Page 310 of Manhattan Bossholes

“Fit as a fiddle,” she sang.

Sofia gave her a look.

Dee huffed grumpily. “A fiddle with a few loose strings,” she amended. “But seeing you has my spirits soaring.”

“Well, hopefully this will lift them up even higher,” I said, stepping aside so she could see the bookcase.

Dee gasped. “What is all of this?”

“A little ‘welcome home’ present,” I said.

Dee took the glasses strung around her neck and slipped them on to better inspect my work. A bout of nerves twisted in my gut. Part of me still couldn’t believe I was designing furniture for Deana Saunders.

“Oh my!” Dee gushed as she hobbled into the room, dragging her oxygen cylinder around the shelf to take in every inch. Sofia trailed along behind her, ensuring she didn’t trip. “Isn’t it wonderful, Sofia?”

“Gorgeous,” Sofia agreed. “I love the doors.”

“This is from the church?” Dee said, running her hands along the stained glass.

I nodded. “And there’s more where that came from. So I can make sure your other pieces match.”

There was a knock on the front door, and the movers returned, poking their heads into the sitting room. “Any thoughts on where you’d like it?” one of them asked.

Dee clapped her hands together. “Up to the library, please. Against the far wall. There’s a perfect little nook.”

“I’ll show them,” Sofia offered, leading the movers ahead while I hung back with Dee. We took it slower, Dee getting winded on the stairs. By the time we reached the library, she had to stop and lean against the doorframe.

“Is here good?” the driver asked.

“Perfect,” Dee said, inhaling sharply. “It looks wonderful.”

“That’s great, guys. Thank you.” I signed the last of their paperwork and tipped them. Sofia left momentarily to show them out.

“You’re so incredibly talented,” Dee said when we were alone. “The attention to detail…I mean it, Natasha. There have only been a few designers over the course of my career that have impressed me as much as you.” She took my hand, squeezing gently. “I can’t wait to see where your career takes you.”

“Thanks, Dee,” I said. “That means a lot.” And it truly did. I tried to summon a smile, to enjoy the praise, but the truth was, being in her house brought all sorts of feelings rushing back, and I couldn’t stop thinking about everything I’d lost.

Thankfully, Dee didn’t notice, wrapping her arm around my waist, using me as a support. “Thank you for dropping by today.”

“Of course,” I said as Sofia returned, helping Dee into a nearby chair. “I’m not sure when the other pieces will be done, but I’ll have Jimmy keep you posted so I can arrange delivery.”

She sighed heavily. “I’m really sorry things ended the way they did, Natasha.”

“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “We don’t need to talk about it.”

“I’m not sure what I could say anyway,” Dee said, and I could hear the genuine regret in her voice. “Trent was a fool to treat you the way he did.”

I bit my lip. I couldn’t complain about Trent to his own grandmother. And besides, I didn’t want to put any more stress on her. She was dealing with enough.

“We both made mistakes,” I said diplomatically. There. Perfect. Let’s leave it at that.

“I won’t try to make excuses for him,” Dee said.

I winced, glancing at Sofia. Apparently, we weren’t leaving it at that after all. Sofia gave me a little shrug as if to say, Just get it over with.

“There’s no excuse for the things he said to you,” Dee continued, patting my hand. “I guess I’m just…disappointed that I failed to teach him more about hope.”

“I don’t think you failed at anything, Dee.” Trent was an adult, and he’d made an adult decision. Sometimes, things just didn’t work out—no matter how much we might want them to.