anyone, but sitting here now it occurred to me that I’d really
like to paint you.”
Declan looked out at the Bay for a
while and then back to me. “Right, so you’re saying you want to paint my
portrait?”
“You don’t have to let me if you
don’t want to,” I said quickly, since he was obviously uncomfortable with the
idea. “It’s okay, I—”
He put his hand up to stop me from
talking. “I’m just thinking about it, that’s all. Where would you do this?”
“At my place, I guess. “ I figured
I’d put a big drop cloth on the floor of my living room and set up my easel on
top of that.
He nodded slowly. “All right, Kate.”
“You’ll do it! You’ll sit for me?”
“Sure, when do you want to start?”
I considered this. I wasn’t
currently seeing anyone. “How about Tuesday?” I asked.
“Shall we meet after work?
“That would be perfect. I’ll pick up
some Thai for dinner.”
That’s one of the nice things
about Declan, I can’t cook to save my life and I know he doesn’t care. I never
have to pretend to be something I’m not with him.
I don’t know how many guys I’ve
dated, and it seems to be getting worse now that I’m older, who have a mental
checklist they’re going through to assess whether I’m worthy of them or not. I
had one guy tell me my shoe size wasn’t quite his favorite. My shoe size! Not
that I don’t have my own checklist, because of course I do. I have a penchant
for tall, good looking men. I also don’t like men that are prettier than me—guys
who take longer to get ready than I do. I like them to be gorgeous without
effort, is how Lauren once described the men I date. Unfortunately many of them
have been assholes without effort.
***
“Sorry about running late,” Declan
says, coming inside his office. “Things have been busy these past couple of months.
All I ever do anymore is go to meetings. I had no idea so many people required
such considerable hand holding to merely do their jobs.”
“I take it the promotion hasn’t
been quite what you expected?”
“You could say that it appears
I’ve deluded myself to some degree. I thought I’d still be doing some creative
work of my own, but so far that hasn’t been the case.”
“They’re paying you a good salary though,
aren’t they?”
He studies me, thinking about
this. “They are, but money isn’t everything.”
“Isn’t it? I think a lot of people
would disagree with you.”
He shrugs. “Money is nice, don’t
get me wrong, all I’m saying is there are more important things.”
I get that sinking feeling again and
I know what he’s leading up to. “So, you’re moving back to Ireland?”
Declan gets a funny smile on his
face. “Let’s get out of here, shall we? I’d rather talk about this someplace
else. There’s a new gelato place that opened up in the Market.”
“You want to eat gelato at ten
o’clock in the morning?”
“Sure, why not?”
I roll my eyes. “I wish I were a guy.
It must be nice to have so few worries about getting fat that you can actually eat
ice cream for breakfast.”
He smiles. “Ah, come on, Kate. One
gelato isn’t going to make you fat. We can go visit your necklace. It’s been
ages since it’s seen you. It probably thinks you don’t love it anymore.”
“Oh, all right,” I say, giving in
with a laugh.
My favorite jewelry store, run by
a designer named Jane Moon, is down in Pike Place Market. I treated myself to a
pair of intricate ruby earrings for my birthday last year. They were expensive,
but I love them. They’re golden hieroglyphic birds with an oval ruby as the
eye. The necklace that goes with them costs three times as much. So every once
in a while when Declan and I go out for lunch near the Market I wander into
Jane Moon’s, so I can drool over what I can’t afford. Declan thinks it’s
amusing and calls it “visiting” my necklace.
***
“I’m not moving back to Ireland.
I’m staying here. Sev
like to paint you.”
Declan looked out at the Bay for a
while and then back to me. “Right, so you’re saying you want to paint my
portrait?”
“You don’t have to let me if you
don’t want to,” I said quickly, since he was obviously uncomfortable with the
idea. “It’s okay, I—”
He put his hand up to stop me from
talking. “I’m just thinking about it, that’s all. Where would you do this?”
“At my place, I guess. “ I figured
I’d put a big drop cloth on the floor of my living room and set up my easel on
top of that.
He nodded slowly. “All right, Kate.”
“You’ll do it! You’ll sit for me?”
“Sure, when do you want to start?”
I considered this. I wasn’t
currently seeing anyone. “How about Tuesday?” I asked.
“Shall we meet after work?
“That would be perfect. I’ll pick up
some Thai for dinner.”
That’s one of the nice things
about Declan, I can’t cook to save my life and I know he doesn’t care. I never
have to pretend to be something I’m not with him.
I don’t know how many guys I’ve
dated, and it seems to be getting worse now that I’m older, who have a mental
checklist they’re going through to assess whether I’m worthy of them or not. I
had one guy tell me my shoe size wasn’t quite his favorite. My shoe size! Not
that I don’t have my own checklist, because of course I do. I have a penchant
for tall, good looking men. I also don’t like men that are prettier than me—guys
who take longer to get ready than I do. I like them to be gorgeous without
effort, is how Lauren once described the men I date. Unfortunately many of them
have been assholes without effort.
***
“Sorry about running late,” Declan
says, coming inside his office. “Things have been busy these past couple of months.
All I ever do anymore is go to meetings. I had no idea so many people required
such considerable hand holding to merely do their jobs.”
“I take it the promotion hasn’t
been quite what you expected?”
“You could say that it appears
I’ve deluded myself to some degree. I thought I’d still be doing some creative
work of my own, but so far that hasn’t been the case.”
“They’re paying you a good salary though,
aren’t they?”
He studies me, thinking about
this. “They are, but money isn’t everything.”
“Isn’t it? I think a lot of people
would disagree with you.”
He shrugs. “Money is nice, don’t
get me wrong, all I’m saying is there are more important things.”
I get that sinking feeling again and
I know what he’s leading up to. “So, you’re moving back to Ireland?”
Declan gets a funny smile on his
face. “Let’s get out of here, shall we? I’d rather talk about this someplace
else. There’s a new gelato place that opened up in the Market.”
“You want to eat gelato at ten
o’clock in the morning?”
“Sure, why not?”
I roll my eyes. “I wish I were a guy.
It must be nice to have so few worries about getting fat that you can actually eat
ice cream for breakfast.”
He smiles. “Ah, come on, Kate. One
gelato isn’t going to make you fat. We can go visit your necklace. It’s been
ages since it’s seen you. It probably thinks you don’t love it anymore.”
“Oh, all right,” I say, giving in
with a laugh.
My favorite jewelry store, run by
a designer named Jane Moon, is down in Pike Place Market. I treated myself to a
pair of intricate ruby earrings for my birthday last year. They were expensive,
but I love them. They’re golden hieroglyphic birds with an oval ruby as the
eye. The necklace that goes with them costs three times as much. So every once
in a while when Declan and I go out for lunch near the Market I wander into
Jane Moon’s, so I can drool over what I can’t afford. Declan thinks it’s
amusing and calls it “visiting” my necklace.
***
“I’m not moving back to Ireland.
I’m staying here. Sev
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