N. Walters - Katie's Art of Seduction

Katie’s thoughts continued to whirl. The painting had been a self-portrait of sorts. It was a side view of her, sitting on the stone steps of her apartment building, watching the sunrise over the city. She knew she’d captured the beauty of the moment as the colors of the morning sun had washed the aged buildings, making the old, decrepit neighborhood beautiful for that one moment of time.

“Who bought it?” Katie found it hard to imagine her painting hanging in some stranger’s home.

Lucas shrugged, unconcerned by such details. “I don’t know, really. Some businessmen sent his assistant down to buy it. I told her it wasn’t for sale.” His eyes gleamed and a rare smile crossed his face. “Next thing I know she’s on the cell phone and is offering me two thousand for it.”

“Dollars?” Katie managed to sputter.

“Yeah, that was my reaction. I guess she took my shock for denial and offered three.” Reaching into his apron pocket he withdrew a plain envelope. “I told her that the artist wanted thirty-five hundred in cash.”

Katie’s hand shook as she reached out and took the envelope. She opened it and just stared at the contents as they slid out of her nerveless fingers. A pile of fifties spilled onto the counter. Katie had never seen that much money at one time in her entire life.

Lucas pushed a small white square towards her. “The lady left her card and asked to be informed if the artist were ever to have a showing.”

“All that money…” Katie shook her head slowly in disbelief, totally at a loss for words.

Lucas laughed and scooped her off her seat and swung her around in a tight circle. “Katie, this is your dream come true. This proves that you’re a real artist and can make a living doing what you love.” Lucas continued to twirl her about until she was dizzy.

“But, I don’t want to leave here.” Taking a quick, surveying glance around the coffee shop and then back to Lucas, she suddenly felt a little sadness mixed with her joy. She clung to Lucas’s strong shoulders for support. Her head was spinning and he was the grounding for her world.

Gently, he lowered her feet to the floor and steadied her with his strong, capable hands. His ice-blue eyes never left hers as he sought to reassure her. “You don’t have to leave. At least not right away.” He placed his finger over her mouth before she could protest. “You owe it to yourself to try. I want you to be happy, and if you’re honest with yourself, this is what you’ve always wanted. This is why you’ve taken art classes at night since you were sixteen.”

Katie nodded, unable to be anything but honest with Lucas. “I know,” she whispered.

“Think about it. We’ll talk more in a few days.” He guided her back to her stool and, when she was seated, handed her the fork she had discarded earlier. “Now eat your pie and get back to work.”

Katie dutifully ate the pie, but for once tasted nothing. It could have been sawdust she chewed instead of warm, sweet cherries and flaky pastry. Her gaze never left the pile of fifty-dollar bills that still lay on the counter. Her mind whirled with the possibilities. She could buy a lot of art supplies with that kind of money. For once, she had the money to try her hand at painting some really large canvases. Or maybe, she could actually go on a trip. A real vacation. She’d never been out of the city before and she longed to paint the countryside or the seashore.

The possibilities were limitless, but knowing her, she’d probably put most of it in the bank, and talk herself out of spending any of it. Well, she assured herself, she could probably talk herself into spending a few hundred bucks of it at the art supply store. It was an investment. Sort of.

Later that evening, Katie turned up the collar of her coat as she turned the key in the front door of Coffee Breaks. The wind had a bite to it on this cold February evening and Katie had stayed at the shop far later than she’d intended. Lucas would be angry with her if he knew she’d stayed this late. It had taken her much longer than usual to do her normal closing routine. Her mind had wandered to her painting and her sudden windfall, and somehow several hours had slipped by. It was only eight in the evening, but this time of year it was dark.

Pulling on the door to reassure herself that it was locked, Katie then dumped her keys in the pocket of her long, purple wool jacket and started walking briskly down the sidewalk. She tugged her scarf tighter around her neck, shifted her beat-up brown leather backpack to her right shoulder and then shoved her hands in her pockets for warmth. Cursing herself for forgetting her gloves this morning, she scanned the sidewalk as she went.

She wrapped her hand protectively around the envelope in her pocket as she scanned the sidewalk nervously. Katie scolded herself for not going to the bank earlier, but she’d been too dazed to think straight. And there was no way she was stopping at night to deposit this large a sum of money. First thing in the morning, she assured herself, it was straight to the bank on her way to work. In the meantime, the money would just have to be safe with her for one night.

Coffee Breaks was on the edge of a busy business district and was surrounded by much larger and taller office buildings. In comparison to its neighbors, it was housed in a relic from a bygone era, a three-story brick building that was slightly worn at the edges. The landlord did little to upkeep the building, but Lucas had repaired the area around the front of the shop. The sidewalk in front was always kept swept and, in the summer, tubs of bright flowers welcomed people inside. There were several apartments on each of the other two floors. The location was excellent and the rent was affordable.

Traffic was brisk, but there was no one else walking the street as she strode farther from the shop and closer to her apartment. Living only fifteen minutes of a walk from work was a bonus in the city and she saved quite a bit of money by walking. The business district gave way to an older residential area. The buildings were mostly brick, much of it chipped and crumbling, and no more than five or six stories high. A little worse for wear, but still affordable for those on a low income or pension.

It was really a small community within the larger city. In the summer, the sounds and smells of people cooking and living filled the air. Elderly men and women sat on balconies and front steps and chatted while children played on the sidewalks and in the empty lots around the neighborhood.

This time of year, everyone was inside and the street was unusually quiet. The buildings cast a menacing shadow onto the street and their lights were like eyes, watching her every step. Katie had always felt safe, but tonight she felt nervous. It was all that money, practically burning a hole in her pocket. It had to be. She’d walked this route for years, but tonight she wished she taken a cab.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she muttered to herself even as she gripped her keys in her right hand and slowly withdrew them from her pocket. Scanning back and forth with her eyes, she kept walking briskly towards the next corner. Her leather hiking boots measured her steps as she strode down the sidewalk, their soles making a comforting thumping sound. Katie knew of people who’d gotten mugged in this part of town. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen, especially at night. She stood tall and squared her shoulders. She would be no easy target.

A shuffling noise behind her made her stop and spin around. “Who’s there?” she demanded. Her heart pounded as she balanced herself on her toes, ready to fight or run. A soft woof and the padding of feet answered her. Katie felt her tense muscles begin to relax until she saw the apparition rocketing out of the dark.