Chapter 124: The Promise of Home

The gentle crackle of logs in the hearth filled the snug living room with warmth, and the whole place smelled of pine. Olivia sat huddled on the plush sofa, with a sketchpad balanced on her knees, her pencil moving in swift, sure strokes across the paper. From his armchair, Mark sat watching, a soft smile playing on his lips at the way the firelight danced across her features. "What are you drawing?" he asked, just to break the comfortable silence. Olivia's eyes flickered up, and her cheeks took on a faint blush, as if she had been surprised doing something private. "Oh, just... ideas. For the future, I guess." Mark perked up his interest, setting the book he was perusing to one side and leaning forward. "About the future? What ideas??" For one more moment, Olivia hesitated, then turned the pad to him. On its page emerged a very nice sketch from the beginning of lines: a sunlit space, huge windows with rays of light coming through, easels and canvases scattered about. "It's a stud