Page 73 of If My Wishes Came True
Last night, after talking to Sunny.
“Tell me,” Nadine says with an encouraging nod.
“I’m not taking on new design clients. I’m going to wrap up with the amazing people I’m currently working with,” I say with a wink, “and once we’re done, I’m going to hang up my hat and try my hand at being a working artist. A painter, specifically.”
It is such a relief saying the words out loud. I kept goingover them in my head on the drive over, because I knew I’d be making this announcement today. Every time I visit Nadine, she wants to refer a friend to me. I hate saying no, but I’ve finally made the choice to move forward as an artist—and I need to act accordingly.
Nadine claps her hands. “Perfect. I need paintings.”
“Oh,” I exclaim, taken by surprise. “Well, I thought we’d pick those out from the gallery district.”
My client shrugs. “What for? I’d much rather commission something from an artist I know.”
My heart flutters. “Really? But…you haven’t even seen my work.”
“So, show me,” she says, matter-of-factly. “You’re so creative, I’m sure it’s fantastic.”
I put down my cup of tea, pull my phone out of my bag, and navigate to my photo albums. When I show her my paintings, her eyes go wide.
“Holy smokes,” she utters, grabbing my cell to get a closer look.
“You like them?”
“How did you do this?” she asks, stunned. “Did you paint from photographs, or did you have people sit for you?”
“Neither,” I say. “I just painted them from memory.”
Nadine squints at me. “Do you know how incredible that is?”
“I guess I never really thought about it. But thank you.” I pick up my cup of matcha, which I’d set down on an end table, and take a sip while Nadine keeps perusing the photos.
“And who is this hottie?” she asks, pointing to the portrait of Charlie. “Your boyfriend?”
I nod, beaming.
“What I wouldn’t give for someone to look at me like that,” she says with a sideways glance at me. “He’s in love with you.”
“I hope so,” I answer, my cheeks on fire.
“Well, I’m calling it: you’re going to be the next big name in the art world. Do you only do portraits?” she says, handing my phone back to me.
I slip it into the back pocket of my linen pants. “That’s my focus for this particular collection, but I don’t want to limit myself. I’d like to build a portfolio of landscapes, too.”
With Charlie’s interest in travel photography, I was thinking it would be fun to turn some of his photos into paintings someday. And I’d start with the one I found under my door this morning. The mountains against the backdrop of that gorgeous sunset sky would be so much fun to recreate.
“Then it’s settled,” Nadine says. “I’ll take three paintings. Two landscapes, and a portrait of my mother. I have this beautiful picture of her when she was young—she was a beauty queen, you know. That’s where I get my looks.”
“Wow…my very first sale. I don’t know how to thank you. This is amazing.” I want so badly to give her a hug, but Nadine’s not one for big emotional displays. So I take another sip of matcha instead.
“Alright, now let’s talk money,” Nadine continues, getting down to business. “I’ll give you the fifteen grand I was going to spend at the gallery district—is that enough for three paintings?”
I almost choke on my drink. “Is thatenough? Nadine, I couldn’t possibly…it’s too much. I’m just starting out.”
“You may just be starting out, but these are not amateur paintings, sweetheart. I’m considering this an investment. Your work will probably be worth a fortune one day.”
“Oh, Nadine,” I blubber, tears rolling down my cheeks, and—I can’t help it—I give her a hug.
She pats my back awkwardly before stepping out of my embrace. “Alright, enough with the mushy stuff. I’ve got a pedicure appointment downtown I have to get to. I’ll email you a copy of my mom’s picture. You can start there, and we’ll talk about the landscapes after you’re done.”
