Page 99 of Someday You Learn

A laugh escapes me. “You don’t say.”

Rolling his eyes, he reaches for my hand. “I must say though, being able to have lunch with you on a random weekday is a nice change.”Yeah, something I wouldn’t to be able to do if I was still a lawyer.

I squeeze his fingers, cherishing the moment while we have it. “Me too, Dad. Me too.”

***

“That mural is turning out amazing.”

I stand back and assess the portion I just finished as Willow stands behind me to get the entire effect. “I’m actually really happy with the way it’s turning out so far.

“And the white walls with those blue circles are going to be perfect for displaying the artwork.”

“I’m glad you like it. Most galleries stick with all-white walls, but I wanted to tie in the mural more. I think the little bit of color did that.”

Willow nods, moving toward the back of the space through the opening that separates the studio from the gallery. “The cabinets turned out great too.”

“Penn put those together so fast that I felt like I blinked and they were done.”

Willow laughs. “The man is a whiz with power tools. Believe me, I know from personal experience. He practically renovated my entire house.”

“I would love to see it sometime. I can’t imagine having the ocean as my front yard.”

She sighs. “It’s incredible and never gets old. In fact, why don’t you and Parker come over for dinner this week? You can see the house, and while he’s there, he can check on the geese for me.”

Myeyes light up. “The viral geese?”

Willow clasps her hands together over her chest. “Yes, and Ilovethat you saw those videos.”

“It was part of the reason I got him to agree to be my fake fiancé—to deter his new admirers.” I wink at her.

“And now I like you even more.”

A knock on the front door pulls my attention. Through the brown butcher paper still covering the glass, I see the silhouette of someone waving like a lunatic. Stepping closer, I peel back a corner of the paper and laugh when I see Hazel’s grinning face. I open the door, and she shuffles in, balancing a tray of coffees. “Hello, ladies!”

“Hi.” I shut and lock the door behind her.

Hazel takes in the mural as she walks over to one of the high-top tables I have strategically placed around the room, setting the tray of drinks down before turning to admire the wall in its entirety. “I fucking love this, Cashlynn.”

“Thank you. It’s coming together slowly but surely. I honestly still can’t believe that this space is mine.”

Willow reaches for her decaf coffee and takes a sip. “Oh believe it, because in about a month, this place will be open to the public.”

I sigh. “Yeah, and then I have to come clean to my dad about everything.”

Hazel hands me my coffee. “How did lunch with him go the other day?”

I take a sip before answering. “The usual. He had a lot to say about my job, or lack thereof. He still thinks I’m working remotely, but he insisted that I speak with Timothy McDonald to try to practice law here.”

Willow flashes me a look of understanding. “I’m sorry, Cashlynn. Hopefully, when he sees what you’ve created, it’ll all be worth it.”

“I hope so. He saw paint on my hands and instantly chastised me about it.” Hazel shakes her head as I continue. “It made me so angry that I snapped at him.”

“What did you say?” Hazel asks.

“I asked him if he criticized my mom the way he criticizes me.”

Willow’s eyebrows shoot up. “Damn. What did he say?”

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