Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
K at spotted Nana Kitty immediately. Her regal posture and styled snow-white hair stood out in the busy baggage claim terminal at LaGuardia airport Thursday afternoon. With a catch in her throat, Kat nearly ran to the bench where her grandmother waited.
“Nana!” she called a few steps away.
Nana turned with a wide smile. Standing, she enveloped Kat in her arms.
“Oh, darling Kat.” She squeezed her close.
“It’s so good to see you.” Long moments later, she stepped back and gave a little laugh.
“I can’t believe I’m finally here.” She gestured toward the overnight bag Kat had dropped.
“I’m glad you’ve decided to stay with me at the hotel tonight.
We can talk all night. And you can have a good long cry if you need to.
I don’t want you to suppress your feelings this weekend, honey.
” She ran a gentle hand over Kat’s hair.
“But let’s try to have some fun, too, okay? ”
Kat blinked back tears. “We will, Nana. I promise.” It wouldn’t be easy to forget the heartache and disappointment, but she’d be with some of her favorite people, and she had to rise above bad circumstances. Tonight’s sleepover in Nana’s room would be a good start.
Behind Nana, Kat saw her dad stride toward them looking harried, a bag in each hand. He dropped one, planting a quick kiss on Kat’s cheek. “Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Dad. You got everything?”
“Yep. Lead the way.”
“We can go out here to get in the taxi line.”
They jostled through the crowd toward the exits.
“Mom sure is sorry she couldn’t make it,” her dad spoke up just before they reached the doors.
Kat’s face burned, and she stopped short, gaping at her dad.
“She really wanted to see–”
Kat held up a hand, not caring if they were blocking traffic. “Dad, stop. You can’t keep covering for her. She was never going to show up. And we all know it.”
Her dad’s face turned red. “Now just a–”
“No. It’s time we all stopped pretending.
She thinks I’m a failure, and I embarrass her.
” Kat’s voice shook, but she went on. “Well, guess what? She embarrasses me. I’m tired of being the one to make the effort.
And I’m done.” She sucked in a deep breath.
“I appreciate you coming and bringing Nana. You two are enough.”
Kat turned to march out the door but not before she saw Nana rest a hand on her dad’s arm and shake her head.
Though the noise of people, cars, and buses filled the air outside, a heavy silence settled around Kat and her family as they waited in line for a taxi.
This wasn’t how she wanted their weekend to start, but enough was enough.
When their turn came, Kat’s dad helped the driver load the luggage into the car then the three of them squeezed into the back seat.
From the middle, Kat did her best to point out landmarks as the car moved through the city toward their hotel.
At the hotel, Kat’s glance darted around the lobby. No sign of Nick. Hopefully, he’d done the smart thing and booked a different hotel. She registered the little ache in her heart but refused to dwell on it. What she needed now was support—not a challenge to her goals and decisions.
The three of them went to a quiet Chinese restaurant nearby for dinner. For most of the other events that required reservations or advance tickets, Mia would join them.
By the time they returned to their rooms, Kat wondered if Nana would be up for that late-night chat. She almost hoped they could just go to sleep—it was the only way Kat’s brain completely shut out the voices she didn’t want to hear.
“Nana, do you want a cup of tea before bed?”
Her brows shot up. “I certainly do. I’ll have my bath, then we can have tea, and I brought good chocolates. You call for a pot of hot water.”
Thirty minutes later, Kat sat cross-legged on Nana’s bed and unwrapped a dark chocolate truffle.
“That little speech you gave your dad this evening… Did you mean it?”
Startled, Kat stared at Nana, the chocolate still in hand. “Mean what?”
“That you’re done trying to prove yourself to your mother? No more pretending?” Nana closed a hand over Kat’s. “I hope so, love. I know it hurts to see your mother take an interest in your siblings and their kids, but you’ll never change her. You might need to let go.”
Kat took a small bite of the chocolate and slowly chewed while Nana’s words sank in.
“This weekend, the show…you wanted your mother to see your paintings in a gallery. But did you really want her company? Would she have added to your joy?”
Kat looked past her grandmother. The truth was they’d have more fun without her mom around. She lifted her eyes to Nana. “No. Mom is a constant source of frustration.”
