Chapter 7 - Artist-In-Residence

24.8K 1.1K 46
                                    

It would take me two days to finally talk to Erik in person. At least he saved me the trouble of having to make that first move by calling me first, saying that Olivia told him I had stopped by while he was at work. He asked me to meet him at his house, and to bring Michael with me, too, as he and Olivia wished for the children to meet.

When I arrived at Erik's house, there was a lot of activity going on in the studio. I relished the idea that I now had a studio that I could call my own, even though I'd yet to figure out how I could repay Erik for his generosity. I still couldn't believe he was doing this without any expectation of payment on my part other than having me paint again. There had to be a catch somewhere, I thought. There had to be.

Olivia and Bella were in the living room, sitting on the floor surrounded by toys when Michael and I walked in. Soon, both children were playing together, and I was relieved that they got along so well.

"Erik should be right out," Olivia said, handing me a glass of water before sitting down on the couch. A few minutes later, Erik walked in from the direction of the studio, shaking sawdust from his hair.

"Did Miles finally kick you out so he could finish the job alone?" Olivia asked.

He grinned. "Is it that obvious?"

Olivia chuckled. "You're my brother, Erik. I know you too well."

Erik said hello and washed his hands at the sink before joining us on the couch.

"I'm sorry about the other day," I said. "I was being a pain in the butt."

"Don't apologize," Erik said. "You were just doing the right thing. I'd have asked the same questions as you did if someone offered me a place of my own without even knowing who I was and vice versa. I could be a serial killer for all you know."

"Erik!" Olivia exclaimed. "Don't scare her!"

"As long as we're both clear about this," I said. "I want to do something for you in return."

"Whatever you want," Erik said.

"You could always paint him a picture," Olivia said as I followed Michael, who was now exploring the living room on his own, already bored of the toys on the floor.

"I probably could, yes," I said, wondering why I hadn't thought of it sooner. "In fact, maybe I will."

"I'd love to see how you'd paint Erik," she added.

I stared at her, surprised that I hadn't even thought of painting a portrait of Erik, though I did think of painting her and Bella, the sudden vision of a madonna and child coming to me. I would love to paint Erik, but I'd probably be too nervous and make a fool of myself by running away like I did when I first met him.

"Oh, God, please don't paint me," Erik said, blushing. "There's the whole ocean right in front of you. You can paint that. Look, the last thing Liv and I want to do is tell you what to paint, so just paint whatever you want. And if you need the name of reputable art agent, I can give you the name of someone. He's a good friend of mine."

Olivia shot a glance towards her brother, as if he wasn't supposed to mention the topic. But Erik only shrugged his shoulders.

"She's going to need one eventually, Liv," he said. "No point in hiding good talent."

"Only if she decides to paint professionally again, Erik," Olivia said.

"Thanks for the offer," I interjected. "Erik is right about me needing an art agent. But I'll let him know when the time comes. For now, I just need to start painting first."

Finding Sam (Featured)Where stories live. Discover now