The dance orchestrated during the event that evening between Everleigh, Collin and Andrea was masterful as they managed to avoid one another as much as possible.

  And though everything went smoothly, it was apparent to all the crew that the usual sense of play and joviality had been dampened.

  More brusk and taciturn, Collin wasn’t himself. And the remainder of the small crew, who fed off of his energy, could have been mistaken for robots.

  After the event, as Everleigh swept up for the last time, she couldn’t help but recall the events just hours earlier, and all that had happened since. How did things get so messy, so quickly?

  “Everyone, let’s call it a night.”

  Collin stood in the threshold separating the backroom from the storefront. Everleigh’s heart sank at the sight of him looking so tired. Tilting her head, she squinted at the bag he had strapped to his shoulder. Her purse!

  “I’ll finish up. You all did great.” He encouraged, his smile a ghost of the real thing. “Now go home.”

  Everyone, including Everleigh, began to voice their disagreement; a mutiny that Collin quieted with a raise of the hand.

  “Go home. And thank you all.” For the first time since that afternoon, his gaze swung over to meet Everleigh’s. “I know you’re getting paid for this, but I want you all to know that I appreciate you. Your being here means more than you know.”

  He turned his attention to the remainder of the team, his eyes bouncing from one face to another.

  “And thank you for being patient with me tonight,” he finished, a small smirk on his face. With a clap, he ended the sentiment. “Now scat,” he added, laughing. “And leave everything out. I’ll take care of it.”

  The crew, in turn, chuckled good-naturedly as they headed to the backroom to clock-out and gather their belongings.

  As Everleigh approached him, he swung her purse from his muscled shoulder, allowing it to slide down his arm and into his hand. Raising it to her, he gave a small smile.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I figured I’d save you having to ask me for the key.”

  Grabbing her purse strap, she attempted to ignore the brief enjoyment she’d gotten at the brush of their fingers, and at watching the muscle that’d jerked in his clamped jaw.

  “Thanks,” she said. Stepping backward, she offered a small smile. “Okay, well, it was nice to meet you, Collin.”

  His hands slid into the large pockets of his smock. “Yeah, so, I guess this is goodbye, Miss Everleigh.”

  One shoulder lifted as she managed a half-hearted shrug. “Well, at least until I’m ready to start my next masterpiece. I’m sure I’ll be back at another of your events. Someday.”

  When pigs fly.

  “Right.” Collin regarded her, his crystal blue eyes traveling across the landscape of her face; just like he had done during their first encounter. “Can I walk you to your car? It’s dark.”

  “No, I’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t mind–”

  “I’m fine,” she countered, an edge to her tone.

  His shoulders slumped. “Okay,” he whispered. Clearing his throat, he said, “Have a good weekend, Everleigh.”

  “You too, Collin.”

  He watched her leave; watched her walk through the door and into the darkness.

  Chapter 6

  The weeks that followed felt abnormal to Everleigh. How had she become so adjusted to being a part of two different worlds so quickly?

  She didn’t miss the sense of exhaustion.

  But she did miss…other things.

  Groaning, she rolled over in bed that Saturday morning, only to roll right into a pile of fluff. Apparently, her cat had decided to join her that night.

  Now that she thought of it, her habitually night-owlish feline had curled up beside her human every night for the past several weeks.

  Reaching out, she pulled the furball toward her and nuzzled the space between the cat’s fuzzy ears.

  “Awww, you love me, Whiskers.”

  Whiskers answered with a soft purr.

  Besides a coveted cuddle session with her fur-baby, Everleigh had one other activity that she could look forward to.

  Today she’d be finishing up her one-on-one painting lessons. Funny enough, she’d be doing so at the spot where all of this began. The instructor had called last night to inform her that he was unceremoniously passing her off to a different teacher, since his own schedule had changed. And she’d be meeting that new instructor at the site of her not-so-long-ago moonlighting gig.

