Against the Wall (Stoddard Art School Series Book 3) by Lisa A. Olech Read Free Book Online Page A

course, the dock. Fisherman mending nets. Folks strolling in period dress. Buggies, horses, kids rolling hoops. Behind the check-in desk, a painting of the inn itself, but in its new colors.”
    She crossed back to the table and laid the four idea boards in order. She pointed to the sketch of the inn. “I even put you and Shadow on the porch bench.” Retrieving a color board, she handed it to him. “I’m thinking faded brights. I know that doesn’t make sense, but given the floor tiles and your exterior paint, I suggest adding some bright undertones to some of the muted hues. A final sepia wash over the finished piece will imitate the aging patina. It will appear as if the mural were original to the lobby.”
    Tucking hair behind an ear, she leaned in and pointed to the mock-ups. “If you look here, here, and here, I’ve done something a bit out of the norm, but I think it could work. It’s painting past the frame, so to speak. The lost balloon from the park is painted floating on the ceiling. These flowers in the garden spill over the baseboard. Tie the mural into the rest of the inn with a kite string heading up the stairwell. Things like that. It breaks the boundaries, and the effect brings the mural another dimensional layer.” She held out her hands. “Now, if you don’t like the idea of paint on the baseboards and the ceiling, I can lose it. These are just suggestions at this point.” She pulled two more sheets from her bag. “This is a list of supplies, costs, and finally my estimate.”
    Bear examined each page and card. He was speechless.
    “And…” Kay pulled a strip off each mock-up and attached one to the other creating a box. “This is an idea of how the whole project would look all together.”
    Kay stepped back and folded her arms over her chest. Her cheeks were bright, and her eyes sparkled with obvious excitement. “I’m sorry, I haven’t given you a chance to get a word in. What do you think?”
    The urge to drag her into his arms and kiss her was overwhelming. “You did all this in two days?”
    “I don’t sleep much.” She tipped her head looking impossibly adorable. He was in trouble.
    “I…I love it.”

Chapter Six
    Kay ripped into the envelope. Well done! M. A neon orange sticky note from Madeline decorated the check from the Bruce Gallery in Boston. A receipt showed the sale price of the piece, the gallery’s catalog number, and commission fee.
    “Wow, get a load of all those numbers.” Dottie peered over Kay’s shoulder.
    “That’s about six summers worth of sketches.” Kay grinned back at Dottie. “This day keeps getting better.”
    Dottie gave her a squeeze. “So your design meeting at the inn went well?”
    “Once I stopped rambling on like an idiot. I was a nervous wreck.”
    “The drawings you showed me were terrific. You had nothing to be nervous about.” Dottie began rearranging a selection of hand-thrown pottery bowls.
    “I was confident in the sketches. There’s just something about Bear Coulter.”
    Dottie frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “He…I…get flustered around him. The way he looks at me sometimes like he’s…I don’t know, surprised somehow.” Kay fanned herself with the check.
    “But he liked your ideas?”
    “He loved them. Never blinked at the estimate. Liked the color scheme. I start Monday.”
    “Walter will be tickled. ’Course there’ll be no living with him seeing as it was his idea Yogi talk to you.” Dottie stepped back to appraise the look of her display.
    “I’ll make sure I thank him.” Kay moved one of the wide bowls an inch to the right.
    “You’ll puff that man up so his head won’t fit through the doorway.” Dottie returned the bowl to where she had it.
    Kay laughed and slipped the check into her bag. “I should get this over to the bank, and put my supply order in at the hardware store before they close.”
    Dottie gave her a warm hug and held her close. “Come for dinner.”
    “Is Friday still pizza