Page 60 of Sunset Catchers

“Winnie.” I reluctantly look at him. This close, I can see the dark blue rim circling his irises. “Nothing about what you just said is stupid. Not a single word.”

I nod, mouth in a tight line. I’m not so sure about that.

“Enough about me,” I say after clearing my throat. “What about you? Tell me the story behind how you became a graphic designer.”

We staple down the last bit of fabric on the second seat.

“My thought process wasn’t that different from yours. I’ve always loved books and looked up career paths related to that. I landed on graphic design, since covers are definitely one of my favorite parts about books.”

I gasp with fake indignation.

“Levi! Don’t tell me you are one of those people that judge a book by its cover?”

“I do.”

“So do I, honestly.”

“I studied graphic design and worked for a company that had me doing logos and website designs. After a few years, I started getting requests on the side to do other projects. I swear Win, my heart fucking twirled when I got my first request from an indie author to design the cover of her debut novel.”

“Shut up! Do you actually design book covers?”

“Yeah. I work with authors and a few editing houses now.”

My mouth is hanging open.

“That’s freaking amazing. I can’t believe I’m only just learning this now. You should lead any future introduction with that.”

“I can show you some of my work if you want to.”

“Yes! I’ll even show you mine if you show me yours.” I wiggle my eyebrows in a seductive way, letting my head tilt for just a blip.

Levi barks out a laugh that is sort of wobbly.

“I’d love to see some of your work, obviously,” he adds.

“Beware, though, everything is very different from what we’re doing here. This is truly the first project that feels completely me.”

“I’m glad you get to do this, then.”

“Me too. Even if the handyman on this job was not my first choice.” He scuffs. “Although I must admit, he turned out quite alright.”

A grin that could rival the brightest sun on the most beautiful summer blooms on his face. His eyes are literally sparkling. I slide my gaze away.

Yeah, Levi’s alright.

I take a closer look at the latest cover Levi designed for a book that hasn’t even been released yet.

“It’s one of my favorite covers I’ve ever done,” he confesses.

It’s colorful and cool with a weird font, which fits with the science-fiction genre of the story and the snippets about the story Levi told me.

“It’s so cool, Levi. I love the gradient background. You’re really talented.”

“Thank you, Win. Means a lot.”

And it seems to please my body that he thinks so because I get hot all-over. We’re sitting on the freshly reupholstered chairs around the dining table in Levi’s cottage. The denim blue velvet fabric is a great fit with all the other shades of blue and green throughout the space. Both our computers are open in front of us to show the other some of our work.

“These projects are all great,” Levi begins to tell me, while looking over one of my most recent moodboards.