Retribution (Secrets & Lies #3)(48)

“Wabu!” She says, something she's been saying more and more as she gains confidence in her voice. “Wabu!”

Nathan chuckles and gives her a kiss on the top of her head. “Hold on baby girl, you'll get your chance.”

We sit back, Nathan being gentle and making BA laugh a lot. We exchange looks over her head, smiling. “This feels nice,” I say after the cartoon finishes, looking from BA to Nathan and back. “I hope that someday soon, we'll have a chance to do this with our own child.”

“Me too,” Nathan says, kissing my knuckles again. “In fact, I was thinking we can do our best to make that a reality over the next few weeks.”

“Oh, I'm sure we can do something about that,” I reassure him, warmth flooding my body from the look in his eyes. “So long without, and I'm enjoying every chance to catch up. Did you enjoy yourself?”

Nathan smirks, and he nods. “It was amazing. I don't want to go into details with BA sitting here, but you’re amazing.”

“So tonight?”

“Tonight.”



“Miss Sands, I'm glad you're doing some work now, but these pictures, they certainly aren't what I expected,” Robert says over the phone from his office at MCS. “They are exquisite though.”

“Thanks, Robert. I know it isn't what that client was asking for, but I'll be honest, I just wasn't able to feel that, so if they contact you again, please turn them down, tell them I'm not taking any commission pieces at this time.”

“Of course Miss Sands. So these six pendants, are you wanting them up for sale?”

“No, no those are personal. Instead though, I'm going to be working with making more pieces of the same stone. It's remarkable, and I think I can do some interesting work with it. I've got a larger piece I'm working on right now, a kind of abstract piece I'm calling Paladin. It's going to end up being about two feet tall, about eighteen inches wide, steel and some other metals with this same granite.”

I'm sitting on the stump of one of the trees we've cut down for firewood, looking forward to Friday when Andrea has her next prenatal appointment. I'm excited to see the progress, Carson told me they're going to do an ultrasound this time to see the baby's development, and the whole idea fills me with anticipation.

“Miss Sands?”

Oh, I've been daydreaming. “Sorry Robert, go ahead?”

“I said that I'd like to build some anticipation for Paladin by posting pictures of your pendants on the MCS website. Do you mind?”

I shrug, pleased. “That'd be fine. I'll work up some sketches of what I'm thinking of for it tonight, and I'll scan them in and send them to you if you'd like. I'll let you worry about price points and all that. Okay?”

Robert sounds happy as he hums in reply. “That would be great, Miss Sands. I do hope you're enjoying everything.”

“Very much so. Thank you. I'll send you an e-mail this evening.”

I hang up and get my sketch pad. I don't use it a lot when I'm doing experimental work or just having fun, but with Paladin I'm thinking of blending a few different techniques I haven't used in a long time.

I want some of the exotic look the rarer metals can create for me. In my mind, I see the granite playing a role as highlights on a medieval suit of armor. I want to create a sense of motion, of the dynamic and maybe a blend of classic with futuristic.

Sure, I know as I draw that Nathan is part of my inspiration, my muse for this piece. But looking at the paper as I see Paladin begin to take shape, I see Katrina in it, too. She keeps her hair pretty short still, and in the spiky upshot of the left side, I can see her hair, and the curves of the whole thing are just a little too feminine for it to be just Nathan.

That's fine. I'm going to do dozens, maybe even hundreds of pieces in the course of my art career, and not all of them will be for sale either. There'll be other pieces I can devote totally to Nathan, a testament to how important he is to me, and how much I love him. But I'm not able to quite tap that vein of emotion yet. It’s too raw and too close. I've had so few good emotional things to hold onto, his love is something I'm not quite ready to share with the world yet.



Andrea goes silent, staring at the six pieces laid out on the wooden tray. Finally, she clears her throat and traces the links on Carson's pendant chain. “They're... they're the finest pieces you've ever done, and I'll be honored to put it on during the ceremony. Thank you.”

“I'm proud of them,” I admit, smiling slightly. “When I finish Paladin, I hope it's as good, and can join them on the MCS website.”

Andrea looks up, concerned. “What do you mean?”

“I was talking with Robert the other day, I want to get some pieces back up for sale. So, I sent him pictures of the pendants, and a sketch of Paladin for him to put up on the MCS website. Don't worry, the pendants were taken against a wooden background, no signs of where we are.”

Andrea shakes her head, blanching. “You... but 'Lissa, the stone itself is traceable. I read about it last time I was in town, it's like f*cking famous or something.”

“What?” I ask, fear striking my heart. “You must have read wrong.”

Andrea points at the green chips. “These emerald crystals are supposed to be famous. I even remember the name, it's called pegmatite, from a place called the Emerald Hollow Mine.”