Page 33 of Painted Dreams
Smiling, she waved at him. “Hi!”
His chest tightened in response, but he managed a verbal one as well. “Hi. How was your day?”
“Great. Spent all day at the studio. Worked on a painting and got a couple of layers done. It’s coming together quite nicely, in fact.”
“Good to hear.”
“What about you?”
“My biggest accomplishment was getting a contract ready for your mother. I’m meeting with her Wednesday morning.”
“Oh, that’s right. Gosh, I hope she signs, and you can get going on the project. You might soon have other things to do besides her little fireplace mantel.”
“And some bookcases.”
“Oh, yes. And bookcases. Beware. She might come up with a dozen other projects while you’re at it.”
“Add-on clause comes standard in the contract.”
“Good. Actually, it’s a good thing she has a deadline. Once she gets on a roll…look out.”
Kat’s carefree laughter had Nick’s pulse jumping. Whatever else Rebecca Andrews had or hadn’t done, she’d produced a lovely daughter, and he had to give her credit for that. The grandmother may have played a major role, but still, a mom’s genetics counted for something.
“I’ll be on the lookout for a steamroller,” Nick said. “Hey, I’ve got a proposition for you.”
A wide smile lit her face, and she leaned closer to the screen. “Yeah? What’s that?”
Nick caught himself before lifting his hand to brush back the hair from her face. “I was wondering…what would you think of putting some of your art in my shop?”
A tiny frown crinkled her forehead. “Oh. Um, I don’t know.”
“We get a lot of tourists in the summer,” he added when she didn’t elaborate.
“I bet. That’s great, but I wouldn’t have anything for this summer. I have to keep the paintings from the show available for six months in case someone’s interested. You know, sometimes it takes people a while to think about it and make a decision. If they sell at the show, that’s just their tough luck, but Pete still wants his clients to get first dibs after that.”
“Ah. Didn’t realize that’s how it worked.”
Kat shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know if that’s how it always works, but that’s Pete’s policy. It’s fine. I definitely want to stay on good terms with him and his clients.”
“Got it,” Nick told her. But he had to admit disappointment. In his mind, he already had them up and sold. “Well, maybe later on if you end up with a few extra pieces. Or maybe the ones Loft didn’t choose. How about thoserejects?” With a grin, he held up his hands to make air quotation marks.
“Maybe.”
It was Nick’s turn to frown. She didn’t sound too excited. He didn’t know many artists to turn down a selling opportunity. But he let it go when Winslow suddenly jumped into Kat’s lap, and the screen filled with the feline’s furry image.
“I guess Winslow wants to say hi,” Kat told him. “Maybe he recognizes your voice.” She shook the cat’s paw up and down then peeked around him. “Hey, I also worked on my bio tonight. I’ll send it to you tomorrow.”
“Cool. Did you choose a photo?” He’d forgotten that he had dozens of pictures of Kat from their photo shoot on his computer. He’d be opening that file as soon as they ended the call.
“Well…” Kat drawled, her voice pitching up. “I like a lot of them. I’m shocked, honestly. You did an amazing job. But I think I’ve narrowed it down to three. I forgot to take my computer with me today so I could show them to my friend Mia.”
“I’d be happy to render an opinion.”
She smiled. “For sure. But I want a few of those. I’ll send you the numbers.”
“Great.” He sensed the conversation waning and figured it was a good way to end—before there was an awkward void. “I’ll take a look–”
“I should probably get going,” she said at the same time. “Tomorrow will be a long day with the new project at the museum and a meeting at the Loft. No telling how late I’ll be working this week. When Cassandra—that’s my boss—starts something new, we do a deep dive.”
