“Pretty well. Was great to see her. She’s not moving real fast, but her apartment is nice. She has lots of new friends and activities. And guess what? Nana wears your bracelet all the time. She loves it, and she wants you to come to the center and do a trunk show for her friends.”
“Seriously? Are you sure trunk show is the right term? At a retirement home?”
“We’re talking Nana here. And it’s a senior living community. I know she’d put together something super classy. If she couldn’t, she wouldn’t do it at all.”
“Okay, get me some more details. Maybe we could find some cheap flights. I’d love to see her again.”
Mia had joined Kat and her family for dinner in Chicago the night before graduation and met Nana then. “We probably couldn’t pull an event together in time for Valentine’s Day. Maybe Mother’s Day.”
Mia gave Kat a long, speculative look. “I’m glad you had a nice Christmas, but I hope this doesn’t mean you’ll go home for every holiday.”
“Not a chance,” Kat assured her. “I’m just thinking of gift-giving occasions. Speaking of, how are things at the store?”
Mia worked on the merchandising team responsible for the trendy window displays at Bloomingdale’s. The job paired well with her flair for the dramatic.
“Fine. Almost pulled an all-nighter to get Christmas torn down and Valentine’s Day up.”
“Can’t wait to see them.”
“Stunning, if I do say so, myself.”
“As always.” She held up a hand for a high five. “Hey…there’s something else.”
Mia’s brows rose.
“Mom’s doing some more remodeling. She wants the house to be in this big homes show. It’s a benefit thing. Aaaand…I met an interesting guy, one of her potential contractors. He does custom woodworking, mantels, bookcases and things like that.”
Mia perked up. “Oh, really? Do tell.”
Kat shrugged. “Unfortunately, that’s about all I know. Except that he’s gorgeous and talented, and he’s coming to New York later this week to interview for some TV spot. We’ve texted a few times.” Kat struggled to keep from constantly checking her phone for messages. “We’re supposed to go out while he’s here.”
“Hmmm. Sounds intriguing. But he’s from Colorado?”
“Yes. I got out of Colorado, moved to New York, and now I meet this cool guy from Colorado. Can you believe it?”
“Too bad. But maybe he’ll land something here and want to move. Or…” Mia grinned. “Maybe he won’t land something here but will fall madly in love with you and move anyway just to be close to you.”
“Lady, you do have a vivid imagination. More likely, working with my mother will scare the bejesus out of him, and he’ll bolt in the opposite direction from both of us. Anyway, I can’t think about that yet. I can’t let anything distract me from my show.”
“Actually,” Mia drawled. “You might be a littletoofocused on the show.” She leaned closer. “I’d say a distraction is exactly what you need.”
“Not yet. Come on, let’s get this party started.”
They bundled up and refilled their drinks before heading to the studio in an old warehouse a few blocks away. The gray of the sky matched the concrete sidewalks and buildings that surrounded them. Kat tugged her hand-woven scarf up around her ears and quickened her pace against the chill wind.
The studio space, shared by six other artists, was raw but affordable and a convenient place to store materials. Sometimes Kat preferred to work alone, and she kept a small easel in a corner of her apartment. But she enjoyed the co-op as well. It was nice to see what others were doing and to commiserate with them or celebrate their successes. On any given day, they’d probably do some of both. They got energy and encouragement from each other. Kat considered it cheap group therapy.
Inside, she gathered the supplies and unfinished piece out of her locker and set up at one of the workstations next to Mia, who sat at a table sculpting exquisite pieces of jewelry with silver and semi-precious stones. Only a few other members were already there.
“Where is everyone?” Mia asked of no one in particular.
“No idea. Maybe they’re all hung over from a big party last night that we weren’t invited to or something,” one of the other women suggested.
“Wouldn’t surprise me a bit, the fun suckers,” Mia responded with exaggerated disgust.
Kat laughed. Mia always managed to liven up the place.
The friendly banter continued for a while, but soon they were each engrossed in their art. For Kat, that meant she was in her own world of color and texture. Her favorite media were pastels and watercolors. Today she mixed them in a vibrant landscape, a purple sky dissolving into shades of blue. Excitement hummed through her as she mentally ticked through her finished pieces and placed them in the gallery, the big, whimsical mountain scene front and center. Mountains…with a little catch in her heartbeat, her thoughts took an abrupt turn—to Nick Summers.Again.
