Lying in the Sand (11 page)

Chapter Ten

“Mr. Adams, I have a woman on the phone who says she met you at the art show in London. Betty?”

“Yes, I remember her. Take down her number and tell her I’ll give her a call back.”

“Okay.” Lily turned back to the phone and told her the details.

Thatcher walked into the gallery with his new piece in hand. He stared at the walls, deciding where to put it. Now he had Nancy’s work he needed to accommodate as well.

“Mr. Adams?”  Lily came into the room, wearing a black dress with a red cardigan.

“Call me Thatcher.” He continued to look at the walls.

“My apologies.” She came closer to him. “Can I see your newest work?”

“Of course.” He handed it to her.

She lifted it and examined the picture. “Wow. It’s breathtaking.”

“Thank you.” He painted it when he and Nancy were fighting. It was one of his darker pieces, an image that was a cacophony of emotions. But he tended to create his best work when he was emotionally scarred.

“This might be one of my favorites.”

He walked to the wall then took down an older painting that hadn’t sold in several months. From time to time certain pieces wouldn’t sell. Thatcher didn’t take it personally. Some touched others while others didn’t. “I’ll put it here.”

Lily attached the strings to the back of the frame then hung it up for him. “What will you do with the other one?”

He shrugged. “I’ll probably donate it.”

“Oh. Well…can I have it? If you’re just going to throw it away...” She shifted her weight under his gaze.

“Of course.”

“Thank you.” She picked it up from the ground then marveled at it.

Thatcher watched her before he headed back into the entryway. Lily followed him, putting the painting behind her desk.

“What are you doing today after work?” she asked.

“I don’t have any plans,” he said. “I’ll probably just paint. Maybe go for a jog.”

“Well, my friends and I are going to a bonfire tonight. You should come.” She gave him a smile that lit up the entire room.

He couldn’t tell if that was an advance or not. “I appreciate the invite, but no thank you.”

“Maybe another time.” The disappointment was in her voice. She turned to her computer and began work.

Thatcher walked back upstairs and saw Nancy sitting at the kitchen table, making notes.

“Did you find a place to put it?” she asked.

“I had to take an old piece down.” He made himself a cup of tea then sat down across from her.

She wore jeans and a white blouse. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, revealing her slender neck.

Thatcher eyed her features, never growing tired of staring at them. Her beauty was unparalleled by anything else in the world. Of all the art shows he attended and all the places he’d seen, nothing compared to her. Her features molded together and made something perfect.

She caught his look. “What?”

He sipped his tea. “Nothing.”

She turned back to her paper, making notes.

“What are you doing?”

“The grocery list. Do you need anything?”

“Not that I can recall.”

“Okay.” She continued writing.

“Nancy?”

“Yes?” She looked up and met his gaze.

He was always caught off guard by her striking eyes. “You’re the perfect piece.”

Her eyes softened when she looked at him. “Thanks…”

He sipped his tea again. He said very little, saving his words for when they were necessary. With Nancy he didn’t need to be wordy. She understood his meanings easily. “My mom is coming from the big island for a visit. I want you to meet her.”

She stopped writing. “Your mother?”

“Yeah.”

She seemed nervous. “Does she know I’m living with you?”

He nodded.

She cringed. “Does she already hate me?”

“Why would she?”

“Because I’m living with you and we aren’t married.”

“I lived with Grace. And I lived with my girlfriend before that.”

“Did she hate them…?”

“No. My mother is a lovely person. You’ll like her.”

She still seemed flustered. “I’d love to meet her. I just…really want her to like me.”

“She knows how I feel about you. Believe me, she’ll like you.”

She didn’t seem convinced. “Should I get a few things to make dinner?”

“I’ll take care of all that stuff.”

She covered her face. “She can’t know that I don’t know how to cook.”

He smirked. “Even if she did, she wouldn’t care. She would look at one of your pieces and completely understand why I’ve chosen you.”

“But what about when she finds out about my mom running out on me?”

Thatcher didn’t understand. “Why would that matter?”

“It’s just embarrassing.”

“I would never tell her that, Nancy.”

“I’m sorry I’m so nervous. You made my dad fall in love with you instantly, and I Just want her to like me.”

“She will.”

“Why can’t everyone like me how they like you?”

“I really don’t understand why people find me so likeable. I’m quiet, intimidating, and a bit of a loner.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’ll never understand it, Thatcher.”

He had a feeling she was right.

“I’m going to have to find something to wear…”

“You have a lot of nice things.”

“I know. But it has to be the right look.”

“You’re putting way too much thought into this.” He smirked at her nervousness.

“I just need to get through a few hours then I can breathe again.”

He didn’t want to correct her. “Whenever my mom visits, she usually stays for a few days. She doesn’t want to fly twice in a single day.”

“Stay here?” she asked incredulously. “With us?”

“Do you want me to ask her to stay at a hotel…?”

“No, of course not. I just…we’ll be in the next room.”

“Nancy, my mother knows I’m a grown man. She’s not ignorant enough to think that I’m saving myself for marriage. In terms of morals and values, my family is pretty progressive. Just calm down.”

“But…that means we can’t do it for a few days.” The disappointment was evident.

He smirked. “Not if we’re quiet.”

“God, no. Forget it. That’s too weird…”

“We had sex when your dad was down the hall.”

