Page 72 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

“Huh, sounds like you’re stuck with me for life then,” Warrick said, diving in to get his first installment. “Only nine hundred ninety-nine thousand left to go.”

“Excuse me,” Vili interrupted, tapping Warrick on the shoulder. “Can we watch movie now? I must know if she saves the babe.”

Letting out an overly dramatic sigh, Warrick released me and flopped back into his spot. “Gosh, V-man, never would have guessed you to be a cockblock.”

Vili flashed him a smirk before scooping me up and settling me on his lap. He nuzzled a kiss to my temple with a soft chuckle. “Now you know. Start movie, please. We have much more to watch.”

I had to cover my mouth as I giggled, seeing the look of betrayal on Warrick’s face. “It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for,” Gareth commented as he hit play, ending all further conversation.

The studio was located in the heart of Windermere’s art district. It was down the street from the acclaimed Museum of Modern Art, making it an incredibly sought-after piece of real estate. It was surrounded by boutique shops, galleries, and one of those paint-your-own-pottery places that held lots of classes and events. Many of the buildings had bright, colorful murals sprawling along the sides of the buildings. Two years ago, they’d started a campaign to make it the social media hotspot—a destination to capture the best pictures with interesting architecture, creative art, and a beautiful grotto with a gazebo covered in twinkle lights. All in all, an artist’s paradise.

Amazingly, the hard work put into the project paid off, and Windermere Art District won an award for being a travel hotspot. It made me sad that everything that happened with Randall had kept me from coming to my favorite place in the city. From time to time over the past four years, I rented space at other studios to work on projects for school I couldn’t do at home. Pottery wasn’t my favorite form of art. I was passable at best, but it wasn’t something I would invest in buying all the supplies when I knew I wouldn’t use them long-term. Crew was the first to suggest seeing if there was a place to rent, and it started my love affair with this part of the city.

We pulled up outside the two-story, red-brick building with a wrought iron balcony wrapped around the front and side. I should have known this was the building they’d buy out of the ones I knew were for sale. It had been announced the owner was going to tear it down and build an expensive apartment complex, taking advantage of the boom in this area. The moment I knew that was what was planned, I got on the phone with anyone I knew who held sway in the city to put a stop to it as this building had enormous historical value.

“Wow, this is your parents’ idea of a graduation gift?” Gareth asked, covering his eyes to peer up at the place.

I couldn’t blame the man for having that reaction. When I opened the box with the keys in it, I thought I was going to pass out.

“They knew my dreams when it came to the gallery I wanted to start. It also might have something to do with the fact I was a one-woman army, determined to rescue this building from being torn down,” I shared, pulling out the keys from my purse.

“Don’t just leave us hanging, Care Bear. Did you win the battle?” Warrick pressed as we walked up to the thick wooden double doors.

Sliding the key into the deadbolt, I turned the key. When the bolt slid back, I did a silent happy dance as the reality this place was truly mine set in. Trying to keep my cool, I pressed down on the vintage handle and shoved the door open. My cheeks hurt as I smiled and entered the building I’d fought for.

Spinning around, I faced the guys, barely containing my joy as I answered Warrick’s question, “You bet your ass I won. She’s still standing, isn’t she?”

“Did kitten swear?” Vili asked.

“Yeah, she sure did,” Ulysses confirmed with a smirk. “Look at her. That’s the face of a woman who beat the pants off some unsuspecting man.”

I rolled my eyes. “I did no such thing. Besides, I didn’t do this all on my own. The whole neighborhood was up in arms about what this man wanted to do. This was one of the last buildings designed by a famous architect, Rosco Reign, who used his buildings to support the arts. In a way, you could say his aspirations for his work inspired my dream studio. Once I got the city to put a hold on things while the Historical Society did their investigation on my claims, the builder couldn’t move forward. They even told him he couldn’t pre-sell the apartments since, as it stood, the property wasn’t zoned for residential. Without the final word from the Historical Society, they refused to change it should they claim it as a historical site.”

Yun-Sun let out a low, impressed whistle. “That, sweetheart, is some brilliant thinking. Are you sure you never thought about being a lawyer?”

“Trust me, I never would have come up with that idea myself. One of the other fighters in this cause gave me the idea. I was just the one who had connections to people who would listen to what I had to say,” I admitted with a shrug. “The last name Thatcher has its perks, but I hate to use them.”

Warrick pulled me into a side hug and kissed my head. “Care Bear, this was absolutely the right time to use that power. Saving history, helping a community, and ensuring a legacy continues to support others? Yeah, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over that man not getting his luxury apartments.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, hugging him tightly. “I needed to hear that.”

“Hey, baby girl, why don’t you take us on a tour? We still have an hour before we need to head out,” Gareth suggested.

“Would it surprise you guys to know I’ve never been in this building before? It’s been locked up and sitting while the previous owner tried to get things settled with the city. I’ve peeked in the windows, but that’s about it,” I admitted.

Gareth reached out a hand to me with a grin on his face. “Then let’s get exploring.”

Since Warrick refused to let me go, I walked between them. My parents told me they had been working on it while I was away at school to ensure it was up to code and safe for me to use. The main area was open to the roof with windows everywhere, letting light flood in.

“I’m thinking this would make an amazing gallery space,” I commented, taking in everything.

Yun pushed open a set of barn doors on a track, revealing an entire workspace setup. Gasping, I dropped the guys’ hands to cover my mouth, tears welling up at the sight of my very own studio. Of course, I had one back at my parents’ house, but it was a sitting room no one used that I took over. What I was looking at now put that studio to shame.

“Whoa…” Ulysses said, clearly as shocked as I was.

“Damn, if this is the gift game your parents have, we’re gonna need some lessons,” Gareth muttered.

Still too shocked to address their worries, I walked up to the shelves mounted on the wall stocked with every kind of paint known to man. Tool chests were set up as well, with drawers full of anything and everything I could possibly need to create whatever I wanted. While on campus, I’d started to explore more with oil painting, loving the different effects I could get with the thicker paint. Now lying in front of me were various palette knives, scrapers, and mixers with reusable paint palettes.