Splintered Heart (Love and Other Lies)

8 | Dani

I glance down at the amount of people attending tonight's paint session and then furrow my brows realising it's changed from a few hours ago.

We have a last minute addition.

I place the iPad down and then move for the stairs leading towards my apartment, foaming my spare room and grabbing one of the easels kept there before carrying it downstairs and setting it up for the tenth person.

People begin arriving and I smile as Lucy introduces her sister in law, Maia and they take a seat, already beginning to share a bottle on red between them.

I do a quick quick of my supplies and pop back upstairs to grab some more brushes and paint to share between the group and when I arrive back, most of the chairs are filled with friendly and familiar faces.

Only one chair sits unoccupied and I glance towards the door just in time to see the person slip through, another tagging along behind them.

Vincent gives me a soft smile and rubs the back of his neck, "hope you don't mind me signing up."

I shake my head and smile, "all are welcome," I look towards Enzo, "you however didn't sign up." I raise a brow at his cheeky face in return.

"But youll make space for me won't you, Dani?"

I narrow my eyes before huffing for the dramatics and then I nod. "Let me go get your stuff."

I wave towards the set up and the rest of the group, who I now realise are all ladies and are all looking between myself and the two men that stand across from me. "Start drinking and getting situated, I'll be right back."

I tune for the stairs but then feel someone following me and I look back to glance at Vincent.

"You tagging along?" I say sarcastically.

He grins, unrepentant at my tone. "My mother would be rolling in her grave if I let a woman heft a heavy object down a flight of stairs without offering my help."

"Oh, is this you offering your help. It looks a bit more like a macho man taking over."

He shrugs, "call it what you want, I'll still be helping you."

I shake my head slightly but lead him further up the stairs and into my spare room, pointing out the easel he can grab and then taking another few brushes and more to take back downstairs.

Vincent moves in front of me, his muscles stretching under the blue button up he wears as he carries the wooden easel down the stairs for me.

I try to look away from his lean muscles but call me a hussy, I stare like he was made from marble and I'm just admiring the art.

We reach the bottom to see Enzo sitting and messing with the brushes and the ladies all staring at him like they too are admiring a statue carved by the steadiest hands with a flourish for beautiful men.

Surely it's illegal for a man to be that hot, let alone to have two of them locked in this room with us.

I set up the easel, ignoring the two men to the best of my ability and turn to the women, since they've done this all before. "What did we want to paint today? I have flowers, fruit, other art we can use-"

Enzo catches the women's attention when he stands up and places two hands on Vincent's shoulders, rubbing them like he has a master plan brewing in his head.

Judging by Vincent's wide eyes, I'm right in assuming his friend is about to throw him into a den of lions.

I look around the woman,