The Art of Appreciation

by Markus, Autumn

  “So do I,” Matt heard her say softly, and then the car door closed.

  Chapter Six

  “OKAY, SARAH. IT’S SAFE to get out.”

  “Are you sure?” Sarah’s voice from inside the car was muffled.

  Abby looked up and down the street. “Yep. No sign of the hilariously smitten child. Now get out of the car.” She snickered as Sarah peeked out of her window before dashing for the front of the hardware store.

  The cool of the store’s interior was a blessed relief. Abby stopped inside the doorway to let her eyes adjust to the dimmer light.

  “You know, if you’d wear your sunglasses, you wouldn’t have to do that.” Sarah sighed, waiting for her friend to be ready to continue.

  “I left them at Jason’s yesterday,” Abby said. She looked over Sarah’s shoulder to test her vision. A chuckle burst out of her mouth a second before a hand rested on Sarah’s shoulder.

  “Hey!” Tyler’s voice was full of delight. Abby noticed the apron emblazoned with the store’s logo over his T-shirt and skinny jeans and smirked. She started to slide away, but Sarah grabbed her forearm. Tyler grinned. “You found me.”

  “I wasn’t looking for you, Tyler.” Sarah plastered on a smile for the girl behind the counter. “I’m just here to get some things I need.” She towed Abby toward an aisle that held paint and painting supplies.

  “Yeah. Like me.” Tyler followed them into the aisle. “You need something fixed? I’m your man. Just tell me what and where, and I’m there.”

  A small clump of employees peeping into the aisle dispersed under Sarah’s glare. She ignored Tyler and continued into the next aisle, her face darkening when he followed. She stopped at a selection of screwdrivers.

  “Something at your house need to be screwed?” Tyler asked. There was a burst of laughter from the next aisle. Abby bit her lip to keep from joining in but gave Tyler a thumbs-up before Sarah turned around, her face crimson.

  “That’s it.” She dug her nails into Abby’s arm and grabbed Tyler’s shirt with the other hand. “Outside. Now.”

  Tyler covered Sarah’s hand with his own. “Both of us?” He grinned in delight.

  Sarah snatched her hand back as if it had been scalded. “Outside.” She followed Tyler as he led the way toward the rear of the store and presumably a back door. Glances from the other employees and local patrons tracked their progress, and Abby waved at a few she had come to know. Sarah slapped her hand. “Don’t make a scene.”

  “Oh, the scene has already been made. I’m just not sure why I have to be involved,” Abby whispered. She waved at the man who walked his dog past the house every afternoon while she and Sarah watched the eye-candy roll in. Of course, Abby wasn’t supposed to be looking for anyone in particular to wade to shore, and it was a good thing, because she hadn’t seen him in days.

  Sarah shook her arm, bringing Abby back to the present. “You’re my witness, so no one thinks I’m attacking him in an alley. Or you’ll be a witness to his murder. I haven’t decided which yet.”

  Tyler led them into a storage area and held an outer door open so they could pass him before he followed. As the door closed, he leaned against the side of the building, crossing his arms over his muscular chest and placing one skater-shoed foot against the salt-faded paint. “Now that you’ve got me alone—almost.” He raised an eyebrow at Abby. “What’s up?”

  Sarah closed her eyes. “Tyler—”

  “Ty,” he corrected.

  “Tyler, this has got to stop. Stop looking for me. Stop talking to people about that night.” Sarah blushed, a new thing for her. “It was a huge and terrible mistake.”

  He took her hand and raised it to kiss the back. “I don’t regret a thing.”

  Sarah yanked her hand away. “Stop that. And of course you don’t regret anything. You’re a stud, and I’m Mrs. Robinson.”

  His forehead wrinkled. “Who? I thought you weren’t married.”

  Abby snorted laughter, and Sarah raised a warning hand at her. “That’s it exactly, Tyler. You have no idea what I’m talking about. I mean that I’m the one being laughed at for seducing a child.”

  Tyler rolled his eyes and raised a finger. “Okay, first…if anyone was seducing anyone, it was me.” He grinned. “I’m good like that. And second, I’m not a child. I’m eighteen.”

