You Say It First
Page 53

“Anytime.”
Drew walked him out. Nick half expected another confrontation with Libby, but he didn’t see her again.
Families, he thought as he headed back to the studio. They were complicated. In Fool’s Gold he’d known the rules, but here, with Pallas’s family, not so much. And then there was Pallas. He wasn’t sure what to do about her. Dubai had always been the plan. Now, as he faced the fact that he would have to decide sooner rather than later, he was willing to admit that he would miss her. Miss them.
For a moment he allowed himself to speculate on what would happen if he didn’t take the commission. Or if he asked her to come with him. Not that he could do either. Passion consumed. Even if it didn’t, she had a life here. A business. But he enjoyed their time together and he didn’t want it to end. A realization that rattled him more than he would have liked.
Neither of his brothers were at the studio when he got there. He walked over to the metal sculpture. He and Mathias had gotten to the point where there was shape, but nothing to be proud of. They were amateurs, dabbling. He thought about carving something but that didn’t appeal. Restless, he prowled the huge room before stopping in front of a big storage closet. Inside was Nova’s dress, which Violet had returned. All the buttons were in place—sewn by hand. He’d figured out what to do but hadn’t started it yet. While Nova had given him the go-ahead, he’d waited until he felt the time was right.
Now he pulled the dress out of the closet and set the hanger on a hook on the wall. He studied the swirls of the lace, the way the pattern repeated in very subtle ways and the sparkle of light on the buttons. He crossed to his desk and pulled out the folder with the final design. Then he collected paints and a brush.
Before he made the first stroke of purple paint on the expensive dress, he thought briefly of Violet and how she would be screaming. Different from Pallas who would be all in. Still smiling, he began to paint.
* * *
“I DON’T HATE her exactly,” Pallas said, passing a cookie to Silver.
“You should. If she were my mother, I’d hate her plenty. I can hate her for you, if you’d like.”
Pallas smiled. “You’re always a good friend to me.”
“I know. Practically a saint. I should have a statue in the town square.”
“We don’t have a town square.”
“Then we should get one and put up a plaque.”
They were finishing up lunch. Silver had come by with leftovers from a shower she’d worked at the night before. The mini sandwiches and salads had been delicious, as were the cookies. They sat in the shade of a big tree in the courtyard of Weddings in a Box, enjoying the quiet before the wedding madness began in a few hours. While Pallas hadn’t meant to say anything about what had happened with her mom, she’d found herself telling Silver everything.
“Libby’s a bitch,” Silver said flatly. “You’re not going to say it, so I will. She’s horrible. I’m sure she has some twisted reason, but I don’t care. You’re her kid. You’re supposed to be nice to your kid. Especially one like you. You’re productive, successful and grounded. What more does she want?”
“Me to work in the bank.” That had become clear. Funny how Pallas had always felt she had to fight her mother to get a job there, but over the past few weeks she’d realized that Libby actually did want her working at the bank. She had no idea why. For control? To be able to say, “This is my daughter and she works with me?” Only that implied pride and she’d never felt her mother was proud of anything she did.
“Maybe she didn’t want to work at the bank,” Silver said. “Maybe she only did it because she thought she had to and she resents you’ve had the courage to follow your heart.”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” She couldn’t imagine her mother doing anything but working at the bank. It was as if Libby had been formed rather than born. Always an adult, always responsible and dressed in a suit. “Enough about her. Let’s talk about something fun.”
“Like the under-the-sea wedding?” Silver took another cookie. “You gotta love Taylor’s courage to just go for it. Good for her. I already have a bunch of ideas for shots and signature drinks. I’m emailing you my proposal first thing Monday.”
“I’m excited about all the fun things we could do.”
“I love Nick’s idea about the soda and water in an old rowboat. I should be able to pick one up cheap, and then line it with plastic.”
“Do they make them for kids? Because that size would be better.”
Silver laughed. “See? This is so much more you than balancing ledgers and counting money. You’d hate working with your mom.”
Pallas grinned. “You’ve never taken a finance class, have you? There’s more to banking than counting money.”
“Blah, blah. It’s boring, regardless.” She gestured to the open courtyard. “This is us. We weren’t meant to conform. And screw those who don’t get that.”
An interesting turn of conversation, Pallas thought. “Drew?” she asked gently.
“I don’t know anyone named Drew, and if I did, I would think he was a jerk. Nope, I’m over him. Totally and completely.”
Pallas thought that Silver would be a lot happier if that were actually true.
“Have you thought of—” she began before Silver shook her head.
“Don’t go there.”
“But...”
“No. I appreciate the thought, but no. I am over him. O.V.E.R. We are done and I don’t care.” She scrambled to her feet. “Okay, I need to go prep for tonight. I’ll see you soon.”
Pallas collected the remains of their lunch, and then stood. She tossed the trash, but instead of going inside, she took a moment to study the building. From inside in the courtyard, there were plain stucco walls and lots of plants and trees. From the outside, there were different facades on different sides. Illusion, she thought, but the best kind. The kind that allowed silly dreams to become beautiful memories.
Gerald had given her the gift of opportunity and faith. Because he’d believed in her enough to trust her with all he’d worked for. He’d loved her and cared for her and had changed her life forever.
She walked inside. One of the wood panels was still on supports as Nick worked the repairs. Soon they would all be restored to their glorious selves. She was glad she hadn’t looked into selling them. Whatever their worth, they belonged here. While they wouldn’t fit in with every wedding, they were still a part of her inheritance and she was grateful.
Her mother might be a nightmare, but Pallas had good men in her life. Her brother, her grandfather, Drew, Gerald, Alan.
Nick.
He was an unexpected pleasure. Strong and kind, funny, charming and more talented than anyone she’d ever met. What he could do with nearly any medium overwhelmed her. But he didn’t talk about his brilliance, or use it as an excuse. He worked the program. And soon he would be in Dubai.
Funny how at first she hadn’t cared, but now the thought of him leaving made her sad. No—more than sad. More than upset. She would miss him desperately. She’d become used to seeing him every day, talking with him, making love with him. She liked that they went to The Boardroom for games tournaments and hung out with friends and had their own rituals. She liked everything about being with him. She’d been so busy scrambling to finish her degree and working and trying to please her mother that she’d forgotten what it was like to be a part of something. To care about someone that much.