Love on Landing by Heather Thurmeier Page B

pretty.
    They stopped next in a room full of paintings of ballet dancers. Tali sighed quietly as she walked around the room examining the artwork. Gavin couldn't help but study her instead of the art hanging on the wall. Sure the paintings were beautiful, but this woman in front of him was the most interesting thing in the museum.
    She was so expressive as she gazed at a painting of a little girl in a fluffy tutu. Her eyes narrowed then widened as she scanned the entire painting up close before stepping back and tilting her head to the side. He watched as her fingers stroked her lips as she stood there, lost in her own world.
    If he could have taken a picture of that moment, he could have hung the photo on the wall alongside the most famous pictures and it would have stood out as one of the most captivating. Watching her stole his breath.
    "You're not looking at the art," she said, finally coming out of her dreamlike state to take note of him.
    He smiled. "I am, just not the paintings."
    "You can be very charming when you want to be. You know that, right?"
    "Of course I do. And I use it to my advantage as often as possible." He took her hand, leading her out of the room and across the hall to a bench before pulling her down to sit with him. She sighed, leaning into his shoulder. His chest grew tight with affection. How was it possible to feel this after only knowing her a short amount of time? How was it possible his opinion of her could change so drastically between when she'd first yelled at him in the cockpit to now, sitting on a bench in the middle of a museum discussing art?
    "It feels good to rest. I can't believe we've been here a couple of hours already." She covered her mouth as she yawned her words. "I think the lack of sleep is starting to catch up to me."
    "We can go if you want. I've seen enough art for one day."
    "No," she answered quickly. "I want to see the rest."
    He nodded and laid his arm across her shoulders. If she wanted to stay, he'd stay too. But first he had a question. "So what's with you and your interest in art? It seems like this stuff all means a hell of a lot more to you than the average person."
    She shrugged. "I don't know. I love looking at the brushstrokes, and the colors and the composition. It's fascinating to see what choices the artist made and then try to figure out why. Don't you think?"
    He laughed. "I usually think 'huh, that's nice' and then move on. I guess I'm not very artistic."
    "Sorry, I know I stare at each of them too long." She ducked her head to look at her hands resting in her lap. "We can go whenever you're ready."
    What? Who is this shy girl?
    "No, we'll stay. I'm not criticizing you or anything. I'm only trying to understand. I didn't take you for the artistic type."
    She stiffened beside him. "Why not? Because I'm too spoiled and self-centered to care about art? Because the only thing someone like me could ever be passionate about is shopping?"
    Whoa.
    "Well, you have to admit the first impression you put out there in the world isn't as someone who cares deeply about art. Unless of course the art is draped over a model as they strut down the runway or splashed across the pages of your favorite tabloid magazine."
    "First impressions can be wrong you know."
    "True. And my first impression of you definitely was wrong. But you can't fault me for seeing what you put out there." He stroked his hand across her shoulder, trying to ease the tension causing her shoulders to rise up around her ears. "I'm trying so hard to figure out who you really are, Tali. That's all."
    "I'm just me—spoiled, shopaholic, and sometimes artistic with a hearty dose of bitchy when necessary. And just so you know, I do read more than just tabloid magazines. Got it?"
    "Got it." He laughed. "So tell me, since you love art so much, do you create any art yourself?"
    "Not really. I'm usually so busy I don't have any time to sit and sketch or paint… or even think about art." She got up from the bench