Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
She missed Kiel. There wasn’t any other way to spin things.
Eloise ran back upstairs and grabbed her phone. She had his name pulled up before she was sitting back down. She took a bite of her parfait, feeling confident, and sent him a text.
(text format) The showcase is tomorrow. I know I’ll have one piece in it. If you’re still in town, I’d love for you to come. Bring your family.
She sent the message before she could change her mind. It had been a few days since she saw him and for all she knew, he’d left. When they last spoke, he hadn’t decided if he was going to grad school or not.
Eloise watched her phone for a response, for the chat bubbles to appear.
She waited an hour.
Nothing.
It was okay, she told herself. They had put the brakes on their relationship, and she respected his decision to ignore her text.
She was okay.
Eloise dressed, took her paintings to the gallery, and then went home. Her aunt would frame whatever one she wanted, and only Margaux would know until she opened the doors for the showcase.
The next morning, she woke to a text from her aunt: come to the shop. Eloise groaned as nerves settled over her. While she should have confidence in her work, being judged by others was something she’d never get used to. People without a keen eye could appreciate a piece of art, even if it was horrible. The opposite scrutinized everything from color to shading, to lines to blending.
Eloise took her sweet time making it over to the gallery. She stopped at Carter’s for a grilled muffin and thought about taking one to her aunt as a bribe but couldn’t stomach the idea. The coffee she drank didn’t sit well in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to throw up, run away, disappear. It didn’t matter which, all were viable options.
She tried to push the front doors open only to discover her aunt hadn’t unlocked them yet, forcing Eloise to go around back. She went into the back room and called out. “I’m here.”
“Stay there.”
“Great,” she mumbled. She removed her cross-body bag, sat down in the chair, and started working on the crossword puzzle that her aunt had started. Eloise knew one clue and then gave up.
“Good morning.”
“Hey,” she said as she looked at her aunt. Margaux looked perfect. Not a hair out of place. No paint splatter on her clothes or skin.
“Come with me.” Margaux held out her hand. Eloise took it and followed her down the hall.
“Do you remember when I said don’t let a summer romance derail you.”
Eloise closed her eyes and groaned. Her aunt didn’t like any of her work. Reluctantly, she nodded.
Margaux brought her niece into the showroom and stood by her side while Eloise took in the art for the showcase. Each piece was hers. Every single one. Margaux tugged her farther into the room.
“I present to you the Endless Love Summer Showcase by Eloise Harris.”
Tears filled her eyes as she stared at each of her paintings—mounted and framed, memories of the moments she shared with Kiel or that he shared with his family. He ended up being the inspiration she needed and neither of them knew it.
Eloise walked to the one of him and his mother, on the beach—a mother looking at her only son, as if he were her entire world—and he looked at his mother ready to move mountains for her.
“I can’t believe you used all of them.”
“I had no choice, Eloise. Each one spoke to me.”
She continued to look around. “There’s one missing.”
Margaux nodded. “It’s in the back. It’s beautiful but personal. I didn’t know how you’d feel when his family looked at it later.”
Eloise looked at her aunt. “I texted him, but he didn’t respond. I doubt he’s coming. Not that I blame him. I wouldn’t want to be with an artist. Our creativity makes us manic at times.”
Her aunt reached for her hand and squeezed it. “He’ll be here.”
She shot her aunt another look. “What? How?”
“He stopped by and asked about you. I told him you were working but that I’d let you know. He asked that I not tell you. That’s when I told him when the showcase would be. At that time, I had no idea it would look like this.” She paused and looked around the room. “But I told him he and his family can come, one hour before the show starts, and have a look around.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
Margaux ran her hand down Eloise’s hair. “He’s a very nice young man. I like him.”
“I do too, but I’m not sure things will work with us. We’re very opposite.”
“You never know, unless you try.”
“All I hear is my dad’s voice in my head telling me that what I’m doing is wrong. That I need to get a real job.”