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“I know.” She nodded. She opened the back door and Duchess jumped in.

“But don’t be fooled. I bet they’re in there right now talking about what an incredible girl you are. When they’re in New York, they talk of nothing else,” he divulged. And as though he had not made his point, he added, “Believe me.”

She nodded again. “Well, I’ve always liked them.”

“It’s been a treat to see your parents as well. You should all come and visit.”

Nadine’s face betrayed the bewilderment within. So much had gone unsaid at this point that it felt utterly strange to imagine that she and her parents would ever take a trip together to visit Allan. She unlocked the car door. The silence must have given Allan a moment to consider the odd nature of his invitation.

“Is anything the matter?” he asked.

“Well, Allan, I think it’s remarkable that you feel like you can come back, not give anything at all by way of explanation and think we can simply pick up right where we left off.”

“I am expecting to explain and properly apologize when we meet for dinner.” He held onto the door as Nadine got in. “Believe me, I know I was awful and I’m not assuming we can pick up where we left off.”

“Good.”

“Because I know I hurt you.”

“You did, Allan. It’s true. But that’s not all. I mean, how can you assume I’m going to drop everything and run into your arms? You don’t know how busy I am with work. You never even asked if I’m seeing anyone. It’s just a whole lot of assuming.”

“Well, are you?”

“We can talk at dinner. I really have to get to work. Besides, you should get back to the dinner party.”

“All right, so Tuesday evening?”

Nadine rolled down the window so that she could shut the car door without slamming it on him. Like a gentleman, he picked up on the cues and closed the door.

“Yes, Tuesday,” she said. “What time?”

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Okay.”

He reached through the open window and took her left hand off the steering wheel. Holding onto it, he guided her arm gently out of the window and brought her hand up to his mouth. He bent down and kissed the back of her hand.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

She nodded. “Me too.”

* * * *

Alone in her garage later, she played Mozart. It was the only music she could stand to listen to. Allan could be so arrogant and presumptuous, she told herself as she applied the final layer of varnish to the side table, making it slick and smooth the way she imagined the world saw Allan.

If only it was clear. If only she could have said, ‘In fact, I am dating someone special. His name is David and he is everything you’re not.’

But she was unable to do this because she was entirely uncertain about David. In the harsh light of day, after the pheromones and lust had worn off, she’d seen a side that she didn’t know about. She couldn’t date someone so young and messy. She couldn’t understand his youthful and cavalier ways. It was as though the guy she had gone to see was a totally different guy from the one who’d taken her on a date.

How can I be so clueless about men?

Chapter Sixteen

The next day, Nadine took Duchess for a long walk through the city. She wanted to clear her head and get some perspective, but she ended up just walking around enjoying the surroundings. Though she’d lived in Ann Arbor all her life, she didn’t spend nearly enough time admiring the old buildings. This was an incredibly rich place in terms of architecture, she mused. As she turned back onto West Liberty Street, she saw her Grandpa’s old shop. It was such a beautiful brick building that housed what was once Grandpa Winston’s pride and joy. She felt a tremendous amount of pain in her heart. How she missed him and the years she had spent with him there. She’d learned everything from him. As she looked around, she realized that the neighborhood had barely changed. Mrs. Barlow’s music supply shop was still next door. There was still a Laundromat and a bakery exactly where they had been. Only the big wooden sign that had once said ‘Winston’s Fine Furniture’ was gone. Otherwise, the place looked the same. She hadn’t gone in since her parents had sold it off. She didn’t even know the new owner and had never thought she’d introduce herself. As she approached, a notice in the window caught her eye. On further inspection, it was a small poster with some interior photos. It said ‘For lease’.

It couldn’t be. She looked closer, double checked the address on the poster to see if it matched the one she was standing in front of. Sure enough, her grandfather’s store was available. This was something she had not anticipated, nor had she expected to have so strong a physical reaction. Her hands went clammy. Her pulse raced. It felt as though she’d been drawn to see this. The sign itself had beckoned her.

