Page 97 of After Indigo Irish Nights
They spent the rest of the night preparing, so when Bets texted her the following day to arrange a meeting, she was indeed ready.
When she arrived at Bets’ front door, Kathleen fidgeted with the skirt she’d decided to wear. Jeans had seemed too casual. She had her proposal in one of Ellie’s nice leather satchels. Still, she could feel the sweat at her back.
As she knocked, she told herself to keep cool. In researching artist commissions for projects of this scale, she and Ellie had also come across cautionary advice: sometimes plans fell through. A museum didn’t get built, which meant a proposed artist didn’t get commissioned in the end. Of course, many artists simply took their designs elsewhere—to another museum or city project. In the end, the art was commissioned, and the artists were paid.
Her takeaway:don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
When Bets opened the door, Kathleen noted the fatigue on her face despite her warm smile.
“I hear you had one hell of a trip,” she said as Bets showed her into her parlor.
“The understatement of the century.” She gestured to the pitcher of lemonade and, when Kathleen nodded, poured them each a glass. “Do you want to just dive in or talk first?”
“I’d love to ask you about your trip, but I have to admit I’m a little nervous. Maybe we can just start.” Kathleen took a hasty sip before setting the glass aside. Her hands weren’t steady.
Bets leaned forward after they sat down. “Totally understandable. What’s easiest? Linc said I might just cut to the chase and lead with our thinking and then see how you feel about it. Unless you’d like to start.”
Kathleen folded her hands as she considered things. Her gut told her that she should kick things off. She was the artist. She and Ellie had made a list of ten installations of the same scope and the artists’ commissions for each. The only problem they’d had in the end was hernewbiestatus. She wasn’t Antony Gormley—even if she was going to build a giant outdoor installation. Plus, they had to consider the cost for the materials. Her ship was going to be expensive. She and Ellie had agreed on a number to start with. God, she hoped it wasn’t crazy.
“I have a proposal based on some research.” She took a deep breath and reached into her satchel, taking out the simple one-pager she’d prepared and handing it to Bets. “For a four-year project with only my commission, I was thinking fifty thousand a year.”
Bets bit her lip before covering her mouth with her hand. Kathleen’s palms began to sweat.
“That figure isn’t going to work, I’m afraid.”
Her stomach dropped. “Okay.”
Bets tossed the paper onto the couch and laughed. “Linc thought you might come in low. Kathleen, we’d like to offer you eighty thousand a year—”
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, her mouth going dry.
“With bonuses for on-time completion, which we expect you’ll pull off given your work ethic. For a total of four hundred thousand euros.”
Her brain wouldn’t fire.Oh. My. God!“You’re kidding me. Okay. That would be great. Would it be weird if I hugged you?”
“Be weirder if you didn’t,” Bets said, her eyes sparkling. “This is one of my best moments since opening the center.”
“Then we are so hugging.”
She jumped out of her chair and rushed the petite woman, who started laughing.
“I’ve never seen that many zeroes. Oh my God! I mean. I have to call my family—and Ellie.”
Declan flashed into her mind. She wanted to get in her car and tell him. Right now.
“If this is part of the job, I love it.” Bets was grinning when she pulled back. “I mean, Sophie Giombetti just agreed to come here too, and Linc and the others think we’re closer to planning permission than ever before. Hence this bigger proposal. It’s like a roller coaster. Only, we won’t celebrate until it’s official.”
She sat down and gripped her knees. “Right. I keep telling myself that. Only, God, I’m so happy. The council just has to give their permission. They’d be crazy not to.”
“Mad as hatters,” Bets said, her exuberance dipping as well. “You probably have a few people you want to share the news with. Confidentially, of course.”
“Only Ellie and a couple of friends and my family.” She thought again about Declan—she couldn’t wait to tell him. “My pop is going to want to light a candle. Hell, all my brothers will.”
“That’s a nice thought.” Bets blew out a breath and laughed. “Thanks for agreeing to stay and take your design to the next level.”
After she left Bets, she called her father, who picked up straightaway. Sure enough, he said he was heading to the church to light a candle right away. Gripping her mother’s ring, she sent love to her in heaven. Her mom would be smiling down at her, she knew, and damn if tears didn’t fill her eyes at the thought. Then she texted all her brothers. They blew up her phone after that, and she loved every minute of it.
When the fervor died down, she checked the time. Declan would have just closed the butcher shop and gone to train. She texted him:Meeting with Bets went awesome. Can’t wait to tell you about it. See you after training.
