Page 30 of North
“I know that. I’m sorry about your mom, North but shit hasn’t been easy since you left. I’m all alone.” Her voice quieted and my muscles loosened.
“I’ve been trying to reach out to you but you’re so stand-offish now. I can come visit or you can come here. Neither one of us has to be lonely.” The thought of my best friend feeling isolated without me made my heart ache.
Maybe I wasn’t doing enough to show her I was still there for her even if we weren’t in the same town. I toyed with the ends of my hair and looked out of the window at the craggy white mountaintops and the thick blankets of snow beneath me.
“Yeah, okay,” she laughed harshly. “How are you enjoying it in Telluride, North? I hear lots of celebrities have houses there.”
“I wouldn’t know anything about that. I’ve been working and hanging out at Kane’s gallery. What have you been up to?” I asked, hoping to change the weird energy of our conversation.
“Working. I’ve been working and going to school.” She paused for a few beats and I wondered what other bitter bullshit she was going to hurl at my head. I just wanted my fucking friend back. “Did you say…Kane?” She quizzed. “You mean your dad? That Kane?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged watching the ground moved closer as the gondola slowed to a stop.
“Why are you calling him Kane?”
Nerves twisted my stomach making me hesitate before I answered. Sierra was making me question our friendship, which made me want to keep private information to myself.
“Um, we kinda moved past that. It didn’t feel necessary anymore.”
“He’s your father. How do you move past that?” She scoffed.
“Things aren’t the way they used to be. When he divorced my mother he pushed me away and it’s something we’re trying to work through. He suggested therapy but I haven’t given him an answer yet.” I exited the gondola and headed down Main Street towards Fitzgerald’s Fine Art Gallery.
Kane and Elijah were getting ready to put up the Valentine’s Day display so the front window was plain only showcasing Kane’s newest pieces. Well, new to the public. He hadn’t had a chance to work on anything new for the gallery since he accepted Melanie’s offer for four commissioned paintings.
“If you’re calling him by his first name, sounds like you definitely need to talk to a therapist. Plus, all the shit you’ve gone through with your mother screams I need a seat on a couch.”
“So you think I should talk to someone?” My brows furled together as I stood outside of the gallery.
“Yeah. Definitely,” she sighed. “Hey, I have to get to work soon. My rich daddy isn’t doing me any favors. I’ll call you later.” So many words piled up in my head to say to her but she was gone before any of them could come out of my mouth. I slipped my phone in my pocket and walked into the gallery.
“What’s going on, North?” Elijah’s bright smile greeted me.
“Hey, E. Where’s Kane?” I pulled my hat off and smoothed down my static riddled red hair.
“In the back getting a piece ready for a customer. They’re coming to pick it up in a couple of hours.” He looked at my empty hands and frowned, folding his bulky arms across his chest. “Yo, Ms. Starbucks barista, where’s my mocha? You know I love mochas.”
“I’m not your Starbucks connect, E. I’ll bake you some of those orange scones you like though.” Over the past few weeks, my love for cooking and baking had blossomed into a hobby. I was always at the grocery store picking up ingredients for a new dish or dessert to try. It worked to my benefit because I’d put on five extra pounds and it was staying put.
Kane seemed to be enjoying every single one of those pounds too. The thought of him sent a chill racing down my spine. Like he heard my deepest thoughts, he walked out from the back carrying a large painting of the Colorado skyline in gloved hands.
When my eyes caught his, he slowed to a stop and smiled like I was the only person in the gallery—in the fucking world. “Hey, Shortcake. How was work?”
“Great. No complaining tourists and on the way over here, I had the gondola all to myself.”
“Sounds good. You hungry? It’s almost lunchtime.” He laid the painting down gingerly on the counter and walked over to me with outstretched arms. I couldn’t wait to melt against him. I knew I couldn’t kiss him the way I wanted with Elijah there but the second we were alone I was going to maul him.
“I could eat,” I told him, stepping to the side so I didn’t seem too lovestruck.
“Cool. Let’s grab lunch. Elijah, you wanna come along?”
“No thanks, I’m good. I’m gonna wait for Mel to stop by and we’ll get something.”
“You and Melanie have been getting lunch together every day for a week. What’s up?” Kane smirked at his best friend but I was all ears too because it seemed like Melanie’s blatant interest in Kane died down significantly.
“I told you I was going to shoot my shot.” Elijah gave a sure smile and I rolled my eyes playfully.
“Ugh. Gross. I’m going outside where there are civilized people.” I laughed a little before heading to Kane’s truck.