“That’s different. His opinion didn’t matter to me.”

He tried not to laugh at how flustered she was getting. “Baby, you’ll be fine. If it makes you feel any better, my mom could tell me she absolutely hates you and it wouldn’t make a difference to me.”

“Really?” She sounded hopeful.

“Really.”

She breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood up then kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to paint. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Nancy went downstairs to tidy up before Thatcher’s mother arrived. The gallery was spotless but she checked that every painting was level just in case. She dusted the rug in the middle of the room then wiped down all the frames. Then she went into the office.

Lily was packing her bag and getting ready to leave. “Hey, Ms. Erikson.”

“Call me Nancy,” she insisted.

“Sorry. I forget that you and Thatcher are so laid back.”

“Do you mind if I straighten up your desk?” Nancy asked.

“Of course not.”

Nancy wiped down the wood then pushed the chair in.

Lily watched everything she did. “Nancy?”

“Yeah?”

“Does Thatcher…talk about me?”

Nancy immediately went into defensive mode. “What do you mean?”

“Like, does he say I’m doing a good job…or if he likes me? Anything like that?”

She tried not to scratch her eyes out. “No. He hasn’t said a word about you.”

Lily fell quiet, lost in thought. “It’s just, he’s so dreamy, you know? Sometimes I wonder if I should just ask him out. But I’m afraid that would be bad since he’s my boss…I can’t read him.”

Nancy held her tongue before she said something she regretted. She turned to Lily, trying not to explode. “It would be a very stupid idea to ask him out since I’m his girlfriend. We live together upstairs and he’s mine. If you want to keep your job, I suggest you respect what doesn’t belong to you and keep your hands off him.”

Lily’s eyes were wide and she turned bright red. “Oh my god…I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Nancy couldn’t pretend she wasn’t pissed. “Have a good weekend, Lily.”

“Nancy—”

“Please go.”

Lily stiffened then walked out, shutting the door quietly.

Nancy tried to calm down but it was difficult. She wanted to bash Lily’s face in. She hated being right. It was frustrating to have a man that made every girl’s ovaries pop when they were close to him. They all wanted him and she hated seeing the longing in their eyes. It was okay when Thatcher was out of the house. There was nothing Nancy could do about it. But to deal with it every day at work was frustrating.

Nancy sat in the chair and refused to go back upstairs. Thatcher’s mother was coming and it wouldn’t be smart to be in such a bad mood when she walked back upstairs. She leaned against the chair and tried to close her eyes. She tried not to let the episode upset her but it was getting to her.

Thatcher came into the room. “Is everything okay? You’ve been down here for awhile.” He put his hands in his pockets while he approached the desk. He was wearing jeans and a buttoned shirt. He looked good in anything he wore. The muscles of his shoulders and arms were noticeable. And he looked clean.

She didn’t look at him. “Yeah…”

There was no point in lying to him. He could read her like a book. “Tell me.”

She sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

He came closer, standing in her line of sight. “Nancy.”

She stood up then put her hands on her hips. “Lily just asked me if you ever talk about her and she wants to ask you out but she doesn’t know how.” She tried to keep the anger back.

Thatcher didn’t react. He stared at Nancy, acting like that information meant nothing to him.

“I knew this was going to happen and I really don’t want to pay someone to gawk at you all day long.”

“Did you tell her that we’re together?”

“Of course, but I thought that was obvious already.”

“Maybe not. We’re pretty professional.”

“It doesn’t matter. It just gets under my skin…”

“She obviously wouldn’t have said that if she knew we were together. I’m sure she feels embarrassed and dreads coming back to work.”

She was starting to grow irritated. “Thatcher, you aren’t listening to me. I’m okay with women looking at you when we’re out of the house. It’s bound to happen and it’s out of my control. I accept that. But I don’t want to deal with it in our home. When we’re here, we’re safe. I don’t want to fight for you in this building.”

He kept calm. “What do you want me to do? I can’t just fire her. I asked you weeks ago if you wanted me to get rid of her. You said no. Now we have to stick with that decision.”

She clenched her jaw in irritation. “I know you’re always calm and pragmatic, but if this situation was reversed, it would be a completely different story. It would drive you crazy and you wouldn’t be able to stand it.”

“Nancy, I trust you.”

She held her tongue and decided not to argue. There was no point.

Thatcher ran his fingers through his hair. Then he came around the desk, inching closer to her. “I don’t know how to make this better. I’m not doing anything wrong but yet I feel like I’m being punished for something.”

Now she felt guilty. “No, Thatcher. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just not good at handling this.”

He stared at her, his hands moving to her hips. “I love you. Shouldn’t those words make everything better? Because I mean them—from the bottom of my heart.”

“I know you do. And I love you too.”

He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “There’s no reason to be jealous. Every time she looks at me I don’t even notice. And every second of the day, I’m thinking about you. I’m immune to all other women. You’re the only one I see in a romantic and sexual way. I know most men aren’t like that, but I’m different. I need an emotional connection before the desire comes forth. Therefore, it’s impossible for me to be a cheater. Because I can’t feel this way for more than one person at a time. And I won’t have sex with someone unless I’m in love with them.”

“I’m not worried about you cheating. I just don’t like knowing your assistant has the hotts for you. It just bothers me.”

“I understand that. But we’re going to have to get through it—together.”

“Okay.”