Stocky & Sumptuous

by Mary E Thompson

  “Only if you agree. I’m not about to share my secrets without knowing I’ll get something out of it.”

  I smiled, the first genuine smile in days. “Deal.”

  Sawyer made good on his promise. He didn’t leave my side the rest of the night. We danced together, hung out at the bar, sat next to each other during dinner, although that was because of the seating arrangement, but still. He was a perfect date.

  We decided to rest after another spin on the dance floor. I’d kicked off my shoes hours earlier, and Sawyer promised not to step on my toes. So far, he’d been successful, even tugging me out of the way of a few other wild dancers when they got too close.

  “You never told me why you’re avoiding Noah. What happened?”

  Sawyer sipped his beer and studied the crowd. “I’m moving.”

  “What?”

  He met my gaze. “I’ve been feeling restless for a while. I still love taking pictures, but they’re not the same as they once were. The things I’m photographing now are being sold to the highest bidder. I’m taking pictures because I’m good at what I do, not because I love what I do. I need to get out.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Hawaii.”

  “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “I’ve always wanted to go there. I’ve put out some feelers and think I could make it work.”

  “Wow. That’s awesome. I’ve never been to Hawaii, but I’ve always thought it looked beautiful.”

  He nodded. “It is. I was there on an assignment not long after I started freelancing. All the islands are a little different, but I want to be on The Big Island, the island the state gets its name from.”

  “How many islands are there?”

  “Eight major ones, but only six are open to visitors.”

  “Hmm. Okay, so why that one? And what are you going to do there?”

  “When I was there, it was to photograph the volcano. There’s an active volcano on The Big Island and it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I took tons of pictures of it but didn’t spend as much time there as I wanted. I’ve always hoped to go back.”

  “So hop a plane.”

  Sawyer laughed. “I would, but it still wouldn’t be enough. It’s where I want to be.”

  “Are you independently wealthy?”

  He snorted. “I wish. As much as I’m not loving the idea, I need to get a job. It looks like wedding photographers are in demand.”

  My eyebrows shot up and I fought a laugh. “Tell me you’re joking. You’re going to be a wedding photographer.”

  He nodded ruefully. “I’m not looking forward to it, but if it gets me to Hawaii and lets me take pictures of the volcano and the rest of the island, I’ll do it.”

  “How is this any different than what you’re already doing?”

  “I’ll be settled. I’ll be where I want to be.”

  “When are you going?”

  “After Christmas. One last Christmas here, then I’m heading out. I want to get settled before wedding season starts. Fuck, I never thought I’d say something like that.”

  I laughed with him, knowing I’d miss Sawyer. We didn’t know each other well, but I liked him a lot.

  “Promise me something, Vicki.”

  “Anything.”

  “If the fuck-nut that stole your smile doesn’t give it back, you’ll come to Hawaii.”

  “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “Hell, yeah. I could use a friend there. And I bet there are a lot of hot guys.”

  “Probably some sexy women, too.”

  He grinned. “I’m counting on it. Now promise me.”

  I nodded. “I promise. And Sawyer?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks.”

  Chapter 24

  “Get up,” Peyton said the next evening. “Get in the shower. We have to go.”

  “Where?” I demanded.

  “Out. You’re getting out of here.”

  “I was out last night.”

  “And you’re going out tonight. I’m not taking no for an answer. I haven’t been here enough for you. That’s changing now. Go shower and get dressed. Wear something pretty.”

  I grumbled, but did as she asked. As I shampooed my hair I realized Peyton was around a lot more than usual all week. She brought dinner home a few nights and didn’t fall asleep on the couch. She was also home for breakfast.

  What was going on?

  When I got out of the shower, I found a yellow dress with big brown and white flowers on it laid out on my bed. It was new, something I hadn’t seen before. Underneath was a matching set of yellow panties and a bra. On the floor was a pair of brown wedges.

  I dressed in the outfit my sister got me and dried my hair a little. When loose waves fell, I ran a brush through it to pull out the knots the hairdryer created then fluffed it up. I added a touch of make-up, and decided whatever Peyton had in mind was going to have to deal with the way I looked. There was only so much I could do to hide my sadness.

  As soon as I left my room, Peyton ushered me to her car. She refused to tell me where we were going, but I figured it out halfway there and protested.

  “I’m not going to his show, Pey. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s not happening.”

  “Shut up and stop arguing with me.”

  Peyton never spoke to me that way. Or to anyone. She was as even-keeled as they came. Even as a kid, she didn’t get ruffled.

  “You’ve been moping around all week. On top of that, you’re punishing both yourself and Hunter because I screwed up.”

  “Pey-”

  “I said shut up and stop arguing with me.”

  I clamped my lips shut and stared out the window.

  “I’m sorry for the way I treated you. Everything you said the other night was right. I’ve always been so focused on what I wanted that I never bothered to see what anyone else wanted. I’m selfish, but don’t let my mistakes, my shortcomings, take away another thing from you.”

  “You didn’t take it away. Hunter did,” I argued.

