Painted Over

by Sofi Keren

  Ria was talking to her dad when Paige walked in, and when she looked up, she smiled, almost apologetically.

  “Um, where can I put this down?” Paige asked.

  “Over on the coffee table, dear,” Mila said. “Elena is certainly going all out tonight for this dinner. Come sit over here by me.” She patted the seat next to her on the couch.

  Paige sat, careful to cross her legs. She remembered why she didn’t wear dresses more often. They made simple tasks just a little bit harder.

  She wondered if Mila and Henry had noticed the tension between her and Ria. She didn’t know what Ria had told them after the day they’d argued, and she definitely didn’t want to talk about it.

  “So, Mila, tell me about the book you’re working on. How’s it going?”

  “Ugh. I have a new editor,” she said, waving a hand in frustration. “She’s only twenty-five! Can you believe it. How am I supposed to take her seriously when she’s barely lived?”

  “Oh no. Is she trying to make you write in emojis?” Paige joked.

  “You kid, but just wait! I heard about a man who wrote an entire novel on Twitter.”

  “I’m sure that’s bound to be a classic,” Ria joined in, coming over and sitting on the arm of the couch. Paige gave her a tight smile, the best she could manage.

  “Are they sending you on a book tour this time?” Paige asked.

  “They want me to do some podcasts. And they’ll definitely send me to the romance book festival.”

  “I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”

  “You should go with her,” Ria said. “It’s fascinating. Thousands of people who love romance novels so much that they want to go to a convention about them. And they totally love my mom. People wait in the longest lines to get her autograph.”

  “It’s true. My hand starts to cramp after a while, but I certainly can’t complain. So many people write novels that no one reads. I try to remember to be grateful.”

  Brandon poked his head into the room. “Dinner is served.”

  Paige breathed a sigh of relief. At least now she could keep her hands busy, and how long could dinner take, maybe an hour? She was well on her way through the evening, and there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

  The table looked amazing. It had been set with bright red placemats and a table runner. The good white china was set neatly at each place. Elena beamed proudly as the family walked in. Henry sat at his usual place at one end, with Mila to his left. Paige glanced at Brandon for direction and he just shrugged, as though to say anywhere was fine. But before she could grab a seat away from Ria, Brandon pulled out a chair for Elena and sat beside her. There was no other choice than to sit between Ria and Mila. She plastered a smile on her face, and sat down.

  One thing she had always loved about meals with the Worths was they always held hands and said something thankful before they ate. She chalked it up to Mila’s Catholic upbringing, but it didn’t feel oppressively religious. Today, Elena asked if she could say the blessing.

  “I am so thankful that you have welcomed me into your family over the past several weeks. This truly does feel like my second home. Mila and Henry, you have been so kind to me. Ria, you have been a wonderful friend. Paige, I am so glad to call you a new friend. And Brandon…” She looked at him, her eyes full of joy. “You make me so happy.”

  He stood next to her. “We were going to wait until after the meal to make a toast, but I just can’t wait. Elena, can we please just tell them now?” She nodded. “Everyone, we asked you to dinner tonight to celebrate with us. I’ve asked Elena to marry me.”

  “And I said yes.” Elena looked at him, her eyes shining.

  “Oh my god!” Mila said. “This is so wonderful!” Her eyes teared up. “I am so happy for you two.”

  Paige realized her mouth was hanging open. She pulled it shut. She was truly speechless. They’d barely known each other a month. But she looked at Brandon and Elena, and they looked so truly happy that she pushed any concerns away and decided to just support whatever was happening.

  “Did you know about this?” she whispered to Ria, forgetting for a moment that she wasn’t speaking to her.

  “Not exactly, but I had an inkling.”

  “Congratulations,” Henry said. “You make a splendid couple.”

  Brandon kissed Elena and turned back to the family. “Okay, so now we eat!”

  The meal went by in a blur. When Brandon got up to get another bottle of wine from the kitchen, Paige joined him. The minute they were out of sight, she punched him in the arm as hard as she could. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

  “We just told you.”

  “Well, still. I can’t believe it. You’re getting married! I didn’t think you ever wanted to get married.”

  “She’s… She’s just it. I know it’s a cliché, but I’ve never felt like this about anyone. And I know it seems totally insane to get engaged when we haven’t known each other that long, but I know I’m going to be this crazy about her for the rest of my life.”

  “Oh my god, you’re a total sap. But I’m so happy for you.”

  “Oh! I forgot the other part! Grab your wine and come back in for a minute.”

  She eyed him warily. “What else is there?”

  “You’ll see.”

  She trailed behind him back into the dining room.

  “Everyone!” he announced. “We forgot to tell you the other part!”

  “Oh!” Elena said, standing. “We did! I got so distracted about the engaged part that I forgot the other news.”

  “How can there be more news?” Ria asked.

  “Well,” Brandon said, “due to the fact that I love Elena so much, and due to our idiotic visa restrictions, Elena and I are getting married…”

  “In two weeks!” Elena shouted.

  “Oh my god,” Paige said.

