Page 24 of The Encounter
In the meantime, he went for a lighter approach. “What kind of art did your dad paint?”
A small smile crossed her face as she looked wistfully at a painting on his wall. “Landscape art mostly.”
“Did he sell them, or was it a hobby?”
She smiled back at him and took another step down the hallway, and stopped. She didn’t reply as she stared at the painting in front of her. It was a piece he had picked up at a local craft fair. It wasn’t something he normally attended, but Haley had talked him into going with her to help her carry out a large metal yard flower she bought. He didn’t have any intention of checking out the other booths, but as they walked to the one where she had made her purchase, he had passed by a local artist’s booth. The artist’s paintings caught his eye since they were unique. The realistic nature of them astounded him. Instead of thinking about where he would put the piece, he just bought it. Despite not having to worry about money, he still liked to be frugal when he could. Buying unnecessary things was something he tried to avoid. But, art, he liked. Art made him happy. It filled his condo’s walls. Only a few of the pieces were by famous artists. The rest were by random artists who weren’t well known. It was never about flaunting famous artwork to get attention. It was about enjoying the pieces he owned and enjoying pieces that spoke to him.
He watched her as she leaned closer to the painting and her hand came up, reaching out before stopping just short of the painting as if she had thought better of it.
“I got that one at a craft fair. I don’t remember the artist’s name, but his signature is in the corner.”
Maddie still didn’t respond. She didn’t acknowledge that he had spoken. She only stared at the piece.
He took a step closer to her. “Do you like it?”
As if coming out of a trance, she cleared her throat and glanced at him before looking back at the piece. “It’s beautiful.”
Despite how fast she turned away, he didn’t miss the glistening tears in her eyes. He reached a hand out and rested it on her arm. “Are you okay?”
She smiled and laughed. “My dad painted this.”
Jace looked at the corner of the painting where Don Carter was signed. What were the chances of him having a painting made by her father? He couldn’t believe it. He reached to take it off the wall.
“Here. You can have it.”
She took a step back and shook her head. “No no. You bought it for a reason, and I want you to have it. It makes me happy to see someone enjoying his work. I already have several of his paintings hung in my house.”
Jace thought back to her place. The night he had brought her home from the bar and put her to bed, he had looked at the art on her walls on his way to the living room when waiting for Kayla to come home. The artwork had all been beautiful, and he knew Maddie had great taste. It hadn’t occurred to him they were all made by the same painter who he had met at the craft fair.
He pulled his hands back from the painting and left it hanging where it was. It was truly one of his favorite paintings. He watched her for a moment while she continued to drink the painting in. He didn’t want to pull her away from it. She needed the time to stare at it.—To remember him.
The intercom buzzed at the arrival of their food. He left her alone as he grabbed the food from the delivery driver and spread it out on the kitchen counter before joining her in the hallway again. She hadn’t even noticed he left.
Eventually she turned toward him, tears no longer in her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just wild for me to find his painting in someone else’s home. Especially since you didn’t know him.”
He nodded. “There’s no need to explain. I find it pretty wild, too.”
At her small smile, he titled his head toward the food. “Dinner?”
She nodded and followed him to the kitchen. They dished up their meals and sat down at the table.
“So how did you get into your profession?” he asked Maddie.
She took a sip of her wine before responding. “I went to school for business and eventually settled on marketing. I enjoy talking to people about products, and I had a knack for persuading people to use certain items. It just comes naturally to me.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s probably because I used to talk to people at the craft fairs and convince them to buy my dad’s paintings. It proved a fun challenge.”
He smiled. “So you like a challenge?”
“I do, yes. With business, anyway. It makes working fun. How did you come to own a club?”
“Honestly? It sounded fun. I’ve always been involved in serious business deals with my father’s company. I just wanted something of my own, something different. The building went up for sale and it was a steal of a deal. I couldn’t pass it up.”
“It’s a great location.”
“I lucked out. Most of the buildings in the area are being knocked down to be turned into high-rises or condos. I mean, I guess that’s a good thing since I’ll get business from the people living there, but I lucked out on being able to snatch this building when I did.”
Maddie winked at him. “Isn’t this building technically a high-rise?”
“It is. But I own it, so you know… I’m going to be all biased.”
