Page 30 of Inherited Light
I worked hard not to sigh and reminded myself she loves me and isn’t the most emotionally stable right now. “I do a lot of repair work for the disabled, Cinn. I’ve never made it a secret. Do I enjoy Cat’s company, yes, I do, but regardless of my feelings she needs a better ramp. This one rattles like an old roller coaster when you use it. I offered to shore it up for now until she can afford a new one. She has a show tomorrow at the gallery, so it will be a good time to get it fixed.”
She held her hands up. “Hey, I was just asking. I know you like to help where you can, and I think it’s great. As a sister, I’m worried you’ll jump into the pool feet first with Cat without knowing what she’s been through since high school.”
Xavier’s face loomed in my mind, but I shook it away. She told me what happened between the two of them, but I couldn’t shake the feeling he had an unhealthy view of their relationship, or lack thereof.
I hugged her gently one last time and then strode to the door. “I promise not to jump in until I know her story, but as a carpenter I can’t leave the rickety old ramp there. She could get hurt on it. I’ll bill it into the county for the hours I spend on it and see if they will count it toward my school loans.” I won’t and they wouldn’t, but she doesn’t have to know. A little white lie now and again won’t sink the ship.
She nodded once. “I like that idea the most. Be safe, Lorenzo, and thank you for the beautiful gifts.”
I waved as I left and headed for my truck, until I heard Foster call my name.
I paused by the gate and waited for him to catch up, Poopsie tucked under his arm. “I wanted to say thanks for lifting her spirits. What you did in there went above and beyond.”
I shrugged, embarrassed by the praise. “She’s my sister, and I don’t like seeing her in pain. If I can offer her a few distractions, you bet I will.”
He patted my shoulder. “Well, all the same, thank you. About what she said regarding Catalina …” he said and I sighed. He held up his hand. “All I’m going to say is follow your heart. Don’t let what anyone else thinks weigh you down or make you second guess yourself. If I hadn’t jumped in with both feet imagine the love I’d be missing out on.”
Relieved, I let out the breath I was holding and nodded. “Thanks, Foster. I appreciate your honesty and that you have my back. Take care of my sister.”
He grinned. “You know I will. Be safe.”
He waved and headed back to the door while I stopped by the truck door to check my phone for messages. My heart sank slightly when there weren’t any from Cat, but a smile remained on my face. I angled into the seat and started the truck. “It’s too late, guys. Forget about jumping in with both feet, I’m already up to my hips in this woman.”
Chapter Ten
I straightened my suit coat and smoothed the pockets as I stood in the parking lot of Cat’s gallery. The design of the building was simple with straight rooflines and enough glass to make it feel open and airy, without losing too much wall space for art. The lights shining through the windows broke up the duskiness of the parking lot as the sun started to set. I had planned to get here much earlier, but the work at her house took longer than I expected and there was no way I could leave without completing it.
A couple exited the gallery, a canvas visible in the man’s hands, but the door is what grabbed my attention. The colors tricked your eyes into thinking there was water on the bottom and somewhere in the middle it mixed with the sky. The top of the door used the light from inside the gallery to give the image of a setting sun through clouds.
I took a moment to glance around as I approached the door and noticed a large mural to the left of the door. In the dark, I couldn’t make out all of it clearly, but it appeared to be a painting of Little Ivywood. If Cat painted it, well, then she’s as talented as my sister says she is. I would have to drive by and check it out in the daylight. I’ve driven by this building hundreds of times, but never noticed it. I guess what they say is true; sometimes you’ve got to stop and look around a bit or you’ll miss something awesome.
I stepped in the door and there were a number of people in the gallery sipping bubbly and eating finger sandwiches. I had a lot to catch up on, so I got to it, starting on the left wall with the watercolor canvases. The colors were muted, but bold in the magnitude of design. There was a field of red poppies filling one canvas and a field of violets filling another. As I strolled, the watercolors turned into oil paintings, and I found her boldest work yet. There were dogs I recognized from the dog park, birds gathered on a telephone line, and a lone fox on the edge of a forest. She managed not only to capture the animal’s physical form, but also its emotions.
The oil paintings became charcoal drawings and her talent came to life. I could tell she loved the charcoal medium and all it allowed her to do. These simple black and white drawings were intricate in emotion unlike the oil paintings or the watercolors. A smile spread across my face when the first two images registered. Brutus sat proudly with Poopsie under one paw, and Anabelle under the other. The second drawing was Poopsie spread out asleep on Brutus’s side as they napped together in the sun. How she made the sun stand out in a drawing done with charcoal I didn’t know, but it was fantastic. I couldn’t wait for my family to see them. Maybe Cinn already had.
The next grouping of small prints had dogs and cats from the shelter, some of them forlorn, some of them sitting primly, but all of them gorgeous in their black and white selves. There was a small sign under the grouping which said, “Images available for silent auction to benefit Little Ivywood Humane Society. Bidding begins on June 29that the Little Ivywood Humane Society Carnival.”
“Do you think anyone will bid on them?” asked a voice and I spun on my heel, my heart jumping from the interruption.
I glanced down and Cat sat next to me in her chair, wearing the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen. I was tongue-tied almost instantly as I drank her in. I could only describe the dress as the colors of the sun. It was long and covered her legs all the way to the ankle, but I focused on the spaghetti straps and the way her breasts mounded perfectly over the top of it. She wore a crown of flowers in her chestnut hair and I couldn’t quell the need to touch one of the small yellow daffodils. My eyes searched out other people in the gallery, and when there were none, I knelt, kissing her cheek.
“I think there’s going to be a bidding war, beautiful.”
She blushed, which was easy to see with her olive skin, and I brushed my knuckle down her face. “I have to admit I’m a little bit speechless right now. I can’t begin to describe how stunningly beautiful, and how crazy talented, you are.”
She waved her hand at me, but beamed from her chair. “You’re too much, Ren. I’m glad you made it. I was starting to think you weren’t coming.”
“I got caught up with fixing the ramp and it took me longer than I expected, but the good news is, it’s sturdy as a rock now. You won’t have any problems with it until the new one is built.”
She leaned forward and put her arms around my neck, resting her chin on my shoulder. “I think you’re amazing, handsome, and crazy talented. Not to mention my savior in a tweed suit coat.” I rubbed her back a few times while we hugged. “Thank you, Ren, you have no idea the relief washing through me right now.”
I leaned back and smiled, holding her hand. “If it’s anything like the relief I feel knowing you’ll be safe on it then I might have an idea.” I winked and she blushed again as another couple strode around the corner, stopping near Cat’s chair. I reluctantly let go of her hand and stood, allowing them to give her their congratulations and ask about purchasing one of the watercolors.
She peeked up at me. “I’m going to help them get the painting and then I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”
I promised her I wouldn’t and she rolled with the couple to get the canvas from the wall. Considering the paintings had no prices on them, I assumed it was because she didn’t expect people to buy them. If they were interested, she gave them the information upon request. I liked how something so simple made the gallery appear artsy-craftsy while displaying the high-end quality work expected in much bigger venues. While she displayed her own work prominently on the walls, she displayed other artists’ work throughout the gallery as well. There was pottery, wire sculptures, and clay sculptures displayed on freestanding exhibits throughout the space. I found a bench near one of the oil paintings and sat, waiting until she finished with her guests.
I checked out my hands, shaking my head a little bit when I noticed even after a good ten minutes of scrubbing, and a shower, I still had paint on them. I hate painting because of the mess, though my buddy Alfonso tells me if you know what you’re doing, you can work all day and not get paint on your hands. I guess it was his way of telling me to stay in the carpentry field and leave the painting to him.
