“No. He designed commercial buildings across the country. He and Mom traveled and we moved a lot when I was little. Come to think of it, maybe when his life settled here is part of why Mom moved on. She wanted the thrill of the constant change.”
“I love being settled in one place. I can’t even imagine starting over somewhere else.”
“I’m with you. I’m thankful Dad got the job renovating Maymont. He loved working on the old buildings the most, and it was a big deal to be awarded that contract.”
“That’s where you get your appreciation of architecture, I take it. You know, I’ve never been over to Maymont.”
“Seriously? Let me be the one to take you. It’s my favorite place, and there are so many facets to it.” His excitement was palpable. “You’re going to love every square inch of it. Maymont was the last thing Dad worked on before he got injured.”
“What happened?”
“He fell two stories from improperly installed scaffolding. It nearly killed him. Spinal cord injury, concussion, punctured lung. He was in bad shape.”
“And yet, you climb those things to paint murals that sometimes people don’t even pay you to do? Please tell me you’re not one of thoseI must suffer for my artguys, because that sounds almost like a death wish.”
“No. I am absolutely not that guy. I’m very careful.”
She placed her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry about your dad. That had to be so hard for you and your mom.”
“Thank you. Yeah, well not for my mother. I haven’t seen her since she left.”
“Not even after your father passed away?”
“Never. I tried to look her up once, but she clearly didn’t want to be found. Probably for the best anyway.”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you.” She couldn’t imagine a mother leaving her child behind like that.
He shrugged. “It was a rough go for a while. Dad endured several surgeries and endless hours of rehabilitation. He worked hard to get well, but I knew it was killing him. The complications kept mounting, and the painkillers sedated him.”
“That’s a lot for a kid to handle.”
“But you know, it brought me to where I am. It was while he slept that I’d sit in a chair with a sketch pad in my lap, sketching the skyline over and over. He loved my drawings. We’d brainstorm ideas. In those moments, we were father and son and nothing else mattered.”
“I can’t even imagine losing both of your parents so young. My parents are still a huge part of my daily life. It’s a huge law firm, but my family’s roots are there. Mom practiced law, too, until she had my brother. Then she became a stay-at-home mom.”
“She didn’t want to go back into law? I mean, once you were out of school?”
“I think Dad really loved having her home, which is probably why she spent so much time redecorating the house once we moved out. It gave her something to do. William’s room became the library. Mine is a gym.”
“Sounds like they are making the space their own.”
“Right? It’s keeping them healthy. Mom’s sister is in real estate. She told her it was nuts to eliminate bedrooms by taking out the closets for the extra space, but Dad lets her do what makes her happy. It all works.”
“I like the way you look at the world, Whitney Winters.”
“I like your worldview too. The ones you paint, the one you enjoy outside your window, and the way you share them through your work. It’s nice.”
“I was serious about you letting me share Maymont with you. It was a really special place to my father, and I spent so many hours as a kid there. Do you think you can free some time on your schedule this Saturday?”
“I’ve got yoga with Carina and Olivia in the morning. We just started going back, so I don’t want to blow them off, but I’m free after that.”
He paused and then lifted his chin and asked, “Can we call it a date?” He looked hopeful.
“Maymont?” Her heart fluttered. “A date-date?”
“Mmhmm. Because the other nights have been sort of work-related.” He bumped his shoulder to hers. “This will be just forfun and to continue to get to know one another. What do you think? Next Saturday. You and me?”
It’s an entire week away, and I can’t wait.“I’d love to go on a date-date with you.”
