Page 24 of Show Me How
Only today, I’m drawing like someone who’s never held a pencil before.
I rip the page off my sketchbook and crumble it into a ball before tossing it across the shop. It hits the outside of the garbage can and falls to the ground to join the six prior ones.
Maybe I just need a break. The client I’m drawing this for isn’t scheduled in for a couple of days now, so I’m not behind. I’ve just got to kick this mind block before it gets me in trouble. My confidence can afford the hit, but the business can’t.
A headache blooms behind my eyes, and I break the pencil in half before abandoning the pieces on my desk. The new piece on my thigh itches like a motherfucker, and I palm it through my jeans, seeking some sort of relief.
After flicking off the neon sign shaping my name, I nudge my stool out of the way and growl under my breath when I find Bryce’s iPad on the edge of her desk with a sticky note on it.
Give it a second chance before we both end up jobless.
There’s no reason to try it a second time because I’m fine. It’s just a lack of inspiration. I’ll get past it.
My patience has been dwindling all afternoon, and I’m so close to flipping my lid when the studio door opens behind me. I hear the cautious steps of feet on my floor and tense. Forgetting to lock the door has never been an issue before, so I guess it’s fitting that after the day I’ve had, someone can’t seem to read a fucking sign?—
“Oh! You’re closed. I’m so sorry! God, I should have been paying more attention. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
The speed at which I spin around is terrifying. Jesus, I’m going to end up making a fool of myself with this girl.
“You can stay,” I drawl, fixing my eyes on Millie. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here, princess.”
Her stare brightens. “Still haven’t forgotten about that nickname.”
“It’s only been two days.”
“Can’t blame a girl for hoping.”
I abandon the mess of pencils and the open sketchbook still on the desk and let myself get drawn closer to her. Millie darts her eyes to the side, focusing on something in the studio.
“You stayed longer than I thought you were going to,” I state.
She twists her lips and brings her hands to rest at the low of her back. “I couldn’t get myself to leave just yet, I guess.”
“And you were giving yourself a tour that led you here?”
“You could say that. I’ve seen more of the town today than I did my first day here.”
“Did you like it?” I ask, unable to help myself.
Similar to the way I felt the night we met, Millie seems to bring out a natural curiosity inside of me that I’ve only experienced a few times in my life. All of which involved my best friend and her soon-to-be wife. There’s a difference, though, because I never got aroused around either of them but can’t seem to shake it with Millie.
It’s typical for me to be flirty and outgoing, but to really dig in . . . yeah, I’ll usually pass.
“It’s small,” Millie says, slightly awkward.
“Smaller than where you’re from, I assume.”
“I didn’t grow up in a big city, but it does have more to it than Oak Point.”
When her eyes meet mine, I try my hardest to keep them there. The slight part of her lips is undeniably sexy, and I know without a fucking doubt that she has no idea. There’s such an innocent energy to her that I can’t tell if I love or want to push.
“Are you going to tell me where exactly you grew up, or should I start begging?” I tease.
Her cheeks deepen to a soft pink. “I didn’t come here to play twenty-one questions.”
“Do people still do that?”
“I don’t know! You’re doing this on purpose now,” she says with a huff.
