Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
M aya touched the detailed crystal she’d just shaped and blew out a sigh of relief. She’d been working on a new idea for a while and it was gradually coming together. It was called ice cave, and it comprised delicate layers of sculpted crystals, which looked like a necklace of intricate stalactites hanging around the wearer's neck. They reflected light from any angle and it looked like water was dancing across the surface of each crystal. It took five layers of the finest crystals to form one necklace, but the result was breath-taking.
The alarm pealed on her phone and she swiftly put the necklace on its pedestal with practised hands and then into her safe. She made sure she had a fresh mug of coffee from the posh machine in her office and then closed the windows and put the air conditioning on. No one would ever hear her clients' conversations, but she closed the tall windows to the balcony and side windows just in case.
She felt nervous and excited about this client meeting because Robbie was becoming a friend now with playful phone calls to see how his ‘soul mate’ was doing and he’d told her more about Amethyst being a big part of his history. She loved visiting Noah’s house and hoped she could ease the way for him and his parents to see each other more, as she felt that was the crux of the problem of their miscommunication issues. Her own family grabbed any visitors in for a hug and assumed everyone else was like them, but Noah’s family was more reserved. Perhaps they’d learnt to be that way because of his career and the stories in the press too, though? It must be hard for them to know who to trust, mused Maya. Noah had said they were cold and unwelcoming, but when Maya had met them, she thought they were friendly and curious, not judgemental. They just missed their son.
She guessed outsiders might think her own parents were unusual, for leaving three teenagers with their parents, but their grandparents cared for Maya, Romy and Arthur and they’d never felt unloved or disapproved of. The wild gardens and glasshouses they’d had the freedom to roam around, had given flight to their imaginations and instilled a sense of adventure. Their grandad spent his days walking in and out of the huge Victorian glasshouses with arms full of Frangipani plants with their knobbly bark, oblong green leaves and overlapping petals that were sometimes considered a symbol of immortality because the plant could flower and produce leaves even if uprooted. Her grandmother was often found sewing something or other, or baking, but whatever it was it was usually bright and beautiful, unless it was the biscuits that she enjoyed making in splodges.
Maya, Arthur and Romy’s parents saved lives, and they were needed in crisis situations. Their children did fear for their safety occasionally, but regular online video calls and tales of who they had helped eased the way. It wouldn’t have worked for everyone, but it did for them. Maya had never experienced her parents criticising her choices, so that must be hard to bear by Noah, especially when his choices had fulfilled his dreams. She couldn’t imagine anyone not loving Noah… she froze for a second and then gulped down some hot coffee, making her splutter and quickly grab a tissue to dab her mouth. So much for a serene start to her meeting!
She felt nervous and excited about this one because Robbie and Noah spoke about Amethyst, her next client, often. Maya had bumped Amethyst up on her client list. She’d never done that before as he meticulously planned everything, but Maya was curious about the woman who clearly still held Robbie’s heart in her hands, even though he was too stubborn to see it.
Maya grinned as she changed into a funky green textured dress from the little wardrobe that was built into an alcove by the upstairs bathroom, as her clients never actually saw her face. She still liked to feel that she’d presented herself professionally, and she worried that one day someone would finally see her sitting there through a computer glitch or something, and if she was half-naked, or in her dressing gown, they’d get one hell of a shock! It had become a habit, and she tried to ignore the fact that she was being ridiculous.
Gio had been back to the art group on Bertha earlier in the week, and it was as if a rock star had arrived. He was metamorphosing into a confident young man and it looked like he might also be ready to open his heart again by the way he had blushed when he’d seen Bobby and a little bird had told Maya that he’d plucked up the courage to offer Bobby the spare room in his new rented flat. Gio had hugged Maya with excitement and spent most of the session telling them about his new life while they’d sat around in rapt attention. It had been weird for Maya to find out what the effects of her work were in person, but her heart filled with pride and she was glad it hadn’t impacted negatively on her friend. Gio had stood next to her at the coffee break time and had hugged her and swung her around and around until she’d squealed and asked him to put her down, which he did with a swift kiss to her cheek and a flushed face.
