“Why?”
She shrugged, staring at it a moment longer before continuing on to the next room.
They wandered for a few minutes in silence. It wasn’t until they were leaving the European gallery and heading toward Modern Art that he spoke again. “I talked to Ben earlier. He told me you took Nadine to go look at apartments for her in the Village.”
Emma hummed in affirmation.
“Can she afford that?”
“Well, not right now, obviously. But once she gets a job at Christie’s, she’ll need a place. We found the cutest one down on Charles Street—”
“Does she have a job at Christie’s yet?”
“Of course not. She’s still in school. But there’s no harm in looking. She has to know what’s out there.”
His fingers went to the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache. “And her boyfriend is okay with all this?”
“Hmm?” Emma asked with feigned innocence.
“Her boyfriend.”
“Um. I don’t think that’s an issue anymore.” Emma was avoiding his gaze, staring up at the Rothko nearby.
Something was up.
“Why not?” he pressed.
She shrugged. “I’m pretty sure she’s breaking up with him.”
Knightley raised his eyebrows. “That’s sudden.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just last month she was at Sunday dinner telling us that she missed him.”
“But did she miss him?” Emma’s head cocked to the side as she studied a row of charcoal sketches. “Or was she just feeling guilty?”
“I don’t follow.”
“I just mean, was she upset because he wasn’t here, or was she upset because he made her feel bad thatshewas? That she came here to follow her dreams and he got left behind.”
“I think that’s for Nadine to figure out.”
Emma nodded. “Exactly. That’s what I told her. She has to trust her instincts. And honestly, she came to New York City to build a new life, so she deserves someone who fits that new life. Preferably someone gorgeous and who I get along with, but we’ll figure all that out as we go.”
He stopped in the middle of the gallery. “Wait. Did you tell her to break up with her boyfriend?”
“I didn’ttellher to do it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But the fact that she took to the idea so easily is pretty much proof that I was right and the relationship needed to end. She even said it wasn’t her forever relationship.”
He blinked. “Her what?”
“Herforeverrelationship. You know, the guy she’s going to be with forever.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“It’s absolutely a thing. And she knows he’s not it.” Emma shrugged. “And honestly? She’s right.”
“How could you possibly know that?” he asked, his voice louder than he intended.
