Lines of Love by Brey Willows

Author:Brey Willows [Willows, Brey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2022-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Grace sat in her little garden, debating what to do. She could, and should, go to the office. There was plenty to be done, and the whole team was already there. But after the night before, with all the stories she’d heard of Eris, her head was spinning, and she wanted some clarity.

She put on a sweatshirt and grabbed her keys, phone, and wallet as she headed out. The walk to the park took her past an array of houses, from little places like hers to apartment buildings and townhomes. A Korean man from the apartment building across the street waved to her as he threw bowls of rice to the pigeons. She wasn’t sure why he did it, and the grandson who lived with him said it had something to do with their culture, but he didn’t know what.

As she got closer to the park, she could hear the squawking and it made her smile. The wild parrots were in full voice today, and the clamor matched the noise in her head. When she got there, she took a seat on her favorite bench under a giant oak tree. From there she could see the green gold flashes darting from palm tree to palm tree, well-camouflaged if it weren’t for the racket. The yellow-headed Amazons were the descendants of some that had escaped a fire at a pet store in the sixties, and now they were everywhere.

“Excuse me, miss.”

Grace turned to see a homeless man standing awkwardly a few feet away, his cart parked behind him. “Hello.”

He looked surprised that she’d spoken to him. “Um, hello. I was wondering if I could draw your portrait? Or if you have a picture of someone you care about, I could draw that?”

He had kind eyes, red-rimmed and sad, and Grace found she very much wanted to know his story. “On one condition.”

His eyebrows twitched and he looked wary. “Okay?”

“You talk to me while you do it.”

He frowned, holding his sketchpad to his chest. “What about?”

“Anything. Everything. Tell me about you.”

He blinked hard. “It would be nice to do that.” He moved a little closer, looking around her. “Do you think you could turn sideways a little? The light coming in from that side is better.”

She turned until he motioned for her to stop, then he went and got a little stool. He sat on it, farther than necessary from her, and she had a feeling it was so he didn’t bother the people he was talking to. Or maybe it was for his own safety.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Patrick Reyes, ma’am.” His pencil began to move swiftly.

“Yikes. Don’t ma’am me, please. It’s Grace.”

He nodded, glancing from her to his pad. “Nice to meet you. Here to enjoy the parrots?”

She laughed. “I love the color, but the noise can get a little much.”

“Tell me about it. They don’t even go totally quiet when they sleep.” He tilted his head one way, then the other. “What do you do for fun, Grace?”

“I don’t have a whole lot of that, I’m afraid.

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