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There was a knock on the open door and she glanced over her shoulder to find Daniel. He poked his head inside and let out a whistle. “This place is actually looking a lot better.”
She stepped back, hand on her hip, and admired her work so far. “It is, isn’t it?”
“What do you have planned?”
Motioning toward one side of the room, she waved a hand through the air. “How about a bay window?”
Daniel snorted.
“What?” she demanded.
“If you want to knock out this wall and put in a bay window, you really shouldn’t be painting it.”
She gave her brother a flat look. “I’m painting it because he wants it to be livable. Simon wants to entertain people here in the next several months or years. And he deserves to have a space where he can invite friends without them making fun of his wallpaper and carpet.”
Daniel shot a look toward the floor and before he could ask her, she gave him the details.
“Simon wants wood floor in here. He’d like it to go to the kitchen through here.” Katrina took a few steps toward the doorway she’d had a local handyman expand. “It’s not going to be open concept, but it’ll be so much better after I’m through with it.”
Her brother appraised her, nodding. “I don’t doubt it.” With one more sweep through the living room, he let his eyes focus on Katrina. “And what if you get offered one of those jobs you were so interested in? What then?”
“What do you mean? I’m going to take the job.”
Daniel’s brows drew together. If she didn’t know any better, she might have thought he was judging her.
“I’m not just going to abandon what I want because some guy told me I’m pretty.”
“Thatsome guydeserves to know where you stand and what your plans are. Does he even know that you don’t want to stick around?”
“Of course he knows. Everyone knows. It’s not like I kept it a secret. I’ve always wanted to work for a bigger firm in the city. I just don’t fit in around here.”
“Have you even tried?”
She shot him a sharp look. How dare he question her and the things that made her happy? He wasn’t her father. And he certainly hadn’t cared before now. What had gotten into him?
“Yes, I’ve tried. Besides with our family and Simon, I don’t really belong anywhere and I feel like whatever is out there waiting for me has to do with my future in design.” She could see the disappointment in his eyes. Orwasit disappointment? Either way, her brother wasn’t pleased with her plans. “What’s it to you, anyway?”
“We care about Simon, too. And I, for one, don’t want to see him lose something he clearly cares about.”
“No one said he’dloseme.”
Daniel shook his head with a sigh. “Whatever. Look, I came by to talk to him about something. Do you know where he is?”
She flicked her fingers in the general direction of the barn. “You guys are all alike. One of these days, you’re going to realize that work isn’t everything.”
“Speak for yourself,” Daniel muttered. “The pot needs to stop calling the kettle black if you ask me.”
Katrina would have demanded he take it back, but he was long gone.
And he was wrong.
She didn’t prioritize her career over her relationships. She’d kept up on the friendships she’d had while she was working in the city before. It wouldn’t be any different if she left again.
Simon might love this farm, but he wasn’t married to it. He could be persuaded to leave it and start a life with her in the city if that was where their relationship ended up.
While she tried to convince herself that everything would be okay, she lost the oomph she’d had only moments ago when she’d been excited about the new paint.
What if shewas wrong?
