Painted On My Heart

Exhaustion weighed on him. He’d need to push their first night together back a day or two. He laughed at that. Who was he kidding? If he could work it, tonight would do just fine.

Chapter 6

Three hours after his first delivery to EnGage, Kellus pulled the van under the front awning of the resort and cut the engine. He took a minute, hands gripping the steering wheel as he gathered himself. Traffic had been a motherfucker. He snorted at the understatement of those words. With his delivery already twelve hours late, any confidence he’d mustered when leaving earlier had flown straight out the window. Those last thirty minutes stopped on the highway had allowed the insecurity to seep back in. He’d probably lost Gage as a customer after this huge debacle, but he prayed he could salvage the friendship. He needed friends.

The tap on the passenger side window startled Kellus, and he nodded to the man attempting to get his attention. Instead of leaning over the seat to lower the crank windows on his older van, he opened his door and got out to round the hood.

Not quite managing a smile, he hoped he’d at least lost the pissed off look he’d been sporting while thinking about his failures. “I’m delivering the art.”

“Yeah, I remember you. The place’s locked up. I called to get the front doors open for you. Need any help?” the guy asked, tucking his fingers inside the pockets of his rain jacket.

Well, hell, that was a loaded question. He needed help on every fucking level of his life. “No, thanks, I got it.”

“We’ve been instructed to lend a hand to help get this stuff inside and out of the weather. I’ve got a few guys waiting on the inside.”

The security guard wore a see-through rain slicker, and although they were under the large awning, beads of water dripped off him.

“I can get it. I can’t afford for any of it to get wet.” Kellus went for the back doors at the same time a loud whistle pierced his brain. He looked up to see others, not rain-soaked, coming toward him.

“We can help. Just tell them what to carry and how you want it unloaded. If there are particularly special ones, we’ll leave those to you.” The guy shrugged off his slicker as he directed the men coming outside. “Be careful of the rain, guys.”

Going against his better judgment, he accepted the offered help. He pointed out which wrapped packages to leave for him and began to carry one of the sculptures himself, a piece he’d started right after receiving his diagnosis. It had taken months to complete and turned out far better than he had anticipated. He hadn’t planned to sell this particular one, but scarce money forced his hand. If it caught someone’s eye, he’d let it go with a hefty price tag and maybe make enough to pay for all the things John had taken.

Taking careful steps on the possibly slick floor, Kellus made his way inside. He was too tired to do anything more than stare at Arik Layne as he unlocked the front gallery doors. He expertly pushed both open as far as they would go, knocking the doorstops in place.

Kellus barely kept his resigned sigh in check. At least now he knew for certain. Having the owner of the property let him in made the handwriting on the wall very clear—he’d need to find someone to replace his anchor client. The pit in his stomach grew, along with the mental string of curse words running through his mind since this morning.

Maybe he could pick up a teaching job or two while he aggressively scouted out new clients. Thank God he hadn’t ordered those extra supplies yet.

Fucking John. Fuck him for this.

Aware of the slick floors, Kellus wiped his feet on the mats at the door as Arik stood to the side, letting his men file past. He seemed to know the layout and pointed the guys in different directions before his gaze landed on Kellus. He was walking carefully with the large heavy piece in his arms, trying not to stumble, which was so fucking hard with as much as his brain stuttered from all the conflicting emotions coursing through him. The impending loss of his biggest customer should have stopped him from considering the hotness of his executioner. He held Arik’s gaze for one then two long seconds, then scanned Arik’s entire face, before he forced his eyes away.

The man hadn’t been smiling. He had actually looked frustrated, which he had a right to be. Kellus sucked in a deep breath and boldly met the resort owner’s eyes for a second time. He was prepared to explain the unavoidable delay, but was shocked when kindness passed over Arik’s face and a small smile appeared.