She had her checkbook in hand.
“I hope you’re pleased with the result,” Nick said. He handed her the invoice. “I think it looks fantastic.”
“Yes, thank you. It’s nice to have this piece done.”
Hmm. Was she worried? Pretty funny considering he was worried about her stiffing him.
She tore a check from her checkbook. “Have you been to New York recently?” she asked.
Whoa, that was unexpected. Nick tensed but kept his attention on the papers in his hands. He knew that wasn’t an innocent question and had nothing to do with his HomeBuilders job. Careful, he told himself. The goal was to get the check and get out of there. For good. He was so close. “No, have you?”
“Not for a while,” she said vaguely.
Yeah, right. Disgust rolled through Nick. Definea while.“Might be going soon, though.” He met Rebecca’s eyes. “I could look in on your daughter if you like.”
“Oh, thank you, but that won’t be necessary.” She handed him the check. “We’re going to see her in a few weeks.”
Nick nodded.Same. He smiled inside, thinking ahead to the surprise in store for Kat’s mom.
ChapterSeventeen
March came in like a lion, and the wind nearly wrenched Kat’s arm when she opened the door to the museum. She smoothed her hair on her way to her cubicle, dumped her purse, then headed for the production center. Today, she’d pick up the final story plaques for the bamboo exhibit.
As she approached, she crossed her fingers that no typos had weaseled past the multiple rounds of editing and proofreading. Re-dos were talked about, and they showed up on a special line in the budget accounting. Not a good look.
She took the box from the man at the desk and held her breath as she read each piece. And then she read them all again. Finally, she declared them perfect. Smiling inside and out, she delivered the box to the exhibit space where the team was assembling the displays.
“Wow, this looks fabulous,” she told the crew.
One of the men gave her a thumbs-up. “Getting there.”
She handed him the box and a copy of the schematic that showed where each plaque was to be placed. “Are you ready for these?” she asked.
“Just about. You can go ahead and check placement of those on the black wall.”
“Will do.” Kat took her time making sure each framed box of text matched the correct photo. When voices suddenly filled the room, she turned to find the crew unveiling the ultra-modern chairs that would sit in the center of the exhibit.So cool. The smooth curve of the design shouted sophisticated and fun at the same time. Though it wasn’t her art on display, Kat loved bringing the pieces together and helping to create a dramatic and informative exhibit that would draw people into the world of art and creativity. She snapped a few photos then returned to her office.
It was mid-morning before she had a chance to refresh her coffee. When she finally sank into her office chair, she opened her email. And froze. A message from Human Resources stood out like a neon sign.
Her stomach dropped. The first line wasn’tcongratulations. It wasthank you. She swallowed hard and opened the email to confirm what the sick feeling inside already told her—she would not be offered Cassie’s position. With tears building in her eyes, Kat scanned the message. A number of highly-qualified applicants…appreciate your interest…blah, blah, blah.
Lips trembling, she blinked hard and fast, fighting to maintain her composure. She’d known this was possible. Still, disappointment settled hard in her chest. Why? She wanted to demand an answer to that question, but knew she’d never get one. Her only option was to grin and bear it. To hold her head high and accept the snub with grace.
When the shrill peal of her phone cut into her silent dismay, Kat jumped. Terrible timing. Sniffling, she let it ring four times before picking up.
“This is Kat.”
“Kat, it’s Amy.”
Ugh, the last person she wanted to talk to.“Hi, Amy.”
“Can you meet me in my office?”
“I got the email from HR,” Kat told her. No need to hear the bad news again.
“Yes, I’d like to talk. See you in a few minutes.”
Kat gaped when the phone went dead. Amy always had a brisk, no-nonsense style, but Kat hadn’t expected her to be quite so abrupt. Couldn’t the woman give her a few minutes to recover?