‘How are you coping with your newfound fame?’ she’d teased him and he’d grinned shyly and then stood taller.
‘It was scary at first,’ he’d admitted ‘but with every day I’m more thankful for my guardian angel, because I still can’t work out why a high-profile brand chose me,’ he’d added as he’d scratched his head and shrugged in wonder, then rushed away to get the space alongside Bobby and start unpacking his extra art supplies and fresh canvas.
Maya straightened her notes next to her computer screen and clicked the link to begin the video call to Amethyst. Adrenaline buzzed through her veins and for a second she had the fleeting thought that perhaps she shouldn’t interfere in the love lives of her friends, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it as Amethyst’s smiling face filled the screen and the conversation began.
‘Hello Amethyst,’ said Maya, with a smile about how excited Amethyst looked. Some of her clients were too affluent to be excited by a piece of jewellery, but many couldn’t wait to work with her. The computer changed Maya’s voice so no one would recognise her that way. Maya sent up a brief prayer of thanks to her little brother, Arthur, for his tech skills.
‘This is so weird!’ exclaimed Amethyst. ‘I knew I wouldn’t see your face. The logo screen, although beautiful and full of enticing images of your designs that I wished I owned, is surreal. I’ve done nothing like this before. ’
‘It is a bit like a blind date,’ said Maya thoughtfully, and Amethyst burst out laughing, easing some of the initial tension.
‘Exactly! I can’t tell if you’re a man or a woman, but I’m guessing that’s the point?’ she asked.
‘Sorry about that,’ said Maya. ‘It’s part of the company ethos, but I can understand it must seem strange.’
‘It’s ok,’ said Amethyst. ‘It’s amazing how quickly I’m getting used to it. Okay…’ she paused and then shrugged in delight.
‘Tell me what you’re looking for in your design?’ Maya asked.
‘It’s the intricacy of the design that I love,’ replied Amethyst and Maya’s heart warmed with pride. ‘I’m looking for something fluid and fairly small.’
‘Something like this?’ Maya responded as she navigated her screen and brought up a few samples of a smaller piece she’d begun working on. The delicate Fen Violet had caught Maya’s eye recently because she knew the species was in decline because of the draining of wetland habitats. The leaves of the plant had been molded from sheets of white gold, and the wide pale petals and soft fluffy white stamens were represented in the tiniest diamonds and precious metals.
‘Yes!’ said Amethyst. ‘Exactly that. I love the way the leaves almost look like they’re protecting the ethereal flower,’ she added and Maya had to stop what she was doing and regroup for a moment because Amethyst undoubtedly saw her vision as clearly as Maya did.
Maya spent the next hour getting to know Amethyst, and she’d spoken openly about the love of her life, which surprised Maya, even though she was clearly talking about Robbie. Someone who didn’t know him might not have picked up on the nuances of what Amethyst said, but Maya was an artist and she noticed the smallest things. From the way she spoke about her past heartbreak, Maya could tell she was far from over him. Maya was already sketching two entwined hearts as the conversation ended and she knew without a doubt that these two were meant to be together. She wondered if she could incorporate two miniature hearts into her design, perhaps at the centre of the flower, she mused. She’d dropped in a few hints about being open with those you love and how misunderstandings can grow without communication and then steered the conversation to family and friends, hoping that the titbits she’d mentioned could at some point come back into Amethysts consciousness and that she might pick up the phone and give their mutual acquaintance, Robbie, a call. The meeting made Maya think about Blake again, especially after Tabitha had drawn him into their conversation as well. He’d been texting her again, and she’d actually answered twice because it had been about a few loose ends from them running a business together and one document she still hadn’t signed. It was nothing important, but he wouldn’t let it go for some reason. He hadn’t been able to send her some copies of their paperwork because she’d pretended to disappear abroad, but now he wanted to meet. Signing the document severed all ties between them and made everything final. Bumping into him at Noah’s garden party had shocked her to the core, because following his career on social media was one thing, but meeting in the flesh was entirely different. She’d felt nothing at the time, but when she’d arrived home, she’d gotten angry about his impertinent questions about her and Noah. She needed to sign the dratted document and get him out of her life forever.