Page 80 of A Perfect Pairing
“Hey, Tasha. How’s it going, honey?”
“Pretty well. I have some news to share.”
“You and Antonio are engaged?” her mother asked excitedly.
She rolled her eyes. “How did I know that would be the first thing out of your mouth? No, we aren’t. I just received an offer for a huge interior design project.”
“Oh my goodness! That’s wonderful.”
“But it’s in Los Angeles.” Natasha really hoped she’d be able to do her job remotely.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to move there.”
“I can see how that would complicate things.”
Complicated didn’t even begin to describe her problem.
“But I’m sure you’ll figure out what’s best.”
“That’s all you’re going to say?”
Her mother’s chuckle came through the line. “Exactly what do you want me to say? You’re a grown woman, Natasha, intelligent, and very capable of making decisions.”
Her mother usually had an entire monologue of advice and suggestions, but this time, when she needed it most, she had absolutely nothing. “I guess,” she mumbled. The doorbell rang, cutting off whatever she had planned to say. “Mom, someone’s at the door.” She headed to the front and let Serenity in. Natasha hugged her friend, then mouthed,My mom.
“Okay. Keep me posted.”
“I will. I’ll talk to you later. Tell Dad hi.” She disconnected. “Sorry about that.”
Serenity waved a hand. “Oh, girl, please. How’re your parents doing?”
“They’re fine.”
“Good. I was going to try to get all the details as soon as I walked in the door, but I guess I’ll wait for Terri and Dana so you don’t have to repeat yourself more than once. I’m so happy for you. I remember all the time you spent in college praying for this kind of opportunity.”
She smiled. “I did.” Poor Serenity had to endure Natasha asking her opinion on one design or another almost daily. “And you were such a good sport, listening to all my dreams.”
“You did the same for me.” The doorbell rang, and Serenity said, “I got it. You pour the wine.” She shooed Natasha toward the kitchen and crossed the living room toward the door.
Natasha laughed and went to the kitchen. She had the glasses and the wine on the counter when Serenity came back with their other two friends. The women greeted each other with hugs.
“Girl, I was so happy to see both of them at the door. Now we can get all the juicy details.” Serenity rubbed her hands together and wiggled her eyebrows.
After the wine had been poured, Terri held up her glass. “To Tasha. May this be the first of many successes in your interior design career and the start of a new business.”
“Congrats, sis,” Dana said.
“I second that,” Serenity added, lifting her sparkling cider.
They touched glasses and sipped. “I’m still trying to process all this.” Natasha told them about Darlene’s referral, the video meeting, and that the company was flying her down on Thursday. “It’s all so fast, and the pay is more per hour than I expected.”
“What did Antonio say when you told him?” Dana asked.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet. I think they’re getting ready to start work on the memory care center, and he’s talking with the Hunter cousins tonight.” The town had been more than a little excited about having a place here in town, and Natasha had laughingly told Antonio he was getting closer to having that key to the town, if all the applause had been any indication. “There’s something else. I think they’re expecting me to live in LA for the next several months until the project is done.” She placed her glass on the table. “There’s no way I can do that, not with the way things are going with Antonio. I walked away the last time, and now that I’ve gotten a second chance with him, I refuse to mess it up.”
“I see your point,” Terri said. “Is there anything you can do?”
