If I Didn't Know Better (The Callaways #9)(61)

His kiss was so long and so good she really wanted to take him with her, but somehow she managed to get herself out of the house and back home.



*



Her cell phone rang as she walked into the kitchen. It was her mom. Sitting down at the kitchen table, she said, "Hi, Mom. How are you feeling? How's the foot?"

"Much better, thanks. How are you doing?"

"Well, I'm making a little progress, but it's not fast. Aunt Carly had a lot of stuff."

Her mom laughed. "I know. I was actually a little relieved when you volunteered to go instead of me. I loved my sister, but she could be quite the pack rat. She hated to throw anything away. It all had sentiment attached to it."

"That's what makes it difficult. I feel guilty when I throw anything into a trash bag. I've started putting things together to donate to charity, which makes me feel better, but anything that's stained or torn or broken or chipped, I feel like I should toss."

"Of course you should. I know that you'll do everything with respect to your aunt, so don't make yourself crazy, Mia. And I should be able to get down there in a few weeks. I can finish up whatever you don't get to."

She sensed her mother was working the conversation toward a new point—a point that had to do with her future. She wasn't wrong.

"I know you're going to need to start looking for another job soon," her mom said. "I don't want you to feel like you have to stay in Angel's Bay for me or for Carly."

"I can send resumes out from here," she said, even though she had done absolutely nothing in that regard.

"That's true. Everything is online now. Are you applying to other museums?"

"I'm thinking about all my options. I didn't love the museum work the way I thought I would."

"Well, no job is ever going to be fun one hundred percent of the time."

"I know, but it should be fun more than ten percent of the time, shouldn't it?"

Her mother's sigh was quite distinct. "I just feel like your generation sets its expectations too high. Work is work."

"But you love being a nurse. And Dad loved being a firefighter."

"You're right. We both did choose careers that we loved. I thought you loved art. I just don't want to see you set back in your career because of a man."

"It's not about Grayson."

"Isn't it? You've been very close-mouthed about that relationship, but I know that he lied to you about being divorced and that you were the one who ended up leaving the museum when his wife found out, which I think is totally unfair. They should have fired him."

"It doesn't matter anymore. I made a mistake. I trusted the wrong person. But I can't change what happened. What I need to do now is figure out where I want to work that will pay me a living and make me happy. I have time to look. I have money in the bank. I'm a good saver, you know that."

Her mom laughed. "That's true. You've never been one to overspend."

"And it's not costing me anything to be here, so it's all good. I really like Angel's Bay, Mom. I can see why Aunt Carly wanted to live here. The people are wonderful. Kara Murray Lynch threw me a party so I could meet all of Aunt Carly's friends. They said the most wonderful things about her. When you come down, you'll have to meet them, too."

"I'd love to."

"By the way, did Aunt Carly talk to you about publishing a coloring book for adults?"

"She did mention that, but I thought it sounded a little crazy."

"It's all the rage. It's fun, easy, and you can drink a lot of wine while you're doing it," she added with a laugh. "The pictures she drew are really well done. I'm going to see if I can publish the books in her name."

"That sounds like another project that will take you away from your own life," her mother said gently. "What's really going on, Mia?"

She sighed, knowing her mother deserved more of the truth. "I feel like I spent a lot of years in school to end up doing something I didn't like that much. Since I came here, my world has opened up again. There's so much I can do with art. Maybe being in a museum is the wrong place for me."

"What are your other options?"

"I could work in a gallery or teach art. Maybe I could paint."

"You're going to be a painter now?"

She heard the doubt in her mother's voice. "I'm not that bad."

"I'm sure you're not, honey. I just don't know that it's practical."

"Well, I've been practical my entire life, so it's time for a little impractical. I just feel so inspired since I got here, like I have options I haven't ever considered. I can't really explain it. Maybe it's Carly's spirit guiding me in some way."

"Are you sure this inspiration doesn't have something to do with the attractive man next door?"

"You talked to Kate."

"She mentioned something about your neighbor. What's he like? Is he single?"

"He's a single dad, and he's very attractive. He's a soldier, although I'm not sure what he's going to do next. He was injured a few months ago, and he's still recovering."