Dear Rosie, (Love Letters #2)

My brows raise. I hadn’t even thought to hack into those.

But then again, the idea of witnessing Rosie getting hit by a car might stop my heart completely.

“I… I can’t possibly accept…” Rosie’s breathless voice pulls my attention back to her, and I lay my arm across her shoulders, holding her to my side.

Her body is trembling.

This little piece of art clearly means so much to her.

I tighten my hold. “She’ll absolutely accept it,” I tell the artist. “That’s really kind of you.”

Savannah smiles up at me. “It was a fun little project last night, to take my mind off the fundraiser.”

I flex my fingers on Rosie’s shoulder. “Show me.”

She holds it up.

Savannah called it a postcard, and that’s about as big as it is, butthe entire piece of paper is covered in shades of gold paint. The lines are smooth. The design is sort of circular. And it takes me a moment before I see the image. A rose, made of nothing but gold.

“Wow.” I look back up at the blonde. “Impressive.”

She does a little curtsy. “Thank you.”

Someone calls her name from across the room.

“I’m sure I’ll see you throughout the night, but if not, thank you again for the delicious food. I’ve already snagged a few things from your servers.” Savannah smiles at Rosie.

Rosie presses the rose painting to her chest. “Thank you so much.”

“Don’t forget,” Mr. Savannah says to me as they step back. “Spend some of those zeros.”

I nod. With the way Rosie reacted to that tiny painting, nothing will stop me from buying her another.

ONE HUNDRED SIX

ROSALYN

I wait until Savannah disappears around the corner, then I sag against Nathan.

He tightens his grip around my shoulders. “Whoa, there.”

I hold the miniature painting up in front of me. “I can’t believe she did this,” I breathe.

It’s so perfect.

So Savannah.

Letting Nathan hold me up, I carefully hold the postcard by a corner and trace my fingertip over the swirl of petals.

All the paintings on display tonight are done in shades of gold, with only a few spots of color added for impact. And all the subjects are items from nature.

The fundraiser is raising money to protect Minnesota’s natural resources. So not only is this rose meaningful to me by name, but it also fits with the collection.

“It’s pretty.” Nathan leans his cheek against the top of my head.

I roll my lips together, trying so hard to keep my emotions in check. “No one has ever made me anything before.”

Nathan’s body expands with a deep inhale, followed by a heavy exhale. “That makes me really fucking sad, Rosie Posie.”