Cat beamed. “Did I tell you how much I’ve missed you? I have. Desperately.”
She sounded so sincere, Nevada found herself wanting to apologize for their long separation. Cat stepped close and hugged Nevada again, her arms holding her close for a second longer than Nevada expected. When Cat moved back, she turned to Nevada’s sisters.
“I’m delighted you’re joining me tonight. Thank you so much for coming.”
Dakota and Montana exchanged a look.
“Thank you for asking us,” Dakota said.
Nevada introduced her sisters.
“Triplets,” Cat said, clapping her hands together. “That must have been fun growing up.” She took a glass of champagne and sipped. “Did Nevada tell you who I am?” She smiled. “Some people don’t know who I am at first. Then when they do find out, they feel silly for not recognizing me. I think it’s easier to just say it all up front. No confusion.”
The statements were amazingly self-absorbed, Nevada thought. Yet with Cat saying them, they seemed exactly right.
“Are you hungry?” Cat asked. “Can we talk before dinner? Would you mind?”
“Um, sure,” Montana said. “That would be fine. We’ve been eating the appetizers. They’re really good.”
“I’m so glad.”
Cat walked toward the sofas against the wall, then paused and furrowed her pale brow. “Oh, if only two of the sofas faced each other,” she said, sounding disappointed.
Instantly the servers leapt into action, pulling one sofa around so it was across from the other with only a slender table in between.
“How perfect.” She blessed the young men with a smile.
The four of them settled on the couches. Cat insisted Nevada sit next to her, then sipped her champagne and studied the triplets.
“I see differences,” she said. “In the light, there are minor shifts in structure and color.” She touched Nevada’s chin and turned her head slightly. “Maybe a hint in the profile. I’ve never been one to sculpt people, but there is something very special about the three of you.”
She dropped her hand. “I’m entering my feminine period.”
The words sounded more like an announcement than a moment of casual conversation. Nevada blinked, not sure what they were supposed to say to that.
Dakota recovered first. “How nice.”
Cat beamed. “Yes, it is. Until now, I’ve considered my inspiration to be either male or androgynous. But the earth is female and we all come from her. Dust to dust, as they say in the Bible. Now I see the possibilities of female energy. I would love to sculpt you three together.”
She closed her eyes and swayed slightly. “Yes, I can see it. So beautiful and perfect. Larger than life, of course. Your three bodies draped across each other.”
Montana choked. “Bodies?”
“Mmm.” Cat opened her eyes. “Naked. That would be best.”
Dakota’s eyes widened. “I don’t think so, but thanks for asking.”
“What she said,” Montana added quickly.
Cat turned to Nevada. “Then maybe just you.”
Nevada managed to swallow the mouthful of champagne before she spoke. “I’m busy that day.”
Cat only smiled.
She waved away the tray the server brought by. “If I remember correctly, the three of you grew up in this town. Is that right?”
“Yes,” Nevada said, surprised she would recall anything that specific.
“It’s charming. I can see why you like it here. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a home. Restful. The familiar heals us, don’t you think? Perhaps I should talk to a real estate agent. Do you know one?”
She directed the question to Montana, who nodded frantically. “Um, sure.”
Nevada did her best not to choke or run screaming into the night.
Cat nodded. “I travel constantly, driven by forces I can’t control. Searching for my next inspiration. Once I know what I’m doing, I work fanatically. It’s exhausting.”
Nevada had seen Cat work. The hours were grueling, as was the physical task of moving sheets of metal into place. While she sometimes had men helping her with the heaviest pieces, she handled most of it herself.
“Are you close?” Cat asked her. “You and your sisters?”
“Yes. We’ve always been close.”
“When our brothers finally went to college, we still shared a room,” Montana told her. “We didn’t want to be apart. By the time we went to college, we were ready to be in different schools. Being separate was hard, but good for us.”
Cat leaned forward, as if interested. “No matter what, you’ll have each other. That’s a true gift. I don’t have many friends. I’m not a very good friend myself. Some of it is my schedule. Some of it is how I work. I give myself over to whatever I’m doing. I can be unavailable for weeks at a time. My brilliance is demanding.”
She turned to Nevada, tears in her eyes. “Sometimes I get so lonely.”