  Sarah shuddered when Tyler confirmed his age. “Yeah, and I’m thirty-seven. More than twice your age, buddy.”

  He traced the curves of her breasts with his eyes. She grabbed his chin and forced his face upward.

  “Eyes are up here, Ty. I’m old enough to be your…mother.” She blurted the word out with a sour expression.

  Tyler turned his head to kiss her palm. “See, I knew I was getting to you. You called me Ty.” As she jumped back, he opened the door. “I have to get back to work, but I’ll drop by later and fix whatever you need fixed. Just give me your address.”

  “No way, Junior.”

  As he stepped in out of the summer heat, he called, “By the way, you don’t remind me of my mother at all.” He swept his eyes over Sarah and whistled softly. “She’s forty.” The door closed with a pneumatic whoosh.

  Sarah tugged Abby toward the car. “Don’t say a fucking word.” She glared at Abby as they exited the alley.

  “Change,” Abby managed to squeak out before collapsing against the car, laughing so hard that she couldn’t get her door open.

  “I hate you,” Sarah whined before starting to chuckle.

  The ride back to the cottage was punctuated with sniggers. After parking the car, Sarah glared at the front screen door, for which they’d forgotten to get the repair materials, and headed for the back of the house. Pointing to the beach chairs, she ordered Abby to sit, and then she went into the house through the back door and returned with a bottle of Cuervo Gold.

  Sarah spun off the cap. She took a deep swallow, shuddering as it went down. “I need this. What a nightmare.”

  Taking the bottle from Sarah’s hand, Abby sipped before taking the cap and screwing it on tightly. She placed the bottle next to her chair. “Isn’t this what caused the problem in the first place?”

  “Yes, Mom,” Sarah droned. She laid her head against the back of her chair. “How could I have been so stupid?”

  “Not stupid. I thought he was older, too, in the wetsuit and dressed for the club. It’s only when you see him riding a longboard in a Children of Bodom T-shirt that you get the real picture.” Abby snickered.

  “Change sucks,” Sarah moaned, flinging an arm across her eyes.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” a deep voice said from behind the chairs. “I kind of like the changes this summer.” Jason leaned over the back of her chair and aimed a kiss at her lips. Just before it landed, she turned her face toward Sarah so the kiss landed on her cheek. Sarah quirked an eyebrow, but Abby ignored her.

  Jason dropped to the sand by Abby’s chair and grabbed the bottle of tequila. He opened it and swallowed a few mouthfuls, then looked at the label and grimaced. “I thought you mature ladies appreciated the finer things in life.”

  Abby ran her fingers over his hair. “I’ll have you know that Cuervo was the gold standard in our day, sonny,” she creaked out.

  “Yeah, well, now the minimum acceptable standard is Patron. Get with the times.” He wrapped his large hand around Abby’s calf and ran it up to stroke the back of her thigh, just above her knee. Abby sat up a little straighter, and he had to move his hand down. He looked up at her, and she leaned forward to massage his shoulders. He exhaled, dropping his head forward so she could reach more of his neck.

  Sarah snorted. “It all tastes like ass to me, but it gets the job done. Now, hand it over.”

  Jason held the bottle out toward Sarah without looking at her. Abby watched her take a gulp and then reached for the bottle. Sarah reluctantly handed it over, and Abby sipped before capping it again and setting it down. She stroked Jason’s head.

  “Now, that feels good,” h
e said. “I’m exhausted. Who knew standing in one position all day could be so tiring? All I want to do is take a shower and go to bed, and it’s not even dinnertime. And I still need to get my ride in for today.”

  Abby’s hands paused, and she frowned. “That doesn’t seem right. Why didn’t Matt just have you pose for one day and get everything he needs in pictures for this rough work stage? It’s normal to save the longer, personal sessions for the detail work.”

  “Hell if I know. He’s the boss, and I do like the pay. The bennies suck, though.” Jason scowled. “I’m too tired to spend the kind of time I’d like to spend with you. Instead I have to spend time with the biggest airhead in California.”

  She chuckled and started playing with his hair again. “Your posing partner?”

