As soon as I called, she left work, telling her boss she was leaving for a family emergency whilst I was still on the phone.
Family,she had said.
“What am I going to do, Mags? I barely scrape through each month as it is. I won’t afford my apartment without the studio and the loans. How will I make this month’s payment?”
She reaches over and takes my hand in hers, giving me a look. “Well, that’s enough of that. You know me and John would never see you struggle, darling.”
“I can’t rely on you guys again. You’ve already done too much.”
“We will be the judge of that. Now, where are you with the lease on the apartment? Can you ask for a month’s grace until you find your feet again?”
I worry my lip. I haven’t told Maggie about Mase yet. She knows I have a boyfriend but not how deep I’ve gotten myself involved. I drop my head, staring into my mug. “I’m living with Mason. I haven’t slept in my apartment since I got back from Paris.”
Her hand leaves mine, and she lowers her tea to the coffee table. “You’re living together?” Her smile widens in approval. She looks happy for me.
“Kind of.” I shrug.
“You didn’t say anything! Nina, this is wonderful news. You’re happy?” she questions.
“I’m so happy. He cares for me, maybe more than anyone ever has.”
I look down at my lap as I think about his beautiful face, the way he smiles unashamedly when he’s with me. I know I’m lucky; I get the Mase nobody else gets to see.
“Well, that’s impossible,” she whispers.
I lift my eyes to hers as her voice cracks, finding tears welling in her eyes. “Why are you crying?” I ask.
“My dear girl, you have so much love, so much ambition and drive. I have told you a million times over how proud we all are of you, and you still don’t see it. You’re more than we could have ever hoped you to be. To see you happy and finally letting someone in–because you sure as hell never let me in,” she teases. “It just makes a mother very happy.”
“Mags.” I look to the ceiling trying to stop the tears.
Maggie has always been the mother I wished I had, and with that comes guilt.
“I know, I’m not helping. Get the laptop, darling. I will look up spaces for rent whilst you call the bank.”
I climb to my knees and lean down, cuddling her, feeling grateful to have a woman like her in my life.
* * *
We found nothing.Everything was either too expensive or not suitable and would need a ton of work. There are a couple of warehouses outside the city, but I know the girls won’t travel that far for rehearsals, and as of right now, I have no transport myself. We tried to find somewhere to hire on an hourly basis, but nothing is consistent—nothing that would work. Nothing that even comes close to my studio.
“I’ve set up an alert, so anything coming up for rent will pop up on my email. You should set it up on yours, too. In case I miss it.”
“Yeah, I will.” I drop my head back, defeated.
“We will find something. Don’t panic.”
“I’m not.” I smile sadly, feeling an ache in the back of my throat.
She lies back on the sofa next to me, a comfortable silence falling over us.
“Luce mentioned your mum may have kept money from a potential…” she hesitates, not knowing how to say it.
“Father,” I finish for her.
“Have you spoken to her?”
“No. I was waiting until after the showcase.”
