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Alice shifted on the wooden chair. “Elle had already moved here and opened her shop. She was happy.”
There was probably more to the story she wasn’t telling me, but I was happy to get this glimpse into her life.
“I bet her house is covered in your mosaics.”
“Most of them migrated to Amelia’s room, but she has one at Smoke & Mirrors.”
I racked my brain to remember if I’d seen one. Finally, I snapped my fingers. “The silhouette of a man and his beard.”
Alice tipped her head to the side. “You noticed?”
“I had no idea it was your work. It’s amazing. Professional-looking and unique.”
Alice smiled, seemingly pleased with my characterization of her work. “That’s the thing. Every piece takes hours to make. After I set the tiles, it has to dry for twenty-four hours before I can glaze it. It takes time, money, and materials. Each one is hand-crafted.”
“Each piece is unique.”
“It’s the reason I could never sell them. They can’t be mass-produced. Well, they could, but that would defeat what makes it special.”
“I think people would pay more for a unique item and wait longer for it to be shipped. This isn’t something you buy online and expect it to ship in two days.”
Alice’s lips pursed. “Maybe.”
She straightened, so I came around the table to see the almost-finished turtle. “It looks great. I love the blue and green color. It reminds me of the water.”
“A viewer requested this color combination.”
“Are they buying it?”
“They probably would, but I’m not set up for it.” Alice stood and started cleaning up her supplies.
I moved to help her, running into her in the process. Her breath hitched as I steadied her with a hand on her hip. “Sorry about that.”
She flashed me a smile before moving around me. “No worries.”
I helped her clean up, moving her mosaic to a spot in the laundry room that Maggie couldn’t get to. I didn’t want her to mess up Alice’s hard work.
“You want to take a drink out back? It’s beautiful out there this time of night.”
She smiled softly. “Why not.”
Surprised she’d agreed, I quickly grabbed a few beers and a seltzer my mom liked to drink when she visited and carried those and a blanket to the back porch. I handed the blanket to Alice, who was already seated on the cushioned sectional.
I placed wood in the outdoor fireplace, started it, and carefully stoked it before joining her.
“This space is amazing. I haven’t spent much time out here.”
“In the daytime, the view is indescribable.” Like every home in Telluride, the mountains were always there, a beautiful constant surrounding us.
“I bet, but I wasn’t referring to that.” She waved a hand at the patio. “You have a full kitchen, fireplace, TV, and all of this. It’s incredible.”
Tingles flew down my spine at her praise. “I made this when Maggie was little. I wasn’t quite ready to build a house, and Maggie needed a home. But I could do this.”
I’d added the pavers for the patio and then the fireplace and the outdoor kitchen. I had visions of the family visiting and grilling out in the summers. Until now, I hadn’t thought about how romantic it was to be curled up with a blanket and a fire.
“Is this what you do at work?”
“No. We’re limited to indoor renovations.”
