Page 34 of That Summer
Lucas nodded as colour warmed his cheeks. “I’ll try.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Kaitlyn said, tapping Cole’s arm. “He claims being calledMr. MacIntyre makes him sound old.”
“Well, it does.” Daddy sat back on his bar stool and took a long swig of his dark-coloured drink. “Not a beer…” he said in her direction. “It’s a coke.”
She shook her head gently as she raised her hands. “I didn’t ask.” Putting her foot on the stool, she hoisted herself up across from him.
Lucas sat on her left and Kaitlyn on her right.
She had to crane her neck, however, to see the painting. Her jaw dropped at the intricate colors and design.
“Anyone ever done this before? I’m sure I have no skills for this.”
The instructor popped up behind her, his knit cap tightly encasing dark curls. “It’s easy, at least, if I’m doing my job properly it should be. I’ll walk around and check on you at each step.” He patted her on the shoulder with long, spindly fingers. Each nail painted a different colour.
Lucas leaned closer to her. “Was he flirting with you?”
“I certainly hope not.” She turned and searched the area, unable to find the instructor. “He’s weird.”
Kaitlyn chimed in. “All artists are.”
With drinks in hand, the group followed the instructor as he explained how to paint the background.
“This isn’t so hard,” Aurora said as long strokes of blue streaked across the top of her canvas.
“Yeah right,” Lucas said, frustration in his voice. “Holding a paintbrush is completely different than a socket wrench. It’s making my fingers cramp.”
Cole laughed beside him. “You need to learn to relax there, boy.”
Boy? Really, Daddy.
“Yeah, well painting is a skill I don’t possess.”
Cole said, “Watch. You need to add a touch more water to your brush. Like this.”
She had no idea what her daddy was doing, but a quick scan of Lucas’ raised eyebrows and knowing nod meant he understood.
Kaitlyn leaned in real close and whispered, “They seem to get along pretty well, eh? Better than Nate ever did.”
She eyed the men as they bantered back and forth. There was no tension between either man, and more than a few smiles. They really were getting along. Guess daddies don’t like the boyfriends as much as they do the platonic friends.
When the conversation between Lucas and Cole turned to shop talk and tools, she ignored them both, and focused her attention to Kaitlyn. “What’s the word on Tatiana?”
“Not much at the moment.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
An angry swipe of dark blue scratched across Kaitlyn’s canvas. “There’s an issue getting her papers in order.”
Aurora dropped her paintbrush into the water. “Is she moving here?”
“Well, she can’t if she doesn’t get her ducks in a row. Right now, she’ll get a visitor pass, but she’ll have to go back home within a few months.” Kaitlyn swiped her brush back and forth over the streak of blue. “As it is, she won’t be here until just before Thanksgiving.”
“Thanksgiving?” Her voice pitched. That was still a long time away.
Kaitlyn forced a smile. “Yeah, but at least I’ll have something to be thankful for, and maybe even something to celebrate.” Her perfectly-plucked eyebrow raised as she spoke. In following the instructor’s prompt, she dabbled a mixture of dark grey onto the top corner. “Speaking of things you’re thankful for, how’s that list coming along?”
“Brutal. But we’re working on it.”