  Peyton shook her head and pulled into the lot. She parked in a spot that was marked reserved, which confused me. Then she shut off her car and turned to me. “I brought you here tonight because you deserve happiness. You deserve Hunter. Yes, he screwed up. He should have been there. But I think you need to know why he wasn’t.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Let’s go inside. You’ll see.”

  I didn’t want to, but she did a hell of a job piquing my curiosity. I followed Peyton into the gallery, entering through the front door. The space had transformed in the days since I’d been there. Colorful artwork lined the walls. Sculptures were artfully displayed on the floor, highlighted by light that made each feel special and unique.

  And they were. The talent in one room astounded me. I took in each piece, mesmerized by the colors and patterns and even textures that were different in each one. Peyton walked beside me, silently allowing me the chance to take it all in. I worked from one room to the next, surprised I didn’t see Hunter, but hoping to avoid him even as I knew it wasn’t possible.

  When I stepped into the last room, I stopped. Tears filled my eyes, clouding my vision. Peyton was beside me, but I barely knew she was there until she eased me forward, closer to the painting that dominated the wall.

  I recognized us immediately. To everyone else in the room, I knew it wasn’t obvious that the painting was Hunter and me, but to me, it was as if he’d written our names. It was in the same style as the others, a blend of colors that mixed together and looked like a crystalized rock in the middle. Except a heart was in the middle. One that appeared to pulse. It radiated through our figures, locked in an intimate embrace. The gray that defined the other paintings outlined our shapes in this one, creating silhouettes of us. It was sensual and erotic and the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

  And it was sold.

  “He painted it for you,” Peyton said.
“He said the idea came to him last weekend and he knew he had to do it. But he was working on it Tuesday. The timer he had on his phone got reset when he put music on, and he missed girls’ night.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “Because he told me. He begged me to hear his side. He did this for you, and when you wouldn’t take his calls or see him, he came to me.”

  “And you helped him?”

  Peyton shook her head. “No. I helped you. I know you love him, but you walked away from him because of me. That’s not fair to either of you, so I owed it to you to make it right.”

  “I don’t know if this is enough. I love it, but I don’t know.”

  Peyton nodded. “I understand. Love is hard. He hurt you. This isn’t some way to wow you and get you to forgive him. He knows it takes more than that. I brought you here because I thought you deserved to know why he missed Tuesday night. He wanted to be there. And he would have been. But people screw up. I know you want to think you are, but you’re not perfect either.”

  “I never said I was.”

  “No, you didn’t. But you also judged him based on mistakes I’ve made. You wouldn’t date him because you worried he’d work too much, like I do. You denied yourself and him because of my past. You’ve made mistakes.”

  “I knew it was going to end.”

  “A self-fulfilling prophecy.”

  “I didn’t want this to happen.”

  “No, I imagine you didn’t. The problem is it did. And you could change that. You could give him another chance. His entire place is almost done. He’ll be moving in here in a week. His studio is finished, so he’ll be working during the day and available to see you at night. Give him a chance to show you who he is without a show getting in the way. He said you’ve changed his life. Let him change yours.”

  “I don’t know if he still feels that way. Hell, I don’t know how he feels at all.”

  “Did you see the title of the painting?”

  I shook my head.

  “Go look.”

  Peyton hung back while I inspected the tiny card on the wall next to the painting.

  Love

  Artist: Hunter Campbell

  Inspiration: The love of my life

  “He loves me?” I asked Peyton.

  “He does,” she said with confidence. “And he’s been watching you since you walked in.”

  I felt a tingle run down my spine with the sudden realization that he was there. “Where is he?”

  “There’s one more thing I want you to know first,” she said, catching my attention.

  “What?”

  “I’m going to change, Vicki. I’m going to be a different person. I want to be the sister you deserve. I love you, and I hope one day you can forgive me for all the times I’ve let you down.”

  “I do forgive you, Peyton. You’re my sister, and I’ll always forgive you.”

  “Then do the same for Hunter. Because love is love, whether it’s love you were born with or love that grew. If you love him, you’ll forgive him.”

  Tears filled my eyes again, and I nodded.

  Peyton pulled me in for a hug and whispered in my ear, “He’s right behind you.”

  We broke apart, and Peyton eased away. I took a deep breath and turned to face Hunter.

  He looked devastatingly handsome in his gray suit. His crisp, white button down was unbuttoned at the top, revealing tufts of hair that I wanted to use as a pillow. His jaw, covered in more than a few days’ growth, ticked, waiting for me to make the first move.

  I stepped toward him, pulling in a breath when his hands balled into fists. I wanted him to reach for me. To drag me against him. To claim me as his.

  But I’d ruined that.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said. “You’re very talented.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Who bought it?”

  “I did.”

  My eyes rose to his, meeting the navy orbs that I knew as well as my own eyes. “Why?”

  He shrugged. “I painted it for you. I couldn’t bear anyone else having it in their home.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Let me know when you’d like it delivered and I’ll have it sent over.”

