The Artist and the Actor – 47

 

 

Shane nodded. "Sometimes they were. I could see it in some of the painting. The colors were as deep and rich, but the subject? Yeah, it expressed a love of life."

 

"Not as often as it should have," Colin replied with a grimace. "That being said, now, I'm…I'm happy, I guess you could say. Or at least hopeful. And it's your damned fault."

 

"Mine?"

 

"Yeah, yours. You came back. When you did, it made me look at what happened and realize, in spite of everything, that I still love you." Colin gripped Shane's arm. "Although I didn't want to accept it, even when I hated you, I never stopped loving you."

 

"It's a thin line, or so they say," Shane replied softly. "Perhaps, in some ways, I was in the same place, up here." He tapped his forehead. "Although it wasn't you I hated. It was my competition. There were times when I would willingly have destroyed your studio if it meant I'd have your complete and undivided attention. Insane, I know, but that was how it was." He sighed. "Instead, I destroyed what we had out of misplaced jealousy." Lifting Colin's hand from his arm, he held it tightly. "I promise with all that's in me I won't let that happen again."

 

Gazing into Shane's eyes, Colin said, "I swear, I won't give you a reason to." Ruefully, he added, "Of course you might have to drag me away, kicking and screaming, at times."

 

"No, I don't think that will happen. We want this to work. This will be a second chance at proving we love each other, and this time, damn it, we're going to do it right."

 

"We are," Colin replied emphatically before kissing him deeply.

 

Shane returned it as given, with love—and need. "When we finish—" He waved a hand at their partially eaten dinner once the kiss ended.

 

Colin nodded as he pushed back from the table and stood. "You know, suddenly I'm not in the least bit hungry. So, why wait?"

 

They didn't.

 

A long time later, having relearned all they needed to know about how well they meshed as physical as well as emotional lovers, Colin and Shane fell asleep in each others arms.

The Artist and the Actor – 46

     

Lifting his beer, Shane said, "To us."

 

"To us," Colin replied, tapping his bottle with Shane's. He smiled. "There is an 'us', now, I think."

 

"I damned well hope so," Shane retorted. He took a deep breath, and a deep drink. "If there isn't, I'm going to feel like an idiot."

 

Cocking his head, Colin asked, "Why?"

 

"The guy who's place I took in the show is back in dancing shape, or will be before we're supposed to move on to Duluth. The director asked if I'd be willing to let them break my contract for a large payoff." Gazing directly at Colin, Shane said, "I told him that would be fine, as long as I got a glowing recommendation to put on my résumé, too. After all, I have a good reason to stick around here." He took Colin's hands. "At least I'm pretty sure I do."

 

"If you mean me, you do." Leaning in, Colin kissed him gently before pulling back. "I want you in my life again. You know that."

 

"I've always wanted you in mine," Shane said softly. "I know you had your doubts at the end, but I did."

 

"I believe you. If you'd said that the night you showed up at the gallery, I'd have called you a liar. Now…yes, I do believe you."

 

"Finally." Shane cupped one hand behind Colin's head, drawing him close enough to kiss. Much to his relief, Colin returned it heartily and for a moment it deepened. Easing out of it, Shane gestured toward their meal. "We should probably eat before it gets cold."

 

"Good point. We can continue this later."

 

Shane's libido went into overdrive as he hoped Colin meant that the way it sounded. He quickly tamped it down, just in case he didn't. To that end, he asked as he began eating, "Will you let me see the new painting, or is it too soon?"

 

Colin waggled his hand. "It's only the basics. There's a lot more I have to do to it. And…" He hesitated. "It's different from anything you've seen, including Kenny's."

 

That piqued Shane's interest. "Why?"

 

"I think because things have changed in the last couple of weeks. For the last few years, even before…" He waved his hand as if to dismiss what he was about to say. "How I used to paint, the way I depicted the depth of a dreamer's emotions, was too often based on my own emotions, and they weren't always that cheerful, to put it mildly."

The Artist and the Actor – 45

 

Shane pressed the doorbell Monday evening and waited. When Colin didn't answer, he pushed it again, and a third time a few moments later. "About time," he said when Colin finally opened the door. Realizing his tone was accusatory, he eased it back a notch. "Twenty-to-one you were painting and lost track of time, which is okay."

 

Colin smiled ruefully. "Got me. I had to deal with my brushes before coming down. Sorry."

 

"I survived the wait," Shane teased before planting a kiss on Colin's lips—which Colin returned with obvious relief. Once he was inside, Shane sniffed. "Dinner would probably smell delicious, if you'd gotten around to making it."

 

"Smartass. It's made, well almost. The parts are ready; they just need to be stir-fried." He headed to the kitchen with Shane right behind him.

 

Leaning against one of the counters, watching as Colin put everything together in the wok, Shane asked, "What did the detective tell you, other than that he caught the killer?"

 

"That it was a woman."

 

"Seriously? Whoa. The way it was done doesn't seem like a female thing."