  “Oh my god is right,” Ria agreed. “Seriously, only two weeks?”

  “Honestly, we thought about just doing it this week,” Elena said, “but we know Paige is going up to Chicago to paint, and we really want her there. My family is back in Spain, and we’ll go there once we’re married so they can meet Brandon. But since they can’t come here, we want all of you to be there.”

  “We’re just going to go down to the courthouse,” Brandon said.

  “Certainly not!” Mila said with an authoritative tone.

  “Mila,” Henry murmured. “It’s their lives.”

  “What I mean is that you’re not going to the courthouse. We’ll plan something for you. Just leave it to me, dears. Well, to us.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Worth,” Elena said, “would you be willing to give me away?”

  “Of course, love,” Mrs. Worth said, clearly overjoyed at the prospect.

  “And Paige, will you be my best man?” Brandon asked. “You don’t have to wear a suit.”

  “Ria, I want you to be my maid of honor!” Elena said.

  “Am I allowed to wear a suit?” Ria joked.

  “Will you do it?” Brandon asked.

  “Of course,” Paige said.

  “I’d love to,” said Ria.

  So it was settled. In two weeks, Brandon and Elena were getting married. Paige found herself being swept up in the romance of it, even if her practical side said it was crazy.

  Chapter Twenty

  If there was one thing Indy was really lacking, it was decent public transportation. Paige would have loved to live without owning a car. Hers was so old that it always made her nervous on long trips. She’d decided not to take it to Chicago. Instead she bought a ticket on the MegaBus, the double-decker bus with a direct route from Indianapolis. This way, she didn’t have to drive and instead she could veg out, listen to music, nap, and let her thoughts drift while someone else piloted her there. Once she arrived, the Metro could take her the rest of the way to Cara’s studio.

  She was nervous to see her again. The last time they’d seen each other they’d almost…but then Bra
ndon and Elena…and it had ended so abruptly. That was two weeks ago, but it somehow felt even longer, especially after Ria’s surprise announcement and their ensuing blowup. With all of that, she was actually a little nervous to see Cara again and see if they would pick up where they left off.

  Cara had turned her designs into transparencies, and at dusk they were going to project them onto the wall and start painting the outline. That process would take a few days of working from dusk until dawn, and once the whole outline was done, they could start filling it in during the daytime. Paige was prepared to be extremely tired, but it wouldn’t be the first time. She couldn’t wait to get started.

  She watched as the graffiti sped by through the windows of the Metro. Soon she’d be doing her own graffiti. She wondered if anyone would tag over it. Hopefully people would like it, but that was no guarantee that it would survive unscathed.

  Soon she was back at the gallery, just like the first time, but a little more at home now. She wasn’t startled by the darkness of the entryway. The work she’d seen last time was now being taken down and prepared for transport to wherever it would show next or live with whoever had purchased it. She peeked around the corner to Cara’s office and was surprised not to see her there.

  “Oh, hi!” a young man’s voice piped up behind her. “You must be Paige.”

  She turned, surprised.

  “I’m Ms. Williams’ assistant, Trevor.”

  “Hi Trevor. Is Cara here?”

  “She had a meeting up north, but she said to tell you that she’ll meet you at the project site at one. So you’ve got plenty of time to grab some lunch.”

  Paige wondered why Cara hadn’t just told her herself that she wasn’t going to be there, but she knew she hadn’t been all that responsive lately. She’d just had so much to think about.

  “Oh, um. Okay. Sure. I’ll see her there. Will you tell her to call me if she gets done sooner?”

  “Of course.”

  She spent the next two hours checking into her bed & breakfast and walking through downtown Chicago, just enjoying the sheer density of people. Even though she was surrounded, she felt completely unobserved, like she could do anything—jump, yell, bust a dance move—and people would just shrug and keep walking.

  She finally made her way over to the building that would soon display her mural. Cara was already there, talking animatedly to a man in a hard hat, standing next to the cherry picker that would lift Paige high up in the air to paint lines on cement several stories above the ground.

  Cara smiled when she saw her and waved her over. “Paige, I’d like you to meet Daniel Forcliff. He’s going to keep an eye on your safety while you’re up there, and he’s also the only one allowed to move this fine piece of machinery.”

  “My new best friend,” Paige said, cheerily.

  “You better believe it,” Daniel replied. “I’ll be helping you up, down, and sideways for the next several days.”

  “So you’re saying, if I have to go to the bathroom…”

  “You’ll have to signal me or take a chamber pot up there with you.”

  “Good to know, Dan, good to know.”

  “Well ladies, if we’re going to get started soon, I’d better do some last checks.”

  “Thank you, Daniel,” Cara said as he strode away.

  “Now Paige, we’ll have some media stopping by to get a photo of your first brushstroke and to ask you a few questions. You’re all right with that?”

  “Oh, um, yes, of course. I’d be happy to.”

  Paige couldn’t help but wonder why Cara was so businesslike. Was it because she was in work mode right now or had she lost interest? Paige regretted not having been more responsive. Had she already messed this up? Maybe it was all fine and Cara was just doing her job like an actual professional.

