soul? Her compassionate expression raised the irrational fear in him that she’d been able to listen to his thoughts and find out about the dark emotions he’d kept carefully hidden for so many years.
He shrugged off this thought. It was outright silly. Even sillier than her idea of a relationship test. He focused on the present, starting with her plans for tomorrows.
“I thought I could put my time in Chicago to good use and visit some galleries. You said there might be some interest for my paintings here…”
“Did you bring some of your paintings with you?” he asked.
Allison nodded. “I unloaded them while you were out running.”
“May I see them?”
“Sure.” Allison led him towards the guest room and showed him the stack of paintings leaning against the far wall.
Russell entered the room and had to look twice to make sure he was still in his apartment. Somehow, Allison had turned the functional bedroom into a colorful, lighthearted, happy place.
Happy. That word had been excised from his vocabulary years ago. Every time he’d been truly happy in his life, something horrible had happened. Tired of dealing with crisis and heartbreak, he’d simply stopped allowing himself to be happy anymore. It was much easier that way.
Even though his sister Toni had reappeared in his life a year ago, he still felt uncomfortable with his emotions for her. He was afraid that if he let her crawl too deep into his heart, she’d be taken away. Like his parents. Like Sandrine.
Allison in contrast exuded happiness wherever she went. He had never seen her other than laughing, smiling, or singing. Just the way she had done when he’d entered his kitchen before dinner.
It struck him in this moment she was the epitome of happiness. But that only made a relationship between them even more impossible, because she probably wouldn’t want to be tied down to a grumpy old man like himself. And deep down in his heart, Russell didn’t believe he had a right to be happy.
He looked at her and watched as she nervously showed him a few of the paintings she had brought with her. By the anxious expression on her face, he knew she waiting for him to express his opinion.
Russell took his time leafing through every single one of them. “These are fantastic. I love them all.”
The smile on her face brightened the room, as if the sun were shining.
“Yes. And you know what? They’d be the perfect wall decoration in my clinic.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes. The images you’ve depicted are so natural and genuine. They convey a warm and happy feeling.”
Her smile reached from ear to ear and she let out a sexy shriek of happiness. Good lord, that woman was sexy. He had to fold his hands to resist the urge to sweep her into his arms and throw her onto the bed besides them.
He thought about how joyless most of his clients were. These women were rich, had everything money could buy, gorgeous bodies, and what most would deem the perfect life. And yet, they were horribly unhappy. Always finding some imperfection and allowing it to make them miserable. Just like myself.
But Allison was completely different. She didn’t let the mishaps of live take away her high spirits.
He spent a few minutes giving her directions to some of the galleries nearby, telling her to not be shy and just ask for what she wanted. When she looked up at him with her sweet smile of thanks, he knew he had to get out of her room. Now.
“Goodnight,” he told her, leaving abruptly.
Chapter 11
Allison was lying in bed two hours later, but she still couldn’t sleep. Russell invaded her thoughts and her emotions. He’d behaved differently today than at the party last week.
At the party, he’d been fun when he flirted with her; but today it was as if he had a dark cloud hanging over his head. He hadn’t smiled much, and every time his lips had curved up into a smile, he’d immediately stopped it. It was almost as if he was afraid. But afraid of
He shrugged off this thought. It was outright silly. Even sillier than her idea of a relationship test. He focused on the present, starting with her plans for tomorrows.
“I thought I could put my time in Chicago to good use and visit some galleries. You said there might be some interest for my paintings here…”
“Did you bring some of your paintings with you?” he asked.
Allison nodded. “I unloaded them while you were out running.”
“May I see them?”
“Sure.” Allison led him towards the guest room and showed him the stack of paintings leaning against the far wall.
Russell entered the room and had to look twice to make sure he was still in his apartment. Somehow, Allison had turned the functional bedroom into a colorful, lighthearted, happy place.
Happy. That word had been excised from his vocabulary years ago. Every time he’d been truly happy in his life, something horrible had happened. Tired of dealing with crisis and heartbreak, he’d simply stopped allowing himself to be happy anymore. It was much easier that way.
Even though his sister Toni had reappeared in his life a year ago, he still felt uncomfortable with his emotions for her. He was afraid that if he let her crawl too deep into his heart, she’d be taken away. Like his parents. Like Sandrine.
Allison in contrast exuded happiness wherever she went. He had never seen her other than laughing, smiling, or singing. Just the way she had done when he’d entered his kitchen before dinner.
It struck him in this moment she was the epitome of happiness. But that only made a relationship between them even more impossible, because she probably wouldn’t want to be tied down to a grumpy old man like himself. And deep down in his heart, Russell didn’t believe he had a right to be happy.
He looked at her and watched as she nervously showed him a few of the paintings she had brought with her. By the anxious expression on her face, he knew she waiting for him to express his opinion.
Russell took his time leafing through every single one of them. “These are fantastic. I love them all.”
The smile on her face brightened the room, as if the sun were shining.
“Yes. And you know what? They’d be the perfect wall decoration in my clinic.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes. The images you’ve depicted are so natural and genuine. They convey a warm and happy feeling.”
Her smile reached from ear to ear and she let out a sexy shriek of happiness. Good lord, that woman was sexy. He had to fold his hands to resist the urge to sweep her into his arms and throw her onto the bed besides them.
He thought about how joyless most of his clients were. These women were rich, had everything money could buy, gorgeous bodies, and what most would deem the perfect life. And yet, they were horribly unhappy. Always finding some imperfection and allowing it to make them miserable. Just like myself.
But Allison was completely different. She didn’t let the mishaps of live take away her high spirits.
He spent a few minutes giving her directions to some of the galleries nearby, telling her to not be shy and just ask for what she wanted. When she looked up at him with her sweet smile of thanks, he knew he had to get out of her room. Now.
“Goodnight,” he told her, leaving abruptly.
Chapter 11
Allison was lying in bed two hours later, but she still couldn’t sleep. Russell invaded her thoughts and her emotions. He’d behaved differently today than at the party last week.
At the party, he’d been fun when he flirted with her; but today it was as if he had a dark cloud hanging over his head. He hadn’t smiled much, and every time his lips had curved up into a smile, he’d immediately stopped it. It was almost as if he was afraid. But afraid of
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