THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTE R
The following day, a Monday, I arrived at the hot shop promptly at noon, two bags from SkinnyFATS in hand: chicken salads with arugula and capers for myself and Jonah, a breaded buffalo chicken salad for Tania.
I had to juggle the bag with a tray of three smoothies as I hauled the hot shop’s sliding door open.
It screeched and protested, and by some miracle I managed not to spill anything.
Tania and Jonah were working at opposite ends of a blowpipe. Jonah’s eyes were narrowed in concentration as he rolled and shaped.
“Air,” he said.
Behind him, Tania blew into the pipe. The glass swelled.
“Right there,” Jonah said, his eyes on the piece. “Perfect.”
When it was safe to interrupt, I approached. “Hey, anyone hungry?”
“Starved!” Tania enveloped me in a hug that smelled like sweat and burnt paper. “You’re spoiling us with these lunchtime visits. Not that I’m complaining…”
I hugged her back, thinking, I have five friends here now. I’d never stayed in one place long enough to have so many.
I glanced over Tania’s shoulder at Jonah. He smiled to himself, as if satisfied, and hung the blowpipe from the ceiling. He joined us and kissed me hello.
“SkinnyFATS,” Tania said, poking into the bags. “I love this joint.” Her head flicked up. “Wait, what just happened?”
“Nothing,” Jonah said, giving me a second kiss.
“It just happened again.” Tania looked from him to me and back. “When did this happen ?”
I laughed. “Over the weekend.”
“Twice on Sunday,” Jonah added.
“Oh my God.” I rolled my eyes at him.
“Holy shit!” Tania hugged me again, then gathered Jonah in. “I’m so happy for you guys. This is amazing.”
“Nah, it’s just lunch,” Jonah said, rummaging in the bag and coming up with an orange smoothie. He raised an eyebrow at me. “They were out of mulch?”
“Fresh out, smartass,” I teased.
His cell rang. He fished it out of his back pocket and looked at the number. “It’s Eme,” he said. “Hey, this is Jonah…” He walked out of the hot shop with its constant hiss of burning furnaces and churning air conditioning to take the call.
“Who’s Eme?” I asked Tania, as we set up lunch on fold-up table and chairs, well away from the fire and trays of loose glass.
“Eme Takamura,” Tania said, forking a bite of her salad. “She’s the curator of the gallery that’s displaying Jonah’s installation in the Wynn.”
My eyes bulged. “His installation’s at the Wynn? Isn’t that a big-time hotel?”
“Super big time,” Tania said. “Jonah didn’t tell you?” She sniffed when I shook my head. “Figures. He’s modest to the point of annoying. Anyway, Eme got wind of him through Carnegie and after seeing some of his work, she set up to house his project in the Wynn Galleria.”
“That’s incredible.”
“What’s incredible is you and Jonah. I’m so happy for you guys, I can’t stand it.”
“You seem surprised,” I said.
“You kidding?” she said around a mouth full of greens. “I’m shocked. I honestly thought…” She trailed off as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“You thought what?”
Tania glanced up at me, then around to the door where we could see Jonah pacing and talking.
“The Jonah I know has always been so serious. Intent on his work, you know? Since you’ve been back in town, he’s been different.
He smiles more. Laughs more. He’s always been a smartass, but now he’s a kinder, gentler smartass.
He still works his butt off—and mine—but it’s as if some kind of weight or shadow has been lifted.
And now finding out you two are together…
” She shook her head. “It’s not every day he lets in someone into his life.
You’re the first since I’ve known him. It’s huge.
Maybe now he’ll rethink letting everyone else back in. ”
“At least for his installation,” I said. “I want everyone to see it.”
“Me too. He’s so talented. And a truly good guy. Selfless. Maybe too selfless, trying to protect everyone he cares about, so much that he neglects his own happiness.”
The door screeched open, and Jonah returned, his hands fidgety with his cell phone. “Eme wanted a progress report. I told her two more weeks and we can start moving boxes over to the space.”
“Two weeks is enough,” Tania said.
But studying the display of his phone, Jonah looked pale.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“Eme said she sent out invites for the installation opening,” he said, his voice tight. “Big names, a lot of her connections. She sent one to the Chihuly Studio.”
Tania’s fingers rose to her lips. “And?”
Jonah’s glance darted between us. “She got a response saying Dale is really busy in early October, but he’d try his best to attend.” Jonah scrubbed his hand through his hair. “Eme sent an invite to the studio . I thought maybe they’d send a representative, if they sent anyone . ”
“But Dale might come?” Tania rose to her feet. “Personally?”
“Holy shit,” I said.
“Oh my God, holy shit.” Tania threw arms around Jonah, who looked dazed over her shoulder. “Holy…” She threw him off, seized her fork and crammed a few bites in her mouth. “Eat. Hurry up. Let’s get back to it. There’s a bunch of stuff with the still water I want to finish.”
“And the rays of sunlight,” Jonah said.
“And holy shit, Dale Chihuly. In person.” One last bite and Tania bustled off to the back room, leaving Jonah and I alone. I got up and slipped my arms around his neck, hugging him tight. I left my hands entwined in his hair, and locked eyes with him.
“Look at my talented boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend, huh?” He wrapped his arms around my waist. “I…” He glanced away with a short laugh. “I was going to make a joke right there, but I like boyfriend too much.”
“Dale freaking Chihuly,” I said.
“I know. It’s surreal. But not for sure. He’s busy. He might not make it at all…”
“Or he might.” I glanced down, ran my hand over Jonah’s chest. “What can I do to help? Maybe contact some of your old friends from UNLV or Carnegie?”
Jonah stiffened. “I don’t know. We’ll see. I have too much work to do right now.”
“I’ll do it.” I pulled him closer. “You’re being exhibited at the Wynn for God’s sake. It’s a big deal. Don’t you think it would be awesome to have all your old friends there?”
“I haven’t talked to them in a year,” Jonah said. “The first thing they hear from me is an invite to a gallery show? They’ll think I’m a pretentious asshole.”
“Not if you let me handle it.”
Jonah leaned back, sliding his palms down my arms to take my hands instead. “I can’t be distracted with reunions right now, Kace. The fact that Dale Chihuly might come is screwing with my brain enough. I appreciate it, but I just have too much to do. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said. “Just promise me you’ll think about it.”
“I will.” He drew me back into him and kissed me long and hard. “Boyfriend,” he murmured.
“Do you know what girls do for their boyfriends?”
“Is this a trick question?”
“They take care of them. You’ve taken care of me since the day we met. Let me have a turn.”
He sighed with a little smile. “We’ll see.”