  Within the hour, a reporter from a local weekly stopped by. She asked a few quick questions of Paige before moving on to Cara. Soon a slew of officials arrived. It looked like everyone who had ever touched the project in any way, or even been in the same room as someone who had, arrived. It’s too late to be nervous, Paige thought.

  When the media was set up, all of the dignitaries chose a paintbrush, dipped them in a little paint and held them up carefully for a photo. The cameras clicked, flashed, and whirred, and Paige tried her hardest to smile and not blink. Then the group disbanded, and Paige climbed up into the cherry picker and secured the harness around her waist.

  “Up we go,” she said to no one in particular, and she gave Daniel the thumbs-up. He signaled back and the machine began to climb.

  Paige worked from eight p.m. until eleven, when she needed to take a break to use the bathroom and warm up a little. She pushed the button on the walkie-talkie Dan had given her.

  “Lunar module to ground,” she said. “Come in, ground.”

  “Oh, we have a comedienne,” came the crackling reply.

  “Operation help-I-need-to-pee is in full effect. Do you copy?”

  “Copy, art nerd. Hold tight and I’ll have you back on the ground in just a moment.”

  The coffee shop next door had given them a key to the side door, and the minute she was on the ground, Paige dashed inside to use the bathroom.

  When she came back out, Cara was talking to Dan. Had she been there the whole time? Surely not. Paige stood back, appraising the section of the mural she’d been outlining. A moment later, Cara joined her.

  “Hey, lady,” Paige said. “Here to check out the progress?”

  “That and to bring you something hot to drink. I know it’s getting warmer, but it still gets a little chilly at night. I’m sure the higher up you go, the colder it gets, with the wind and all.” She handed Paige a travel mug, holding one of her own in her other hand. “It’s black tea with orange.”

  “It smells wonderful,” Paige said, holding the warm mug between her hands.

  “And it has a little caffeine to give you a boost. How are you holding up so far?”

  “I’m making some progress. And it’s fun getting to use such large brushes.”

  “Big art, big tools.”

  “That should be embroidered on a pillow somewhere.”

  “Maybe I’ll branch out from the gallery. Start my own line of pillows with cheeky sayings.”

  “I know I’d buy at least two.”

  Cara smiled at her, and they lapsed into silence, looking up at the spot-lit wall and the dark lines Paige had spent the past few hours painting in one corner.

  Cara reached an arm around her waist. Paige leaned into it, ready to feel the butterflies leap out again. She waited, but after a few moments she realized that they weren’t there. Where had they gone? Cara was still beautiful, still brilliant and thoughtful, but she could tell that something had changed.

  Cara must have felt it too. “Paige,” she said. “I like you. And I’d love to work with you again. But I think that we’re simply going to be great friends, don’t you?”

  “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.” She gave Cara a pained smile.

  “Some things last longer than others, but we just appreciate them for what they are. If they’re meant to be, I think we know.”

  She felt guilty. Cara was an absolute catch, and here she was, letting her drift away. Damn it, Ria. She’d managed to get in her head after all.

  “Shall we toast?” Cara asked, raising her tea. “To leaving your mark on the city, literally and figuratively.”

  “And to making art, and making new friends.” They leaned against one another, gazing at the brush strokes just beginning to take shape, lit by the glow of the projector in the night.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  If only she’d driven, Paige thought. She could shave time off her route home. Even only a few minutes would mean she’d get there sooner. Ever since Cara had graciously let her go, her thoughts had only been on Ria, as she spent the long night hours alone in the cherry picker.

  She finally knew what she wanted. She’d thought about ca
lling her, having this conversation by phone, but it seemed too huge, too important not to speak to her face to face. She needed to see her expressions and body language, feel the air between them as she told her that she loved her too, that she’d never stopped.

  If she wasn’t already too late.

  But instead of hurtling forward in her car, she was back on the MegaBus, full to capacity this time so she had to squish in next to a man, instead of stretching out across two seats like she had on the way up. Napping to pass the time was out of the question, as her seatmate had no qualms about holding heated conversations over the telephone. He shouted through the phone as though he could strangle the person on the other end with just the force of his voice. She tried not to listen, but it was nearly impossible.

  It was going to be a long ride, and the bus was too full for her to pick up and move.

  She tried to imagine how she would start when she saw Ria again. “Ria, you’re right.” No. “Ria, I’m sorry.” No. “Ria, I’m not sorry. You’re the one who should be sorry, but we’re past all that so let’s just do this.” Surely by the time she got home she’d figure out the right words.

  Between her seatmate’s shouting, and the bus’s full capacity making her feel a little claustrophobic, Paige squirmed for the entire ride. She was grateful when they finally arrived at her stop outside of the Indianapolis City Market and she could breathe again.

  But she was no closer to knowing what to say.

  Mila had made her promise to text when she was close to home. She’d found outfits for the wedding, and she needed Paige to come over to the house to see if her dress needed any last-minute adjustments. Paige could see Henry’s car waiting in a parking spot just outside the market, ready to take her there.