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“See you then,” Stella says.
She calls the realtor while I set up for the day. I miss most of the conversation but when Stella hangs up, she’s beaming all the brighter. After all these months of saving and searching, it’s finally happening!
It’s hard for the two of us to keep focused on our work, so most of the day ends up with us dancing around the studio with music blasting. When the evening comes around, we meet up with Max at the bar. He takes one look at our giggling and frowns.
“Are you two already drunk?” he demands.
“No. We didn’t have any wine or even more caffeine, other than that first cup this morning,” Stella tells him.
He leans in closer. “Are you high?”
“Only on the sweet, sweet smell of success!” I exclaim.
Max shakes his head, laughing despite himself.
Maximilian Schroder looks exactly how you’d expect an art studio manager to look. He’s always perfectly put together. Everything about him is neat, from his precisely styled blond hair to his fastidiously trimmed beard. His thin, lanky build looks perfect in the pale suits he wears to work. Not too intimidating while also clearly professional and knowledgeable. Tonight he wears blue jeans and a dark blue V-neck sweater.
Just as we get seated, my phone goes off. I check it and grin to see it’s Knox. He knows all about our struggles to get Stella’s funding approved and will be just as excited to hear our good news.
I excuse myself and step outside to answer. “Knox! You’ll never believe it! The funding has come through and Stella is going to get her own studio! You said we could do it and we’re doing it! I can’t tell you how excited I am. You’ll have to come out for the grand opening.”
I’d brought Stella home to Willowcreek a few times and Knox had come to New Orleans often enough over the years. They are good friends, too.
“Kylie.”
His voice is low and bleak. My heart stutters and I clutched the phone tighter. “What’s wrong?”
“Mrs. Kendall passed away,” Knox says.
The air leaves my lungs and my eyes instantly well up with tears. Mrs. Kendall was the neighborhood grandma on my street. Hell, she was the town grandma for all of Willowcreek! She always had time for us kids and had even built a treehouse behind her house for us to hang out whenever we needed to. I can’t count the hours that Knox, me, and our friends spent there. That treehouse was my sanctuary through all the best and worst times in my life. She was the one who encouraged me to go to art school in the first place.
“How?” I ask, leaning against the side of the building.
“It was just her time. She passed in her sleep,” Knox replies.
I close my eyes against the welling of emotions. “Are you doing all right?”
“Yeah. I’m just working to arrange everything. Mrs. Kendall’s lawyer wants us both at the will reading. She would have called you, but I wanted to let you know myself.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. Then I straighten. “I’ll be on the first flight home.”
“You can stay with Callum and me,” he says. “I know your parents are on a transatlantic cruise, so if you don’t want to stay at your family home alone…”
“Thanks, but I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?”
I laugh at his worry. “If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.”
“All right. Let me know when your flight gets in. I’ll pick you up, then you can use your parents’ car while you’re here,” he tells me.
“Thanks.” That’s one less thing that I’ll have to deal with. I hope I can contact my parents to make sure that they’re okay with the plan. They often forget to check their messages while they’re traveling, though.
Knox sighs. “I’ll see you when you’re here. Love you, Kylie.”
“Love you, too.”
I hang up, staring up at the sky lit by the lights of the city.
