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)
She’d been so engrossed in her work she hadn’t even noticed Arch leave his spot on the bench. Turning to her painting, she stood back from her easel and studied her new additions.
Mylene was right: Her painting was good. And Tessa was in the zone. A few more strokes to capture the light on the leaves, and she’d be finished.
She quickly became reabsorbed and didn’t realize Arch was standing beside her, watching, until he said, “Wow, Tessa.”
She startled, but when she saw his expression of wonder as he took in her painting, she softened. He didn’t need to say more. She’d impressed him, and that made something deep inside her glow golden and bright.
“The light on this is exquisite,” he said. “Your colors are so soft. Did you underpaint this?”
She nodded, surprised he knew the term. “I never skip that step, or a value study, although I know many plein air painters do. I find that laying a good foundation serves as a guide for what’s to come.”
“Do you underpaint in monochrome, or do you go straight in with color?”
Again, she was surprised that he’d know the difference between underpainting with just one pigment or more. “I’m still finding my way, so I find it easiest to start with one color to separate the underpainting from the painting’s color development. The process feels more manageable that way.”
He nodded thoughtfully, still staring at the painting. “I think it’s sensational, Tessa.”
She was about to object and say something self-effacing, the way she always had before, but she caught herself. If there was one thing she’d learned from Arch, it was the power of belief in oneself. He didn’t apologize for knowing that he was a great actor. On the contrary, he owned it.
Right then and there, Tessa saw how her attitude needed to change. Yes, her husband had been cruel about her painting. But that didn’t mean he’d been right, though she’d taken his word as gospel for far too many years. It was long past time that she learned to accept praise as well as criticism.
Turning her smile to Arch, she simply said, “Thank you.”
She could tell that Arch wanted to kiss her then. His eyes had gone misty with affection and desire. And oh, how she wanted to kiss him back.
But there were so many people on the beach, so many sets of eyes. She could feel him holding himself back and knew it was for her sake, because she had insisted on privacy, on secrecy.
But it seemed that today was a day for throwing caution to the wind. Not only with her new belief in her own talent, but also with her relationship with Arch. So she leaned forward and kissed him gently and tenderly on the lips.
He responded immediately, yielding to her and bringing their bodies closer. As she responded to his delicate touch, she could no longer deny that she had fallen hard and fast for him.
When they finally parted, she felt deep within her that something had shifted. Something big.
But, that little voice in her head that wanted to keep her safe said, is the shift big enough? Can you really do this? Can you actually date a movie star without losing yourself in his world? And can you handle the people around the world who will wonder why he chose you when he could have a far prettier and more successful woman at his side?
“Are you close to being finished?” Arch asked.
“I’m done. And we should head back soon. We still have your exercises to complete before dinner.”
“I’d like to help with cooking,” he said. “It would be nice to make food together.”
She nodded, looking forward to another comfortable evening stretching out in front of them. She could easily picture them chopping vegetables together and then maybe snuggling up on the couch to watch a movie.
Even though movies were his profession, he loved to watch a good film and always waited until the credits rolled to comment on the acting, direction, and anything else that had struck him about the craft. It was fascinating to hear his views. Plus, he was genuinely interested in her views, as well, since she saw a movie purely as a fan, not a professional.
It was so easy to fall into playing house with him.
And so simple to wish that it could be like this forever.
Chapter Thirty
The next morning, Tessa made her way to Saint Anna’s for coffee with Mila and Erin. Arch was on a conference call all morning, so she had a little more time than usual. She chose to walk rather than drive, wanting to savor the peace of the early morning and inhale that special Carmel-by-the-Sea air.
She was coming to love these Tuesday morning get-togethers and the warm way the Davenport sisters had welcomed her into their fold.