  Everleigh sighed. She’d hesitated to give her consent, wondering if Collin would be manning the facility. He’d called her a couple times earlier in the week; and she’d declined to answer both. She really didn’t feel like moonlighting again; nor did she feel like being a starry-eyed fool in his little kingdom. And she certainly didn’t feel like explaining either to Collin over the phone…nor face-to-face.

  And yet, she had agreed to the change in location. She told herself it was because she refused to allow her discomfort to sway the progress of a project that was so dear to her. But she knew the truth.

  She wanted to see him again. She hoped she would.

  It’s not often you meet a man who seems to truly love the Lord, who’s kind and warm, caring. Being incredibly attractive isn’t a bad thing, either. And when the instructor had let it slip that Collin had actually paid the difference in cost for her lessons, she’d nearly ruined her portrait for trying to work through pained, teary eyes.

  Maybe she should have known that her few hours of work wouldn’t cover the expense. But why didn’t he just tell her?

  Why did this guy have to be so perfect and so…unavailable?

  Everleigh punched the pillow at the head of her bed.

  “Rowrrr!” her cat reprimanded as she dashed away from the sudden movement and leaped to the ground.

  “Sorry, Whiskers,” Everleigh responded, throwing a look of regret over to her furry roommate who was fastidiously cleaning her paws.

  Her week working at Brush Strokes & Beverages may have turned into a whole mess; but her portrait was well on its way to turning into anything but. And maybe that’d make it all worthwhile.

  Shame, though. For a hot second, she’d thought the Lord had answered her prayers.

  But nothing was ever plain and simple—particularly when it came to her love life.

  “Hello?” Everleigh called out into an empty room later that afternoon as she entered Brush Strokes & Beverages.

  With a glance, she noticed that the back door was propped ajar. Inhaling deeply, she straightened her posture and strode to the open door.

  An easel, set with a finished version of her parents’ portrait, stood in the backroom. In front of it were two more easels, both bearing copies of the portrait staged in the center. And before those two easels were stools. One of which Collin sat upon, his back to Everleigh as he engrossed himself in the work set before him.

  “Collin?”

  He straightened, twisting on the stool to look back at Everleigh. His lips spread into a warm, generous grin. Setting his brush in the water and his paint tray onto a nearby table, he rose to walk toward her.

  “Everleigh, it’s so good to see you,” he said, stopping himself a few feet away.

  Before she found herself reciprocating with a confession of how she’d missed him, she forced through a more objective question. “What are you doing here? I mean, what are you–are you painting my parents’ portrait?”

  “Well, I had to. To make sure I could direct you well. I’m your replacement teacher for the day.”

  “But I thought you weren’t an artist.”

  He shook his head, “Well, like I said, I’m not a ‘dyed-in-the-wool’ artist. But you're pretty much just wrapping up loose ends at this point; and with my prior experience and with what I’ve picked up while owning a business like this–” Taking a step forward, he added, “I know I can help you complete this painting, Everleigh. You trust me?” He held out his hand, palm up, toward her.

  A corner of Everleigh’s lips lifted. With a single nod, she took his hand and allowed him to guide her to her seat. His easel creaked as he carefully lifted it and the portrait it carried to move his set up a bit closer to hers; he then shifted his stool over, as well.

  His portrait was beautiful, though different from the original which was on display from the teacher. Looking at her own painting, she could see that hers boasted less skill than Collin's version, but no less character. Both of their works differed from that of the instructor’s, and yet it was clear that all three represented different facets of the same subject.

  Confusion pinched her brows together as she studied his work. “Wait, my instructor just called me yesterday. How did you get your painting done so fast?”

  Collin took a seat on his stool, making sure to face her.

  “I may have asked your instructor to take tonight off…a few days ago. And asked him to guide me this far in replicating the painting over that time.”

  “What? Why? I don’t understand.”

  “Well, you wouldn’t answer my calls, so I—”

  “You never left a voicemail,” she countered.

