Page 136 of Take This Heart
Juju throws a sour gummy worm at her. “Okay, Ms. Peach. So, where is Percy?”
“Percy is in Montana,” Erin says, “but it sounds like they might be coming back soon.” She lifts an eyebrow over her shoulder and smirks at us.
“There’s the smirk that was missing when we brought Percy up the last time. So youhaven’tlost your crush...”
“I tried.” Erin sighs. “But then we talked on the phone and it was nice. So…no, never losing that crush, I’m afraid.”
“Maybe because there’s something there,” Juju says.
“Ahh, I think that boat has sailed.” Erin puts her hand on her hip as she tries to secure metal around a dress form. “I mean, there have been plenty of chances, and it’s been a no-go.”
“Well, I’m not giving up hope. And it was nice of them to let us use the space,” I say. “I always loved coming in here as a kid. Percy’s dad had the best art supplies. I got my favorite brush here and never looked back.”
The Cozy Palette is bursting with color. Shelves of paint and brushes and canvases, along with scrapbooking and jewelry supplies cover every nook and cranny. Various artwork is displayed in every open space, and when I lean in to see who the artist is, I’m surprised more than once.
“Did you know Miss Idella and Emmy are quite the artists?” I point out their paintings.
“Nice.” Juju nods. “I should see if they’d want to put anything in the cafe.” She lifts her shoulder and scrunches up her face. “I’d rather have a G. Waters original, but…” She eyes me hopefully.
“I’d be happy to put something in the cafe. Whatever you want.”
She shakes her shoulders in a little dance. “I bet we could sell a lot during the busier seasons. Oh!” She holds up her hand. “I’ve been shirking my wine duties! I’ll get right on that.” She pours a hefty glass of wine for each of us.
“To a girls’ night and starting the first of many happy traditions,” Erin says.
We clink our glasses and I set a large piece of plastic over the island.
“If you want to do an acrylic pour, I brought everything we’ll need,” I tell Juju.
“Yes, please,” she says.
I hand her some disposable gloves and put on my own, then fill glasses with all different colors of paint, letting Juju pick the colors she wants. I pull out two of the smaller canvases and place smaller cups under them so they’re not flat on the plastic. And then I show her how to layer her paint in one cup. She loves it when we flip the cup onto the canvas and then just leave it there while we combine dish soap and water.
“This is so satisfying,” she says, when we lift the cup and let the paint fill the canvas.
I show her how to empty the cup on the edges and then let the paint drip off the edges. Juju loves flowers, so I show her the drip stick method and she is hooked.
Erin lifts her helmet off. “What is going on over there? Juju, you sound like you’re in the throes of ecstasy.”
“Yeah, right. I wish,” Juju sighs. “But, look at this. It’s amazing! I’m obsessed. This is so pretty!” The cells start to spread and look like flowers.
She’s thrilled by all of it.
“We can add a little white in the center if you want to give each flower a pop,” I tell her.
“Yes to the pop,” she says.
Once we’ve done that, we sip our wine and admire the magic that takes place as the white expands.
“Have you seen Ava again?” Erin asks.
“No. I almost invited her tonight, but I lost my nerve.”
“You should’ve. We could’ve made sure it didn’t get hostile.” Erin holds up her arm and pats her muscle.
“I don’tthinkshe’ll get hostile again. She seemed devastated after her confrontation with Bruce. But baby steps. I did text her to see how she was doing this week and she said she was okay…but she didn’t have much to say back, so I didn’t press it. I don’t think we’re going to be close overnight or anything, but…” I take my gloves off and set them on the plastic. “I guess I don’t knowwhatto expect.”
“She’s probably so embarrassed by what she did and just lying low for a bit,” Juju says. “It’s a lot. I’m shocked you’re handling it so well, finding out thatAva Piperis your sister.”
