“Yes and no,” he said. “I miss my colleagues and certain aspects of the job. Helping people, which is why I got into it in the first place. But there’s a lot of bullshit I don’t miss. And running Heritage Hill has been rewarding too.” He looked at Pia.
She was lying on the couch with her feet in his lap. Winking at him, Pia snuggled down into the couch even more.
“It must have been scary though? Changing careers like that?”
“It was until I actually made the decision. After that”—he shrugged—“no looking back.”
“Which begs the age-old question,” Parker said. “What would you do if fear wasn’t holding you back?”
I nearly spit out my drink.
“You” didn’t seem like an appropriate answer.
“I’d make art my career,” I answered quickly, before my cheeks turned pink and everyone guessed what had really been on my mind.
“You should see her paintings,” Pia said. “There are a few around town actually. The Grapevine Bistro has two, and we’ve commissioned a big one for the inn’s great room.”
“Speaking of that,” I added. “It’ll probably be next month before it’s finished.”
“No problem,” Pia said. “She won’t even let me peek,” she told Mason.
“You make jewelry too, right?” Parker asked.
“I do. And pottery. That’s part of the problem. I can’t seem to choose one medium, so am half good at all of them.”
“Not true.” Pia turned on her side. “She’s just being humble.”
“Agreed,” Mason chimed in. “I’ve seen your piece at The Big Easy. It’s amazing.”
“Maggie was so sweet to work with,” I said of The Big Easy’s chef and owner. “I loved that painting. The subject made it easy to create.”
“New Orleans?” Parker asked.
“Yep. She wanted to capture the architecture of the Quarter so I drew a street lined with Creole townhouses.”
“Wait a minute,” he said. “The picture hanging just behind the hostess stand with all of the colorful houses. That’s yours?”
“Yep,” Pia chimed in, as if she were my agent or PR rep. “Sure is. Looks like a photo, it’s so realistic. Right?”
“Impressive.” Parker looked at me. “What’s the biggest hurdle?”
“Where do I even start? Giving up guaranteed income. Throwing away years of education. Startup costs. I’d open a studio. Something that could showcase all of my own pieces but a place where other people could learn too and take classes. Somewhere near the square.”
“I think she should do it,” Pia said.
“Seems like the two of you have a lot in common.” Mason got up from the couch to add a log to the fire. “Parker has been talking about his own construction company for years.”
Parker and I exchanged a glance. “You’re in a better position than me,” I said. “Already working in construction. I totally think you should do it.”
“I will if you do,” he teased, smiling.
“Would love to see that.” Mason moved Pia’s feet off him. “Who’s up for midnight pizza?”
“Me, please,” Pia said, looking more awake than she was a few seconds ago. “I’ll help.”
Whether Mason really needed help putting a frozen pizza in the oven or she wanted to leave Parker and me alone, I’d have to wait to find out.
“So,” I said, attempting to keep my tone light. “We both have commitment issues. Both want to start our own companies. Both like cupcakes. What else do we have in common?”
