around them. But by failing to believe him, she’d eliminated that chance.
She changed into jeans and set up shop again at the dining room table. Over the past two days, she’d felt an inertia gaining hold on her, but it was gone now, as if swept away by a blustery gust of April wind. She left a message for Keith Holt. She emailed the Greenwich Village clients with updates on the missing rug and duvet and to say that Baby had offered to add her input during the final stage and that she would be picking up a few small pieces and accessories to show them for consideration.
Then she set to work on the plan for Barry. Baby used one of her large walk-in closets as a workroom and Kit found enough pinstripe and herringbone fabric swatches in one of the plastic tubs in there to give Barry an idea of her theme. She also went through old shelter magazines and tore out pages that showed the kind of furniture shapes and accessories she had in mind. In a near frenzy, she mounted everything onto boards. Close to finished, she emailed Barry again, this time inviting him to come to Baby’s apartment for cocktails and a presentation on Wednesday at six if his schedule permitted.
At around seven, when she was stapling the last pieces onto the boards, her phone rang and she saw that it was Holt’s number. Okay, good, she told herself.
“Nice to get your message,” he said. “How’ve you been?” Pleasant enough, but definitely not as engaged sounding as before. If she were going to regain her footing with him, she’d have to play it carefully.
“Good. I just thought I’d check in and see how you were doing. I’d love the chance to talk more about your clippings when you have the chance.”
“I’d like that, too,” he said, warmer now.
“Shall we set a time?”
“It’s probably best if we hold off for a couple of weeks. I’ve decided to go ahead with that idea I mentioned to you. I’m seriously considering buying a new place that’s more open and modern. In fact, I’ve even seen a couple of lofts this week.”
“How exciting,” she said, disguising her dismay. He’d mentioned the idea as a possibility, but it had seemed fairly remote. If he did go through with purchasing a new apartment, he wouldn’t need her services until after the closing and that could be months away.
“Yes, and I’m going to see if I can sell my place with most of the furnishings. That way, I start totally fresh. I should probably redo the clipping file once I settle on a place.”
“That makes sense.” She could feel the project slipping out of her grasp, like water through her fingers. “But the clips you pulled could actually be of value as you look at lofts. They can help direct you to a place that has the right vibe for you.”
“Good point,” he said.
“Here’s an idea,” Kit said, scrambling a bit now. “When you narrow the hunt down to a few choices, why don’t you have me take a look with you and offer my input. I’d be happy to do it free of charge.”
“I’d hate to have you go to all that trouble.”
“It wouldn’t be any trouble. And I might have some insight that proves valuable.”
She could almost hear him deliberating.
“All right then. I may actually be taking a second look at a spot this week. Thursday night. Are you free?”
“Yes, actually I am. I’d love to join you.”
“Okay, I’ll call you with the details later in the week.”
Ten minutes later she wandered into Baby’s study, where she was just wrapping up a call herself.
“Well, to borrow one of your favorite phrases, I think I’ve managed to pull my ass out of the fire. I just heard back from Barry and he’s coming over Wednesday—so get the cocktail shaker ready. And the good doctor may be back on board.”
“Excellent. How about dinner then?”
“Let me fix it. I ordered groceries online and they should be here shortly.”
There was still, however, one call she wanted to make before the meal. Even as she’d torn through her work that afternoon, she’d found it hard to put Garrett Kelman out of her thoughts. She might not have total trust in him, but she believed him far more than she had a day ago, and things just felt unresolved between them. She decided to call him, to at least thank him for doing what he’d promised. Grabbing