sigh. “I’m in love with her.” He pauses and I do not believe my ears. “She’s not as old as she looks. I met her a few years back and it was love at first sight.” He’s still looking in her direction wistfully. I’m speechless so I just sit stunned and listen. “I tried talking her into marrying me, but she doesn’t feel the same about me as I do her.” He shrugs his shoulders and gives me such a sad look with his eyes tearing up that it evokes a dejected sigh from me. “I figure if I keep trying, one day she’ll change her mind. But…” He pauses to clear his throat. “I don’t think I can take too many more of her rejections.”
JP says nothing else and so I feel I should. “I’m… So sorry. That’s just so sad.” Poor guy .
He gives me an undecipherable look before roaring in laughter. “If you believed a word of that, you’re more gullible than I thought.”
“You made it all up? Why would you do that?”
This causes him to laugh harder and makes me angry. “Sorry. I’m sort of known for my tall-tales. I couldn’t resist.”
I reach over and slap him on the arm. “That wasn’t funny in the slightest. Jerk!”
He eventually tamps down his laughter and explains what I’m pretty sure is the truth. “Seriously. Janet is just a lady I keep running into out here since I moved to Charleston. She lives in a home across town for battered women. She likes to spend her time out here and I honestly like her company. The poor woman has lived a hard life. Her husband nearly beat her to death a few years back.”
“Now, that is truly sad.”
“Yeah. She seems to need someone to talk to and I don’t mind.” He begins packing things up, but all I can do is stare at him. I’m seeing JP Thorton in a different light. Maybe jerk is too harsh a description. I think I’ll take it back… For now.
Hope appears as if on cue. “A female friend. Aren’t you excited?” She’s giving me her signature knowing smile and I’m confused for a moment. Then it hits me. Janet… Janet is my new friend.
“I don’t know about that,” I say without thinking. I’m in need of an easy friendship and all this angel wants to serve up is complicated.
“Don’t know about what?” JP asks, confused.
I just shake my head and play my weird card and walk to the Jeep without answering him.
When we arrive back to the gallery, JP actually walks me to my room like a gentleman. He even holds the door open for me. Instead of leaving or coming in, he hovers at the door and takes in the space as though he’s seeing it for the first time.
“No photos?” he asks.
“I’m only here for the summer. Plus there’s an entire treasure trove of pictures just downstairs.” I shrug my shoulder while removing my sandals.
“You should still have your own artwork,” he mumbles as he walks away.
Chapter Twelve
Monday finds all three of us, plus one angel, in JP’s office. He is working on some barn photos, I’ve finally reached the halfway point of the second container, Duke is propped up in a chair against the wall scrolling through his phone, and Hope is sitting on the windowsill peering outside wistfully. JP keeps grumbling at the computer as he flips through the photo previews. He’s not happy.
“Duke, check out this photo,” JP says, drawing Duke out of his chair.
He glances over JP’s shoulder. I watch as the two of them study the photo of a weathered barn with the sun setting in warm hues behind it.
“That’s cool, man,” Duke comments.
“No, it’s not. What’s wrong with it?” JP asks.
I look back over to the photo and notice what he’s talking about immediately.
Duke studies it for a few more beats before pointing to a broken window. “That needs to be fixed.” He shrugs his shoulders.
JP sighs loudly. “Not even close, dude.” He keeps staring at the screen and asks me, “Willow, what’s wrong with this photo?”
I sort
JP says nothing else and so I feel I should. “I’m… So sorry. That’s just so sad.” Poor guy .
He gives me an undecipherable look before roaring in laughter. “If you believed a word of that, you’re more gullible than I thought.”
“You made it all up? Why would you do that?”
This causes him to laugh harder and makes me angry. “Sorry. I’m sort of known for my tall-tales. I couldn’t resist.”
I reach over and slap him on the arm. “That wasn’t funny in the slightest. Jerk!”
He eventually tamps down his laughter and explains what I’m pretty sure is the truth. “Seriously. Janet is just a lady I keep running into out here since I moved to Charleston. She lives in a home across town for battered women. She likes to spend her time out here and I honestly like her company. The poor woman has lived a hard life. Her husband nearly beat her to death a few years back.”
“Now, that is truly sad.”
“Yeah. She seems to need someone to talk to and I don’t mind.” He begins packing things up, but all I can do is stare at him. I’m seeing JP Thorton in a different light. Maybe jerk is too harsh a description. I think I’ll take it back… For now.
Hope appears as if on cue. “A female friend. Aren’t you excited?” She’s giving me her signature knowing smile and I’m confused for a moment. Then it hits me. Janet… Janet is my new friend.
“I don’t know about that,” I say without thinking. I’m in need of an easy friendship and all this angel wants to serve up is complicated.
“Don’t know about what?” JP asks, confused.
I just shake my head and play my weird card and walk to the Jeep without answering him.
When we arrive back to the gallery, JP actually walks me to my room like a gentleman. He even holds the door open for me. Instead of leaving or coming in, he hovers at the door and takes in the space as though he’s seeing it for the first time.
“No photos?” he asks.
“I’m only here for the summer. Plus there’s an entire treasure trove of pictures just downstairs.” I shrug my shoulder while removing my sandals.
“You should still have your own artwork,” he mumbles as he walks away.
Chapter Twelve
Monday finds all three of us, plus one angel, in JP’s office. He is working on some barn photos, I’ve finally reached the halfway point of the second container, Duke is propped up in a chair against the wall scrolling through his phone, and Hope is sitting on the windowsill peering outside wistfully. JP keeps grumbling at the computer as he flips through the photo previews. He’s not happy.
“Duke, check out this photo,” JP says, drawing Duke out of his chair.
He glances over JP’s shoulder. I watch as the two of them study the photo of a weathered barn with the sun setting in warm hues behind it.
“That’s cool, man,” Duke comments.
“No, it’s not. What’s wrong with it?” JP asks.
I look back over to the photo and notice what he’s talking about immediately.
Duke studies it for a few more beats before pointing to a broken window. “That needs to be fixed.” He shrugs his shoulders.
JP sighs loudly. “Not even close, dude.” He keeps staring at the screen and asks me, “Willow, what’s wrong with this photo?”
I sort
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