  “You would have called me back if I had?”

  She paused, nibbling her lip. “Well, I guess we’ll never know.”

  “Everleigh,” he said, in an exasperated tone. “I’m trying to apologize.”

  “For what?”

  “For being a jerk that week; especially that last day.”

  “Is that what this is all about? Collin, you already apologized. I get it. You’re not available. You didn’t have to go through all of this to clear your conscience.”

  “This isn’t about clearing my conscience, Everleigh. I–”

  She suddenly felt overwhelmed with the conversation, rehashing the fact that the man in front of her with whom she clicked so much–a man who went out of his way to repeat an apology for misleading her–that this man was completely out of reach despite the fact that he was so close. He only reminded her of the desert she was facing when it came to her romantic life. He’d helped her realize what she wanted; though she would never have it. At least not with Collin.

  Standing abruptly from her seat, the legs of her stool screeched as the stool skidded an inch across the floor.

  “Collin, I can’t do this. I don’t need more apologies. I don’t need excuses.” She felt tears welling in her eyes. “Just leave it–”

  Her words were cut off by the suddenness of Collin’s kiss. His movement had been smooth, swift and sure. His hand found the nape of her neck, holding her firm until she stilled, and gave in to the pressure of his mouth.

  A soft moan escaped her as she reveled in the feel of his lips upon hers, his tongue slipping between her teeth to tangle with her own.

  Ringing wafted through the backroom.

  The bell rang again, and again.

  Slowly, he lifted his mouth from hers, his face hovering above hers and his eyes trained upon her swollen lips.

  Muttering something through clenched teeth, he turned his head slightly toward the clanging bell; but soon returned his attention to Everleigh. His breath brushed against her cheek as he spoke. “Everleigh, this is what I should have done that day. This is what I’ve been kicking myself over the past weeks for not doing. I should have taken my shot when I had it. But I’m taking it now. And I’m hoping it’s not too late.”

  Stroking Everleigh’s cheek he took a step backwards. “Don’t move, okay? This won’t take more than a minute. I’ll be back,” he insisted, his feet taking him a few more steps backwards before he turned, swung open the door and strode beyond its threshold.

  Everleigh’s feet remained rooted, her lips tingling from the memory of his.

  She shook her head in an attempt to clear it.

  Collin had a girlfriend.

  Collin had a girlfriend and, yet, he had kissed Everleigh.

  He’d kissed Everleigh very well, actually.

  And he hadn’t seemed at all apologetic about that.

  Isn’t this what she’d wanted, really? She’d wanted him. But, she never thought he would be the type to treat a relationship dismissively. She wanted him…but not like this.

  Slowly, her feet began to move toward the door. Adjusting her purse and straightening her slanted glasses, she opened the door. And she didn’t dare glance in the direction of the front desk where Collin was attending to a customer. Everleigh directed her gaze and her steps to the store’s exit.

  “Everleigh!” she heard Collin call from behind her. She heard him excuse himself just before the front door closed behind her and she began her speed walk to the mall's parking garage.

  “Everleigh, wait. Please,” she heard him say behind her.

  Against her better judgment, she stopped, but she didn’t turn around. Instead, she waited until he caught up with her and watched as he moved to stand before her.

  “Everleigh, why are you leaving?”

  Eyes narrowed, she barked the words at him, “You have a girlfriend, Collin.”

  Collin blinked, his body going still. “No, I don’t. I wouldn’t be kissing you, Everleigh, if I had a girlfriend,” he responded, firmly. Running his hand through his hair, he shook his head in disbelief. “What made you think I have a girlfriend?”

  Her back straightened and she watched him, warily. “You–and your staff!” she stammered.

  “Andrea,” he surmised, his jaw clenching. He’d have to do something about her, he noted. Sighing, he added, “My staff is misinformed, at the very least. I had a girlfriend. And I broke up with her the same week we met. Because I didn’t think I could offer a woman what she needed in a man; not while I have this business to take care of, too. And that's also why I was so…”

  "Confusing," she offered, flatly.

