Charlie shot a look at Sebastian. He’d told Susan all the good stuff and none of the bad. He hadn’t said that Charlie was hesitant about the doctors he’d found or that she wouldn’t take his money to help with Magnolia Gardens. Had he really called her his hero?
“Sebastian bought Mom a lovely china tea set,” Charlie wanted Susan to know. “Will and Harper picked it out. That’s become part of her ritual too.”
“He’s a good boy.” Susan was quiet a moment before looking straight at Charlie. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that he thrives on helping.”
Charlie nodded. “He’s amazing with the people at his seminars and he’s been so nice to the kids this morning too.” Even if he hadn’t always stopped to let them learn by doing the work themselves.
“His heart is in the right place. Always. But...” She paused, as if wondering how Charlie would take what she was about to say. “Sometimes he doesn’t know when to step back a bit and stop helping.”
“It’s only because he thinks everything needs to be perfect.” His need for perfection had driven him to hide his sketchbooks from the world. He wanted everything to be perfect for her mother, and for Charlie’s career. Somewhere along the way, he’d learned that perfection was crucial. Though as far as Charlie could see, Susan obviously wasn’t the person who’d taught him that lesson.
Susan’s eyes lit with hope. “You understand him, don’t you?”
“I’m trying to.” Charlie took a deep breath. “I love him.” Once the words spilled out, she couldn’t stop the rest. “I love him so much that all I want is to make him happy any way I can.”
“He wants the same for you, Charlie.” Susan took her hand and held it tightly. “Promise me you won’t give up on him.”
“He’s the most incredible man I’ve ever met. I’ll never give up on him.” Never.
“You’re a strong person. An independent woman who clearly knows her own mind. And Sebastian has never been as happy as he is now, just from being near you. Do you know what else I see, Charlie?” She paused, holding Charlie’s gaze. “That he loves you exactly the way you are.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Daniel broke the moment, clapping his hands and announcing that their break was over. Charlie and Susan only had time for a hug before heading back to their posts.
He loves you exactly the way you are.
Charlie still wasn’t completely sure about that. Yes, Sebastian loved her—she believed that with everything in her, with his every touch—but he also had a vision of the celebrated artist and socialite he wanted her to be. He’d never say it—maybe wasn’t even aware of it. But she didn’t know how long she could live up to that vision.
She still had so many more questions for Susan, so many important things she needed to know. What had Sebastian’s relationship with his parents been like, particularly with his father? How had he dealt with their passing, given that they hadn’t made the changes he’d so hoped for? What had Sebastian been like as a teenager? Had he always been so positive, so sure that everyone was capable of change? And why he was so intent on keeping his artistic talent a secret from everyone? Charlie was almost sure Susan had to know about his drawing.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t sneak away when she was in the middle of assembling drawers with Stacey. She would have asked Sebastian all her questions face to face if she could be certain they wouldn’t upset him. He’d been almost feral the night she’d found his sketches. She couldn’t do that to him again. All she wanted was to support him and his art, not tear him down by forcing him to face a painful past.
Charlie sighed, wishing, not for the first time, that there were easy solutions to everything—from how to move Sebastian past his block about his talent to keeping up her stamina during the endless stream of galas and new commissions. Long days full of hard work, evenings full of sequins and small talk, and moonlit nights wrapped in Sebastian’s arms tumbled into one another faster than she could believe. She’d found love, but that didn’t mean life suddenly became an effortless walk in the park.
Glorious. Breathtaking. Heart-racing. Yet still completely confusing at times.
She watched him, brimming with all her emotions.
“We’ll apply the adhesive to the wall, then press on the tiles,” Sebastian explained, and like a typical teenage boy, EZ grunted in response. “We need to get the squares straight along the line I’ve drawn.” Instead of letting EZ try, Sebastian fit the next square, turning it a couple of times before finding the right position and pressing it into place. “We also want to make sure we don’t get any black ones side by side.” EZ nodded and handed Sebastian another tile set, then another.
Sebastian was doing it again, telling rather than letting EZ do the work.
Stacey was cooking along nicely with the drawers, so Charlie left her to it, sauntering close to lean against the doorjamb next to the empty spot the stove would fit into once the backsplash was done. “Looking good.” Before Sebastian could reach for another tile, she added, “Let’s see what you can do, EZ.”
“Me?” EZ put the fingertips of both hands to his chest, his brown eyes wide.
Charlie laughed. “Yeah, you. You’ve been watching Sebastian closely enough.”
Sebastian glanced at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. Then he nodded. “Sure.” He cleared his throat. “Good idea. Lay some in, EZ.”
The edge of tension thrumming through Sebastian’s voice was subtle enough that EZ wouldn’t notice. But Charlie heard. Still, Sebastian was as encouraging as ever, complimenting EZ’s technique as he worked.
Once Stacey finished the drawers, she joined them to watch EZ press the next pieces into place on the adhesive. Clearly distracted by the pretty girl, he pushed it a little higher than the straight line Sebastian had drawn.
“You’re doing great, especially considering it’s your first time,” Charlie said, feeling Sebastian tense beside her. She wanted to shake the person who’d taught him there were ugly consequences to imperfection. She not only learned from her mistakes, but sometimes they even led to her best accidental creations. “When you’re doing this kind of work, it’s good to pause and take the time to check things out,” she coached EZ.
“Cool, will do.” EZ backed up a couple of steps, then said, “That side’s a little high, isn’t it?”
“Good catch,” Sebastian said, smiling at the boy. “Why don’t you look at the info on the bucket of adhesive to see if it’s still okay for you to adjust them.” While EZ and Stacey both squatted down to read the fine print, he turned to Charlie. “Can I grab you for a second?”
* * *
Leaving EZ and Stacey to work on the tiles, Sebastian took Charlie’s hand, leading her outside to a semi-private spot beneath one of the backyard canopies. “Thank you.”
“Is that really what you want to say to me?”
He appreciated the fact that she didn’t pretend she had no idea what he was thanking her for. “At first,” he made himself admit, “I was annoyed when you stepped in. I know you teach, but I do too. I know what I’m doing...at least, I thought I did.”
“You’re great with the kids—”
“But I was still screwing up. I didn’t want the tiles to be laid in crooked so I stopped teaching and started doing it for them instead.” Through the window they could see how well the two teens worked together, figuring out a great tile pattern all on their own. “Now they’re doing better than I was.”
Charlie smiled. “You’re welcome.” Then she put her hand to his cheek. “Who ever made you feel you had to be perfect?”
He tensed. He didn’t want to get into it, not now, as if he were whining about his childhood again. “I don’t need to be perfect.”