He Buried Me But I Painted My Own Resurrection novel Chapter 20

"I've been doing really well, and he hasn't been giving me a hard time at all."

"That's wonderful to hear," Eleanor chuckled warmly. "My birthday party is in two days. You have to be there, okay?"

"I already had the kitchen prepare your favorite lemon pound cake, using the fresh lemons we picked last fall."

"I'll be there. I promise."

"Oh, that's my good girl."

After hanging up, Sienna dropped the phone onto the bed and covered her eyes with the back of her arm.

She blinked fiercely, forcing the moisture back into her tear ducts.

She hadn't cried; she just needed a moment to breathe.

After sitting in silence for about five minutes, she checked her phone and noticed fourteen missed calls—all from the same number.

Hunter Hale.

She dialed back, and he answered before the first ring even finished.

"Sienna, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Hunter's voice was breathless, the background noise loud and chaotic, like he was speed-walking through a crowd.

"You weren't picking up or texting back. I was two seconds away from calling 911."

"My phone was on silent, I didn't see it," Sienna replied. "Are you back in the country?"

"Yes! I literally just landed and called you immediately."

"I need to see you. There are things we have to talk about that I can't explain over the phone."

"Alright. Just tell me where."

"Tomorrow at noon, that old diner on the west side of town. Do not flake on me."

"I won't. See you tomorrow."

—

Meanwhile, at the veterinary clinic.

Grant leaned against the hallway wall, arms crossed over his chest, watching Lyla kneel outside the exam room to coddle the poodle.

"One hundred percent! Our guys have been tracking his movements for ages."

Grant didn't hesitate for a single second.

"Send an invitation immediately. He picks the time and place. I will meet him personally."

"I'll do my best to set it up, but Hunter Hale is notoriously difficult to pin down..."

"I don't care what you have to do," Grant cut him off sharply. "I must meet him."

Ending the call, he watched as Lyla scooped up the poodle and sidled over to him, holding the dog's little face up toward his.

"Look, Grant. The doctor said Coco is totally fine, just a little spooked."

Grant gave a dismissive "Hmm," his eyes locked on his phone screen as he scrolled through Hunter Hale's public profile.

There was a brief footnote at the bottom of the page: Hunter Hale's most legendary achievement was discovering the seventeen-year-old prodigy painter, 'K', back in 2016.

'K' had taken the world by storm at Art Basel, achieving overnight fame before mysteriously vanishing without a trace, never to be seen in public again.

'K'... Why did that pseudonym sound so strangely familiar to him?