Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
“H ey, Kat!”
Kat whirled on the sidewalk in front of Sunrise Arts where she’d been walking the neighborhood checking out several galleries.
She shaded her eyes and was surprised to see Matt Jones from Loft Images waving at her.
He’d always been decent to her regardless of what his boss had done, so she pasted on a smile and took a few steps toward him.
“Hey, Matt.”
“This is funny, cuz I’ve been thinking about you.”
Kat frowned. “Really? What’s up?”
“New job.” He jerked a thumb toward the building behind him. “I’m working here now.” With a shake of his head, he crossed his arms. “After your friend confronted Pete and confirmed what I suspected, I got out of there.”
Her friend confronted Pete? What was that supposed to mean? Had Mia done something? Kat narrowed her gaze. “I’m glad you got out, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. What friend?”
Matt’s eyes widened, and he let out a chuckle. “You don’t know? Man, it was great. The guy really had Pete going. Said he wanted a bunch of stuff for a new place in Scarborough.”
Kat’s mouth dropped open, her heart pounding. Nick? Bits of a previous conversation with Nick ran through her head. Surely, he didn’t…
“Guess he didn’t tell you. Sorry. Didn’t know it was a secret. Anyway, he told Pete he knew everything, and that he better not ever say anything against you. You should’ve seen Pete’s face. It was epic.”
“Um, wow. No, I…I didn’t know he’d done that.” Kat’s thoughts and words stumbled over each other. She’d need some time to debrief over this one. The other part of Matt’s comments also had her thoughts turning. Maybe an in with a new gallery?
She shook her head to help clear it. “So you know the owner of Sunrise?”
“Sure. Jessica’s great. I can introduce you sometime. She’s out to lunch now.”
A woman-owned gallery. That sounded good already. “Thanks, that’d be great.” But a follow-up visit would have to wait until Kat returned from Denver. She was taking a chunk of vacation time to explore manufacturing and sourcing leads she’d get from the art museum purchasing folks.
Kat said goodbye to Matt then plopped into a seat at the nearest outdoor cafe.
The noise and hustle, the fast pace of the city that she used to love, annoyed her now.
She needed to think. Kat toyed with the menu on the table.
Her feelings for the city had changed so much. Nothing felt right anymore.
She ordered an iced chai and a brownie from the server who interrupted her thoughts.
When the items arrived, she thanked the woman and took a long sip of the tea.
Maybe a little caffeine would help. What in the world did Nick say to Pete?
First her mom and now Pete. Why would he bother at this point?
What if she’d never found out? It was just chance that she’d run into Matt today.
She swallowed hard. More importantly, would there be any consequences from Nick’s interference? Was Pete angry? Could he cause trouble? Matt had called the scene between Nick and Pete epic . Kat blew out a chuckle, imagining the encounter. Oh, man. The testosterone must’ve been at epic levels.
With a heavy sigh, she pushed back the hair from her face, wondering how her entire life could be turned upside down so fast.
* * *
On the following Friday, Kat parked Nana’s car in a visitor spot at the Denver Art Museum then met her grandmother at the entrance.
She wanted Nana Kitty with her to be another set of ears in the meeting with Jim and the museum procurement manager.
Already Kat’s head swam with pros and cons, with costs and processes from the online research she’d done.
Inside the elevator, Nana squeezed Kat’s arm.
“Just relax, honey. We’re on a fact-finding mission for now. No commitments. Nothing to lose. Let’s learn what we can and go from there.”
Kat nodded. Nana was a staunch believer in the potential of Kat’s art, but she was also pragmatic and not inclined to waste money or jump into a new endeavor without proper facts and figures. Nana had offered to provide seed money if Kat could figure out the logistics of launching a product line.
They made their way to Jim’s office, and he made introductions. Then Steve Birch, procurement manager, opened a manila envelope and pulled out several papers.
“I’ve gathered some contact names for you. Some of these the museum works with; some are other resources I’ve used in the past. People who should be able to produce for you or point you to other resources.”
“I told him you were looking for high-end production,” Jim added.
“A few of these are companies who license designs in case that’s something you’d be interested in.”
“Thank you. I’m open to all options right now.”
After thirty minutes of answering questions, Steve checked his watch then pushed back his chair. “I need to get to another meeting. I hope this helps. My card is in there, too. Feel free to call with any other questions.”
“Thank you,” Kat told him.
