Chapter 7
7
D eb and Mel drank coffee on the deck while Tabitha was probably admiring her bathroom. She wasn’t kidding when she said she was obsessed with it.
“Do you miss Dale?” Deb asked.
“Not so much, but only because we video chat several times a day. I miss him at night as I’m used to sleeping next to him, and I miss him in the mornings, too. Drinking coffee and watching the hummingbirds feast was our thing,” Mel said as she smiled and nudged Deb. “I’m lucky to have you and Tabitha as my fill-ins."
“It’s been so long since I had that feeling of missing someone. I miss my parents because they died, but I’m talking about a partner of the opposite sex. You’re fortunate to love someone so much that you miss them,” Deb said.
“I am, but you have many years ahead, and there will be plenty of time to fall in love. It’s not like you’ve never known love. Just because you had a bad experience doesn’t mean you won’t find love again.”
“It causes too much pain when love ends. Frank Colosimo really did a number on me. I haven’t let myself fall in love since, but that hasn’t been a problem with the men I’ve chosen to date. Almost every one of them has been as shallow as a mud puddle. Nice, though.”
“That’s a shame, Deb because you have so much to offer. You’re smart and charming, which you don’t like others to know. I predict some lucky man will discover your secret, and he’ll inevitably fall in love,” Mel said as she yawned and stretched.
“I think I’ll stick with what works. This heart is tender, and I don’t think I can bear having it kicked around again,” Deb said. “Today will be good, though, because I don’t have any attraction to Franklin, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.”
“I heard from Tabitha that sparks were flying between the two of you,” Mel said.
“Not the kind that lights a fuse that leads to romance. In a way, he’s the male version of me. Nathaniel speaks his mind and doesn’t care what anyone in the room thinks.”
“I wouldn’t like someone who freely insulted me,” Mel said.
“I guess we differ there because I see it as being honest. Frank lied to me daily, and he was good at it. In that way, he insulted my intelligence,” Deb explained. “Whoa, if I don’t get moving, I will be late.”
“Deb, it’s eight-thirty, and you aren’t meeting him until noon,” Mel said.
“It takes me that long to get ready,” Deb said as she ran upstairs.
Deb looked at her face and then at her vanity. She applied an abundance of lotions, creams, bronzer, contouring makeup, and powder every day. Then she worked on her eyes and lips. Deb's hair took an hour, so she looked like she had a professional blowout every day. Her auburn highlights could use a touch-up, and maybe she’d go lighter for the summer.
She had been doing a similar regimen every day since her freshman year of high school. No man had ever commented that she wore too much makeup until Nathaniel, and that struck a chord. She wasn't offended, but for the first time, she asked herself why she needed to wear a mask every day. How could this man she hardly knew have such a strong impression on her?
Deb kept putting on her makeup because she wasn’t going to change for him. She doubted very much that he paused to think about his beard. Nathaniel didn’t seem the type to change for anyone either.
Deb walked into Zabu's, and she immediately spotted Nathaniel. He was having a drink at the bar and waved her over.
“I didn’t know we were day drinking,” Deb said.
“It’s a root beer. Care to join me?” Nathaniel asked.
Deb noticed his strong forearms, which were likely a result of the work he did. He wore jeans and a white Metallica T-shirt. Running sneakers finished the look. She wasn’t sure yet, but he looked like a runner.
“No, thank you. I’m more of a water gal,” she said.
“I’ll buy you a drink of water if you’d like.”
Deb lifted the purple water bottle that she carried with her. “I’m good, but thanks for the generous offer.”
“We can take a peek at the open gallery, and to be perfectly honest, my best work isn’t there. All of it is for sale, so I made it with the consumer or the casual art collector in mind. My studio has pieces I might show at a gallery in New York or San Francisco,” Nathaniel explained as they walked across the street. “I share the space with Gabby, a silversmith whose work compliments mine, and they don't compete with one another. We’ve collaborated on a few pieces that came out great, but it wasn’t easy working with someone else when I’m used to working alone. Am I talking too much?”
