by Aurora Rey
“Are you sure you can handle this?” Darcy asked for probably the tenth time since agreeing to it a few days ago.
“We’re fine. Right, Liam?”
“Uh huh.” He’d gone over to look at the setup and his distracted reply seemed to reassure Darcy.
“We’re coming to the café for lunch. We’ll only be by ourselves for like three hours. Maybe four.”
“That’s longer that you might think.”
“Are you worried that I can’t handle him, or that he can’t handle me?”
“Both.” Darcy rolled her eyes. “Neither. I know you’ll be fine.”
“We have a project to keep us busy and a built-in expectation of a mess.”
Darcy smiled. “When you put it that way.”
“Exactly. Now go to work so there are delicious things for us to eat when we come down.”
“You’re right.” She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Liam, I’ll see you guys soon. Listen to Emerson, okay?”
“Okay, Mom.”
Darcy smiled again, but didn’t initiate any physical contact with Emerson before turning to leave. That was okay. They weren’t there yet. Emerson returned the smile and tried to convey reassurance. “We’ll call if we need anything. And if you need anything, you can call us, too.”
That seemed to break any remaining tension. Darcy laughed. “I’ll be fine. Bye, you two.”
Darcy left and Emerson turned her attention to Liam, who’d given in to the desire to touch things and picked up a couple of brushes. “You ready to paint?”
He nodded with enthusiasm.
“Do you need something to drink first? Or to eat?” Not that she had any breakfast food, but she could improvise if she needed to.
“No, I’m good.”
“Let’s get started, then.”
She figured he wore clothes he could get paint on, but she had him wear one of her T-shirts anyway. It hung down to his knees, but he didn’t seem to mind. She explained blocking off the paper with a pencil, then drew a series of faint matching lines on each. She drew the same lines on the image she’d printed out to use as a guide. “Then you can sketch your primary shapes and make sure the proportions are right.”
“Cool.”
“We’ll use a light color as the background so we don’t lose our lines.” She dipped her brush in water, then mixed brown and yellow together to make a sandy color, then handed him a brush. “The big thing to remember with paint is that less is more.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
She dipped her brush into the paint, then dabbed the excess off. Liam followed suit. “Big strokes back and forth. Like this.” She demonstrated and he mimicked her movements.
“Uh-oh.” His motion was good, but he had a sizable dribble left where he’d started.
“It’s all good. The cool thing about painting with watercolor is that, even if you mess up, you can fix it.” She flicked her brush a few times across his paper until the color was smoothed out and it looked like hers. “See?”
Liam nodded slowly. “Uh-huh.”
“The other big thing to remember is that we do everything in layers. We start with our outline, then keep adding details, one on top of the other.” He looked at her intensely, like he understood what she was saying, but didn’t quite get how it worked. “Just trust me.”
“Okay.”
He proved himself an eager student and a quick study. She tried to break everything down into basic steps, modeling each stroke for him so he could replicate it. His hands weren’t as steady as hers, but he had a feel for it. Once they got the shape of the turtle down, she instructed him to fill it in with a medium green they’d use as the base. She focused on her own piece for a few minutes before looking over to check his progress. When she did, she couldn’t help but smile at the look of fierce determination on Liam’s face. He dabbed at the paint on their shared palette, then the paper. “Hey, that’s really good.”
He beamed at her. “Thanks.”
They worked for about an hour, making slow but steady progress. Liam seemed to be getting a little impatient and Emerson felt the same. It wasn’t time for lunch yet, but she figured they could both use a stretch. And maybe a snack. “How about we take a break?”
Liam looked relieved. “Sure.”
Emerson grabbed two bananas and handed him one. “Now we get to sit and watch the paint dry.” That earned her a laugh.
*****
“Liam is spending the morning with Emerson. They’re painting a picture of a turtle for his science project.”
Alex chuckled. “That sounds like fun.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.”
“Emerson is great. I’m sure Liam will have a good time.”
“Yeah, that’s sort of what I’m worried about.”
Alex turned from the oven, tray of loaf pans in hand, and gave her a quizzical look. “What does that mean?”
Darcy sighed. “It means I think he’s getting attached to her.”
“And that’s bad?”
“It is if she gets bored with him, or if she and I stop seeing each other, and he ends up disappointed.”
“Even if you guys don’t end up together, I don’t see Emerson as the disappearing type. She’s not that callous.”
“She pretty much said the same thing.”
Alex slid the tray onto a rack to cool. “See?”
Darcy set down her knife. How could she explain in a way that didn’t make her seem over-protective? “But it’s one thing to say and another to do.”
“I get that.”
“Especially for someone who’s all about living in the moment.” Darcy thought about Emerson saying as much—right after telling her she’d lost her parents.
Alex folded her arms. “Yeah, but for her I don’t think that means always running off to the next new exciting thing.”
“I know. She seems to genuinely like Liam, spending time with him. And I think Liam has some potential as an artist. If Emerson can help him tap into that, it would be awesome. It doesn’t mean I can’t freak out a little.”
