“Oh really?” I glanced at Noah, sending him a questioning look.
“It’s the Hartley triplets,” Freyja explained, lowering her voice as if she expected them to overhear her. “They came in the other day and couldn’t stop talking about the pretty newcomer that captured Noah’s attention.”
“Ah, right,” I shifted awkwardly on my feet.
“Nellie’s still not used to their level of community involvement,” Noah explained with a laugh.
Freyja sent me a sympathetic smile. “I can understand that. They mean no harm, they’re like…” She paused for a moment. “They are like overly-involved grandmothers. To everyone.”
“Yeah.” I laughed awkwardly, thinking back to earlier, when I’d felt a little sorry for myself for not having grandparents. Seems like I might have surrogate grandmothers after all, and I wasn’t sure if I’d get used to their interest in me.
“Anyway, would you like a bit of a tour? It’s a little messy in the back right now. I’m cleaning up after a morning art class with kids,” Freyja offered with a smile.
“Sure, I’d love a tour!”
“Excellent!” Freyja clapped her hands together, then began the tour.
She told me that her aunt Alma had opened the gallery in the early nineties, and that it used to be a gallery strictly for artists to sell their work. She hired her sister, Freyja’s grandmother, as the art curator and to manage and oversee things so she didn’t have to.
When Freyja took over, she expanded in the back and created an area where she could host classes. She showed us the back, where she hosted the art classes. She did paint nights, pottery courses, mixed media courses, painting, and sketchbook courses. She had classes geared to kids and to adults. She had her liquor license, so she could serve wine at the adult paint nights and gallery shows she hosted.
I made a mental note to drag Sage along to one of her adult paint nights. It sounded like a lot of fun, even if we couldn’t drink the wine.
“Local artists still sell their work through the gallery, and every couple of months, I host art shows to feature their work.” Freyja explained as we walked back into the front gallery. “I team up with my friend, Jolie Loucks. She makes the best charcuterie boards! Our next art show is on the last Saturday of the month.”
“We’ll be there,” Noah said, sending me a flirty little smile that made the butterflies in my belly swirl and dance.
“Great!” Freyja grinned.
“How is Mrs. Durand doing?” Noah asked, and they launched into a conversation about Freyja’s aunt.
While they talked, I wandered over to one of the walls in the gallery, my gaze pulled to a painting there. It was a landscape of a babbling creek and an old worn bridge in a heavily wooded area. There was something about it that called to me, and if I had the funds, I’d have bought it on the spot to hang in my apartment.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the funds, so I could only stand and admire it for a couple of minutes, embracing the peaceful feeling that washed over me while I looked at it.
“Are you ready to head out?” Noah asked, coming up behind me.
“Yeah, sure.” I nodded, pulling my gaze away from the painting. “Where to next?”
“I say you check out Enchanted Echoes,” Freyja suggested. “No tour of Hartwood Creek is complete without seeing the original Hartley homestead.”
“She’s right, it is a staple.” Noah said. “We’ll see you later, Freyja. Thanks for the tour.”
“Any time! Hopefully, we’ll see you at the art show!” Freyja called out as we made our way out of the gallery.
“Is Enchanted Echoes that crystal store?” I asked, feeling a pull toward it.
“It sure is. It’s run by Delia Hartley. She’s Dorothy’s granddaughter.”
“So, another cousin of yours?” I rolled my eyes.
“A distant one.” Noah smirked.
“Gosh, no wonder you had a hard time dating. You’re related to practically everyone in town.”
“Not everyone, but yeah. Quite a few of them, either through the Wood family line or the Hartley line.” Noah chuckled.
I’d been meaning to check out Enchanted Echoes out ever since I’d moved to town, but I hadn’t gotten around to it. I hadn’t wanted to go alone, but I hadn’t wanted to drag Sage, either. She didn’t exactly believe in the metaphysical.
