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“Okay, let me think some more. Artistic but not messy.”
Derek smiled, and Nara couldn’t believe the transformation it gave his face. “That’s exactly what it is. Maybe you do know me more than I thought.”
“Ha! That’s right. I do know you. Now, let me think. Artistic.” She stared at his laptop, and for the first time noticed the skin that was on it. It was a photograph of a building, and she squinted to see it better. It was her father’s building, but the photo was taken in such a way that showcased the symmetry of the windows, and the way they grew smaller in perspective as they got further away from the camera. It looked cool. Artistic.
She jumped up from the bed, her sketchbook flying. “Photography!”
Derek’s smile widened as he hopped out of the chair and picked up her book. “You guessed it.”
“Ha! I win!” She was feeling so elated from guessing his hobby that she did a little victory dance, forgetting who was in the room with her. When she came to her senses, Derek was staring at her.
She reached for her sketchbook but Derek pulled it to him and opened it. “Now that you know my hobby. I want to look at yours.”
She suddenly felt self-conscious, with him looking at her designs, which was silly, because it was only Derek, for Heaven’s sake. What did it matter what he thought? He didn’t even know anything about women’s fashion, did he? And yet, she held her breath, waiting for his reaction.
He turned through the pages, taking more time on each page than she would have thought a guy would. Then, he nodded. “These are really good, Nara. I mean, it’s easy for me to see that you love this. You put your heart into each design.”
She let out a breath and smiled. “Really?”
“Yes. You’re very good. Have you made any of these into real clothes?”
Nara couldn’t help but bounce on her toes. “Yes. My favorite thing in the world is creating something I’ve designed. When I lived with Dad, I had my own sewing room. There wasn’t enough room in my tiny apartment in New York, so I had to make clothes on my kitchen table. But I have a lot of things I’ve made. I’ll show you when we get to California.”
Derek handed her back her sketchbook. “I’d like that.”
It felt weird to be proud that Derek liked her work, but she couldn’t tear the beaming smile from her lips. That meant a lot to her, for some odd reason.
“What about you? Do you have a photography studio or something? Do you take portraits?”
He shook his head. “I have taken some indoor still life shots, and I do have some lighting for that, but I don’t have a studio. I mostly take pictures of landscapes, wildlife or architecture.”
That seemed to fit his personality. She didn’t see him as a people person. “Did you bring your camera?” Grand Cayman was filled with fantastic views.
He seemed sheepish as he tugged on his collar. “Yeah. I just thought it would be better to spend time with you, instead of focusing on my hobby.”
“Nonsense. Let’s do something tomorrow that gives you some great photo ops.”
He brightened. “Okay.”
“Can I see your photos? Do you have any on your computer?”
He shifted his weight. “I do, but it’s kind of getting late.”
Disappointment flickered through her, before she waved it off. “That’s fine. I’m tired now.”
Derek went to the closet and brought out the extra bedding. He spread it out on the floor next to the bed. Nara brushed her teeth, then climbed under the sheets. Once again, the cloud-like mattress enveloped her, and she was asleep before Derek was even out of the bathroom.
Chapter 8
Derek woke to the sound of a bird outside on the patio. He wasn’t sure what kind it was, but it kind of had a raspy sound to its song. He thought about getting out his camera, but he didn’t want to wake Nara, so he rolled over and stared at the ceiling.
His muscles hurt from sleeping on the hard floor, but he’d never tell Nara that. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel bad. Or guilty. Even though the king-sized bed was big enough for both of them, he didn’t want to make Nara feel uncomfortable.
Derek slipped into the bathroom and took a shower. The hot water felt good on his muscles. Soothing. Ten minutes later he felt more like himself. He applied his gel and combed his hair into place. Then he dressed in another horrific “vacation” shirt. Did Nara pick out the worst ones in the store just to humiliate him? He was starting to wonder. This one was red, yellow, and green and looked like a florist was trying to assassinate someone.
The soft sounds of Nara snoring came from the bed as he walked past. He couldn’t help but stop and look at her, curled up in the white comforter. She looked so peaceful. Like she wasn’t just forced into marrying a man she hated.
He sighed and shoved his nightclothes into the drawer. Maybe hated was too strong of a word. Nara didn’t like him, but he’d seen her trying to get along with him over the past couple of days. At least she wasn’t forcing him to get his own room. And she did say she wanted to do something fun today. Maybe he should figure out something before she woke up.
