pinup model. They’d be painting the nude form in a neutral pose.
She was a bit rounder than she was when she’d run through the woods and gone swimming in the local lake with Chris. Her hips had filled out, flared in a most feminine way. The slight swell of her lower belly seemed ripe and fertile instead of ugly. Her ribs still showed and around them the muscles she’d developed doing God knew how many down-dog poses and planks. Her breasts were still relatively where they belonged. Much fuller and rounder than in her teen years. She smiled, cocked her head. Moved her shoulders so that her collarbone stood out in full relief – the most fetching bone in the entire body, she felt.
‘Not too shabby,’ she whispered.
Her cellphone rang, vibrating in the middle of her bed, and she squealed, covering her breasts as if she’d been caught doing something shameful.
She grabbed it and answered without looking at the caller ID. ‘Hello?’
‘So, have you decided?’ Chris. She could tell just by the way he spoke that he was smiling.
That blush returned in her cheeks as if he could see her here, primping and preening in her mirror while the iron hissed and spat in the corner.
‘I have.’
‘And?’
‘And … I think … yes. But …’
‘But?’
‘But I need to know more. I mean, the details. It will help me decide for certain.’ Her tongue felt too big for her mouth. Her head felt fuzzy and light as if hovering a few feet above her body instead of actually being attached. ‘Can you tell me more?’
‘Sure. Of course. Why don’t we meet for a drink tomorrow? Justin’s on the Water down in Middle River?’
‘What time?’
‘Well, it’s Sunday tomorrow. We could go with the oldster crowd. Early dinner and drinks at threeish?’
‘I’ll be there.’
‘I think it will be good for you,’ he said, his voice deep and comforting.
‘Do you?’
‘I do. An emotional shakeup. Something to make you feel wild and brave and free. Instead of some crazed road trip where you roam the blacktop highways of our great nation, you can just come at night after work and take your clothes off.’
She shook her head. ‘You are so weird, Chris.’
‘Always have been,’ he said. Then he laughed, said goodbye and disconnected.
Dani put on a pair of sweats and a huge Henley that she’d stolen from Bob years before. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and went back to ironing and half listening to the TV grill master. Cinderella back to her scrubbing and mending …
‘You look lovely,’ he said.
She looked down at the cashmere sweater her mother had snagged for her at the clothing swap. Atop black trousers and ankle boots, it made her look a bit dressed up without having to go all out. ‘My mom found it yesterday. It still had the dry-cleaning tags attached so I figured it was safe to wear.’
He touched the sleeve. ‘The colours work great with your skin tone.’
Despite the chilly weather and the cool breeze coming off the water, they’d opted for the deck. A big gust blew and Dani was grateful she’d decided to pull her hair back in a tight French braid. It blew again and her dangle earrings tinkled.
Chris grinned. ‘Human wind chime.’
The waitress, Cari according to the nametag on her sweatshirt, brought them two glasses of wine and two menus. Dani opened it but didn’t even look; she knew she’d be getting the Chicken Chesapeake. ‘So tell me. What would I do?’
He shrugged, glancing out at the water, his face lit by the softening colours of the sky – gold, pink, light blue. ‘You’d come in. I’d introduce you. You’d remove your robe. Then I’d tell you how to pose and then you just stay there. You just … model.’
Her stomach flipped as if something small and anxious lived within. ‘Utterly nude?’
Chris smiled. ‘Utterly nude. Unless the assignment calls for a drape or similar.’
‘How many nights?’
Cari the waitress returned and they ordered, Dani going with her favourite chicken, Chris opting for the surf and turf. A filet done medium rare and a crab cake. He spun his finger in the air over their drinks and smiled at the young woman. ‘And two more.’
Dani noticed that Cari lingered when taking the menu from him, making sure to brush her fingers against Chris’s.
‘I think you have an admirer,’ she teased.
He shook his head. ‘I think you’re imagining things.’
She opened her mouth to argue but he said, ‘And back to your question. I have a class that meets Monday and Wednesday from six to eight. And a Tuesday/Thursday class that meets six forty-five to eight forty-five. The first class are full-on newbies. Green as green can be. Just learning. The other class is a little more advanced. People who took my beginner class in the past and have returned. These particular courses run only three weeks. Four nights per class.’
‘So two hours a night … nude?’
‘Well, I get them set up, we go over class notes, assignments. I deal with questions and all that good stuff. So I’d say most classes you’d be in the buff maybe an hour to an hour and a half … ish.’
She took a deep breath as their new glasses returned. She’d drunk the first one way too fast because of nerves, but she took a fortifying swig anyway. ‘I feel woozy.’
‘Maybe slow down on the wine.’ He chuckled.
‘No, I feel woozy from thinking of standing there buck naked for that long.’
He touched the top of her hand, his fingertips warm despite the chill. ‘But also excited.’
She considered it. Then she nodded. ‘Yes, but excited. Oddly enough.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Chris said. ‘It’s a thing. It’s a risk. If you were going to rappel down a cliff face or skydive or do that thing … the line thing.’
‘Zip line?’
‘Yeah. If you were going to do that over a rushing river in the jungle, you’d have that same buzz going on. Fear mixed with excitement and adrenalin. It’s a good feeling to have,’ he said. ‘It lets you know you’re alive. And there’s very little chance you’ll fall to your death while standing naked in a room full of budding art students.’
She hung
