pottery, some knitting – that kind of stuff. Not only would they get a beautiful piece of art, but also a few other pieces from around Grace’s Cove. You could wrap it all nicely, maybe make little tags with a ‘Grace’s Cove Artisan’ logo, something like that.”
Aislinn had already grabbed a sketch pad from her bedside table, and her pencil dashed across the page.
“Something like this?”
Kira leaned over and peered at the image: an interlocking G and C, with a sprig of clover beneath it. “Perfect. It might be a way for someone to get all of their shopping done in one go.”
“I like it. You’re good for the business.” Aislinn set the sketch pad down and studied her daughter.
Kira knew that look in her mother’s eyes. “I’m not taking over the galleries for you.”
“And why not? They’re quite successful, you know.” The gallery in Grace’s Cove wasn’t Aislinn’s only shop; she had a few smaller galleries scattered around Ireland.
“I do know. Which is why Morgan kicks so much arse in running them, and running them well. I’m not a businesswoman, Mam.”
“Well, now, that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one. You run a lovely business. Your services are in high demand. And you’ve got quite the social media following, not to mention a gorgeous website.”
“Yes – as a one-woman show. It’s too much hassle managing employees and multiple locations. I like my freedom of movement.”
“What about just one location then?”
“Mam.” Kira sighed. “You know I like to travel.”
“So travel then. You can hire people to watch the gallery.”
“Like you did?”
“Well, it’s a bit different for me.” Aislinn pushed herself further up the bed. “I’m the artist. Much of my time needed to be creating, which meant I had to be here. But you could still travel. You’d need to, anyway, to bring back more photographs to sell.”
Kira had built a solid reputation in the world of photography, if she did say so herself. She’d covered everything from portraits of dignitaries and rock stars to animals in the wilds of Africa. It was tough for her to stick to one subject, and her propensity for moving between interests had actually strengthened her reputation as a versatile and flexible photographer. At this point, she was able to pick and choose her gigs, and she was always changing her plans based on her mood. It had led to a fluid and interesting life, and not one she was certain she was ready to change to man the helm at her mother’s gallery in small-town Grace’s Cove.
“I won’t lie. It’s always nice to come home,” Kira admitted.
“See? You love it here.”
“The people I love are here,” Kira said. “That’s a little different.”
“I think if you gave Grace’s Cove a chance as an adult, you’d be falling in love with it. Aren’t you tired of living out of a suitcase? Don’t you want someplace to settle, even if it is just a home base of sorts?”
“I’ll admit, traveling does get tiring. There are moments where I wish for nothing more than the comforts of home. But!” Kira held up a finger. “I think those are also moments that I learn a lot about myself.”
“You can learn about yourself here. Oh, Kira. Aren’t you lonely?”
“That… well, the truth of it is… yes, at times my life is a bit lonely. Though I’ve made friends around the world.” Kira didn’t elaborate that ‘friends’ often meant lovers.
“I wasn’t keen on that last friend of yours.” Aislinn leveled a look at her daughter.
“Jax?” Kira kicked her feet out onto the bed and let out a dreamy sigh, mainly to cover the ache in her heart that still surfaced when she thought of him. Despite having worked with many a rock star in the past, she’d fallen for him – and fallen hard. She’d been certain she was different than the other groupies and that Jax had really cared for her. Perhaps he had, as much as he could care about anyone other than himself, but being an afterthought was not a role that Kira was interested in filling.
“Yes. The rock star who thinks so highly of himself.” Aislinn sniffed, her disdain clear.
“He’s good at his work.”
“And a shite human to others.”
“Ah, well,” Kira said, “I suppose you’ve the right of it there. I wish I’d seen it sooner, but I was mesmerized for a bit. Not as long as some of his other groupies, at least. But it pains me to admit how much I fell for him.”