Happily Inc. [02] Second Chance Girl by Susan Mallery

Author:Susan Mallery [Mallery, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance.Contemporary
Goodreads: 32905312
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Published: 2017-09-25T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CAROL STOPPED BY the studio before heading up the mountain. She’d seen Mathias’s car still parked in his driveway, so knew he was home and it was safe. Okay, not safe, exactly. Just that she wouldn’t run into him—something she couldn’t deal with right now.

She pulled into the studio’s parking lot, then went around back where Natalie had told her she would be working.

The huge open art studio was nearly the size of a warehouse. There were high ceilings, lots of light, and several separate workstations. Mathias and Ronan took the far end—massive, dangerous-looking ovens dominated the space. Nick’s area was more in the middle. He mostly worked with wood—creating carvings that were so lifelike as to breathe. Natalie had claimed a small corner close to the double doors.

Carol walked in and found her friend sitting at a large drafting table. Natalie created beautiful mixed-media artwork, but instead of using acrylic or oil, she used scraps of paper and found objects.

Natalie looked up. Carol waved and walked over to sit in the spare chair by the table. She saw several small origami animals standing together. They were all in shades of dark pink and purple.

“Adorable,” Carol said as she studied a three-inch-high penguin. “Who are they for?”

Natalie seemed to hesitate for a second, then pushed up her glasses and smiled. “I have a friend with a nine-year-old daughter. She’s into pink and purple these days and adores animals.”

“They’re wonderful. She’ll love them.” Carol wondered who Natalie knew with a girl. None of their friends had daughters. Maybe it was someone she’d known from before she moved to Happily Inc.

“Thanks. So today’s the big day. You’re driving up the mountain.”

Carol wrinkled her nose. “I’m not going on a pilgrimage. I’m just picking out a piece of artwork for an auction. Which is why I wanted to stop by. You’re an artist with a great eye—any advice?”

“Anything of Ronan’s will sell for big money. He’s so gifted.” Natalie sighed. “I wish I were that talented.”

“You are! Look at the beautiful paintings you create.”

“Thank you for being my friend, but let’s get real. My stuff sells for maybe three hundred dollars. Ronan’s can go for three hundred thousand dollars. We’re not in the same league.”

“Beauty and creativity aren’t about money.”

“Maybe not but money helps pay the bills.” Natalie laughed. “It’s okay. Ronan’s used to others envying his talent, if not his brooding personality.” She reached across the table and picked up a small owl, then placed it in Carol’s hand.

“At the risk of mixing my metaphors, not to mention my animals, choose wisely, young grasshopper.”

“That’s not especially helpful.”

“Sorry. Ask Ronan what will sell for the most. No one knows what his buyers like better than he does.”

“Isn’t that insulting and crass? Shouldn’t I love the art for the sake of it?”

“Not when you’re trying to get the most money out of the sale.”

“Thanks,” Carol murmured, secretly wishing she was dealing with Mathias instead. They might be in an awkward phase of their relationship, but he was always easy to talk to.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.