Lovely Hues | Fillie AU

Chapter Eighteen

A week and a half after the church service that transformed her confusion into clarity, Millie was on her front porch, leaning against a stool and helping her daughter paint a picture of the last living purple pansy in their flower bed. One of the last petalled plants left alive after the cold-snap last week wiped out the majority of the colorful flowers.

Louisa hadn't really asked her mother to help her when she got home from school. She just sat on the stoop and took out the canvas she had in her backpack and the paints she must have gotten from her art teacher. Millie had started to worry about Louisa getting lost on the way home, but once she stepped out of the door, she found the pleasant scene of her daughter putting great mental exertion on trying to get the outer form of the flower just right, so she decided to lend her help.

"There," she said gently, "Just there. . .smooth sweep of the brush."

Louisa's hand, steady for her age, did as her mother told her, a petal appearing under the brush stroke like magic.

"Perfect, darling."

Louisa smiled proudly.

In the past few weeks, she hadn't been as vocal—if you could even have called it that—as she had been when Finn first came into their lives. And maybe that was because she had noticed that Finn had pulled back some. Millie certainly did.

In the first couple of weeks of what Millie considered to be their relationship, Finn had been around every single day. But after their date and church the next day, he started coming over a little less. And he had this far-away look in his eye sometimes that Millie and Charlie both agreed was from the war.

Charlie could recognize that soldier's stare anywhere and Millie felt unsure how to bring it up. She wanted no part in triggering an episode like the ones Charlie had when he first got to East Plains, so she pretended like she didn't notice the difference in him. When he was ready, she believed he would offer up his story to her. Eventually, it was bound to come up.

"Hey stranger!" Called a familiar feminine voice. Millie looked up and saw her cheerfully red-headed friend, Sadie, striding up her walk.

"Well, hello to you, too." Millie grinned, "It feels like ages since I've seen your glowing face."

Sadie did a little curtsy then smiled at Louisa, "Hey girly, did I hear correctly that you've taken up an interest in painting?"

Millie often forgot that it was Sadie's mom that taught art at the elementary school.

"You've been properly informed." Millie said, "Take a look. . ." She stepped aside and moved the stool out of the way. Sadie came around and, after looking like she dropped her jaw, said, "Oh my. . .now that's some talent."

Millie beamed while her daughter maintained a coy cool expression, not moving her eyes from her canvas except to glance back at the flower.

Sadie leaned toward her friend, "She's taking after you more and more everyday. . ." she gave her head a small shake then said, "It's almost scary."

Millie looked down to her daughter, still focused on her painting and ran a loving hand over her head before smiling back at Sadie, "She's certainly got bits of her father peeking through though too." she said, "That flower she's painting would surely be dead if she didn't have Louis's green thumb."

Sadie admired Louisa's painting a little longer, then offered, "Well, all I can say is that you two made the best little girl I've ever met. . .so, good job." she patted Millie on the back.

Letting out a quick laugh, she said, "Thanks?"

Sadie bowed a you're welcome, then looked back towards the door. Millie decided to invite her in for a cup of tea and she took up the offer without hesitation.