Page 61 of Finding Romance
Al didn’t say if he’d told her yet about the art gallery, so I don’t say anything. I just stand there, looking at her painting. It’s calming. A brief thought of her in my grandmother’s den flashes before me. There’s a big picture window there that looks out over the mountains and the sunrise. She’d love it.
Her phone pings and she reads a message. She looks up and sees me trying to read over her shoulder.
“It’s my dad. We’re trying to work out how I’ll get out to his house. He has a meeting,” she says with a sigh and then shrugs. “It’ll be nice to see him. We don’t spend much time together.”
I decide right at that moment that I need to let her go. She needs to find her own way to her dreams. She’s still so young. I’m nearly ten years older than her. I’ve lived a thousand different lives since I was her age. It’s strange to think of the age gap between us. She doesn’t seem like a twenty-three-year-old.
After I make that decision, I also decide to take her on one final practice date. A goodbye date.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Piper
“How about one more practice date?” Kasen says as I pack up my things.
“When?” I ask.
“Well, it sounds like tonight we have an impromptu happy hour,” he says. “How about tomorrow night?”
He holds my bag while I place things inside and break down my easel. “Sure. What’d you have in mind?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Is there anything you wanted to do before you leave?”
I contemplate that while we begin walking back to the apartment building. “I never got to go to the new art museum that opened last summer,” I suggest.
He places a hand on the small of my back and it makes me sad. I’m going to miss that. I’m going to miss him. And not just because he’s good at sex or kissing or cuddling. I mean, yeah, I love those things about him, but I also will miss our conversations. I’ll miss the way he protects me more than anyone else I know. I’ll miss the way he loves his sea creatures. I’ll miss him fixing us whiskey. I’ll miss how he quietly sees the people around him and helps them without even being asked.
Kasen Saddler is the real deal. I guess I shouldn’t be sad. I should be happy to have had a man like him willing to help me learn how to date and to have lost my “v” card to a man who knew exactly how to touch me. But I can’t shake this sadness. I swallow the lump in my throat as the elevator pings and the doors open.
“You going up to the happy hour after you drop off your art supplies?” he asks.
I nod. I know Al wanted to give me a sendoff. It’s strange how close I’ve become to everyone in a matter of weeks. I’ve never felt more connected to a group of people than I have with everyone in this building. It makes me feel a little better knowing I’m leaving Aunt Cornelia in such good hands.
I drop my things and am surprised when I see my aunt with her walker.
“Get Kasen,” she demands.
I turn and Kasen stops opening his door and steps back into the hallway.
“Everything OK, Cornelia?” he asks as he pokes his head into the apartment.
“I’m going to this happy hour. But the elevator doesn’t go to the roof, so you’ll need to carry me,” she says with a wink.
Oh God. Did she have to wink?
Kasen chuckles. “I can do that. Come on,” he says as he waves his hand. She hobbles over and he helps her to the elevator.
“I’ll meet you all upstairs,” Margie yells from the bathroom.
“OK,” I reply.
I drop my things by the door and check myself in the hallway mirror. I sweep my hair back up in a bun because it looks a mess.
“You coming up, illustrator?” Kasen’s voice calls out. I’m going to miss his nicknames for me too.
“Yeah,” I answer as I hurry to join them. The elevator starts buzzing and I hop inside. It lurches upward and my aunt lets out a long breath.
“This thing scares the shit out of me,” she admits. “Someday, someone is going to get trapped in here.”
