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A shadowy figure drifts closer until brown eyes meets green. The details of her face poured in slowly until the mystery woman was complete, smiling before Sam, and what a gorgeous smile it was? He studied the beauty before him committing every detail to memory, from her Cupid's bow down to the faintest mark on her forehead. He wondered what the story behind it was. Had she fallen off her bike? Was she roller skating in the park? Did it hurt? The thought of her in pain pained him, and he focused his attention on something else. The bend and twirl of her hair blowing in the wind were enough to settle his spirits.

The colors began to pop. There were clear blue skies with the sun shining brightly. The light caught her light brown eyes, and he swore it was his reflection staring back at him. He skimmed the length of her bending over her curves. The contrast of colors compliments each other in an unexplainable way. He took his eyes off her for a brief second to gather his palette and brush, but she turned around. "Wait- - STAY!" He said chasing after her.

"Ahhhh," Sam shouted as his body collided with the hardwood floor. A stream of expletives followed from Sam's lips in response to him bumping his head on the adjacent nightstand. His alarm clock started beeping at him like an impatient person honking their horn, and he felt near tears. He tried to turn it off, but it toppled onto the floor narrowly missing his head and shutting itself off in the shuffle. Finally, he managed to get up off the floor and onto the bed without injury.

Placing his hands on his head, he contemplates why life was being so cruel? What had he done to deserve all this, and what could he do to atone his sins? Then he remembered the dream and that his mystery lady would be coming in today to talk to him. His lips turned up into a grin and like that his mood had lifted. He skipped towards the shower so that he could get dressed for the day.

Lately, Sam would loiter in his apartment until Rachel was in the office, or wait until Alexa walked through those doors before heading to his studio, but today, he found himself heading up early.

His thoughts drifted back to the mystery lady in mustard and the lady from the courtyard coming together to make his dreams come true. She is gorgeous with her full pouty lips and matching feisty attitude. She was a force pushing him into another direction. He didn't know whether he was coming or going, but he did know he wanted her along either way. She continues to dominate his thoughts as he prepares his supplies and sits in from of the easel.

He sketches lightly on the canvas happy he'd gotten thus far. He tucks his bottom lip between his teeth as he concentrates on the smooth, swift strokes of his sketching pencil. He had visualized concepts and the overall project, but couldn't visualize the details until he stumbled upon her greatness. She has to say yes. Everything was riding on it, and he would do whatever it took. He was armed with an apology and wasn't too proud to beg her to take this job.

Rachel entered the office humming a tune every bit prepared to get things opened up. To her surprise, Sam was already in the studio working. Usually, she would leave him to his work, but she had been thinking about the situation all night. Pulling open the doors, she headed into his space interrupting his flow. "Good Morning, Sam. How did you sleep? Are you excited? Your mystery lady will be here soon. Have you worked out what you're going to say? What if it's as bad as you said, and she doesn't accept the offer? Although-"

Rachel's voice faded into the background as all the worries flooded in settling again in his spirit. She wasn't helping him calm down, and he wondered if her word vomit had rubbed off on him. Nah, he couldn't blame her for his issues, but it sure would answer some questions. Like, why did he become a rambling fool when he was in the presence of this mystery woman? He'd lost all sense of boundaries and just plain ol' good common sense. Like keeping your hands to yourself no matter how inviting someone seems.

"SAM! Are you listening to me?"

"Umm-"

"Okay, I'll just leave you to it. Wait! Was that the elevator?" She asked half out the door. "She's here. How do I look?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel!" He chided but went no further.

"Actually, that's a good question." He brushed past her to glimpse himself in the mirror. Luckily, he hadn't started painting as of yet, so his hands were free of stains. He washed them, dried and moisturized his hands, ran his fingers through his hair, and straightened his dress shirt and slacks. He'd forgone the tie wanting to balance his professional with comfort. He hadn't dressed this much for any of the other potential models, but for some reason, he wanted to stand out a little more.

He felt a knot in his belly as she sauntered into his office wearing a mustard colored dress like all the others. Only, she looked like the woman in his dreams. Suddenly, the knots unraveled, and he took a deep breath. "Hello, I'm Sheila. How are you, Mr. Evans?"

"Hi, I'm well, and you?" He shook her hand before gesturing to the seat in front of the table.

"I'm fine. I'm excited about this opportunity. I admire your work."

He turned beckoning to Rachel, "Would you get Sheila some water? Thank you." She felt the dismissal but wasn't sure why. As soon as Rachel was out of earshot, he started in. "So, Sheila is it? A lovely name. Do you have any siblings?"

Her face scrunched a bit as though she thought the segue into her personal life was odd but quickly answered his questions. "Yes, I have a sister and brother."

"A sister? Does she look like you?"

"Umm, yes. We're related by blood." She replies tone dripping in sarcasm.

"Are you a twin? Do you have a picture?"

"No, she's younger by 15 years."

"I see. Do you have a cousin, young aunt that looks exactly like you?"

"What's this about?" She asked standing from the seat he'd offered.

"I ran into a girl— A Woman. She was definitely a woman that looks the spitting image of you."

"You mean black and plus-sized?"

"No, I mean cute button nose, soft brown eyes, high cheekbones, full lips, and rich brown skin. Yes, she was curvy and black, but she also looked like YOU. I've never come across one of you. Now two, on the same day—"

"Maybe God is trying to tell you something!" She said waving both hands in the air.

He stopped mid-thought picking up the phone and sending a message. "I'm not crazy or a bigot, and I'm going to prove it to you!" He sent a message to the head of security to pull the surveillance footage from their meeting in the courtyard.

They huddled around the desk watching the situation unfold. "HA," Sam shouted as they watched the building surveillance camera footage.

"Okay, she does look like me. What the hell? Is this the parent trap? Wait! That doesn't make sense. I'm calling my parents this instant! Excuse me!" She stalked out the glass doors with her phone plastered to her ear.

Sam fell back in his chair defeated. He was no closer to finding the mystery woman today than he had been last night.

Rachel felt sorry for him. He could be a pain sometimes, but he had a heart of gold. She watched him for a moment not daring to speak. It had been her wish that Sheila was the woman from the courtyard. She could tell he was already hung up on her, and she couldn't resist a real-life romantic tale. He dreamed up the masterpiece of his career, and she desperately wanted it to come to fruition.

Rachel nearly jumped out of her skin when Sam leaped from the table declaring, "I HAVE A PLAN!"

Before she could ask, he stalked out the room.

Sheila was hanging up from a phone call when Sam stormed past her. "Excuse me. Mr. Evans, may I have a moment?"

He stopped briefly, "I apologize for the crappy interview, and I will pay you for your time today, but-"

"I don't get the job." She finished before he could deliver the bad news.

"Unfortunately, I'm looking for someone else."

"It's fine. I'll get the next one. How many people can say they got paid to attend an interview? I must be the ish!" She said lightning the mood.

"Yes, the full six hours. Rachel will make sure to get you paid. Best of luck. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mystery lady to find."