Page 18 of Curvy Crush
“She wasn’t happy here. She wanted a life full of travel and excitement. She didn’t want to settle down, have kids, and live a normal life. She wanted excitement, and this town isn’t good for that. And, I guess, neither am I. I’m more predictable than the weather,” he jokes.
I nod. “So, she just what? Left?”
“Not at first. We both refused to give in, but that didn’t stop us from trying to get the other to change their mind. She wanted to leave, and I wanted to stay. In the end, we both got what we wanted. Just not with each other. Like I said before, it worked out for the best. We were just making each other miserable.”
I pick at my spaghetti. “Are you happy now?”
Evan nods once. “I’m working on it, but I’m closer than I’ve ever been.”
I know I shouldn’t read between the lines, but again I’m wondering, is it because of me?
Talk shifts to something a little easier and before I know it, the food is gone and we’re taking our wine to the back balcony. I take a seat and look around in amazement. Behind the house, the property is beautiful. Nothing but green grass, tall trees, and a big pond.
“I like to sit here and watch the wildlife. There’s a deer that always comes around sunset to drink from the pond.”
“It’s beautiful out here. I can see why you’d never want to leave this. And this house is amazing. What do you do with all of it?”
He laughs. “Nothing. I’m hardly here. I bought it thinking it would be my forever home, that I’d get married and watch my children grow. Then my relationship ended, and I thought about selling it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. This is it for me. The only place I want to be. This is where I want to live the rest of my life.”
I laugh. “This is where I want to live the rest of my life, too,” I joke.
I look away from him and look back toward the pond and sure enough, a deer comes strolling across the grass from the forest and heads for the water. I watch in awe as he laps at the pond. Neither one of us move or make a sound as we watch the deer get his fill of water. When he finishes, he casually strolls back across the grass and into the dense forest. The sun is setting quickly now and a cool breeze picks up. A shiver runs up my shine.
“Are you cold?” he asks, looking over at me with concern in his crystal blue eyes.
I shrug. “A little, but I’m fine. I like it out here.”
“Let’s go inside. I’ll light a fire and we can pour another glass of wine, get you warmed up.”
He stands, and I follow suit, walking behind him back into the house and to the living room where the couch is positioned right in front of the fireplace. He drops down to his knees and starts stacking up wood to light.
“You don’t have a TV?” I ask, looking around the room. One wall is nothing but bookshelves that are completely full, but there’s no TV in sight.
“No, I don’t care for them much. I don’t like all the noise. It’s just a distraction I don’t need.” Evan lights the fire and goes to the kitchen, bringing back the bottle of wine and filling both our glasses.
“What about the news?”
He laughs. “I read the paper every morning.” He sits beside me.
“What about the weather?”
“Who needs that? Just look outside.”
I laugh, too, and shake my head. “I’m guessing you don’t have internet or a computer, huh?”
He smiles. “Nope, not for home use, anyway. I have a computer at the studio, but I don’t need one here. Your home is supposed to be the place you recharge and relax. That’s what’s wrong with the world today. Everyone is always plugged in. Nobody needs to know what I had for dinner, and I don’t need to know about how a couple I met in high school is breaking up. There’s enough stress in life. There’s no need to add to it.”
I lift my brows as I listen to him and realize he’s right. That doesn’t mean I’m ready to give up my TV and internet, but he has a point. I get caught up in things I shouldn’t, sometimes, and it’s all because of social media. It’s a great tool if you’re using it for a business, but outside of that, it shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
The fire is warm, and I feel much more comfortable. “Oh, I can show you the images now?”
He smirks. “As long as you don’t need internet,” he laughs.
I smile and place my glass of wine on the end table before getting up and getting my laptop. I sit back at his side and hold the computer on my legs as I open it and pull up the pictures. He leans in to get a better view as I scroll through them. He’s so close that I can smell his aftershave and it clouds my head, making me lose all focus I had on the images.
“Wow, these look really good.”
“Thank you. I planned on adding a couple pictures of each canvas so the potential buyer can see the painting from all angles, see the texture and brush strokes.”
