He addressed Annie, who was standing on Suzanne’s right. “Annie. I’d like to make a donation to the gallery, please.”

And then he turned the canvas around to reveal his reclined naked form, as breathtakingly alive with her love today as it had been the day she’d painted it. Hot tears pricked at the backs of Suzanne’s eyes and needled her nose. A well of emotion in her throat threatened to choke off her air supply.

No one in the diner reacted at first. It took a beat or two for them to realize what they were seeing. Then everyone talked at once.

A guy at the back called out, “Hey, Grady, how much did you pay her to embellish that?” And someone else, a woman, said, “I’ll give you a hundred bucks.” Another woman said, “I’ll give you two.”

Suzanne stepped forward, ignoring the impromptu auction going on around them—this painting was not for sale. “What are you doing?” she hissed, keeping her voice low, not that there was much worry they’d be overheard with all the noise.

“I saw it,” he said, his hand slipping onto her arm and pulling her closer. “What you saw. In the portrait.”

A pulse tap-danced at Suzanne’s temple, her heart thudding the fandango. He had? “What did you see?”

“You love me.”

Suzanne’s legs went wobbly as a surge of relief washed through them, making her feel lighter than she had in weeks.

“I see it in all these other paintings, too,” he said as he looked around the walls.

“Yeah. Sorry about that,” she said, depressingly aware of how inconvenient it was for him. “I know that’s not what you want.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m absolutely terrified to admit that I’m in love with you, too.”

Suzanne’s pulse skipped a beat. He loved her? But he was still in love with Bethany. She looked around; the spectators had started to quiet and pretty soon would be hanging on their every word. “How about we go into the kitchen or something? For some privacy?”

“No.” He looked around at all the faces watching him and shook his head. “I want everyone to hear this.”

“You do?” Suzanne’s gaze darted to Burl, who shrugged but seemed pretty damn happy anyway. So did Cora.

“Yes.” He grabbed both her hands and held them clasped between their bodies. “I’ve been too caught up in my pride and my desire not to be pitied to realize that these people”—he gestured around him—“love me and would do anything for me. That they’ve been rooting for me to be healed and happy since I came to Credence seventeen years ago, and this declaration is as much for them as for you.” He took a breath. “If that’s okay?”

Suzanne nodded, also catching a breath as the crowd all seemed to lean in simultaneously.