And I knew that we would.
C and G for life.
thirty-four
. . .
Gracie
The next fewweeks had been a blur. Work was insanely busy, and then I’d flown back to Blue Sky Bay for the long holiday weekend.
“So you had a great Thanksgiving?” Johnny asked as we sat across from one another at the cute café that was downstairs in the building below our offices.
“I did. Since my brother Burke is still in Italy until next month, my parents agreed to come to Blue Sky Bay for Thanksgiving, so we got to spend it with both Cutler’s family and mine. And we had Thanksgiving dinner at the house that was featured inDesign & Décor, and the article came out while I was there.” I still couldn’t get over it. The article had been released this past weekend in stores everywhere, so everyone had bought copies, and Emilia had framed the first page of the article and displayed it at their home.
“Stop it. That’s as good as it gets.” He shook his head before taking a sip of his cappuccino and setting down his tiny cup. “You end up falling in love with one of the family members of the home that you designed, and you celebrated the holidays in said home. Darling, this is a fairytale in the making.”
I chuckled. “Well, I have known the family most of my life, and I’ve done many holidays with them, but yes, this one was extra special for a multitude of reasons.”
He clapped his hands together twice. “Yes, you were featured in the magazine, and you and Cutler had your big debut as a couple. How did it go?”
“It was amazing. We’d been so worried that everyone would have expectations or there’d be added pressure, but that wasn’t the case at all. Everyone is just really happy for us. I think my mom and Cutler’s mom must have cried at least a dozen times while we were there.”
He sniffed a few times. “This is so romantic. I just love love, you know? My problem is that I just love too many people, and I get bored easily and then I’m ready for a new lover,” he said with a wicked grin on his face.
“I can’t wait for the day when you get knocked on your ass.”
“You and me both, darling.” He wriggled his eyebrows. “So, update on the Dumont project and then we can head over to take a look.”
“I’m really excited for you to see it. It’s going to be spectacular. We’ve made it through demolition and framing and all the behind-the-walls stuff. Now that the walls are in place, you can really see how large the space is.”
“I mean, they joined two massive condos together, which must have made the view even more spectacular,” he said, and I loved that Johnny truly enjoyed design the same way I did. We connected about our mutual love for our profession.
“Yes. I can’t wait for you to see it. We changed the layout, moving the bedrooms to the back side, and now it’s just all view when you walk in. You’re going to love it.”
He studied me for a beat. “And I know they wanted a very industrial vibe. How have you been feeling about that?”
“I mean, of course it kills me because I want to put long linen draperies on the sides of the windows to add some drama. I’d love a few chandeliers in the open space.” I chuckled. “But I’m adapting.”
“You sure are.” He stood up. “Let’s go see your soon-to-be masterpiece, and you can walk me through it and tell me what your plan is.”
“Perfect. Let’s do this.” I zipped my coat all the way up, since it was snowing outside and the temperatures had dropped quite a bit over the last week and a half.
The swanky high-rise was only two blocks away. I was grateful once we’d stepped inside the building and the noise of the city had quieted.
“Wow. This view is…breathtaking. The way you reconfigured this is truly brilliant,” Johnny said as he strode to the floor-to-ceiling windows and whistled.
“I made suggestions, and they were open to them. It was a group effort.”
He turned around to face me. “Always so humble. You were just featured in a major design magazine—it’s okay to brag a little, darling.”
I chuckled. “You brag enough on my behalf.”
“Good point.” He tapped me on the nose and then asked me to share my vision as we went from one room to the next. I pulled up photos on the iPad where I’d saved my mood boards for each space, and he appeared to be very impressed. This design style was definitely new for me, but I’d spent a lot of time researching all the elements. I’d presented my ideas to the client, who’d loved them.
Hopefully that would be the case when it all came together.
Design could be tricky, because oftentimes I’d choose finishes based off smaller samples, and I had to be confident that it would all marry well together to become a cohesive aesthetic.