 

Colin shrugged. "If she did as we thought and searched cold case sites, I don't see why not. That and the fact she was a female spurned. As they say—"

 

"Hell hath no fury. I suppose it's true. Any chance she was connected to Kenny?"

 

"She'd have been twelve when he was murdered so, no."

 

"A bad seed. That's a play, and a movie, in case you don't know."

 

Colin rolled his eyes as he dished the stir-fry into a large bowl. "I'm not a total plebeian. Somehow I doubt it. I don't see him taking a kid up to Lookout Mountain in the middle of the night."

 

"I was teasing. Yeah, the age thing takes her out of the picture for his murder."

 

"Yes. I'm resigned to the fact we'll probably never know who did kill him. So are my folks. I called them, finally, to tell them about Logan's murder, and they agree. As my dad said, 'Whatever the reason he died, he knew we loved him. That's what counts, when it comes down to it.'" He sighed. "He's right. I wish I'd told him more often, but I think he knew, anyway."

 

"Of course he did," Shane replied, hugging him.

 

"Thank you," Colin said quietly, returning the hug. Then he went back to what he'd been doing. He put the rice, which had been simmering in another pot, in a second bowl and then got a couple of beers from the fridge.

 

"Here, let me." Shane picked up the stir-fry bowl, carrying it to the dining room table, which was already set.

 

Colin followed with the beers and the rice, and they sat, dishing the food onto their plates.

 

The Artist and the Actor – 44

 

Shane returned Colin's call soon after five-thirty that evening. "Backing out of fixing me dinner tomorrow night?" he asked with a smile in his voice.

 

"Not at all. In fact, it's going to be a celebration of sorts."

 

"Do tell."

 

"I had a call from Detective Randall. He arrested Logan's killer. Of course there's still loose ends to tie up, he said, but he sounds certain he's got the right person."

  

When Colin didn't continue, Shane said, "Deets, man. I want all of them."

 

"Deets?" Colin laughed. "What teens have you been hanging with? I'll tell all tomorrow night, I promise."

 

"Colin… Damn it, you're a tease. You know that, right?"

 

Chuckling, Colin replied, "I want to make certain you show up."

 

"You know I will, even without this startling revelation. Which, by the way, is hardly a full revelation…yet."

 

"Yeah, I know. It will be. At least as much as I know about things."

 

"Better be," Shane grumbled. "Not to change the subject, but how's the new painting coming along?"

 

"It wasn't, until just before Randall called. It's going to be different from anything you saw at the gallery. Not like the Kenny one, though. I'll refrain from saying more until I see if it works or if I'm going off halfcocked."

 

"You never have before," Shane replied.

 

Colin snorted. "That anyone's seen. You have no idea how often I've stopped mid-stream, gessoed over something because it sucked, and started again."

 

"I'll take your word for it. Okay, right now I'd better get moving if I'm going to eat before tonight's performance. I'll see you tomorrow around…?"

 

"Whenever you get here, as long as it's after five."

 

"Five it is, then." Shane paused. "Love you," he said softly.

 

"I know. I think I still love you. At least I'm working on it."

 

"That's all I can ask."

The Artist and the Actor – 43

 

"Oh, really?" Colin said. "How would she know that if she says she didn't know Logan?"

 

"Exactly what I wondered," Randall replied. "So I had another talk with the roommate. He admitted he hadn't mentioned her because she and Logan had broken up over a month before his death. He didn't think that was important enough to tell me," Randall added, scathingly. Colin could picture him rolling his eyes.

 

Randall paused, asking Colin to hold as he had another call. When he returned, he said, "I did some digging, found two witnesses who remembered Logan bitching about how Ms. Egan refused to accept that their relationship was over. Then, I had another long talk with her. She finally admitted to the break-up, but claimed she was at a party with a friend the night he was killed. That was true, up to a point, according to the friend. He says she disappeared for approximately half an hour. When she returned, she claimed she'd been in the bathroom being violently ill, then asked him to take her home, which he did."

 

"Of course the time she was gone matches the time Logan was murdered," Colin said dryly.

 

"You got it. I brought her in for more questioning and subsequently arrested her, at which point she asked for a lawyer. As I said, everything will be turned over to the prosecutor. I suggested, given the way Logan was killed, that he get a subpoena to obtain her browser history."

 

"To see if she went to any unsolved or cold-case crime sites, I presume," Colin said.

 

"Yes. Hopefully, she did, and found your brother's case."

 

"That would certainly tie things up in a neat bow."

 

"Well, it will help," Randall replied. "Anyway, that's where it stands at this point."

 

"One question. How old is she?"

 

"If you're thinking she could have known your brother, it's highly unlikely. She's only twenty-two."

 

"Figured as much. Thank you for letting me know."

 

"No problem." With that, Randall hung up.

 

Colin immediately started to dial Shane's number to let him know what had happened. Then he realized Shane had a matinee, followed by an evening performance. He completed the call, which as he'd expected went to voicemail, leaving a message for Shane to call him.

 

After hanging up, he went back to limning out the idea for his newest painting.