Page 101
“I get it,” I said. “This makes your work secondary.”
He nodded. “Exactly.”
“Did you tell them that?”
“I suggested they focus the marketing on the artwork. They said to leave the part about getting people in the door to them, and they’d leave it to me to make the art people want to walk out with.”
“To be fair, that ad would make me come see the show.” I smiled. “But I’d leave with the art because you’re extremely talented, Rafe.”
A reluctant smile tugged at his mouth. “I guess.”
“You’re allowed to want the opportunity but still hate the packaging. I see this type of thing all the time in publishing. An author spends a year writing a heart-wrenching love story, and the publisher wants to slap on a cover with a hot guy or some illustrated cartoon characters. Marketing that works isn’t always what the artist expects it to be. But you don’t want to regret passing up something that could be life-changing just because the way you get there might make you a little uncomfortable.”
His gaze came back to mine, and he smiled. “I think that’s my line to you.”
My heart squeezed.
A few minutes later, we were both finished eating. Rafe stood and reached for my plate.
“I’ll clean up,” I said. “You cooked.”
He lifted my plate anyway. “I like taking care of you.”
If this man didn’t stop being so sweet, I was going to be in trouble. Or let’s be real… I was in trouble anyway. Rafe and I cleaned up together, moving around the kitchen like we were the couple who lived here. It felt wrong because of how right it seemed. Don’t think about it.
When we were all done, Rafe dried his hands on a towel and leaned a hip against the kitchen sink. “I want to ask you something,” he said.
“Okay.”
He suddenly looked almost nervous, an expression I’d never seen on him before. Which, of course, made me nervous.
“Did you enjoy this morning?” he asked.
“Of course. Eggs à la Rafe was delicious.”
“I meant the company.”
He looked so vulnerable that I answered honestly, even though it scared me. “The company was even better than the food.”
He smiled. “And last night?”
“Was…unforgettable.”
He pushed off the counter and came closer, stopping just short of touching me. “Then be my girlfriend.”
I blinked. “What?”
“For two weeks,” he added quickly. “While he’s… Give me a chance. Give us a chance.”
I stared at him.
“I want to be with you, Talia. In every sense. I know it’s wrong, and I’m an awful person for even asking, but I don’t care. It feels like we were thrown together for a reason for the next two weeks, and maybe it’s to see what we could really be together—without hiding.” He smiled sadly. “A wise woman once told me not to pass up something that could be life-changing, just because the way you get there makes you a little uncomfortable.”
“Rafe…”
He searched my eyes. “I’m not asking you to promise me anything. I’m just asking you not to bury this before it has a chance to breathe. I’m throwing my hat in the ring, and I want a fair chance to show you what we can be. If at the end of two weeks you choose Calder, I’ll walk away and be respectful of your relationship. For real this time.”
I should have said no.
