Chapter 36
Gia
Movement in front of me makes me surface from my work. Gwen’s wide grin greets me from across the table.
“You’ve been in the zone for like two full hours. I figured you might need a break and to eat something.” Gwen slides a wrapped sandwich across the table.
“You’re a godsend, thank you. I was locked in there. My website is giving me fits, and I can’t figure out how to get it to do what I want.”
“Do you want Charlie to look at it? They’ve tinkered with computers their whole life. If the Grind hadn’t worked out, I think they’d have gone into IT.”
“I’m not going to pass up some fresh eyes. I want to expand my services from marketing packages to other design options.” I flip open my tablet to show Gwen the drawing I finished yesterday of the girls.
“Oh my god. That’s the cutest freaking thing I’ve ever seen. You’re so talented, G.”
“Thank you. Do you think it’s good enough to start offering it as a service?”
“One hundred percent. And you could start recording yourself drawing. Those videos always suck me in on social media.”
“That’s not a bad idea, actually.” I make a note to search out artists who do something similar to get some ideas going.
“What about book covers?” Gwen’s hesitant question has me frowning.
“Like creating a book cover for an author?”
She shrugs. “Yeah. I think you could draw some really cute cartoon covers for romance books, but you’re also talented enough to do the regular covers too.”
“I never even thought about it. I’d want to do some research first. Reading books is one thing, creating content for them is a whole other.”
Gwen bites her lip. “Could I be your first commission?”
“I’d draw anything you want, without charge. What were you thinking? Oh, I could do something cute with the Grind. You and Charlie would look adorable in cartoon form.”
“Actually, I was hoping you might draw a book cover for me.”
“A book cover?” I’m definitely missing something here, but for some reason it’s not computing.
“I wrote a novel, and it’s going to need a cover before it’s ready to publish.”
“Shut the fuck up.” I slap a hand over my mouth. Gwen busts out laughing at my slip. “What kind of book? It better be dirty ’cause those are my favorite.”
Pink blooms in her cheeks as she nods.
“Can I read it? And hell yeah, I’ll draw a cover for you. Put together a list of things you want on it, as well as some similar covers, so I can get a good idea of what you’re looking for.”
Gwen palms her cheeks. “You’d be willing to read it? I’d want you to be brutally honest with me. Charlie said they liked it, but they’re my sibling, so I don’t trust their honesty.”
“I swear I’ll be honest, but I won’t be brutal about it.”
“I can work with that.”
“Oh my gosh. I’m going to have a famous author as my best friend.”
Gwen rolls her eyes. “It’s going to be a long time before I’m famous.”
“The important part is you want it. Who cares how long it takes?”
She starts asking about my favorite romance books, and from there, the conversation doesn’t end.
“We should start a book club. I bet we could recruit some of the ladies in the crochet club,” I suggest. “I have a feeling they’re some dirty old birds.”
Gwen scrunches her face, shaking her head. “I do not want to think about that. You’d be okay with talking to Muriel about the spicy scenes?”
I shrug. “It wouldn’t bother me. I think she’d be quite proud of Holt’s skills in the bedroom.”
It only takes one look at Gwen’s face before I start to laugh—hard. She falls into giggles after I do until we both have tears in our eyes.
I’m wiping my cheeks dry when my gaze catches the eye of Holt’s mother-in-law.
I flick my hand in a small wave to say hello.
It shouldn’t surprise me when she looks at me like I’m a bug squashed under her shoe.
Given how Holt’s conversation with her went, I’m probably the last person on Earth she’d want to interact with.
I can’t say that it doesn’t bother me. I don’t want to be the reason there’s a rift in Holt’s family, but I also can’t control what another person does. If she chooses to make this situation harder than it needs to be, there’s not much I can do.
“That was quite the greeting,” Gwen says lowly.
“Yeah. She’s not my biggest fan right now. It’s been incommunicado since things got ugly during their conversation.”
Gwen’s eyes widen. “She hasn’t said anything at all to the girls?”
“Nope. It makes me sad for them. Kathy’s got some interesting views and has shared them with the girls on occasion, but this took it to a whole different level.”
“Good grief. I’m glad Holt stood up for you.”
“Me too. I would’ve understood if he hadn’t, just to keep the peace, but it did make me feel good.”
“I can only imagine.” Gwen glances at the time on her phone. “I gotta get back to work. Do I need to run interference?”
I chuckle. “No, I’m going to head out. I need to get my drawing printed so I can give it to the girls tonight. I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah, see you later.”
I pack my stuff as Gwen heads back around the counter to put on her apron. Once I’m outside, I head to the post office. There’s a nice printer there that I can use to make a couple of copies for the girls.
“I’m not going to let you get away with this.”
I look over my shoulder to see Kathy storming toward me. I debate running away as quickly as I can, but that’s just not who I am. I have no qualms about standing up to this woman if she wants to go head-to-head with me.
“You have ruined my family, and I refuse to allow you to bring your whoring influence into my girls’ lives.”
I scoff. “Wow. Your girls? Lauren and Leah aren’t possessions. They don’t belong to anyone but themselves, and if you knew them better, you’d never try to take ownership over them.”
“Oh, go spew your hippie nonsense somewhere else. They’re as good as mine, and I won’t have you ruining their lives.”
“You have no control over what they do. Holt is the only one who gets a say in their lives. You can offer your shitty opinion, but he’s going to do what he thinks is best. You obviously don’t seem to care that you’re a step away from losing them for good if you continue to try to manipulate them.”
“I am looking out for their best interests!” she screeches.
“No, you’re trying to control them.”
“Someone has to step up when they’re headed down the wrong path.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t know Hannah, but from what the girls have told me, she’d be ashamed of the way you’re acting right now.”
Kathy’s face turns an alarming shade of red. “You get my daughter’s name out of your whore mouth. You don’t know anything about her, and she’d be ashamed of the way the girls are acting because of you. They’ll turn into sluts just like you if I let you stay in their lives.”
I lift my arm to slap this woman into next Monday, when something in the wind whispers for me to stop.
I clench my hand into a fist, taking a step away from Kathy.
“I can take a lot of shit from people like you. Call me whatever you want. I couldn’t care less.
But insulting those beautiful, strong, wonderful girls is a step too far.
Think about what you’re doing right now, Kathy.
Think long and hard because if you continue this behavior, you’ll lose your only connection to Hannah forever.
None of us wants that to happen, so just know that if it does, it will be because of the choices you’re making right now. ”
I walk away with my head held high, the streets blurring past through the sheen of anger that’s boiling through me.
I take deep breaths to try to calm down, and whisper my gratitude to Hannah for stopping me from doing something stupid.
I have no doubt that she was the one who kept me from making a mistake I’d have regretted for a long time.
Before I realize it, I’m standing in front of a two-story red brick building, still running on my simmering anger. I don’t give it a second thought before I race inside, looking for the only person who can help me right now.