Page 24 of Mistletoe Hearts
His voice was a sharp command. And I inhaled. And this time the air made it into my lungs. Oh no. What was I going to do? "I don't know— What am I supposed to— I don't have time to make new pieces."
He shook his head. "And you don't have to. I took care of it."
"What do you mean you took care of it? Are you an artist now?" My tone was harsher than I meant it to be, thanks to the panic.
"I don't have to be. You've given me art since we became friends. Every birthday, every celebration. I've got multiple pieces of your work. We are going to show some of those.”
Those were personal. Those were my past. I opened my mouth to argue with him, but he put his finger over my lips. The buzz of electricity where he touched me pulled at something low in my belly.
"I took care of it. I only gave Cassie six of them. I kept my absolute favorites. This is done, and it’s going to be perfect."
When he removed his finger, I struggled to find words. "But those were for you."
"But I'll give them to you so that you can have the success you want. You worked too hard to not have this go right."
"You'd do that for me?"
He shook his head. "How long is it going to take for you to realize that we're family? Whatever it takes to make you happy, I'm down for it. Hell, you came to Catalina to stand in for me as my girlfriend," he whispered. "I can do you a favor in return."
And boy, he had done me a favor. At least I wouldn't be showing with a half-empty gallery, but still, what about those pieces? All that work, the blood, sweat and tears. Where were they? "Jensen, I don't know what to say."
"Look, I know that the pieces I can substitute aren't the ones you wanted to show. I know that it's not the same as the ones that you specifically selected. But I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that we get every missing piece back. Every last one. I promise."
My nose stung and my eyes pricked. Oh hell. I was going to cry. "I don't know what to do. And I don't know how to thank you."
After the first tear spilled, I couldn't hold the rest of them back. Jensen's face fell. I never cried, let alone in front of people. But as much as he must have been startled, all he did was pull me close and hold me tight.
* * *
Jensen
I couldn't takemy eyes off Alex. We'd all gone for a short cruise out on the water before dinner. I told Alex to stay behind so that she could process and didn't have to be on, standing in for me, when she was dealing with all this stress, but she refused. And I had to admit that the fresh air and open water had done something for her complexion. Her eyes were still sad, but she looked steadier.
At dinner that night, Martin handed her a gin and tonic he’d made himself. "Here baby, drink this. Feel better. What's got you blue? I'm betting it's my idiot cousin. It can't be that bad, so have a drink."
The last thing Alex needed was alcohol. What she needed was sleep, about a week's worth of it. "Martin, you need to mind your business."
Down at the other end of the table, Grandma Lucy narrowed her eyes at the two of us. And then her gaze softened when she looked at Alex. "You two behave down there."
I was quick to apologize. "Sorry, my cousin's getting on my nerves, Grandma Lucy. I'll try not to hold it against him."
My grandmother grinned. "Jensen you always were troublesome."
Through the rest of the night, Martin kept making sure that Alex's glass was full, and I wanted to smack him. Alex was a lightweight. She usually only ever had one, and even one made her extra loose. Unfortunately, it also made herextrahonest. And neither one of us could afford for her to go spilling anything. I made a point to keep a close eye on her, and on Martin, as we all adjourned for dessert in the library.
By the time we were ready for bed, it was clear she’d had more than one too many. She leaned on me, barely able to navigate the stairs. Once we were in the room, I was unsure what to do with her. "Hey, Alex, do you think you can manage brushing your teeth?" I sat her on the bed and studied her closely. She fluttered her beautiful long lashes open and the tips of them hit her eyebrows. But her eyes were glassy, and she was clearly out of it. "Okay, we'll skip the brushing for the night."
I should help her to change her clothes, but that was going a step too far. Besides, she was in leggings and some kind of soft cotton top thing, so maybe she'd be comfortable. I hoped so, because neither one of us was going to manage it if I undressed her.
By the time I crawled into bed, Alex had adopted her favorite position, sprawled out. I only got a little section of the bed, but then she shifted and adopted her other favorite position, which was draped across me. I gritted my teeth. So much for getting any rest tonight.
But I couldn't lie. It felt good to have her so close.
Chapter13
ALEX
I woke surroundedin a cocoon of warmth. This time I knew exactly where I was. I knew exactly whose arms were around me. I knew exactly whose heartbeat was steadily thumping against my cheek. And even though I knew exactly who it was, I couldn't resist laying there for just another second. I didn't want to face what he’d told me yesterday. Everything I’d worked for. What if it didn't happen?