Just then Mrs. Barlow emerged from her shop.

“Nadine?” Her voice was warm and instantly recognizable.

“Mrs. Barlow!” She ran to her and hugged her.

“Why, I haven’t see you since…” Her words trailed off.

“I know, after everything, I just… Well, I couldn’t come back.”

“I understand. We all miss your grandfather. We still talk about him a lot, you know. It’s like his spirit never left the neighborhood. Anyway, how’ve you been? Are you still at the investment firm?”

“No, I left that. I realized I wanted to work in the furniture business.”

“You what?” Mrs. Barlow covered her mouth in surprise, and it looked for a second as though she fought back tears.

Nadine nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been working out of my garage. I took my old job at the bookstore back so I’d have health insurance and a steady paycheck, but I’ve been doing better and better with restoration.”

“It’s in your blood.”

“Grandpa did teach me everything he knew.”

“You were the apple of his eye, you know. Don’t get me wrong. He loved your dad, mom and Todd too, but he talked about you nonstop around here. He was so proud of you. He’d be so proud to know you’re in the business.”

At that, Nadine burst into tears. It was too much to take in. She missed him so much.

“Is the shop space really up for lease?”

“It is.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Well, the new owner, Jack Harrington, didn’t have your grandfather’s skill or business sense, you know. He couldn’t make a go of it. Gave it an honest try. It’s been… What? Nearly two years now. He ran through his savings. You can’t blame him for throwing in the towel.”

She shook her head. No, she couldn’t blame him.

“I wonder how much he’s asking.”

“I don’t know, there’s a new building owner, a really good-looking young guy. Are you single? He’d be perfect for you.”

“It’s complicated,” Nadine said, not wanting to get into it. “I wonder if the shop still has that tiny apartment upstairs. Did you ever see it?”

“Sure, it was a neat layout, but I know for a fact that Jack doesn’t live there. You sure you’re not seeing anyone? He’s very cute.”

“Mrs. Barlow!” Nadine blushed. “Stop.”

“What? You can’t blame me for asking. The only kind of love affairs I get to follow are the ones I live through vicariously.”

“Well, if you must know, I’ve got too much man-drama right now as it is. I really just want to clear my head of men and focus on getting my business up and running.”

“Sure, dear.” Mrs. Barlow looked up into the dark depths of the upstairs windows of the heritage building. “Do you remember when you were just a little girl and you used to stay up there with George?”

“Of course,” she said, recalling the scent of cinnamon tea and brilliantine and her grandfather’s woolen blankets and Buddy all combined to create that familiar smell of home. “The view from up there was wonderful. All that afternoon sun.”

“Yes. I think Jack just uses it for storage.”

“Strange. It was such an inviting place to live.”

Mrs. Barlow nodded. “Well, I don’t mean to be forward, but maybe you should have a look.”

“You know what? I will.” She looked around, as though she couldn’t quite take it all in. “It can’t hurt to look, right?”

Mrs. Barlow gave her a pat on the back. She was such a kind and gentle woman. Nadine felt terrible for not having visited. It seemed silly now that she was here, but it had pained her to think of seeing this neighborhood without Grandpa Winston being in it anymore.

She went inside the shop. It had the same smell of wooden floors and she saw dust and beeswax furniture polish.

“Can I help you?” The shopkeeper popped his head up from behind the counter where he had been reading the newspaper and drinking tea.

“Are you Jack?”

“I am.”

“I saw the sign out front.”

He offered a handshake.

* * * *

After work, Nadine needed to strip paint off a dresser in the tiny little window between her paid job and the date she had agreed to. Two hours was about one-third of the time it normally took, but she was on a deadline, and she was ready to work fast.

She scurried home, not stopping for a bite to eat, and jumped into her coveralls. Thankfully, she had taken Duchess for a long walk at lunch, she mused, because there was not enough time for another one. Yet, her sweet companion came with her into the workspace and took her spot on the warm dog bed that protected her from the concrete floor.