Alex crossed the room and slung an arm around Darcy’s shoulder. “You’re a great mom. And being a great mom doesn’t mean you keep your child in a bubble. No matter what happens, this is good for him. You, too.”
“Thanks. I hope you’re right.”
“I have a good feeling about this.” Alex picked up a tray of rolls. “I’m going to go cover the front. Holler if you need me.”
Darcy nodded, feeling better. “I will. Thanks, Alex.”
Alex gave her a squeeze before letting go. “Anytime.”
Darcy returned her attention to chicken chili, then mac and cheese with ham. Time dragged by. When she checked the wall clock for the tenth time in as many minutes, she berated herself for being uptight. She followed that up with a pep talk and the decision to keep herself extra busy with making some homemade stock for the freezer.
The additional work did the trick. When Alex stuck her head in to say Emerson and Liam had arrived, she realized with surprise it was after noon. She poured the stock into a shallow pan to cool before heading out to the dining room to see how the morning had gone. She found them already at a table with matching bowls of chili and hunks of cornbread. “Hey, guys. How was painting?”
Emerson offered a “hi” and Liam launched into a blow-by-blow of their morning. He even threw out a few technical terms she didn’t know, which she took as a good sign. “I’m impressed you got all that done. And you don’t even look dirty.”
“Oh, Emerson lent me a shirt.”
Darcy turned to Emerson. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s okay. I have plenty. And that way we didn’t have to worry about getting messy.”
“And I take it you got messy.”
Emerson smiled. “We used watercolor, so it cleaned up easy enough.”
“So, when do I get to see the finished product?”
“We aren’t done y
et.” Liam looked at her like that was the most obvious thing in the world. “It has to dry before we can do the finishing touches.”
“If you don’t mind, we’ll go back to my place after lunch.”
Darcy frowned. “I don’t mind, but I don’t want to take up your whole day.”
“It’s fun. We’re each doing one. I’ve never done marine life before.”
Darcy had an image of the two of them standing side by side, each wielding a paintbrush. It gave her a flutter in her stomach that felt like anxiety and excitement at the same time. She tamped it down and focused on the matter at hand. “How long do you think you’ll need?”
“Probably an hour or two. Do you want to come to my place when you’re done with work?”
“That would be great.”
Liam grinned. “And we’ll see if you can figure out who did which one.”
Even if Liam proved to be a painting prodigy, she didn’t think that would be difficult, but she appreciated his confidence. “I’ll see you guys around three.” Darcy turned to leave, but stopped and looked squarely at Liam. “How come you’re not eating mac and cheese?”
Liam shrugged. “Emerson said the chili sounded good. I thought so, too.”
“It’s more than good,” Emerson added.
“Thanks. Okay. I’ll see you later. Good luck.” Darcy went back to the kitchen, mulling over Liam’s comment. He was an adventurous eater, but he never—never—turned down mac and cheese. Maybe he was beginning to outgrow that tendency, which would be good. Or he was straying into Emerson worship. Darcy shook her head. Since there wasn’t anything she could do about it now, she turned her attention back to her work.
With two staff members filling lunch orders, that meant planning her menu for the week after next and making her order list. She finished that and still had time to organize the tiny supply closet before her shift ended. She left instructions for the afternoon staff, did a final check of the soup station, then clocked out.
She left the café via the front entrance, turning left to walk back down to the East End. Now that Memorial Day had come and gone, the crowds were picking up. Between that and the sunshine, it felt like summer was upon them. She got to Emerson’s building and climbed the narrow staircase to her studio. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to knock. Even though she was expected, she wasn’t ready for the intimacy implied by simply walking in.
“Come in.” Emerson’s muffled voice came through the door. Darcy did, expecting to find her and Liam up to their elbows in paint. Instead, she found Emerson, Liam, and someone she assumed was Emerson’s sister sitting in a circle on the floor with cards in their hands and spread out in front of them.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi.” Darcy smiled, realizing there were also several piles of jelly beans on the floor. “What’s going on here?”
Liam beamed at her. “I’m learning how to play poker.”
Darcy arched a brow. “Are you?”
Emerson looked at her sheepishly. “We finished our paintings and Will came home, so we decided to play a game.”
“And Go Fish is so boring,” Liam said so matter-of-factly she had to smile.
“I see.”
Emerson stood. “I hope you don’t mind. We aren’t playing for money or anything.”
So, that’s what the jelly beans were for. “Not at all. I was the queen of nickel poker in college.”
Liam’s eyes lit up. “Do you want to play with us?”
Darcy glanced at Emerson, who quirked a brow. “Pull up a patch of rug and we’ll deal you in.”
Emerson returned to her spot and Will and Liam scooted back to accommodate another person in their circle. Darcy took a moment to study Emerson’s sister. They looked nothing alike. While Emerson’s features were darker and hinted at her Asian roots, Will had a mess of light brown curls and blue eyes—the kind of blue you noticed from across the room. “Hi, Will. I’m Darcy.”
“Sorry.” Emerson shook her head. “Will, this is Darcy. Darcy, Will.”
