Page 154 of Love Among Vines

He sat down and wheeled over to her. “Decided?”

She searched on her phone for a few minutes and showed him a map of Keuka Lake. “What can you do with this? But maybe with a sunflower element at the bottom,” she added. The café’s front door and Rett’s first bouquet burned in her mind.

“Consider it done.”

He set to prepping his tools, and she walked out with stinging skin and a brand-new tattoo an hour later. It was everything shehad needed in the moment. Even though her time away was now a bittersweet memory, it had given her so much life and purpose that the good eclipsed the bad. Gone were the ice skates and mistakes of her past.

Invigorated by this physical cleansing, she pulled out her phone and opened a folder with dating apps. If she wasn’t careful, she would be tempted to backslide to her old ways. She couldn’t even imagine climbing into bed with a stranger right now.

One by one, she deleted her accounts. It was time to put the one-night stands behind her. She wasn’t going to find her future husband on Wink or Tinder. All she could do was trust that the universe would put him in her path when she was ready.

She took a deep breath and surveyed her surroundings. Maybe Throggs Neck wouldn’t be so bad. A fresh start was exactly what she needed.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

JADE

When she returned home,Jade wrapped glassine paper over her last canvas and slid it into the pizza delivery box. Now that the explosion of inspiration had finally ebbed, her plan was to ambush the rep from her old gallery. Even if she had to press them against the windows until someone deigned to look at them, she would find a way to get their eyes on her newest work.

And if they didn’t want it, she would figure out how to sell them online. Rett probably would have been helpful with such an endeavor, but she wasn’t about to ask him for help. Her stomach clenched at the thought. But she was strong and capable. She didn’t need anyone else but Penny.

She ducked out her front door, traipsing down the stairs to the familiar sidewalk. She hadn’t yet made her decision on the apartment. There were still a few days to think about it.

She swung open the door of the gallery and stepped into the familiar space. A woman at the desk looked up. Her fingers flew to her parted lips.

“Jade! It’s so good to see you. I’m sorry about the landscapes,” the woman said. There was a hesitancy in her words like she was wondering what the hell Jade was doing there.

Lyric, her old broker, hadn’t changed a bit since their last encounter. Cobalt blue bifocals perched on her nose. A loud statement necklace was draped over a simple black dress that was sure to be designer.

“I brought you something else. It’s okay if you don’t want them, but I had to try.”

Jade put the pizza delivery box on the counter and slid it towards Lyric.

Eyes wide, Lyric pulled out the first canvas and carefully unwrapped it.

“So there’s actually two series,” Jade said. “I brought you three of each. The first is pretty dark, lonely, brooding. The second is my favorite. The theme is ‘rebirth.’”

Lyric pulled out canvas after canvas, displaying them on the counter without comment. She pored over each of them, not speaking for several minutes.

Nerves twisted in Jade’s stomach. Maybe they didn’t have the promise she had thought. Maybe two years of no progress whatsoever showed more than anticipated.

Finally, Lyric whirled around. A pleased smile hovered on her lips. “You’re back. I knew it.”

Heat crept into Jade’s cheeks. She could have collapsed with relief. “Well, it was a long time coming.”

“These are incredible,” Lyric said. She turned back to the canvases again, seemingly taking in each detail. “Incredible,” she repeated. “We’ll have to have a showing, of course. I’m picturing two rooms. The first collection—the dark one—in the front room. Then guests can transition through some greenery into the second room.”

Lyric was an expert in creating atmosphere based on an artist’s theme, from coordinating scents to dramatic lighting and themed decor.

“I know you kind of hinted that you were low on cash,” Lyric said carefully. “Maybe sooner would be better?”

“As soon as you can,” Jade said. Even with the payment from the mural, an impending security deposit and first and last month’s rent in the metro area would undoubtedly drain her reserves.

“Let’s do it on Friday then.”

“This Friday?” Jade’s eyes widened. She had never had a showing on such short notice. “That’s in two days.”

“The artist we were supposed to have this weekend is sick.” She gestured to a number of canvases on the wall, all which featured abstract shapes in varying colors.

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