  I nodded. “Do you think the artist would be willing to do something special?”

  His eyes widened and he nodded.

  “I don’t want the painting.”

  His Adam’s apple rose and fell before he pulled in a breath. “That’s your choice.”

  “I want the real thing,” I said, still staring at the painting.

  Breath whooshed from his lungs. “Excuse me?”

  I turned to face him. “I love the painting, Hunter. It’s amazing. But I’d rather have you than the painting.”

  “I’ll sell them all,” he breathed.

  I laughed and shook my head. “I like the painting, love it. I don’t want it in anyone else’s house either. But I want you, too. I want everything that goes with the painting. Passion. Sex. Love?”

  His eyebrows rose. “You saw the name?”

  I nodded.

  “Are you okay with that?”

  “With what?”

  “With me being in love with you?”

  I shrugged. “It only makes sense since I’m in love with you, too.”

  “Fuck yeah,” he growled in my ear, dragging my body against his. “I love you so much, Vicki.”

  “I love you, too, Hunter.”

  “Come on, I need to show you something.” He half-dragged me through the door in the back, down the hall, and into his studio. He pulled me inside and flipped the lock on the door.

  “I thought you had to show me something?” I teased.

  “Oh, Vicki, I do. I have to show you how much I love you.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you. And we’re getting rid of condoms. Soon.”

  I grinned and let Hunter show me exactly how he felt.

  Twice.

  Epilogue

  Peyton

  I never liked the holiday season. Everyone was happy and smiling, but inside they were hiding their stress. Parents trying to get the perfect gift for their kids. Husbands searching for the right thing for their wives. Boyfriends breaking up with girlfriends so they didn’t have to buy her something. People went crazy around the holidays.

  I knew it was going to be different though. For as long as I could remember, it had been my sister and I against the world. Vicki found her other half though, and I wasn’t the first person she turned to.

  Then again, I hadn’t been that person in a while.

  I still had a lot of making up to do with my sister, but after getting her and Hunter back together, I was closer to feeling like I’d done something.

  I liked Hunter. He was good for Vicki. And she adored him.

  Thankfully, he talked her out of Black Friday shopping. I had no interest in going, but I agreed I would if she really wanted to. Hunter said they had enough to do with the Thanksgiving dinner planned for that night with all our friends. Vicki finally admitted he was right and abandoned her desire to shop with the masses overnight, after celebrating Thanksgiving all day.

  When she and Hunter rolled out of bed around noon, and yeah, I knew they weren’t sleeping that whole time, she was happier than I’d ever seen her.

  “Hey,” I said, screwing the top back on the peanut butter container. I didn’t cook, so if Vicki wasn’t around to feed me, it was pretty pathetic.

  “Hey. What time are we leaving?”

  “I think Mandy said be there around three.”

  Vicki checked the clock and nodded. “Plenty of time. Want to help me make the casserole and pie?”

  No. Not even a little bit. But I was working hard on being a better sister, so I said, “Sure.”

  Vicki gave Hunter and I instructions to make the corn casserole she insisted was really good, even though it sounded odd, and the pumpkin pie. I remembered our mom baking pumpkin pies every Thanksgiving. I never h
elped her, so I was completely lost when Vicki tried to tell me what to do.

  “Roll it out about the thickness of a pencil. Then we’ll roll it up and put it in the pie pan.”

  First I didn’t put any flour on the rolling pin. Then I put too much. Then I had one side thinner than the other. I swore if the pie survived, it would be the best pie on the planet, just because of its perseverance.

  Vicki finally helped me get it just right, then expertly flipped it onto itself and transferred the whole thing to the pie pan, in one piece. She unrolled it and eased the edges to the bottom so there wasn’t an air gap behind the crust.

  It was easier to get someone pregnant than make a pie.

  She finished the filling and poured it into the crust, then slid the whole thing in the oven. “That’s going to be a while. I’m going to take a shower. We can leave when the pie is out.”

  “What about the casserole?”

  “It’ll come out around the same time. I’ll be back to check on them.”

  “Are you sure you want to leave me alone here?”

  Vicki laughed. “You’ll be fine.”

  Hunter and Vicki went back to her room, quietly locking her door. Yeah, like I’d walk in on that. I saw enough vaginas in my day job. Thankfully, my sister’s wasn’t one of them. I prayed it never was.

  I went to my room and got changed. Being a morning person, I showered hours ago. Of course, my dishwater blonde hair hung in stringy waves that proved how little effort I ever put into my appearance. I stared at myself in the mirror, examining my brown eyes and the tiny wrinkles that were starting to form around them. Once upon a time I thought I was attractive, but those days were long gone.

  I could smell the pie baking before the timer went off. True to her word, Vicki was back in the kitchen just before the pie and casserole were done. She stuck a toothpick into the center of the pie and declared it was done. How she knew that, I had no idea, but I was in no position to question her.

  We packed up, the three of us, and left for Mandy and Xander’s house. I held the bottles of wine I’d selected as my contribution on my lap in the backseat and hoped there would be someone there for me to talk to.