If Emerson’s vibe was edgy, Will’s was soft and smooth. Even in faded jeans and a T-shirt, she looked sweet, wholesome even. Darcy sat next to her and stuck out her hand. “It’s really nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Will took her hand and smiled. It was one hell of a smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Darcy raised a brow at Emerson. “That sounds dangerous.”
“All good, I promise,” Will said.
Emerson nodded. “Yeah. All good.”
Emerson dumped a handful of jelly beans in front of her. Meanwhile, Liam pointed to a bowl. “Those are for eating.”
“Got it.”
They finished the hand in progress, then Darcy anted up two jelly beans to join in. “What are we playing?”
“Texas Hold’em,” Will said.
“Excellent.” It only took a couple of hands to see how quickly Liam had picked up the rules. His poker face, on the other hand, needed work. Still, it was exciting to see his enthusiasm and Emerson and Will were exceedingly patient with him. No one seemed in any hurry to do anything else, but Darcy remained cognizant of the time and the fact that Emerson had essentially given up her entire day to entertain her son. After Will took a pot with a full house, Darcy decided to move them along. “So, when do I get to see these paintings?”
“How could I forget?” Liam waved his arms in the air. “They came out so good.”
Liam jumped up and everyone followed suit, walking over to where the easels stood. Emerson flipped on a light and Darcy felt a lump rise in her throat. The precision and sophistication of Emerson’s work made it immediately clear which one was hers, but the one beside it was beautiful in its own right. She’d never have thought Liam—with his virtually non-existent experience or training—capable of producing something at that level. “Wow.”
“Do you like it, Mom? Emerson showed me what to do and helped me, but I did most of it myself.”
“It’s really, really good. I’m so proud of you.” Darcy glanced over at Emerson and found Emerson’s eyes on her. “Thank you.”
Emerson smiled. “He’s right. I only helped a little. He’s got quite the natural talent.”
“Do you think I’ll get picked for the library?”
Darcy put her arm around his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t know. But I know you have a project you can be proud of. That’s what matters most.”
“It needs a couple more hours to completely dry,” Emerson said. “I can bring it by your place tomorrow if that works for you.”
“I don’t want to put you out.”
“Will you stop with that? I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to.”
Darcy nodded. “Right. Sorry. That would be great.” Darcy tucked her hair behind her ear. “But for now, we’re going to clear out so Emerson and Will can get on with their evening.”
Will laughed. “You say that like we have plans.”
“Right?” Emerson shrugged. “We won’t keep you, but trust me when I say you aren’t interfering with anything.”
Darcy smiled at that. She assumed people her age without kids still had wild Saturday night plans. Whether she was genuinely wrong or Emerson and Will were trying to make her feel better, she didn’t know. Either way, it was nice to be told she wasn’t dragging them down. “Ready, Liam?”
“Yep.”
“Have you thanked Emerson for spending the day with you? And for helping you make such an awesome painting?”
“He absolutely—”
Emerson didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence before Liam launched himself into her arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Emerson squeezed him back. “You can be my painting buddy anytime.”
Darcy cleared her throat to mask the emotion in her voice. “Be careful. He might try to hold you to that.”
Emerson looked directly at Darcy. “I meant it.”
Darcy nodded. “All right. One thing at a time. Thank yo
u for everything. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
“We’ll be home all day. You’re welcome anytime. Just text me.”
“Will do.” Emerson looked on as Darcy ushered Liam to the door. When they’d gone, she turned to find Will staring at her. “What?”
“You’re falling for them.”
Emerson scowled. “What are you talking about?”
“Liam and Darcy. You’re falling for them.”
Emerson shook her head. She wasn’t against the idea, but they were light years away from that territory. Light years. “Liam’s a hoot. He’s so much like I was at that age. It’s fun to watch. Darcy and I haven’t even slept together.”
Will shook her head. “If you say so.”
“I like them.” Emerson was more emphatic this time. “I like new people—spending time with them, getting to know them. It’s how I live my life. It doesn’t mean I’m falling for them.”
“Okay. Don’t get your boxers in a bunch. I didn’t mean to start something.”
Emerson scowled. “My boxers aren’t in a bunch.”
Will put both hands in the air. “I stand corrected. Let’s change the subject. What’s for dinner?”
“You tell me. It’s your turn to cook.”
Will shrugged. “Sounds like pizza, then. Unless you’re in the mood for Chinese.”
Emerson made a face. If she could find one fault with P-town, it might be the utter lack of legit Chinese food. “Pizza it is.”
Chapter Twelve
Emerson sat with Will on the sofa, half-watching a movie. When her screen lit up, Emerson looked down at her phone and smiled.
“You’re doing it again.”
She looked over at Will. “What?”
“Smiling at your crotch.”
Emerson rolled her eyes. “You’re a jerk.”
“You’re the one with the goofy look on your face. I can’t help it if you look like an idiot.”
In high school, Will had teased her mercilessly over her unattainable crushes. She’d hated it at the time. Now, with the prospect of seeing Darcy—just Darcy—taking shape, she didn’t even care. “You’re just jealous.”
Will poked her. “Maybe. I think it comes with my recent history of crash-and-burn in the relationship department.”
