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Did she think I forced Attikus to elope?

“Mom, Nessa has nothing to do with it. He does things no one understands. I’m sure he’s confusing her too.” Ellen smiled at me.

“He is,” I admitted.

“Honey, you need to grip tight on the reins so you don’t injure yourself.” Ellen gestured with her hands.

I nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Look on the bright side.” Ellen leaned into Gigi. “Attikus hasn’t taken a vacation in forever. When we invited him to Honolulu a few months ago, he declined. He also declined Paris, Costa Rica, and Singapore. He didn’t want to cancel his meetings to go with us. Our Nessa inspired him to take some time off. That’s a victory, isn’t it?”

Gigi sighed. “I suppose.”

“Stop by the gallery this week, and I’ll be there.”

Nodding, they both offered warm smiles.

I walked out of the restaurant and made a mental note to have Attikus talk to his mom. I turned back to see if Gigi was still angry and saw Agnes talking to them. Wasn’t she supposed to be vacationing in Maui? I thought Attikus had bought her a week’s vacation. Maybe she took a rain check and came back. Was she the one who told Gigi and Ellen about the wedding?

Anxiety gripped my stomach. Agnes had married Attikus Mount to Vanessa Lam, not Nessa Lambert. If Gigi and Ellen knew this, they would assume I was a fraud. I had to speak to Attikus.

When I got home, I placed the food on the kitchen island and set the plates and chopsticks on the table. I didn’t know when Attikus would be back.

I went to my studio, hoping to work on the painting for the First Lady. The large-scale gallery-wrapped canvas measured seventy-two inches wide and one hundred and twenty inches high. It sat on two containers of primer, leaning against the wall for security. My easel wouldn’t fit. I had a three-step ladder for when I needed to paint the top portion. Madeline wanted a statement piece, and I would deliver it for her.

I threw on a baggy T-shirt with paint splatter on it, stood in front of the canvas, closed my eyes, and dropped into myself. I calmed my breathing and cleared my head, making my mind a blank canvas. Distractions would affect the flow of my creation. When I was ready, I opened my eyes, poured paint onto my palette, and began the magical journey.

My mind stopped thinking, and my emotions took over. Beautiful colors filled the background. I stepped back to see what I’d accomplished so far. Satisfied with the blend of colors, I stepped on my stool to paint the top portion.

An image of me painting Attikus’s naked body popped into my head, andI knew what I wanted to gift him.

Would he pose for me to paint him?

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

ATTIKUS

With my cane,I headed to the nurse’s desk and smiled at the older woman with the name Kerry embroidered on her nurse’s scrubs.

She offered me a friendly smile. “How can I help you?”

“Hi, Kerry, I heard about Sam’s accident. He’s my cousin. May I visit him, please? I flew up from Florida as soon as I heard the news. Is he doing okay?”

“The doctor examined him this morning and said he should recover. It’s always good to see family. You can head down this hallway.” She pointed. “Sam’s in room twenty-six.”

“Thank you. Has anyone visited him yet?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

I walked down the hallway and found the door left ajar. I stepped inside to see a police officer with a beard standing by the bed. Was he one of Detective Farmer’s men?

Clearing my throat, I hit my cane gently against the open door. “Hi, Sam.”

The officer whirled around, looking startled. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting my cousin. The nurse told me to come in. Are you the officer sent to watch over Sam? The nurse told me an officer was supposed to stop by today.” I glanced over at the bed, and Sam appeared to be muttering something. “Sam, are you okay?”

“Yeah, they sent me. Sam seems fine. Have a good day.” The officer exited the room.