  “Partner, my ass. She’s more interested in getting into Matt’s pants than anything. She’s constantly shoving her tits in any direction he happens to be facing, whether it’s how he’s posed us or not. He has to reposition us, and everything takes twice as long as it should. And when she talks…” He shuddered. “Nothing but innuendo, celebrity gossip, and idiocy. She is hot, but I don’t know how he’s stood using her as a model more than once.” He took two more swigs from the bottle and capped it again. “Hot-but-stupid doesn’t do anything for me.”

  Sarah snorted. “Why aren’t there more like you? Hot-but-stupid seems to be a requirement for most men our age.”

  Jason grinned at her. “Tyler doesn’t seem to mind your brains.”

  She tossed a handful of sand at him. “Shut up. I’m an idiot. But I think that problem might be solved. I had a talk with him, and I don’t think we’ll see him around here.”

  Abby chuckled. “Yeah, until his day off from the hardware store.”

  They laughed as Sarah deflated in her chair. Nudging Jason with her foot, Abby asked, “What do you know about fixing screen doors?”

  “Not a damned thing.” He kissed her knee. “Give me a bike, and we’re in business, but home repairs are beyond me. Ever think of hiring a handyman? That’s what I’d do.” He turned to kneel on the sand next to her. “Speaking of days off and bikes…come for a ride with me tomorrow?”

  She shifted in her chair, torn between expressing what she really thought and reluctance to dim the hope that showed in his eyes and his smile. “Well…I don’t have a bike, and all of yours would be way too big for me.”

  “You can borrow mine.” Sarah ignored her friend’s death glare. “Abby is a bit timid on a bike. Can you handle that?”

  “I can handle anything,” Jason said. He rested his forehead on Abby’s. “Please?”

  She hesitated; the night before had been the first time they’d spent together since he’d returned from his race, though they’d been together often before he left. Nothing had changed—he was still smart and funny, irreverent, beautiful, and a nice kisser. Of course, thinking about kisses was just distracting her from deciding what to do, because Jason wasn’t the one on her mind.

  “I have to work with the kids in the morning. Color palettes,” she hedged.

  “I should do a training ride in the morning anyway—I suppose you’d like to skip that?” Abby nodded. “Then that’s perfect!” Jason beamed.

  Screw it. Change.

  “Sure,” Abby said, trying to be positive. “Anywhere in particular?”

  Jason sat back on his heels and grinned. “Somewhere good for a picnic? Chelsie can help me get some things together tonight. She’s good with stuff like that. How about you meet me at the studio a little after one? It’s on my way back and in a good spot to head out from. It will give us a little longer if I don’t have to ride through town and back out again.”

  Abby couldn’t argue with his logic, but she felt a twist of anxiety at the thought of seeing Matt again. She had only seen him once since his birthday party the week before, when he ran past the house just as she was stepping in the back door after her walk. He’d smiled and waved but kept running up the beach. It wasn’t until he turned a slight curve and disappeared that she realized she’d been watching him.

  “Abby? What do you think?” Jason touched her arm, and she nodded. He tried to talk her into returning home with him and visiting with Chelsie until he was back from his ride, but she pled weariness and an obligation to cook dinner on “her night.” Sarah shot her a quizzical look, but Abby ignored her again, walking Jason out to where his bike rested against the porch.

  The screen door was hanging by a single hinge again. “I went to the front door first.” Jason looked sheepish. “I’m glad to know it was already broken. I thought I did it. I would have told you anyway, I swear, and paid to have it fixed.”

  Abby snapped her fingers. “Damn. Missed our chance.” Jason laughed and folded her into his arms, kissing her forehead before tilting her face up. Her hands rested on his hips, holding him away, and she felt no urge to slide them around his back even as she enjoyed the feeling of his mouth on hers.

  A beep from the road caught her attention, and she looked up to see a familiar hand waving out the window of a faded Jeep, surfboard on top. She craned her head as it passed, catching a glimpse of Ray-Bans and a smile.

  At that moment, a mid-sized Toyota pickup pulled smoothly to the curb. Chelsie dropped to the ground from the driver’s seat, smiling at both Jason and Abby.

