Nick laughed. “You’re good. My mom majored in elementary education because she had a passion,” he continued. “It was what she always wanted to do, and she was exceptional. Still gets invited to graduations and weddings. Gets cards and notes from former students. It’s pretty cool.”
“It is.” He’d obviously been raised by a loving, nurturing woman. She reached for Nick’s hand. “Imagine how many lives she’s touched.”
“Hundreds. We can’t go out to eat without someone recognizing her and stopping to say hi.”
“She sounds amazing. Tell me about your dad.”
“Dad is the opposite of Mom. Great guy, but he’s painfully shy. Doesn’t like crowds.”
“Any particular reason for that?”
Nick let go of her hand and dumped the spaghetti into the pot of boiling water and began stirring. “He stuttered as a young kid. Though speech therapy eventually cured it, he never got over the fear of talking to people, especially anything public.”
“What does he do?”
“He’s an engineer. Perfect for him, but I remember one year his team won an industry award, and he refused to go to the dinner. He was afraid he’d have to go on stage to get the damn thing.”
“That’s too bad. What does he think about your HomeBuilder’s spot?”
“You know, I think he’s relieved. It’s the ultimate proof that I didn’t inherit that stuff from him. I think he’s always been afraid of that. It’s one reason I took debate in high school and played team sports, forced myself to speak in front of people. Guess that’s one reason I decided to go for the HomeBuilder’s gig. Sure, it’s going to be great for business, but I wanted to prove I could do it, too. If it gives Dad some peace of mind, that’s even better.”
Kat touched his arm and tried to ignore the wave of envy that rolled through her. Nick obviously had a great relationship with his parents. “That’s wonderful,” she told him. “I hope I get to meet them someday.”
Nick placed a kiss on the side of her head. “Let’s make that happen.”
Kat thought of everything she had going on and wondered when things would settle down. Would the show bring more gallery appearances? More clients? More work? Even if it did, she should probably make the effort to go to Colorado and not expect Nick to do all the traveling.
“Maybe this summer?” Nick suggested. “You could meet my parents, see my place, and look at the shop.”
She sucked in her breath. Summer was only a few months away, but still, that sounded like long-term planning. They hadn’t planned beyond her show. Until now, long-term hadn’t been part of their vocabulary. Still, it seemed natural, and she’d love to see his place. She nodded. “Yeah. That might work. It’d be a good opportunity to see Nana, too, and I’d love to see the remodeling at my parents’ house.”
He put one hand on her shoulder and tipped her chin with the other. “You wouldn’t have to stay at their house, you know.”
Kat looked into his deep green eyes, and the familiar flutter returned. By then, her parents would know she was in a relationship with Nick. At least he already knew what he was getting into.Eyes wide open. He knew her mother, and that hadn’t scared him off. She swallowed hard as she considered the things he’d let slide. He’d been gracious about her earlier faux pas in reference to teaching. He was without a doubt one of the nicest guys she’d ever met.
After dinner, they settled into the living room and Nick turned on the television. “This room could use a fireplace.” he said.
“It sure could. I think I’m going to paint one.”
His brows drew together. “You’re what?”
Kat gave a little laugh. “Non-functioning, of course, but it could be a fun focal point. And I can hang stockings on the canvas.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah. Maybe the flames will give the illusion of heat. Too bad I can’t attach a mantel.”
“We could paint one of those, too.”
“Do you paint?” She sat straighter. Was there anything he couldn’t do?
“I was an art major, I had to draw, paint, make clay pots and even tried my hand at glass blowing. I don’t have your talent, but if you art direct, I think I can manage a brush all right.” He gestured toward her easel. “Do you have materials here?”
Kat jumped into action and headed for the closet. “Not sure I have a canvas here that’s big enough. I have watercolor paper, but that wouldn’t work for structure.” She rummaged in the depths and came up empty-handed. Too bad. It’d be fun to do a painting project together.
She peeked back out and shook her head. “Darn. No canvas, and most of my acrylics are at my studio.” But now that the idea had taken root, she wasn’t ready to give up on it. She ran a hand over the new wildflower and mountain scene she’d sketched out on a large piece of watercolor paper. That seemed fitting, too.
Nick met her at the closet door. “You get lost in there?”
