark flickering across his features. “I don't want you to go alone.”

“I’m a big girl.” It takes me a moment to realize what he means. My voice drops to a whisper and I step closer, our bodies nearly touching now. “I’m fine.”

“I know.” He nods. “But for as long as this fucker is unaccounted for, I’m going with you. Everywhere. Especially late at night. And in sketchy parts of this city.”

“This entire city is sketchy.” I laugh.

“Exactly.”

I don’t argue. I know it’s useless. Instead, I say, “You’ll like Preston. She’s a sweet kid.”

Hiring her part-time to help me at the studio has been the best decision I’ve made recently. After Zander, of course. Allowing someone into my work space, into the space where I let my emotions reign free has always been difficult, just as difficult as letting people into my private life, but with Preston it was unexpectedly easy. We clicked almost instantly.

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Zander replies, his voice blending with the whir of the motor.

“I’m thinking of introducing her to Tina,” I confess. “Not yet, but eventually.”

“You mentioned she draws?”

“Yes. Charcoal and pencil. Her stuff is very dark but it has a lot of potential. And she’s amazing at organizing. You should see what she did to my shelves the other day.”

Zander’s arm comes around my waist and he places a soft kiss on my forehead, whispering, “That’s why I love you.” He pulls back a little, his gaze locking on mine. “Somehow, you manage to see good in everyone.”

My cheeks heat up instantly. We don’t throw the L-word around in public, but for some reason, hearing him say it to me right now only solidifies my belief that this is not a phase. That feeling so full and happy is how it’ll always be with him.

Weeks, months, years later.

“We all deserve a fair shot,” I explain. “I was given a chance by Tina when no one else cared to look at my art, and now that I’m in a position where I can give back, I truly want to do it.”

I don’t tell him about a two-thousand-dollar check I plan on giving Mack next week, but I made the decision right after Tina informed me that the piece he posed for was sold to a private collector in Belgium.

I always knew that every single canvas created forScarswas a gamble. Every story was just a probability and expecting to sell them all would be foolish.

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