“No. I love to listen to someone speak about their passion. Not everyone is fortunate enough to do what they’re passionate about and make a living at the same time. I’m passionate about what I do. It’s not about the cut, color, or makeup. It has to do with putting a smile on a woman’s face where there wasn’t one before. A lot of women come in wanting to look good for their partner or impress some man they’re interested in. I have them flip the script and convince them to want to look beautiful for themselves, or at least I try.”
“Do you have male clients, too?” Nathaniel asked.
“Oh, sure, but the majority are women.”
“It seems we have a lot in common, but we’re nothing alike. Do you know what I mean?” Nathaniel asked.
“I do, but I doubt anyone else would understand.” Deb walked inside the gallery as he held the door open.
The shelves themselves looked like art. They were made of brass and wood with glass shelves. Deb was blown away by the wood sculptures and their curves. It must have required a lot of patience to start with a block of wood and end up with something so lovely.
“What do you think?” he asked.
"I'm impressed. I guess I know nothing about art because these pieces don't look commercial at all. It looks to me like they belong in a museum.”
“No, you really don’t know much about art, but I appreciate the kind words. Are you ready to head over to the studio? It's closer to your house, and I can walk you home from there.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Deb said.
Deb met Gabby, his partner in the space, before they left. She could tell that the woman didn’t know what to make of Deb. She was probably different from most people that Nathaniel spent time with. He looked like a hippy, and she resembled an uptown girl. Before Deb showed up, she wondered if she was going on a date or if it was just a way for Nathaniel to show off. Now she didn’t care. Deb was doing something her therapist was always encouraging her to do, which was live in the moment.
Tabitha predicted this would be a seminal summer for her. Deb thought she was just along for the ride, but now it seemed it might be a summer of change and importance for her, too.
Inside his studio, the creativity was palpable. There were sketches, works in progress, and massive pieces of driftwood.
“There are times I get a piece of wood from the sea, and the work is half done for me. It’s like the sea gods started it, but it slipped from their hands. I get spiritual about wood because it really does have a mind of its own. If I sound a little ‘out there,’ it’s because I am. An artist spends a lot of time alone, and it gives me time to think.”
“It’s the opposite of what I do, spending next to no time alone,” Deb said.
“You have to let me buy something before the summer is over. It will sit in a place of honor in my salon and always remind me of this summer,” Deb said.
“Let me make something special for you. I have something in mind already, and it’ll be a surprise,” Nathaniel said. He checked the wall clock because he didn’t wear a watch. She also noticed that he hadn’t checked his phone once since they’d been together. Nathaniel was clearly not a slave to technology. “I should walk you home.”
“I like that idea. I feel like if I had school books, you’d carry them for me.”
“I would, but there are iPads these days instead of books. I’d carry that, though,” Nathaniel said. “After the start we had yesterday, I didn’t know if we would have a day filled with insults. I’m glad you saw a different side of me. I’m not always that caustic. You held your own, and I wanted to know what else you had going on in that beautiful mind of yours.”
“You’ve only scratched the surface. I’m hyper-organized, loyal, cry when I see sappy ads on TV, don’t like people who don’t tip, and the list goes on.”
“You’re multi-faceted. I look forward to seeing all those sides of you this summer. I’m direct, and having said that, will you have dinner with me this week? You're beautiful, and I don't want to let you slip through my fingers.”
Deb was so used to dating apps that she had forgotten how things were done in real life. She asked for his number and called him so he’d have hers. “Call me, and we can set something up.”
They shared a hug, and Nathaniel surprised Deb by kissing her as she pulled back. His beard tickled, and the surprise was a pleasant one.
As Deb walked over the grass to the house, she thought of creative ways she could get out of seeing Nathaniel again. He was definitely someone she could get used to having in her life. It meant that her heart would be exposed, and that wasn’t happening.