Page 84 of Painted Dreams
* * *
“I’m hungry,” Nick announced, nipping at Kat’s ear.
“Still?” she asked playfully.
“A guy’s gotta keep up his energy.” He perched on an elbow. “Should we get dressed and get out of here? Get some fresh air?”
Kat considered all the activities they’d discussed last night and not a single one sounded more appealing than staying in her apartment with Nick. Call it hiding or whatever, but she wasn’t quite ready to face the world. If she went to the studio, anyone there would mention the show. And if they went ice skating, other people would simply skate around her, laughing and having fun as if nothing was wrong. That was equally depressing.
She swung her legs to the side of the bed and pushed herself up. She rarely ate lunch at home but could probably throw something together. “What about a charcuterie here?”
He sat up and studied her. “You’d rather stay in?”
Kat tugged a shirt over her head and looked away. “Maybe.”
“That sounds fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yep.”
A moment later, he joined Kat in the kitchen. She gestured toward the living area. “I’ve got this. Why don’t you see if you can find us a good rom-com or fun movie to watch?”
“Sure.” He sauntered toward the other room but looked back over his shoulder. “Is the no-talk policy still in place or should we brew up a plan for those amazing paintings?”
Kat stiffened. She was still in mourning and not sure she had the mental energy to tackle whatever Plan B might look like.
“I’ve got my laptop,” Nick said. “We can research other options. And re-formatting your postcard to make it an info piece to send to other galleries. Sometimes snail mail gets more attention than an email.”
She blew out a harsh breath. “I suppose. I’m sure I still have a list of the galleries around here, but…”
“But?” Nick’s brows rose.
“Ugh. It’s like cold-calling.” She slammed the knife onto the counter and shook her head. “I did so much of that already. I should be past it. If I’d had the show, that would’ve given me a reason for contacting them all again. And it would’ve increased their interest. You know they’re inundated by artists trying to break in. I bet they get hundreds of promo pieces every month if not every week.”
“Sure. But not everyone is going to have the design sense, power photo, and drive you do.”
He braced against the table, apparently forgetting his original task.
“They won’t come knocking on the door,” he added softly.
Kat groaned inside. He was right. She knew she had to get back out there, but the thought made her head hurt. If it was meant to be, should it be this hard?
“We could go to the studio and set up some nice photos of your framed pieces then get them uploaded to your website and a postcard. How’s the lighting there?”
“It’s not terrible. There are a couple of backgrounds people use for taking pictures. Is that how you want to spend your time here?”
He shrugged. “I want to do whatever’s going to help you get through this and move on. I know you don’t like the fair circuit, but we could check the dates of some around here that would be easy to get to. You wouldn’t have to–”
“That is for sure not how I want to spend our time.” She rolled her eyes. “No. I’m not resorting to art fairs. Not the kind you’re talking about, anyway. Maybe they work for you, but I’m not interested. I’m not settling.”
* * *
A flush crept up Nick’s spine.Resort to?Settling?He crossed his arms and held Kat’s gaze.
“Look, they’re a starting place. You can’t get into big shows like The Armory unless you’re represented by a gallery.”
“Which didn’t happen!” Kat’s voice trembled as she glared at him.
