Beautiful Mess(3)

At their approaching footsteps, he turned to greet them. Bri was struck by a pair of grey eyes, thick, dark eyelashes, and the most delicious mouth she had ever seen. He had a full, almost pouty bottom lip that perfectly complimented his thinner upper lip. Those lips turned up, revealing a dazzling smile. Bri was suddenly very grateful for her dark sunglasses, because she was suddenly unable to keep from staring.

“Well, hello, ladies!” A deep, rich, voice greeted them. “What can I do for you?”

Carly gave Bri a pointed look before taking charge.

“Hi! I’m Carly, and this is Bri,” Carly waved at her dismissively. “We wanted to have our pictures drawn and were hoping that you could help us out.” Carly gave him her most charming smile.

“Um, sure, I can do that. Though I have to warn you, people aren’t really my strength.” He motioned to the beachscapes displayed behind him.

“Oh,” Carly leaned forward flirtatiously, her eyes never leaving him. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“Okay then,” he smiled. “Why don’t you ladies have a seat over here.” He showed them to a bench he had pulled up underneath the canopy he had set up to provide some shade. He reached out and shook their hands. “I’m Cole, by the way. And it was Carly, right, and Bri? Well, give me just a minute to get set up and we’ll get started.” He grabbed a big pad of drawing paper and sat down behind an easel.

Carly had been watching him appraisingly, and decided to get the conversation started.

“So, Cole, you seem a little young to be trying to make a living out here on Venice Beach,” she began tactlessly. When Cole raised his brows uncertainly, she barged right along. “I mean, you look young enough that your parents should care that you’re down here alone with all the weirdoes. So do you live on your own, or are you just poor or something?”

“Carly!” Bri hissed and hit her in the arm.

“Ouch! What was that for?” she hissed back.

Very aware that Cole could hear everything they were saying, Bri leaned in and lowered her voice.

“That was incredibly rude! I can’t believe you would say something like that!”

“I’m just trying to find out how old he is! How is that being rude?”

Bri just shook her head and rolled her eyes at her super-inappropriate cousin.

“So, Cole,” Carly continued brightly as if he hadn’t just heard their whispered conversation. “How old are you?”

Glancing at Bri, Cole continued drawing as he answered Carly’s question.

“I’ll be eighteen in October. I’ll be a senior in high school this year. What about you two?”

“Bri will be a senior, too, but I’m going to be a junior. I’ll be 17 in March, but I can’t wait until I’m 18 and I graduate! Then I can tell my mom where to shove it when she tries to tell me what to do. I bet you can’t wait to get out of your house, Cole.”

Again, there was something rude and demeaning implied in Carly’s tone that set Bri on edge. But Cole ignored it and continued drawing.

“Actually, I’m in no hurry. My dad pretty much gives me free reign, as long as I stay out of trouble. So,” he changed the subject, “How do you two know each other, from school?” Cole had directed his question to Bri, but Carly answered.

“Oh, no, we’re actually cousins.”

“Really?” Cole looked between the two of them doubtfully.

“Like, totally, though we don’t look anything alike. I got the good genes from my mom and her dad’s side of the family. Bri got her mom’s red hair, poor thing. I’m actually visiting from Phoenix. I’ll be here for the next week.”

Ignoring Carly’s jab, Bri turned her attention to Cole’s artwork. She needed a distraction from Carly’s horrible flirting. There were a couple of black and white cityscapes that were stunning, even from a distance. The majority, though, were ocean and beach scenes done in a variety of styles. But one painting in particular caught Bri’s attention. It was a painting of a sunset, and the colors were so unique and vibrant, she couldn’t tear her eyes away. It appeared this guy was very talented.

Following Bri’s gaze, Carly started in surprise as she noticed all the paintings behind Cole.

“Cole! Did you do all of these?” Carly was amazed.

“Yeah,” He shrugged off handedly, but there was a distinct note of pride in his voice. “Some of them are older, but most I’ve been working on since school got out.”

“Wow. They’re...” Carly began.

“Beautiful,” Bri finished softly. It took her a couple of seconds to realize she had spoken out loud, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.