With precision of focus and incredible superhuman speed, Nadine set to work applying the chemicals she needed to use to dissolve paint that had been on the piece since before the Second World War. Old-fashioned oil paint was the toughest, but she had the solution. Layers upon layers began to peel off and she took her scraper to the surface and helped the process along, stripping the piece right down to the wood on only the first application in some areas. Other areas took more work. Two and a half hours passed with Nadine completely unaware of time. She was in the zone. This was the only way she ever got to such a meditative state. Working with furniture made her feel like she was fulfilling her life’s purpose. All her cares and troubles melted away and all that mattered was seeing this object emerge, as fresh as it had been when it was first built. She loved to think about that, how all of the pieces she worked with came from a time when people actually built. In those days, people didn’t go to Ikea and buy lacquered particleboard to assemble themselves. Carpenters worked on a project from start to finish. She imagined that if she were alive back then, she would have been a carpenter.

The buzzer on her cell phone signaled that it was time to move on, and it was probably for the best as she was getting cold working in the open garage with a fan set to send the toxic fumes away. In spite of gloves, her mask and coveralls, she felt the chill and looked forward to her warm shower.

Nadine washed her hands with the industrial strength orange exfoliating soap she kept by the downstairs sink. She dried them on her coveralls and went upstairs, eager to escape the fumes that would linger in the garage for hours, even with the carport open and the fan on. How desperately she wanted a work space.

She took off her coveralls and hung them on the banister and continued upstairs straight to the bathroom to take a shower. There wasn’t much time. She had promised to be ready by seven. She took her clothes off quickly and placed them neatly on the counter. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she hardly recognized her body. All the physical labor she had been doing lately had changed her. The tummy she had spent her early twenties being self-conscious of was gone and her arms were muscular. Her phone signaled that she had a text message, so she looked for it in the heap of clothes. It was Allan.

Hey, princess. I’m leaving now. Can’t wait to see you.

She did a double take. It had been a long time since anyone had called her princess, and the name no longer fit. She’d outgrown it long ago and it occurred to her in that moment that the girl Allan had asked out, the girl he had been so eager to see, no longer existed.

This date didn’t seem at all like the act of kindness her mother had convinced her it could be. It seemed like a huge mistake.

* * * *

True to his word, Allan arrived at seven. He was exactly on time. She was running late. Though she was still wrapped in a towel, she flew down the stairs and opened the door.

“Come on up,” she said. “I’m almost ready.”

As they reached the top of the stairs, she offered him a glass of wine and told him that she just had to put on the finishing touches.

“The reservation’s for seven,” he said.

“It’s seven now.”

“Yeah, so we should probably head right there.”

“But, you know me. You know I’m always running a little behind, and we still have to drive there. Why didn’t you make the reservation for seven-thirty?”

“I thought you said we shouldn’t make assumptions anymore.”

“I did, but…” Her words trailed off. “Never mind. I’ll be ready in a minute.”

It wasn’t true. Fifteen minutes had passed before she emerged from the bathroom, wearing her favorite BCBG tight blue dress that she’d had no use for this past year. Tonight was the night. But she had started to perspire because of the tight deadline so she’d been slowed down because she’d needed to apply more deodorant and take a tissue to her forehead where there was some beading.

“You look gorgeous.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Let’s go. We’re late.”

“I called Pacific Rim and pushed back our reservation. Don’t worry.”

Nadine sighed a breath of relief. “Why didn’t you tell me? I was rushing.”

“I do want to eat some time before ten,” he joked. “I know you can spend forever on your hair.”

Nadine didn’t laugh.

When they arrived, Allan took charge, holding all the doors for her and taking her coat for the coat check. She remembered what it was like to be his girlfriend. She wanted to resist his chivalrous gestures, but she figured that she might as well enjoy them. Besides, her mother would ask her about all of the details later, so she sat back and let Allan be Allan.