  With a soft smirk, he nodded. Taking a step closer to her. “Truth be told,” he continued, his hand rising to lightly cup her chin, “I saw myself being very single for the foreseeable future. But then, this beautiful, intelligent, caring woman breezed into my life and helped me to reconsider everything I held dear.”

  Everleigh's eyes widened before refocusing on his lips. Dragging her eyes back to his, she searched his gaze. Suddenly, she inhaled sharply, her eyes widening, again. “You left a customer back there!”

  He nodded, smiling down at her. “I did.” The pad of his thumb ran along her lower lip. “There was someone important I had to attend to,” he whispered, his head descending to capture her lips with his.

  A soft, low murmur escaped her as she leaned into him, relaxing into his embrace and losing herself within the feel of his mouth upon hers.

  He pulled back, leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose. “The week after you left, I was the same mess I was during that last night when you worked. And at first, it scared me that such a brief time with you could impact me in such a way.” He regarded her. “But it also made me realize that I didn’t want to spend another week without you.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what the future holds, Everleigh. But the plain and simple truth is that I’d be the stupidest man there ever was if I let you simply walk out of mine.”

  A wide grin appeared across Everleigh’s face.

  “Plain and simple, huh?”

  “Yeah,” he voiced, hoarsely, leaning in for another kiss.

  Epilogue

  Collin pressed the speed-dial number and held the phone to his ear, his heart thudded louder with each ring, nearly drowning out the sound.

  Please pick up.

  He didn’t know what he’d do if he got her voicemail.

  The click on the other end of the line caused his heart to leap into his throat.

  “Hey Babe,” Everleigh greeted.

  “Hey Cutie,” he croaked.

  “Hey Luv-ah,” she bantered back.

  “Hey Luv-ah,” he echoed, chuckling.

  God, he loved this woman.

  “Okay, okay,” he laughed. Inhaling, he released a long, loud breath.

  "Uh-oh. What's wrong, Collin?" she asked, her tone hushed.

  “So…I have bad news—about tonight, I mean.”

  “Oh. Oh, okay," she said, relief coloring her voice. “Oh, no,” she groaned. "Don’t tell me…dinner plans are off?”

  “Yeah,” he breathed. “Unfortunately, a couple people called in. I gotta fill the gap. I’m sorry to have to disappoint you, Sweetie.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s why I told myself I’d never date a doctor; they’re always on call,” she finished with a low chuckle.

  “I’m so glad you made an exception for a small business owner.”

  “Small businesses owner, you mean,” she corrected, humor saturating her tone.

  He chuckled. “True, true. Getting this new location to run as smoothly as the first has been a little more challenging than I’d anticipated, though. Gotta admit.” He exhaled. “Anyway, Sweetie, I’ll make tonight up to you.”

  “I’m gonna hold you to that."

  “I hope you do. I’ll make it something special.”

  “Mmm, something grand, eh?”

  “You got it.”

  “Okay. Well, the food’s already here. I was just keeping it warm for you. But I guess I can eat your share, too,” Everleigh responded, unable to stifle the giggle that snuck past her lips.

  “You deserve it, Love. Go right ahead.”

  “Or, I could bring dinner to you. And maybe an extra pair of hands, along with it.”

  “It is going to be pretty rough with just the small crew; but you don’t have to do that, Babe.”

  “Oh boy, you’re practically begging me to come.”

  Laughing, he replied, “I think you know me too well, Love. But I don’t ever want you to feel burdened with this.”

  “Honey, you know by now I’m not doing anything that I don’t want to do. But…I want to. Really…I just want to see you. Okay, let me pack up our dinner and I’ll head right over. Hey, save my favorite apron for me.”

  “Of course, consider it done. It’ll be nice to work with you again. Maybe steal a few kisses when no one is looking.”