Nana reached out and placed a hand under Kat’s chin. “Stop letting her have so much influence, honey.”
Kat pressed her lips together, nodding.
“Honestly, I have to share some of the blame for your mother’s attitude.” Nana blew out a long sigh. “When you were young, I jumped at every chance to take care of you, to be with you. I enjoyed you so much.” Nana shot Kat a soft smile. “But the more I volunteered, the more your mother withdrew.”
“No, Nana. She’s the only person responsible for behavior. I can’t imagine where I’d be if I didn’t have you.”
“I think one day your mother woke up and realized that you and I have a wonderful, close relationship. That she missed out, and it made her jealous. So she built a wall to keep from dealing with her emotions. I’m so sorry, darling girl.
But you’re your own woman now.” Nana took a sip of tea but kept her eyes on Kat.
“Now, this break-up with Nick, it didn’t have anything to do with your mother, did it? ”
Kat nearly spit her tea. Boy, did it . She shook her head. “Not in the way you might think. Turns out we don’t see eye-to-eye on some things. I’d rather not get into it. I’m not sure where we stand. I’m sorry you won’t get to meet him this weekend, but we both needed some space.”
Nana took Kat’s hand. “You’re upset about losing the show, but I sense there’s more to it. You’re discouraged, unsettled.”
Kat blinked back sudden tears. “Everything seems difficult right now. I feel like a hamster in a box, spinning my wheels.” She’d lost so much so fast. Thoughts of never seeing Nick again, as much as the hits to her career, made her feel empty inside. She just wasn’t sure what to do about it.
The rest of the weekend, Kat bumbled through as best she could. At least her mother’s absence meant she didn’t have to endure the impatient heavy sighs or I-told-you-so expressions. Like Nana had pointed out, Mia was far better company. She filled the void left by Nick’s absence as well.
Nick’s absence . Before Kat tumbled down the rabbit hole wondering if he was still in town Friday night, Nana linked her arm as they approached the door to their hotel “That was a lovely day.”
“Not too much?”
“It was just right. Shopping tomorrow?”
“If that’s what you want to do.” Kat was happy to leave the decision-making to Nana.
“Good thing I brought a book,” her dad cut in.
Nana swatted at him. “Just as well. You can find a bench while we get lost in Bloomingdale’s. We can shop a little before lunch, have a nice, relaxing meal to revive our spirits, then go to the museum.”
“We can always modify the plan if it gets to be too much,” Kat told her.
Inside the hotel lobby, Kat’s dad gestured toward the bar. “Ladies, would you care to join me for a nightcap?”
Kat didn’t, but she turned to Nana. “Up to you.”
“I think I’d better get upstairs and rest up for our next adventures.”
“All right. Goodnight.” He kissed them each on the cheek. “Sweet dreams.”
“Night, Dad.” Kat wasn’t anxious to get to her dreams. Last night had been restless with visions of Nick wandering aimlessly around the city, lost in the sea of concrete, unable to find her.
As if he were searching for her. Still, she couldn’t help a glance around the bar and lobby.
To herself, she rolled her eyes. The man knew where to find her—and he had not come looking.
* * *
Mid-morning Saturday, Nick downed the last swallow of coffee and considered the rest of his day.
It yawned before him like a lonely stretch of desert highway.
The servers at the small sidewalk cafe where he sat watching the frenetic traffic of New York City would probably kick him out soon—or at least stop refilling his cup.
He wouldn’t meet up with Sherra until seven tonight. He’d been lucky enough to spend all day yesterday at the wood shop in Connecticut where they’d do some of the filming for his program. But today he was on his own.
A niggling in his brain kept telling him the MoMA was close by. He’d love to visit—had barely scratched the surface of all the museum offered the last time he went, but that was no way to free his mind of Kat. He agreed with his mother that a time-out would do him good.
If Kat stuck to her original schedule, she would’ve taken her family to the MoMA yesterday.
He blew out a long breath. At least she had something to show off there.
The bamboo exhibit intrigued him on multiple levels.
Personal connections aside, he was an artist and woodsmith.
He tucked cash for his check under the mug and wandered onto the sidewalk.