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turned
over her sketchbook and stood up.
    “I’m done,” Rori stated, and
thanked Carla for the sandwich she had eaten while she was sketching. “I’ve got
to get back to the studio. ” Looking at
Zoe’s depiction of Marcus, she complimented the young artist.
    “You’ve done a marvelous
job, Zoe ! That smile is definitely Uncle
Marcus.”
    “Are you not going to share
your masterpiece, Miss Sinclair?” Marcus had moved into the kitchen to create
his grilled cheese from the array of ingredients. H e tried to make his tone sound uninterested. In
reality, he was very anxious to see her artwork.
    “I’ll leave it, but will
need to take my sketchbook,” Rori tore the page out and placed it face down on
the counter.
    “Aren’t you going to
autograph it?” Marcus asked.
    “Already did,” she smiled a
falsely sweet smile. She tried to send him a message, I know you’re trying to
annoy me, but it’s not going to work.
    As she closed the door, he
turned over the paper. She had drawn him with a fierce, warrior-like look. It
was uncannily good. Her choice of weapons was comical. He couldn’t help but
laugh.
    “Oh, she’s good,” Marcus said, his tone making
it clear that he referred to more than just her artistic skill. She knows
exactly what to do to provoke me.
    “What was she doing here?”
he asked Carla. “Isn’t she neck deep in completing her art work for her show or
something?”
    Carla shrugged her
shoulders, dismissing the importance of her conversation with Rori. She was not
going to tell Marcus that he was the topic of their talk until after she talked
to Jake about it.
    “She said she was waiting
for one of her pieces to dry before she could complete it,” Jake’s wife explained.
“And we’re friends, remember?”
    “Whatever,” Marcus mumbled.
    “He has it bad, honey,” Jake
badgered his friend. “We should take it easy on him. Poor guy.”
    “I’m outta here,” Marcus finished
his sandwich, and kissed Zoe on the tip of her nose, thanking her for her
lovely artwork, which he promised to put on his fridge.
    Jake walked him to the door.
    “Really, Marcus,” he said,
“if you need to talk, let me know.”
    “I will.”
    Jake returned to his wife.
“Spill it,” he said. Carla described her conversation with Rori.
    “So, Rori likes Marcus and
Marcus likes Rori,” Jake summarized his wife’s take on the situation.
    “This is not junior high
school, dear,” Carla poked him. “This is serious.”
    “I know, I know,” Jake said.
“She ’s scheduled to move right after
graduation, so we need to work fast!”

Perplexing
Pasta
    Rori purposefully slipped
into class right before starting time .
Being late would bring unwanted attention but she did not want to risk being
alone with Marcus before class either. She had not returned to the studio after
lunch at the Hamptons, but instead had stopped by the church to talk to the
assistant pastor. 
    Reverend Samuel Collins had been on the retreat where Rori had
first gotten to know Jake and Carla well, and he thought this lovely young lady
was a delight. To see her so distressed concerned him. 
    “I’ve never had anyone take
me in dislike so quickly,” Rori shared with the young pastor. “I know it
shouldn’t surprise me, and in the long run shouldn’t really matter, but am I
doing something wrong ? I don’t want to
irritate the man to the point of frustration.”
    “Why shouldn’t it surprise
you that someone might dislike you?” Her
statement confused Sam. He couldn’t imagine anyone disliking Rori Sinclair. She
was one of the friendliest and most lighthearted people he knew. Of course, he
knew that the carefree attitude could be a defense mechanism. He would address
this later if he needed to.
    N ot wanting to delve into a painful memory from her
past, she tried to downplay her comment. Rori became quiet, feelings from high
school flooding in. Sam noticed her hesitation, though.
    “I’m so unruly and messy
compared to