“Pssh. Enough. Tell me more about your trip to Paris. That’s what I really want to hear.”
I shared more of the details, told her I’d come out to visit before I left, and then said goodbye. I looked around at all the people streaming in and out of the museum, then up at the darkening sky. I shook my head in amazement. I was still giddy, and didn’t think I’d come down from this high for a long time, nor did I want to. I wanted to share it with someone else. Someone special.
Bryan answered on the second ring. “Hey,” he said in a sweet voice he used just for me.
“I have amazing news. Where are you right now?”
“Just finished up a meeting on the Upper East Side.”
“I’m at the Met right now. About to do some work on a new expansion project for My Favorite Mistakes, and I thought perhaps my mentor might want to join me for a few minutes. It’s a business meeting, of course.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
*****
The morning light reflected off Monet’s waterlilies. The brushstrokes from the Impressionist master made me think about shapes, colors and new ways of looking.
“So I’m thinking I should totally add a line of waterlily charms to My Favorite Mistakes.”
Bryan played along as we strolled past paintings. “While you’re at it, why not throw in some haystacks too?” He tipped his forehead to another Monet. “Your favorite painting, right?”
My eyes went wide with the realization that he hadn’t forgotten the last time we were here five years ago. From the caramel macchiatos to Hello Kitty to haystacks, he’d held onto so many details of me. My heart felt bigger and fuller. “You remember?”
He shot me a smile, then nodded. “Yes, I remember.”
I wanted to wrap my arms around him and kiss him, but I resisted. “Maybe I should even get some of those melty clocks from a Dali.”
“Or, how about just a bunch of drip mark charms from a Pollock? Because I would have to think drip marks would qualify as a favorite mistake.”
We stopped to sit on a blond hardwood bench in the middle of the gallery, keeping necessary space between us. Bryan wore slate gray pants and a green and white checked shirt with recycled bike chain cufflinks. A tie that I longed to unknot completed the look. He rested a hand on the bench; I did the same. Six more inches and we could have been holding hands. I glanced at his fingers, and restrained every impulse to lace them through mine. This beautiful place had the bars I needed. We simply couldn’t do a thing here. There were too many people around us, tourists and school kids, couples and families.
“So when do you think you’ll go to Paris?”
“Claire and I talked about it and even looked up flights during our chat. I think in two weeks. Over Veteran’s Day weekend. So I won’t have to miss too many classes.”
He lowered his voice, but looked straight ahead. “Speaking of missing. I’ll miss you when you’re gone.”
My stomach flipped. I wanted to brush my lips against his, to run my hand over his arm. To let him tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. Tenderly. He would do it tenderly. “Same here,” I said.
“Kat.”
There was something new in his voice. Something softer, more vulnerable. Something like love, perhaps? My heart trembled with hope at the possibility. I ached for him to feel the same way. I was falling for him again, and I couldn’t bear the thought that I would be smacked hard with the I have to go again. Of course, I hadn’t uttered a word about feelings this time around, and I supposed I could walk away from this strange us with some shred of dignity. I could protect myself from feeling that kind of hurt again. But at this point, even without the contact, even with the rules, I was all in.
He shifted gears. Back to banter. “So, you’re going to Paris, you’re going to find new designs, and make more necklaces and be a superstar, right? That’s the plan? And I can say I knew you when?”
“Ha. I honestly just want to make enough money from My Favorite Mistakes to help out my parents. Mystic Landing isn’t doing well.”
“I didn’t know that. You hadn’t mentioned that.”
I shrugged. “I’m pretty good at keeping some things buttoned up.”
“Tell me what’s going on. Maybe I can help. I do know a thing or two about running a business.” He held up his thumb and forefinger to show a sliver of space.
I gave him the rundown, then said, “They’ve been trying everything to drive more traffic to the store. And, frankly, I just want to help them pay off the loan so they can have some breathing room, you know? Things have got to pick up soon. I just want to buy them some time.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm what?”
He stared at a Monet again, but he wasn’t looking at the painting. He was simply gazing off in the distance and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He looked back at me. “It might not be a traffic issue.”
“But there aren’t as many customers.”
“Right. But maybe the solution isn’t in driving more traffic. Sometimes it’s something else.”
“Well, let me know when you figure out what that is.”
“Would it be okay with you if I visited the store?”
I furrowed my brow. He couldn’t be serious. “You would do that?”
“Of course. I’d love to just take a look around, and see if I can come up with an idea. Their daughter Kat is my protege after all. It seems the right thing to do,” he said, and leaned a tiny bit closer to me without touching.