The Heartbreakers Read Free Page B

year since there was nothing to do in Birch Falls during the cold months.
    Inside the gallery, Kelly slid off her fleece gloves and shoved them in her purse along with her matching scarf. She couldn’t wait for spring. Winter was not her season. Not that it was anyone’s season, really. Well, maybe if you made a living by snowboarding.
    She recognized a few faces from school and smiled, nodding at them as she went farther inside. She found Will in the far corner, pointing to a framed canvas on the wall as he talked to Brittany, a girl from school whose thin figure and height screamed couture model while Kelly was more Oprah-ish. She felt skinny one week and downright fat the next.
    A twinge of jealousy furrowed her brow and she hesitated, wondering if it was her right to interrupt their conversation, since she and Will were a sort-of couple, or if it would be rude. She took tentative steps across the gallery, her flats clacking on the hardwood floor.
    As Will talked with his hands, he saw Kelly waiting on the periphery. “Excuse me,” he said to Brittany.
    Relief overtook the worry, and Kelly smiled. If he’d rather talk to her than Brittany, he must like her more, right? Maybe she should get back to the gym. And stop eating so much chocolate. It was her diet kryptonite. It didn’t help matters that her older brother, Todd, was always talking her into late night fast-food runs because their mother couldn’t cook. And Raven’s mother was always making those awesome Italian dishes and insisting Kelly stay for dinner…
    â€œHey,” Will breathed into her ear, then kissed her cheek delicately. “You’re late,” he said, the smile on his face slipping away.
    â€œSorry.” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and cast her eyes to the floor.
    â€œWell.” He took a breath. “You want to check out my pieces?”
    â€œSure.”
    He led her to the far wall where he’d been talking with skinny Brittany. “This is it. My favorite one is Kites. ”He inclined his head toward the abstract painting done in bright, childlike colors. Were there actual kites in there somewhere?
    â€œAnd this one,” Will went on, “took me weeks to finish. Every time I put the brush to canvas, something changed.” He put his index finger to his chin, musing over his own work. “I like how it came out though.”
    Kelly glanced over the second piece. It was a blue face in the middle of something green. Trees maybe? Honestly, she didn’t get the whole art thing. Especially the way Will did art. Sure, she could appreciate the Mona Lisa or the fantasy art that was so popular lately. But that was art. There was something to see and look at. You didn’t have to think hard about it, or analyze it, or interpret it. But she wasn’t about to say that out loud to Will.
    â€œWow,” she said, making her voice sound breathy. “It’s all great, Will.”
    â€œYeah.” He nodded, his mouth quirking. He flicked his eyes to her. “You look great tonight, by the way.”
    â€œThanks.” She smiled again and bit her lower lip to stop herself from squealing. At least being late had paid off in some way. “Can we walk around? I want to see what the other people did.”
    â€œSure.” He threaded his fingers with hers and led her away from his collection. The gallery was bigger than Kelly had first thought. She’d never been in here before tonight. Even farther back than Will’s wall was a little room filled with black-and-white photography.
    When they went inside, Kelly found the room empty. Perfect opportunity to tell Will about her Valentine’s Day plan. It was just a few weeks away. She was planningon V-Day meaning more than V as in Valentine . If all went as planned, it would mean V as in the day she lost her virginity.
    She and Will had been together—or sort-of together—for several months now. They