Only Between Us Read Online Free PDF Page B

follows Claudia up the stairs. I watch him go, the broad expanse of his back, the way he follows her like she’s in charge, his shoulders slumped and his head down. Who is she to him? Why would he … no . I’m not here to think about Caleb or the women who so clearly want him. I don’t care. I don’t care.
    I look down at my palette, my brush, the lumps of color on the thin wooden board, the means to my salvation, my path back to myself. This is about me and no one else. I repeat that a few times, and then I settle myself on the stool again. My fingers tighten over the brush, and I start to mix the colors, feeling giddy and hopeful. But as I work, my hands and brain betray me. The color on my paper isn’t the swirl of earthy brown I saw when I closed my eyes.
    It’s cool, thundercloud gray shot through with threads of yellow, along with a single pinprick of perfect, vibrant blue.

Chapter Four: Caleb
    Claudia Dexter knows what she wants, and she doesn’t like to wait for it. That’s her rep, anyway. This semester’s the first time she’s taken a class of mine, but Daniel has some experience with her, and so does Markus. I have no idea how long she’d been upstairs lying in wait, but when she came down to get me, I saw the irritation in her eyes. When they flicked toward Romy, I almost stepped between them, to shield Romy from it. I can’t let the shit from my life rub off onto her. I get the feeling she has enough to deal with already.
    “Nice of you to help some of the beginners,” Claudia says as we hit the second floor. “But I think your time is more valuable than that.”
    “Huh?” I’m having trouble getting Romy’s face out of my head. There was something haunted in her expression, but also rebellious. Strong.
    Claudia chuckles, patting her hair as the huge diamond on her finger twinkles yellow and red under the light. “That little charity case downstairs with the blank page.”
    Anger explodes beneath my skin and roils inside my chest. “She’s one of my students, and she’s going through a block.” My mouth snaps shut. I shouldn’t be doing this, defending Romy like she’s special, not to Claudia. It’s not smart.
    Claudia’s eyes flash, confirming as much. “I wanted to talk to you about your paintings, Caleb. I thought we’d agreed to meet. This is a great opportunity for you.”
    Shit . Her text. I said I’d meet her at nine. But I spent the afternoon putting out a fire … literally … and then I got so wrapped up in Romy that it completely slipped my mind. I clear my throat. “I’m so sorry, Claudia. I should have called.”
    We reach my studio and she looks over her shoulder at me. “You should have. But I’ll forgive you.” She glances toward my canvas, the one Romy said was exquisite. “I want to commission a painting.”
    My heart beats a little faster. Between my mom’s email and what happened this afternoon, I need cash in a major way. “Really?”
    She nods, her gaze sliding down my body before returning to my face. “We’re adding some pieces to our gallery room in advance of our annual fall charity event, and I think a Caleb McCallum original might be the perfect addition.”
    I gesture at my painting. “I could have this one done by—”
    She laughs, and the edges of it slice at me, making me feel two feet tall. “Oh, darling, I can’t hang something like that on my wall. My husband would think I’ve lost my mind. No, I need something tasteful.”
    “Tasteful,” I say, feeling like she’s punched me in the stomach. You need the money. Be nice. “I’m getting the sense you have something specific in mind?”
    “It can be abstract,” she says, “but I want it to be … organic. Like a landscape. Greens and blues. Flowers. Things like that.”
    “Flowers.” Be nice nice nice. Daisy does landscapes. She does flowers. And I could say that, but I fucking need the cash, and she’s not asking Daisy because Daisy doesn’t have the proper … equipment.