Really, her dad was sweet, but he could be so stubborn and stuck in his ways. Not to mention judgmental and harsh over some things. Especially when it came to his only child. He'd wanted her to remain that sweet wholesome farm girl forever. When she gave up the goth fad in favor of her first boyfriend, her dad had still held her at arm's length.
But the last couple times she and Dad had talked on the phone, he seemed different. Almost mellow. To be fair, he mostly talked about his bees and honey making, going on and on about how many jars he'd collected, and circling around, repeating himself...unless she interrupted. She'd try to be a patient listener, but she'd never been overly fond of bees or honey. Still, she was glad he had a hobby he loved so much.
She continued to scribble relocation chores onto her ever-growing to-do list. Some people couldn't understand how a creative dreamer like her also liked to get things done, but she'd always been like that. And first on her list was to call Jess. Like her, Jess was an artist, but unlike her, his colorful glasswork pieces were starting to take hold with her clients. So much so, this gallery had become Jess's largest venue for displaying and selling his works.
For months he'd been cajoling her with the taunt he would own the place one day. A realistic possibility since his art was definitely her bestseller. She could imagine him rubbing his hands together over her news of selling and moving. She glanced around her handsome gallery. Yes, she'd invested both creativity and finances into this place, nearly starving in the lean years. But hopefully the payoff would be worth it now.
Assuming Jess was in his studio and ignoring his phone, she prepared to leave a message, but then he answered. After some chitchat, she described her Oregon plan and suddenly they were squabbling over the price of her gallery. She knew he wanted it. Badly. Finally she invited him to send her a properly written offer, which she would consider. But she reminded him, with her upgrades and the prime location, her gallery wouldn't be hard to sell. She wanted a fair price.
"Don't you want a friend to own it? Someone who will love and respect it like you did? Otherwise it's like handing over your child to strangers." His tone was on the verge of pleading, and she felt confident he was in.
"Well, there are days I would hand my flesh-and-blood child over to strangers," she teased. "But if your offer works for me, this place is yours.
Just don't lowball me, Jess." Then she hung up. Jess knew she was impulsive, but she hoped he wouldn't assume she would cave to get out of here. After all, she'd invested a lot into this gallery. She ran a hand over a live edge display table, wondering if she should include this piece in the sale or take it with her. Take it! Her gallery was doing well, and Jess needed to respect that this was not a fire sale. She wasn't washed up, and she could remain in San Jose indefinitely if she wanted to. The trouble was she didn't want to. Not anymore. She'd had enough of city life.
She paused from loading flattened cardboard boxes into the back of her SUV, a task about midway down her to-do list, in order to call her best friend Monica. She excitedly told Monica the happy news. "And I'll have to beg out on that dinner date with you and the girls. I plan to be gone by then."
"Oh my gosh! You're kidding?" Monica was clearly shocked. "I've never heard you mention a word about country living before. Seriously? And with your parents? On a farm? Is this really you, Jewel, or am I being punked?"
Jewel laughed. "I grew up in the country and now I'm going back. Maybe it's a DNA thing. You know, it's in my blood."
"Could've fooled me. I thought you were pretty citified, girlfriend. And what about Cooper?"
"Change will be good for her. For both of us."
Monica laughed like she didn't believe a word of it. "And your gallery?"
"Jess might take it off my hands. If we can agree on a deal."
"Yeah, of course. He must be over the moon. Hey...what about your condo?"
"I shouldn't have any trouble selling it. I was about to call Hayley to—"
"No," Monica said quickly. "Don't call Hayley. I mean she's a good realtor, but wait, okay?"
"Okay?" Jewel closed the back of her SUV, then returned to the gallery through the back door, pausing to straighten up some packing materials.
"Sell it to me."
