“You don’t come home often. Why’s that?”
The direct curiosity caught Kat off guard, and she hesitated. Not that she wanted to hide anything, but he’d be working with her mother—spending time in their house, her childhood home, probably talking with her parents. There was something awkward about that.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s best if I don’t air the family’s dirty laundry since you’ll be working with my mom.”
Nick shook his head. “That’s not official. She’s interviewing other people. We haven’t signed a contract.”
“But you might.”
The waiter arrived with their meal and interrupted the conversion.
“Hey, didn’t mean to pry,” Nick told her as he cut into his chicken.
“I know. And I don’t mean to make a big deal of it, but there’s a lot of family baggage, and I don’t want to spoil our dinner, or make you uncomfortable around my parents. I’ll just say my mother and I aren’t exactly close.”
Kat and her mother had been at odds since the day Kat was born—even before. As her father told her over and over, it wasn’t that her mother didn’t love her, she just didn’t understand her, didn’t know how to relate to her.
“Yeah, I picked up on that.”
Kat took a drink and smiled. “I was one of those later-in-life babies. An oops. And you may have noticed, my mom is a planner.” And every time she looked at Kat, her mother was reminded of the mistake.
Nick chuckled. “Right.”
“Mom was a rising star in her law career. My brother was almost ten, and my sister was seven, both in school full time. So, Mom was re-focused on the professional part of her life. Believe me, I’ve heard the story many times how she’d been at a critical stage in a big case the day she learned she was pregnant.” Kat didn’t need to be told it wasn’t welcome news.
“Ah. That’s too bad.” Nick picked up his glass.
“Plus, she’s never forgiven me for adding some much-needed color to a boring bathroom wall when I was about four.”
“Uh-oh.” Nick grinned. “Your artistic tendencies started early.”
“Yes. My medium of choice at that time was colored markers—and not the washable kind. She had to call her decorator and have the room re-wallpapered. A terrible inconvenience.” Though she’d been young, Kat remembered the details of that day. Remembered the horror on her mother’s face. The high-pitched screech when she discovered Kat with markers in hand was forever seared in Kat’s brain.
She waved a dismissive hand. “Anyway, what about you, are you close to your parents?”
He nodded. “Yeah, close two ways—we get along great, and I live on their property.”
“That’s really nice.” She couldn’t help wondering if there was anything not amazing in his life. It all sounded too good to be true. Surely, he wasn’t stretching the truth to impress her.
“Enough about the families,” he said. “Tell me more about your show. I’ve been checking my email for the bio you were going to send but keep coming up empty.”
Kat smiled but let out a soft groan. In one of their text conversations, she’d mentioned the bio, and he’d offered to be another set of eyes. “I know. I’m still working on it. I want to let it sit a day or two and then look over it again.” She still had a couple of weeks to get the artist bio to Pete at the gallery. She’d agonized over every word and comma, wanting it to be exactly the right tone—professional but at the same time personal.
“What about the photo?”
“Hey, Mister Task Master,” Kat shot back. “It’s on the list.”
Nick held up his hands. “All right, all right. But, hey, I’m pretty good with a camera. We could try a couple of set-ups while I’m here if you like.”
“Really?” He was apparently a man of many talents—or jack-of-all-trades. Kat mused the idea. She had a list of photographers, but some were way over her budget. “Maybe. I haven’t decided whether I want a studio shot or something kind of edgy on location.”
“We could try some of both.”
She studied his face. Was he really that darn nice or was he looking for a way to spend more time with her? Or both? He had to know by now that she provided no “in” with her mother. “Sure. If it fits in your schedule.” A trial run might be a good idea, but would he be offended if she didn’t choose one of his shots? He seemed laid back, but when it came to his work…well, it was hard to say. Some artists had a strong prima donna complex about their work.
“A few of my artists show here sometimes. Have you ever done any of the big fairs?”
“No. I don’t do art fairs,” she told him. “I know some people make connections that way, but I…it’s not what I want to do.”
