Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Mila nodded. “Why?”
“Tessa’s been so great with me that I’d like to buy her some flowers to say thank you. It’ll be a surprise for when she gets back.”
Mila raised an eyebrow, but he could also see she approved. “I knew I pulled in here for a reason rather than just driving by. Sure, let’s go.”
“By the way,” he said, “Tessa said you guys made her feel truly welcome at your Tuesday coffee. I think it meant a lot to her.”
“I enjoyed her company. Tessa’s one of the most grounded people I’ve met in a long time,” Mila replied. “And she can resist your charms. What’s not to like?” She helped him to his feet and handed him his crutches. “Let’s go.”
A cool breeze blew in through the windows of Mila’s Range Rover, and Arch closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh sea air. Apart from sitting in the garden a few times, he’d barely been outside the door. For someone used to being on the go all the time, it had been frustrating at first. But now he was getting used to the slower pace. Still, it was nice to be out, knowing he’d have a lovely surprise waiting for Tessa when she got back from whatever it was she did in the afternoons.
Mila was normally a fast driver, but as if she could read his mind, she slowed down her racer style and drove along the coast road slowly enough that he could take in Carmel-by-the-Sea’s beauty as if through fresh eyes. Since his career had taken off, life had been go, go, go. But getting out of his house reminded him of Carmel’s gentle pace and the pleasure of seeing families and couples enjoying their afternoons on the golden sand and in town.
Mila pulled up at a red light. She was humming along to an old country song on the radio, tapping the beat on the steering wheel.
And then that’s when he saw her.
Tessa.
She was standing a ways back from the beach on a flat rock. In front of her was an easel, and she was frowning in total concentration as she painted the landscape in her view.
So this was where she disappeared to when she had some time off. She was a painter! And from what he could see from the car, her work was excellent. She had an extraordinary eye for color and composition.
As the light turned green and Mila accelerated, he twisted his neck to catch the last glimpse of Tessa and her easel just to make sure he hadn’t been hallucinating.
But no. It was definitely Tessa. Her incredible knowledge and appreciation of contemporary artists all made sense now, along with the dreamy yet satisfied look in her eyes when she returned to the house after her time alone.
Now that the mystery of her afternoons off was solved, he had even more questions. The main one being, why on earth did she keep her talent a secret? If he’d been able to paint, he’d want to show his work to as many people as possible. Not hide it away.
But maybe that was the difference between him and Tessa. While he had always loved an audience, even as a little kid putting on one-man shows for his family in the backyard, Tessa clearly kept her passions inside herself, nurturing them without an audience.
Though he had a zillion questions for her about her paintings—in particular why she was working as a caregiver instead of getting her work into galleries—he decided then and there to respect that painting was Tessa’s private work.
If she wanted him to know about it, she’d tell him. At the same time, a part of him couldn’t help but feel he was lying to her by omission. Which was why he really hoped that one day in the very near future, she would trust him enough to share her passion for making art with him.
Because he never wanted her to think that he would lie to her.
Chapter Sixteen
Tessa always felt revived after a couple of hours spent painting. Even better, she’d stopped in at a thrift store on her way back to Arch’s home and found a retro crochet dress in cream that fit perfectly and cost next to nothing. So, she arrived feeling utterly content. Lately, she’d taken to painting outdoors whenever she had time off, and she’d been working on a beach landscape that was going particularly well.
Flushed and, if she were truthful, excited to see Arch again after some time apart, she called hello, and then went straight upstairs to drop off her backpack, her easel, and her new dress, and freshen up.
It wasn’t until she’d splashed some cold water on her face that she realized she hadn’t heard Arch reply.
Surely he couldn’t have gone out alone? Maybe one of the Davenports had dropped by. But when that was the case, he usually left a note by the door.