I shrugged. “I checked up on you guys.”
“And yet you couldn’t drop a line or a fucking letter so I could do the same?”
“Google works for both of us.”
She huffed out a breath. “Yeah, well, I only found pictures of you with actresses and influencers. I stopped looking at that bullshit.”
Not my art. Just the partying part.
My fingers ached from the stranglehold of my grip. She knew I didn’t deserve the life I’d lived, either. The obscene amount of money I’d started charging for my sculptures.
I swallowed down that bitter pill. “So, why the name Ash?”
Macy sighed. “I found someone else who loves horror flicks as much as we used to.”
The rusty laugh had me relaxing my grip. “Army of Darkness.”
“Damn right.”
“At least she has taste. And she sounds like she’s your kid.”
“She is. I have to share her with her with Gideon’s ex sometimes, but she’s mine. It took me a long time to believe that. Even if I want to drop her off at Jessica’s house more often these days. Fucking teenager.”
“Jessica?”
“Yeah. Gideon’s ex-wife, Jessica Kyle.”
I twisted to look at her. “The actress?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, the actress. Luckily, my kid hasn’t taken on her less endearing traits.”
“Interesting life you got there, sis.”
“It is.” She stood up and dusted off her butt. “Too bad you missed out on so much of it.”
“For what it’s worth, I know that.” I drew in a deep breath. If I wanted to mend the chasm between us, I had to do the work. “Now I know it. I was too self-involved to realize it before.”
She nodded. “You really here to stay?”
I nodded and peered up at her. “You can find me on Harriette Lane. Can’t miss the house.”
“You bought the haunted house?”
“So, I’ve heard.”
“At least that’s one cool thing you did.” She shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets, then she strode up the main walking path. “Maybe I’ll come by and check it out,” she called down to me.
My chest eased for the first time all damn day. “I’d like that.”
She nodded and took off. Those long-ass legs of hers ate up the path. I watched until she was gone, then I turned back to the fireflies show.
This day had been nothing but surprises.
FIFTEEN
Thursday rolled around and I couldn’t find my lucky heels.
Gizmo crawled into the closet after me, sniffing at the other dozen pairs of summer shoes neatly lined up. “Where the hell are my navy heels?”
Gizmo patted my arm with his paw.
I huffed out a laugh and gave him a long stroke before pushing him away so I could look into the back. “Aha!” I knew I’d kicked them in here. Though when it came to me and heels and Nolan Devereaux, I was definitely in the red.
But I needed all the help I could get for this presentation.
I’d gone over the initial sketches with the girls. Shelby had been the most receptive to my plans, but TJ had been reticent to jump in until she got a better look at the work site.
I didn’t blame her. It was an old house, and the intricacies of a Victorian were a damn lot of work. I’d sacrificed a week of sleep to get these drawings together. And it had definitely kept my mind off my current huge problem.
Okay, the second problem.
I wasn’t allowing myself to think about a naked Nolan today.
Gizmo was my top problem.
He sat to the left of me, his tail twitching as he spotted one of his toys under the shoe rack.
