Her heart squeezed as she stepped from the ladder and rounded out a flower bed, adding touches of the sun’s glare to the leaves. She could practically feel Trent with her now, sharing her memories as she crouched at the base of the mural.
“Reese…this is incredible.”
She turned at the sound of Trent’s voice, thinking it was in her head, and started at the sight of him. Would she ever get used to how handsome he was or the way hearing his voice made her spirits soar? He’d changed clothes since she’d seen him earlier, and in a pair of linen pants and a white cotton shirt, he had the carefree appeal of the island-loving guy she’d fallen in love with. Tucked in his right arm was a bag from the Hideaway. His smile widened as he looked over the mural.
“I was a little worried that it was too much, with all the different colors and textures. It’s not too overwhelming?”
He stepped closer and kissed her. “No. It’s passionate and beautiful, and it looks so real we’ll have to keep people from walking into the wall thinking it’s a garden.”
“You’re sweet.” Both his compliments and his lips.
“I’m honest.” He kissed her again, lingering a little longer this time. “I brought dinner. I thought we could have a picnic on the beach.”
“A picnic on the beach sounds wonderful, but I’m still totally in the zone right now.” She waved to her paints, spread along the ground at her feet. “I just need a little more time to work tonight.”
“Of course. Whatever you need. I’ll leave this here in case you get hungry, and I’ll head over to Shelley’s to get a jump on the work I need to do.” Trent left the bag on the grass and kissed her before heading for the parking lot.
She immediately turned back to the mural, adding a few extra touches to the flower bed. Even taking that sixty-second break gave her a fresh perspective when she assessed the mural and she suddenly saw a dozen things she wanted to add and a half-dozen other small changes she wanted to make.
She’d just launched into the next phase of the mural, when a breeze swept over the hill from the bay and made her shiver. At last she noticed the darkening of the sky as daylight fell away and evening crept in.
That was when it suddenly hit her: What did I do?
She scrambled along the ground, packing up her supplies and tossing her wet paintbrushes into an empty paint can. She’d clean them after she apologized. Trent had made an effort to be romantic and spend time with her, and she’d chosen to stay and work?
How could she have been so stupid and so rude? Especially after complaining about him brushing her off for work all those years ago.
She tried not to speed up the road toward the old mill, but the idea of hurting Trent the way she’d been hurt burned like acid in her belly.
Five minutes later, Reese threw the car into park and raced up the hill toward Shelley’s Café. She pushed through the bushes, stumbling as she ran across the front lawn and burst through the front door.
“Trent!”
He dropped his tools, his brows furrowed as he opened his arms, and she ran into them.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry! I should have stopped painting. I didn’t mean to blow you off.”
“Reese, what are you talking about? You found your groove. I completely understand.”
She pulled back enough to search his eyes and knew he really did understand. “You don’t think I was a jerk? Because I think it was pretty jerky not to gush over an impromptu picnic dinner with the man I love.”
“Of course you weren’t a jer—” He paused. “Wait. Say that again.”
“I think I was a—”
He pulled her in closer. “No. The last part.”
Reese thought back to what she’d said. She hadn’t realized that she’d said the man I love aloud, but she could see in Trent’s eyes that he loved hearing it. Was it too fast? Was she too trusting?
But when she gazed into Trent’s eyes, she knew she’d spoken the truth.
“I love you, Trent.” It felt freeing—and scary—not just to admit it to herself, but to say it aloud.
“I love you, too, Dandelion. So much.” He kissed her softly.
“But—”
He pressed his finger to her lips. “I know we have a ways to go before we’re back on solid footing. I know we have lots more steps to take together. But tonight, just knowing we still love each other...it means everything to me, Reese.”
Reese twined her arms around his neck. “You’re so unfair. Everything you say makes me fall a little harder.”
“I don’t see the problem.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “But I know how important communication is in our relationship, so let me answer your earlier question. You weren’t being a jerk. But if you ever are, I won’t hesitate to tell you. And I want you to tell me, too.” He lifted her into his arms and guided her legs around his waist. “But not in a note. Face-to-face communication from here on out.”