The Fifth Lesson (The Bay Boys #2) (22 page)

When Christie unlocked the door, she turned to her dad.
 
Hesitantly, she stepped forward, slowly bringing her arms around him as though he was a frightened child.
 
He returned her hug almost immediately.
 
In fact, he seemed starved for it.
 
Christie supposed, in some ways, he was.

“Thank you for talking with me tonight, my darling girl,” he whispered in her ear.
 
Her throat got tight again, hearing that familiar pet name.

Words wouldn’t form.
 
She stepped away from her father and stared at him, wanting to say that they could work towards fixing their relationship, wanting to tell him that she forgave him, that she wanted to start fresh.
 
But her jaw was clamped tightly shut.

Panic swarmed her.
 
She wanted to reconcile.
 
Desperately.
 
But a larger part of her would never forget the years she’d spent in that house with him.

Could she work towards that complete forgiveness?
 
She wanted to tell him she could.
 
She wanted to believe it herself.
 
But she didn’t have those answers.
 
Not yet, at least.

So, she didn’t say anything.
 
Instead, Christie nodded at him, forcing a small smile, and ducked into her car.

Coward
, her mind whispered.

Maybe she was, because the further she drove away from him, the easier it was to breathe.

EIGHTEEN

Christie was restless behind the wheel of her small, bright blue Jetta.
 
Her mind was rehashing the evening, the conversation with her father, the way she froze as they said their goodbyes.
 
It was difficult to accept that after years of separation, one night could bring up such strong memories of the past.

She didn’t want to go home.
 
Going back to an empty, quiet apartment with only Snazzy for company depressed her.

Christie considered calling Olivia and inviting herself over to her house for an impromptu girls night.
 
But it was already late and she knew the cupcake store owner would already be in bed since she woke early every morning.
 
She also didn’t want to admit that she’d been avoiding Olivia.
 
Christie didn’t know if Adam wanted their group of friends to know about their arrangement.
 
But if Christie spilled to Olivia—which she was prone to do—then Olivia would tell her boyfriend Alex, one of Adam’s good friends.

With her mind made up, Christie found herself driving to Walnut Creek.

She didn’t know exactly what drove her to see him.
 
All she knew was that she needed to.

Pulling up to Adam’s townhouse, she inspected the windows and was pleased when she saw the third floor light was still on.
 
After she locked her car, she made her way up to the front door, her heart pounding in excitement.
 
She hated the way they left things yesterday morning.
 
There had been tension between them and Christie knew she was mostly to blame for it.

After she rang the doorbell twice, Adam answered in a confused state.
 
He looked at her as though he couldn’t believe she was on his doorstep at this time of the night.
 
Dressed in light grey sweatpants—Christie wondered if he was wearing anything underneath—and an olive green t-shirt, he looked both adorable and comfy.
 
Christie couldn’t decide if she wanted to jump his bones or cuddle into him.

“Hey,” he murmured.
 
“Is something wrong?”

“No, I just…”
 
Maybe she should’ve called before she popped up like this.
 
Glancing down at his doormat—the one that featured the ‘enter’ button on a computer keyboard—she said, “I just didn’t want to go home.”

A light of understanding dawned in his gaze and Adam nodded, opening the door wider for her to enter.

Before she stepped inside, however, she asked seriously, “Am I interrupting something?
 
I’m sorry, I should’ve called before I dropped in like this.”

“No, not at all.
 
I was just…” he trailed off, looking behind him.
 
Turning back around towards her, he gave her a small smile, but Christie could tell that he was pleased to see her.
 
It gave her the confidence to step into his house, knowing that she was welcome.

That was when she noticed his hands.

“Do you paint?” she asked incredulously, staring at the dried streaks of bright red and blue on his palms and fingertips.
 
She racked her brain for everything she knew about him, but not once had he said anything about painting.

Adam flushed and looked down at his hands, “Uh, no.
 
At least, not the way you do.”

She still looked confused, so he guided her inside his house by the small of her back and shut the front door.
 
She noticed he was barefoot, so she kicked off her flats by the entryway and followed him into the kitchen.

“So, you don’t paint?” she asked, leaning against the counter.
 
Everything was as it was last time she’d visited.
 
Neat and tidy, with just enough clutter to make it feel like a home instead of a showroom.

He studied her in that Adam way of his, cocking his head to the side, his eyes serious.
 
Then he gestured upstairs and said, “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Curiosity got the best of her and she followed him up the stairs quickly.

They continued to climb even once they reached the second floor landing.
 
Adam turned around with a sheepish smile as they made their way up to the third floor.
 
“I should warn you.
 
It’s kind of geeky.”

She raised a brow, a flirty smile appearing.
 
“I like geeky.”

Adam let a mischievous smirk slip before he reached the third floor.
 
Christie expected another landing, but instead, the third floor was a loft.
 
They ascended to the top of the stairs, which opened up on the left side of the room.
 
The ceiling was surprisingly high for a loft and the walls were painted a slate grey, giving it a dark, cozy feel.

“This floor was why I bought this place,” Adam told her, letting her inspect what she’d jokingly referred to as his ‘evil lair’ last time she’d been here.
 
“It’s the perfect work area.
 
I couldn’t find much like it anywhere else.”

On the left side of the room, there was a large desk, which held not one, but
three
computer monitors.
 
Music was playing from the computer speakers and Christie smiled her approval when she realized Adam also enjoyed Coldplay.
 
