Stoddard Art School

Z.Z. Lambert wasn't born uptight, but someone needed to be the adult. Zee's a "color-inside-the-lines" artist with a hippy mother, a mostly dead grandmother, and a cat named Isabella Rossellini. Add to her life's palette, a stunning new life model named Jagger Jones. Is it just her, or does all the air leave the room when he shows up? Good thing he's just passing through. This is no time to fall in love, especially not with her model, no matter how perfectly knee-melty he may be.

Maximo Vega is a “rock” star! The media proclaimed him "The Sculptor for the New Generation", but he’s a reclusive artist ensnared by fame. Driven and intense, his isolation only adds to his mystique. Couple that with his smoldering good looks and rich Italian accent…fans sigh his name. Emily Baskins is a gifted graduate student at the Stoddard School of Art. To land an internship at the Vega Studio is her golden ticket. All she has to do is follow the rules. And stay out of trouble. Two things Emily has never been able to do.

Kay Winston is a muralist and a runner. Not a break-the-tape-at-the-finish-line runner, but at the first sign of relationship trouble, she's gone. No need to hang around for the post-mortem; no need to make the pain last any longer than necessary. She isn't a sadist. She's practical and can be packed in less than three hours. Since the age of eight, the place she runs to is Bell Harbor, Maine. Barrett "Bear" Coulter is more of a long distance runner.