A New Shade of Summer by Nicole Deese

Author:Nicole Deese [Deese, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542046688
Publisher: Waterfall Press
Published: 2017-09-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

DAVIS

“Then go into his world.”

Callie’s words hovered close throughout the day. They followed me into exam rooms as I cared for my patients and instructed their owners on vaccine schedules and prescriptions. They circled my pen as I signed off on the payroll and wished my staff a relaxing weekend. Yet it wasn’t until I saw Brandon hunched in our living room recliner, concentrating on his sketchbook, that Callie’s words went from background noise to full surround sound.

Kosher’s ears perked up as I entered the room, but he refused to budge from his spot at my son’s feet. ESPN announcers argued about a foul ball on the flat screen while Shep snored on my sofa, his ankles crossed over the padded arm, the remote balanced in the crook of his elbow like a gun cocked and ready.

I set my satchel on the ground beside the shoe rack and watched my son’s pencil flicker across the page in quick, succinct movements. The voice mail that Sheriff Granger had left me late this afternoon, stating that he’d spoken to the new owners and wasn’t expecting any trouble from them as long as there was no more trespassing, faded to the back of my mind.

And Callie’s words rose front and center once again.

“Go into his world.”

Such a simple statement, yet the how-tos were far from easy. I knew next to nothing about the art world. And what I did know had come from Stephanie when we were in college, usually while I downed a triple-shot espresso and studied for my next veterinary exam.

I approached Brandon the way I’d approach a skittish animal, my defenses turned off, my awareness turned up. “What are you working on over there?”

He startled, his sketchbook slipping off his lap and landing on the rug facedown. Kosher shot up from the floor, his casted leg now bearing weight. The dog looked between us both as if waiting for a showdown.

Brandon picked the book off the ground. “Nothing.”

Undeterred, I tried again. “That was a lot of concentration for nothing.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well.”

Where to go from here . . . “I’d guess you’re probably close to being out of pages in that thing by now, right?”

Brandon eyed me the way he would a suspicious-looking stranger, saying nothing.

“I mean, you’ve had that book since last Christmas.”

“This is my third one since Christmas.”

Oh. “Well, let me know if you need anything more . . .” Don’t stop now. “Uh, actually, maybe we could pick up a few things together sometime soon.”

He rotated in his chair, his hair swinging from one side of his forehead to the other. “Like what?”

So he wasn’t going to make this easy on me. I scratched the back of my head and thought about the paint cans that Callie had uncovered in a dryer today. How much of his chore allowance had he spent on those? “Whatever art supplies you might need.”

His stare couldn’t have been any more lifeless. “Why? Because you’re still trying to figure out ways

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