“I’m going over to Nana’s house to–”
“Oh, no.” Her mother’s platinum hair swung back and forth. “You are not dragging a bunch of junk out of her house and bringing it over to mine.”
Kat pushed back her bangs and shook her head.Jump to conclusions much?“What I was going to say, is that I’m going over there to gather up cookie sheets and bowls to make cookies at her place today.”
“At the center?” Her mother’s perfectly shaped brows arched. “How in the world can you do that? The two of you couldn’t even fit in the kitchen at the same time.”
“Well, we could do it here, but it’d be a mess.” She glanced over to the pristine every-pot-in-place kitchen gleaming with new appliances and waterfall quartz countertop. By the time she and Nana got done with it, the place would be unrecognizable to her mother. Kat hid her smile. It was oh-so-tempting, but she knew she’d never hear the end of it. No sense deliberately rankling her mother.
“Why don’t you take her to the house instead?”
Kat sucked in her breath. “Can we do that? I mean, is everything still on and working at her house?”
“As far as I know, your dad is still paying utility bills,” her mom said dryly.
“That’s great. We’ll spend the day there.” That would be even better. Nana would probably love to go back home for the day. Kat moved past her mother, boxes still in hand.
“Uh-huh. So what about the boxes?”
Kat let out an exasperated sigh. “Mom, Nana thought there might be a few things I’d want out of her house. If I do, I’ll have them shipped to New York.”
“To your tiny place?”
“What else would you suggest?”
She pursed her lips again and held up a finger. “One. Box. That’s it. And it has to fit in the closet in your bedroom or under the bed.”
“Fine.” Kat moved forward, her sights set on the front door. She couldn’t wait to surprise Nana with a trip home.
But her mother’s hand stopped her. “Hold on a second. We need to talk about your finances. Have you gotten a raise yet? You know, it’s been three years. That’s longer than we helped Elizabeth or Christopher.”
Was she kidding? No way did their help with Kat’s rent equal the price of two cars plus insurance. Not to mention down payments on houses. Kat bit her lip.She hadn’t expected a confrontation. “I know, Mom. I’m maxing out the 401k at the museum like you said, and that reduces my take-home pay.”
Her mother crossed her arms. “All those years you kept telling us that art was a legitimate career, that you’d be able to support yourself.” She shook her head. “Two degrees and three years later, and it’s still not enough.”
Her mother could never resist an opportunity to make Kat feel like a failure. Sadness enveloped her. She’d tried so hard over the years to please her mother—walking a tightrope as she followed a path her mom vigorously disapproved of. Money wasn’t the real issue. Her parents often treated Kat’s siblings to dinners out and shopping excursions. Her sister posted to social media regularly.
Kat sucked in a deep breath, determined to keep her cool, as usual. “I know, Mom. I’m disappointed, too. I’m making progress. I just need a little more time.”
“Mm-hmm. But the definition ofa littleis open to interpretation.”
Before Kat could respond, her mother turned away.
Kat nearly ran for the door.
Two hours later, she and Nana were covered in flour, surrounded by the scent of fresh-baked cookies, and having the best time Kat could remember in a long time. With the fire offering a warm atmosphere and holiday music playing in the background, it felt like Christmas. She’d almost forgotten what it was like to be in a house instead of an apartment with creaky stairs, slamming doors, and other people coming and going.
While she and her grandmother hummed along to some Christmas tunes, Kat mixed up several colors of frosting. “How about we add some pink this year, Nana?”
“Oh, yes. Sounds lovely. I’ve seen a lot of pink in the magazines, too.”
“Yeah. There’s a shop I pass on the way to work that has a huge silver tree all decorated in pink and white. It’s cute.”
Kat filled pastry bags, and went to work decorating pieces of edible art.
Nana plucked a cookie from the tray and sat down in a chair across from Kat with a cup of tea.
“Getting tired, Nana? I can finish these up tomorrow if you want to call it a day. And don’t worry. I’ll come back and clean up.”Wait… Kat had a better idea. She lifted Nana’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Is there anything you need back at your apartment? Medicine or anything? I was just thinking…maybe we could stay here tonight.”