  “I thought I might find you here,” she said, crossing in front of the car and looping her arm through Jason’s. “As your manager, I need to remind you that you have another race in a few days and you should be on a training ride right now.” Chelsie studied his eyes, and Abby stepped aside with guilty relief. “As your friend, I have to advise you to get some sleep.” She sighed. “After your ride. We need the sponsor money if you’re going to keep doing this, so you need to place high.”

  “You worry too much, slave driver. Let me toss my bike in the back of the truck. I need to change into my gear.” Jason lifted her off her feet.

  Chelsie pushed at his chest. “Let me down, you ass,” she grumbled, but he walked toward the truck.

  Looking back over his shoulder, he flashed his dimples at Abby again. “Tomorrow, right? Don’t forget.”

  Nodding, she pushed his bicycle to him so he could put it in the bed. “Sure you won’t come over later?” he asked in a low voice, stroking the back of Abby’s hand with his thumb.

  She pecked his cheek. “Positive. You need your rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With a deep sigh, Jason folded himself into the cab of the truck and shut the door, beeping as he drove away.

  Maneuvering past the hanging door and trying to tug it back into place as she passed, Abby entered the house through the front door to find Sarah lounging in her chair and flipping through a magazine. She set it aside as Abby closed the door. Lacing her fingers over her chest, she stared. Abby shook her head and went into the kitchen for a bottle of water. Returning and dropping onto her chair, she spun the top off and took a swallow before looking at Sarah again. Sarah smiled thinly. “Spill,” she demanded.

  “What?” Abby asked, raising the bottle to her lips again and sipping.

  “‘Tired,’ Abby? Really? I seem to remember that you didn’t get up until noon today, and the most strenuous thing you did was get dragged around a hardware store for a few minutes.”

  “I was up late last night, finishing a book. And I hauled a bratty six-year-old to her mother’s car.”

  Sarah blew a raspberry. “So what? You stay up all night reading or writing grants for your museum all the time and walk the hell out of me the next day. And how about that ‘my night to cook’? When did we institute that little gem? I seem to remember that dinner lately has consisted of salad and whatever cold thing we could scrounge up because it’s so freakin’ hot outside.”

  Abby shrugged.

  “Trouble in paradise? ’Cause otherwise I can see no reason that you wouldn’t be hittin’ that hard and often, woman. No commitments, no drama, no baggage, just twenty-four seven lovin’.”


  Abby rubbed her palms on her legs. “I don’t know. I like Jason, and he’s a great guy. Funny, smart, great kisser…but it’s not there, you know? Is there something wrong with wanting…more?”

  “If you can say he’s a great kisser, he obviously doesn’t repulse you. Or are we on that ‘perfect man’ thing again?” They crossed themselves without thinking. “Enjoy what you have today, because we’re going home sooner than you think.” She thought for a minute and then giggled. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the birthday boy, would it? He looks at you like you’re a cupcake and he’d like to take a bite.”

  “Be serious,” Abby said. “I haven’t seen Matt since that night, except in passing. I barely know him. And remember, I don’t want a man at all.” She rose from her seat and headed for the kitchen. “Since I did say that I’d cook, how about some Ahi and rice with our salads?”

  With the subject changed, Sarah set about deciding on a wine while Abby made dinner. They spent the evening settled into their outside chairs while they watched the sunset and discussed their jobs; Abby’s behavior with Jason was forgotten.

  Or so she thought—until they were heading up the stairs to bed. Sarah turned in her doorway and leveled a glance at her friend. “Abby, seriously…don’t be hasty in writing Jason off. He’s a nice guy, way good-looking, and he’s into you. This is just a summer fling—it doesn’t have to be a luuuve connection.”

  Abby looked askance; casual hookups weren’t exactly her personal style. But then again, “her style” had stuck her with Eric for two years.

  Sarah seemed to read Abby’s mind, and she grinned. “Change is good, baby.”

  “I thought you said ‘change sucks’?”

  “Change sucks for me. Because I’m an idiot. It works for you.” Sarah looked Abby over in satisfaction. “I haven’t seen you this relaxed in years. Must be all those strenuous workouts with the stud?” She looked at Abby hopefully.

  “Good night,” Abby said, waving in Sarah’s disappointed face as she closed her door.