They ended the call, and Nick immediately opened his email to find the all-important packet that would dictate his schedule for the next few months. Anticipation warred with apprehension as he opened the document. His plate felt as if he’d over-indulged in an all-you-can-eat buffet line. Could he give all these commitments—including a relationship with Kat—the time and attention they deserved?
* * *
Kat hit “send” on the email she’d finished with a few updates for Cassie to have in hand for the afternoon staff meeting. Then she pulled her cell phone from her purse and made a call to Loft Images.
Matt’s friendly voice came on the line.
“Hi, Matt. It’s Kat Andrews. How are you?”
“Not too bad. I was going to call you this afternoon. Got notice from Ace that your pieces will be ready for delivery Friday. If you want to see them before they ship, you’ll need to get over there this week.”
Her heart lurched, and she put a hand to her chest. “Oh, my gosh! That’s earlier than I thought.” She gave a breathless laugh. She couldn’t wait to see how they turned out. “I’ll get over there. By end of day?”
“Not sure. I’d call them if I were you.”
“Okay. And they’ll go straight to Loft? You’ll store them until the show?”
“Sure. Want me to use the same credit card as before for the balance?”
“Yes, that’d be great. Hey, I was actually calling to check on the promo postcards for the show. I’d like to start sharing them as soon as possible. Any idea when those will be ready?”
“I’ll have to check with Pete on that. He’s been talking about going digital. Skipping the printing costs, you know?”
Kat’s shoulders sagged. Of course he was—at least for the no-name shows. She’d had visions of leaving the postcards at some coffee shops and libraries that had community bulletin boards and in the break room at the museum.
“Oh. So nothing to hand out.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be on the website and will go out to his email list. You can share the link. A direct link is going to be more effective, anyway. One click to get all the show information plus your bio and samples of your work.”
Probably. She could put the link in a text to her friends and on her own website. She’d planned to upload the postcard. Now, she’d have to recreate it herself. No physical piece also meant no keepsake to send to Nana or her parents. Maybe her dad would open a link.
“Okay. Any idea when the newsletter will go to the email list?”
“That usually happens a couple of weeks out, so we still have some time.”
With March closing in, she’d better switch gears and get her website updated. The museum project had eaten up so much of her time the past few weeks. And her nights, well, it was crazy how much time she could spend on a call with Nick talking about nothing and…everything. She wouldn’t be cutting those out. His positive energy kept her inspired at the same time his smooth, deep voice grounded and soothed her. She darted a glance at her computer. Too bad she couldn’t squeeze in a mid-day pick-me-up.
An hour later, she grabbed a notepad and headed to the conference room. Other team members shuffled in, and Kat caught Cassie’s eye. She gave an almost imperceptible nod, which Kat took as a sign to speak up about the gallery show.
Amy breezed in and closed the door behind her. “Everybody here? Let’s get started. We have a lot to go over today.”
Kat smiled and sat straighter, giving Amy her full attention. Not that she didn’t always, but today, she wanted to make sure she was engaged and making eye contact.
“First, I have to thank you all for such an incredible response and effort to get the bamboo exhibit pulled together. You’ll each get a bonus personal day this year as a little thank-you.”
Time off instead of a bonus. Not ideal, but Kat forced the smile wider as she nodded. “Thanks, Amy. That’s great.” At least it was something. Overall, she couldn’t complain about the museum.
“Be sure to tell your friends and families about the exhibit and do everything you can to help spread the word. It’ll be in the upcoming magazine and newsletter. And we’ve managed to schedule some amazing speakers. The man who makes the chairs we’re displaying is going to give a presentation, and we’ve got someone from The Smithsonian coming. I’ll be handling the publicity for opening day.”
Kat’s grin was real. All of those kinds of things brought attention to their work and increased the value.
“Installation begins next week. Be prepared to pitch in any way you can, even if it means running down to the cafe for snacks.”
After a few more mundane housekeeping topics, Amy looked around the room. She folded her hands in front of her and leaned forward. “Let’s go around the table. Who’s got news to share?”
Spencer had a piece accepted into a juried show in New Jersey. Lilly was a guest blogger in her alumni newsletter.
“That’s excellent. You all rock more than any team I’ve ever had. Kat? You’re always busy. Anything new?” Amy’s gaze rested on her.
