of Gram’s comforting hugs, a new sense of calm suddenly comes over me. I take a deep, fueling breath, and as my mind settles, the solution becomes an easy one, and I know exactly what I have to do.
I turn to face the others. “I need to go to Halifax.”
“Kira?” Izzy asks, worry in her eyes. “What are you doing?”
“I need to go right now,” I say, a new sense of urgency overcoming me.
“I’ll take you,” Sam says. “You don’t look like you’re in any shape to drive, and I could use a Starbucks.”
“I’ll come, too,” Jason says.
“Same,” Cody pipes in.
“Well, you’re not all going without me,” Izzy says.
“You guys don’t have to come. I’m a big girl. I can go by myself. Besides, what about work?” The season is winding down, and surely there are last minute things they need to do.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Sam says, ignoring me.
We dress and climb into Sam’s noisy car, and forty-five minutes later, after hitting the drive-thru to Starbucks, I give Sam the address to Pratt and Whitney law firm. “I won’t be long,” I say.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Izzy asks.
“Yes, and this is what Gram would want me to do. She loves Lunenburg, the people, and everything about it. If selling the studio meant helping, she’d do it in a heartbeat.”
“What about you, though?”
“It’s not the structure. It’s the memories and the things we created together that count. I’ll take the paintings and store them, and when the time is right, I’ll have a new studio built somewhere else and fulfill Gram’s dreams. It might not be a Heritage Home, but I think she’ll be okay with that.”
I slide from the car and make my way to the law office on the twelfth floor. I tell the receptionist who I am, and she disappears for a moment. I sit, and when she comes back, she ushers me into an office with the name Oliver Clarke on the door.
“I’m Kira Palmer, and I’m here to sell the property you’re after.”
The lawyer looks at me like I just grew another head. “I was told to pull all offers.”
“All I’m looking for is a fair one.” Enough money to build a new studio in the future.
He grabs a manila envelope, riffles through it, and slides a piece of paper across the desk. I take my time to read through it and agree to the fair price. I sign, hand it back, and stand. “Thank you for your time,” I say and leave the office, knowing in my heart I’m doing the right thing.
I’m sure Nate will never want to speak to me again, but at least I was able to do this for him, and it will earn him the respect he deserves.
I take the elevator back to the main floor and work double-time to fight off the tears. The crew is waiting for me in the car, and we all head back to the B&B, which feels empty and hollow, much like my insides, without Nate’s presence.
Everyone goes off to do their own thing, each lost in our thoughts, and I spend the next few hours gathering my work and packing it up. I’ll soon have to make plans to return, and since the roads are bad and Gram’s car is not fit for a cross-country trek, I’ll have to fly. I boot up my computer and find flights leaving in two days. That will at least give me time to say goodbye to the town.
My finger hovers over the buy button, but I can’t quite pull the trigger. Everything in my gut is telling me to stay and fight for Nate, but I’m not sure I could handle his rejection. He was so damn angry with me, and right to be after my accusations. But is he really the kind of guy not to forgive, once he realizes how it looked to me?
I fold my hands over my upset stomach and shake my head. I can’t. I just can’t leave here before talking to him.