Kat rolled her head to the side and let out a soft groan. “Mmmm. That’s awesome.”
He continued kneading her muscles, stroking her neck until her head bobbed. “You ready to call it a night?” Nick asked.
“I can’t sleep. I was mostly awake when you called. Come sit down.” She patted the sofa cushion next to her. “And let’s talk about anything except Loft Images and my defunct show. How are your parents?”
Nick sank down beside her and took her hand. He appreciated her ability to think about someone else under duress. “Pretty good. I think everyone’s ready to put winter behind us.”
“Are there any signs of spring?”
“Not really. Still a lot of snow on Pikes Peak.”
“Can you see the mountain from your place?”
“Sure can. Want to come see for yourself?”
“I do. Can’t wait to meet your parents.”
“We could book some flights tomorrow.”
“Yeah, we could.” She went quiet and tilted back her head, gazing at the ceiling.
And Nick felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. He knew exactly where her thoughts had gone. Of course, her family already had flights booked for the show opening. As did he. “Sorry, babe. Do you still want everyone to come or would you rather–”
“Nope. Not talking about that right now.” She leaned into him. “Tell me about your favorite artist at your shop. Then tell me more about your family. How about a funny story about something you and your sister did? Or something you did in college?”
Nick swallowed hard. She was obviously not ready to close her eyes and be alone with her thoughts. But all the topics she mentioned were easy to talk about, so he launched into a story about the time he and his sister got into a fight and knocked down the fully decorated Christmas tree. “It was one of the few times my mom was steaming mad at both of us.”
Kat smiled. “But makes a good story now. Did it ruin anything?”
“Broke some ornaments. Got glass in the carpet. Big mess. That sort of thing.”
“You know, this totally lets my mom off the hook. She won’t have to make up excuses for not coming now—if she’d ever planned to.”
Nick slid an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers. “That’s a forbidden topic.”
But the tears came, anyway. The more she swiped at them, the more they spilled down her cheeks. He hauled her onto his lap and rocked her. “Maybe you should go ahead and let it all out. You could stab these pillows. We could go outside, and you could scream and throw things.”
She gave a choked laugh. “I’d wake the neighbors. Pretty sure I scared Winslow earlier.”
Nick glanced around. He hadn’t seen the cat.
“Probably on the bed or one of the dining chairs. Giving me some space.”
“Smart cat. What about ice skating tomorrow? Take out some frustration on the ice?”
“Maybe. If the rink is still open. We’ll have to check. They close sometime in March. Not sure I want to be around people, though. I’m pretty sick of them in general.”
He pressed a kiss to her hair. “Fair enough. I’m up for whatever works for your mental health.”
“We could paint angry.”
He shot her a sideways look. “Is that a thing you do?”
“Maybe.”
She looked away and then glanced back at him. And for the first time tonight, a spark lit her eyes.
“We’d have to go to the studio, though. Gets a little messy.”