A shelf, holding various CD cases and computer programs, sat on the desk’s left.

She couldn’t help but notice that her studio would fit in nicely next to his desk.
 
It was the perfect amount of space for her supplies and the nice window right next to it would provide excellent light.

She forced her gaze away, already getting dangerous ideas.

There was a long work bench on the other side of the room that spanned the entire wall.
 
Hanging overhead lamps lit the space, allowing Christie to see an old computer monitor on one end that looked like it’d seen better days.
 
It seemed as though Adam was currently taking it apart, since tools surrounded it.
 
The other side of the bench held little white figurines and various tools.
 
Underneath the light, something wet was shimmering.

She moved closer when she realized it was paint.
 
There were various colors in little pots, but Adam obviously mixed them since a large sheet of glass held groups of blended colors.

He knows his color combinations
, she thought with a hint of awed affection.

And then she noticed what he was using the paint
on
.

Little, painted figurines lined a long shelf above the work bench.
 
They ranged from mythical creatures, like dragons and griffins, to more realistic figures, like ships and soldiers.
 
There had to be at least a hundred that were completed, each as detailed and wonderful as the next.

From the wetness of the paint, Christie figured he must’ve been working on this when she arrived.
 
She spotted a skinny rectangular piece of wood perched inside a metal clamp, which was attached to the workbench.
 
At the very top of the wood, black electric tape wrapped around it so that the adhesive side was on the outside.
 
Stuck to it was a small horse figurine and Christie figured it was how he kept the pieces in place while he painted.

The horse was only half complete.
 
It looked as though Adam had been working on shading the saddle when she’d dropped by unexpectedly.

Christie stared at all the figurines in part shock and awe.
 
She’d never expected this from him.
 
But she was quickly realizing that Adam Thornton was a man of many talents.

“You’re very talented,” she said softly.
 
And then she bit her lip when she realized those were the exact words he’d said to her once he saw her paintings.

Adam stood behind her, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body.
 
He didn’t respond.
 
He just let her wander the length of the shelf, taking in the different figurines.
 
He’d seemed embarrassed as he came up the stairs, but how could he be embarrassed about this?
 
His talent was incredible.

“What kinds of paints do you use?” she asked curiously, breaking the silence that began to stretch out between them.

“Mostly speciality paints.
 
But sometimes I prefer watercolors.”

Secretly, Christie was delighted.
 
This was one thing they had in common.
 
She and Adam were so completely different.
 
He was the reserved computer whiz and she was the flirty artist.
 
But somehow, some way, their friendship worked.

But this was something that they could truly connect over.

“How long have you been doing this?” she asked, eyeing the almost full shelf.
 
Turning her gaze to him, she watched as he tilted his head back, thinking.

“Years.
 
I don’t know.
 
Ever since I was in high school, maybe?
 
It was a good distraction.”

She nodded, knowing he’d experienced family problems when he’d been younger.
 
Even though she itched to know more, she didn’t want to pry.

He added, “Now, I usually do it to wind down from work.
 
It’s kinda geeky, I know, but it’s surprisingly relaxing.”

“It’s not geeky,” she protested, turning on her heel to face him.
 
He looked so completely scrumptious in his comfy sweats.
 
And the paint on his hands was irresistible.
 
She smiled and sidled up to him until she was close enough to place her hands on his chest.
 
“I love that you have your hobbies.”

“Yeah?” he asked gruffly, staring down at her.
 
His hands moved to her waist, holding her in place.

“It turns me on actually,” she purred.

His eyes darkened.
 
“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah,” she whispered, staring at his full lips.

Lines were fading, like old chalk being swept up in a strong wind.
 
Christie could feel a change between them; she’d felt it ever since he first surprised her with a kiss after she’d embarrassed him.
 
Their ‘relationship’ wasn’t normal.
 
It was even more complicated than a friends with benefits scenario.
 
And there were probably millions of reasons why she shouldn’t kiss Adam right now, no matter how much she wanted to.

She decided to listen to reason.

Her reunion with her father was still fresh in her mind.
 
Christie didn’t need any more complications…she needed a distraction after tonight.
 
In the morning, she could rehash the events of today.
 
But right now, she wanted to be with Adam and find comfort in his company.

Christie stepped away, out of the circle of his arms, and wandered back over to the work bench.
 
She studied the figures lining the shelf while Adam shifted behind her.

He appeared at her side and he asked, almost uncertainly, “Would you like to do one?”

She didn’t know if he noticed her odd mood or not, but Christie found herself smiling.
 
And nodding.
 
Adam moved to grab the spare chair, which resembled a tall bar stool but with a padded seat, from the other side of the work bench where the old computer was sitting.
 
Christie hopped up onto it, smoothing her dress around her legs, a tiny bubble of excitement rising up in her chest.
 
Although, whenever it came to painting or some sort of craft, Christie was always excited.

She watched as the muscles in Adam’s arms flexed and shifted as he rummaged through drawers underneath the bench, searching for extra supplies.
 
He pulled out three different kinds of brushes, all with varying shapes and bristle materials, which he set down in front of her.
 
Adam also retrieved another wooden rectangular block and a roll of black electric tape.
 
Christie watched as he unraveled a sizable piece of tape and flipped it so that the sticky portion was facing outward.
 
He then wrapped the non-adhesive side around the top of the wood and tucked the remaining piece underneath so it stayed in place.