When the door closed behind Steve, Jim turned to Kat. “What do you think?”
Nana clapped her hands. “I think there are some wonderful options.”
“Me, too,” Kat said. She gave a shaky smile. “And I think I have a lot of work to do.”
Jim grinned. “Yeah, but for what it’s worth, in my opinion, you’re onto something here. You’ve got a look, a style that could really catch on.” He lifted the sunflower scarf that Kat had added to the fall designs on the table.
For a moment, Kat was too overwhelmed to speak. Goosebumps erupted on her skin. “Really?”
“Absolutely. You could be the next Marimekko or Vera Bradley. Worth a shot, right?”
As soon as Kat and Nana left the museum, Nana pulled her into a hug. “Oh, sweetheart. This is so exciting. I want to help you as much as I can. With the research, the calls, the cost. Everything.”
Kat’s veins hummed with adrenaline. She felt like taking Nana’s hand and skipping down the stairs the way she had as a little girl. “Thanks, Nana.”
“I’ve read the story of Vera Bradley,” Nana said. “Quite a success story. A couple of women started making bags in someone’s basement.”
Her words gave Kat pause. Is that what she should be doing?
Spending her evenings at home hand painting then going door to door to retail stores?
Is that what starting at the bottom looked like?
Nick’s words haunted her. You want to skip all the dirty work because you’ve been told all your life that the rules don’t apply to you, that you get to start way at the top.
“Do you think you can do this and keep your full-time job? Could you take a leave of absence?” Nana asked as they left the museum.
Nana stopped walking and took Kat’s arm.
“What, Nana?”
Her eyes searched Kat’s face. “Is this what you want, Kat. Or would you rather stay at the museum and try to sell your paintings. I want you to be happy, sweetheart.”
Kat hadn’t considered leaving the MoMA, but the truth was, she didn’t feel much desire to go back.
All she could think about was seeing where this new venture might lead.
Spending her days working on her own products rather than someone else’s.
She couldn’t wait to start making calls, to dig in and figure out the process.
If the larger paintings ever gained traction, she could still do those works on the side as she always had.
A smile spread across her face. She had a new vision for her career. Maybe it wouldn’t go anywhere. But if she didn’t try, she’d always wonder.
“Not sure I’m ready to quit my job yet. But I’m excited to get started and see where this goes.”
“I hope the right people present themselves to help you figure it all out.”
“So do I.” She’d need great connections and advice.
She wasn’t so naive to expect people to give her their time and expertise.
Most people would want to be paid. Only those she knew, like Jim and Nana and Mia would be willing to— She caught her breath.
Nick had a great eye. And a good business sense…
* * *
After lunch, Kat slid into the driver’s seat in Nana’s car again. “You ready for a nap?” she asked Nana.
“Maybe later. Let’s run by the house first. You want to see the new construction, don’t you?”
Kat bit her lip. She’d debated that question ad nauseum. She checked the time. At one-fifteen no one would be home. She could see Nick’s work and avoid her parents.
“We might as well while we’re out,” Nana nudged.
Kat glanced over. “Why are you so eager for me to see it?”
Nana crossed her arms. “It’d be a good conversation starter.”
“If I needed such a thing.”
“Or wanted,” Nana said softly.
Moving the car into the other lane, Kat gave a wry smile.
Twenty minutes later, she pulled the car into the driveway.
She helped Nana up the stairs and unlocked the door.
Inside, her eyes went straight to the living room.
Oh, my. The change was dramatic. The vertical panels of wood above the bookcases made the room seem taller.
And she could see the craftsmanship of the mantel from where she stood.
She noted there was no artwork above it.
Her mother probably had something on order in the framing shop.
Footsteps sounded, and Kat whirled to see her mother emerge from the hallway, hand at her chest.
“Oh, my word.” She gasped.
“Mom! Why are you here?”
“I live here, for heaven’s sake.”
“But it’s–”
“I’ve been taking a few Friday afternoons off. I’ve got an appointment this afternoon.”
“Oh.” Kat gestured toward the living room. “I just thought I’d take a look at the new rooms.” She groaned inside. She hadn’t been prepared to confront her mother.
Her mother moved forward and cleared her throat. “Well, since you’re here, I…we…wanted to speak to you about something.”
There was an odd hesitation in her mother’s voice. Kat lifted her brows. “Okay…”
“As you can see, we need new artwork for the blank space above the fireplace. Something more modern to match the new decor.”