I’d expected something tiny, but the space was massive, almost larger than The Gallery itself. Crated artwork leaned against walls, and supplies were piled at the far end of the space. In the opposite corner sat a kitchenette and a four-seater table.
Laiken gestured to the fridge. “Keep whatever you want in there. We have a microwave down here if you need to heat anything. You’ll get an hour for lunch, plus a fifteen-minute break in the morning and the afternoon. I can cover you if you have to leave for an appointment. I just need a heads-up.”
“Okay.” I pulled my lunch container out of my bag and placed it in the fridge. “Should I put my bag in one of the lockers?”
“You can have number three. Everything will be safe in here, but you can bring a lock if you want.”
I couldn’t imagine someone wanting to steal the contents of my bag. As I slid it off my shoulder, Laiken caught the edge of my tote.
“This is beautiful. Where did you find it?”
Heat hit my cheeks. “I made it.”
Laiken’s eyes flared. “You made it?”
“You can find all sorts of nice scraps at the quilt shop.”
“This fabric was in the scrap bin?”
I looked down at my bag and bit my lip. “The canvas was, but I dyed it.”
“How?”
The
bag itself was a soft green with a leaf pattern. I’d then followed the pattern with a decorative stitch to add more texture to the piece. “A number of plants create their own dyes. If you press something into the fabric when you dye it, you get a pattern.”
Laiken let out a low whistle. “That’s amazing. You could sell these, you know. I’ve got a friend who runs a shop down the way. I’m sure she’d love these.”
“Really?”
“Really. Want me to ask her if she’s interested?”
I slid my bag into the open locker. “Maybe I should get a handle on this job first.”
Laiken grinned. “Fair enough. Let’s get you set up and in the system.”
My head killed. And worse, I’d never felt more stupid. I took careful notes as Laiken walked me through signing in to the computer system, ringing up sales, updating their website, but every time I tried it alone, I screwed something up.
“Don’t worry. We can hold off on the computer stuff for now. You’ll always have someone working with you. We can deal with the tech piece while you’re getting a handle on things.”
Tears burned the backs of my eyes. I was so tired of not knowing the things others did, of not having experienced so many normal rites of passage. “I’m sorry. I’ll try harder tomorrow. I’ll study the steps tonight—”
Laiken put a hand on my arm. “Addie, it’s fine. No one has everything together their first day at a new job.”
“But people aren’t usually this much of a mess.”
“You cleaned this entire place from top to bottom. You organized invoices, hand-wrote at least a dozen thank you notes to clients, and dealt with Gizmo following you everywhere all day long. I’d say you’ve more than proven yourself.”
I stared down at my lap. “I want to do well here.”
“You are. But you have to give yourself some grace to stumble. Perfection doesn’t exist.”
Someone should’ve told that to my father. He’d expected it at all times. I shook off the image of him that flashed across my memory. “Thank you. I’ll keep working at it.”
“I know you will. But for now, it’s time for both of us to call it a day.” Laiken winced as she stood, arching her back.
“Are you okay?”