Hearts in Alaska by David Horne

Author:David Horne
Language: fra
Format: azw3
Published: 2018-03-04T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Sterling opened the envelope, and he and Carter sat down at the table. He read through the letter, though he was fairly certain what it would say. He gritted his teeth and tossed the letter onto the table. Then he crossed his arms and looked away as his lover picked it up.

Slowly, Carter picked up the paper, and carefully looked the contents over. He shook his head, feeling confused, and slightly angry. "They want to build a resort?"

"Yeah."

"On your land?"

"Yeah."

"Well, they can't just do that. They can't force you out if you don't want to go," Carter said.

"They've been trying for about six months now. I mostly ignore them, but they keep trying." Sterling frowned. "I thought, maybe, it was a letter from my mom."

"She knows you're out here?"

Sterling nodded. "She's just about the only one."

Carter folded up the letter and put it back in the envelope. "They'll just have to find somewhere else," he announced firmly. When Sterling didn't look so sure, he said, "What is it?"

"I don't know. They really know their stuff. They seem to think I didn't properly file the paperwork for my land."

"I read that," Carter answered.

"What if they're right? I was kinda hasty when I moved out here. I just wanted to get away." He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stand out at all angles.

Carter looked away too, not sure it was wise to broach the subject on his mind. Finally, he took a hesitant breath and said, "Why did you come out here?"

"You mean, you hadn't heard?" Sterling answered with a smirk. "Sorry. I just assumed there were all kind kinds of rumors and talk about it. That's how things had gotten. That's why I left. It was just too much."

"What was?"

"Everything," Sterling said, a little louder than he'd intended. He took a moment before continuing. "A big time gallery in New York noticed some of my work. They wanted to buy it, so they invited me out there to get to know them and the market. The art world was a lot different there. Life was different there," he added. "Everything was so...close. There were so many people, so much noise. I let them buy the painting but told them I was going home. They didn't like that much, but they liked the idea of future deals and an artist with, what they considered, an eccentric lifestyle.

"The problem was, a lot of people started to like the work. I was getting letters and phone calls and people stopping me on the street. I hated it, especially the ones who expected me to move out of Alaska and go to fancy parties and do shows. I just didn't want that kind of life. I just wanted to make a living doing my art. I didn't want to be famous or travel in fancy social circles. So, I took the paintings I had left, and moved out here, without telling anyone except my mother where I was going."

"You just...walked away from everything? I don't know if I could do that," Carter admitted.

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