“I know.” CoCo knew that Laci was right but knowing and doing something about it were two separate things. It didn’t feel as if she’d only just met Laci. Rian hadn’t exaggerated that Laci was a true down-to-earth person, which made it incredibly easy to share private stuff that CoCo usually kept clutched tightly to her chest. “What if I let Rian down?” she asked. “What if I can’t be the person that he wants me to be?”
Laci shook her head. “You’re missing the point. Don’t be who Rian wants you to be...be who you want to be. If Rian is meant to be in your life, he’ll love whoever you are.”
“That’s deep,” CoCo murmured, struck by how wise Laci was. “You know, for the longest time I thought that nobody expected anything of me, so why should I try if no one cared? But being here, and seeing Rian work around the ranch and meeting Warren and Adeline, and you, it’s made me realize that there’s a whole lot more to life than the expectations that others put on you. Rian asked me if I’m still sketching and I told him I wasn’t but that wasn’t entirely true. I can’t stop sketching. My dad is a shoemaker but at heart he’s an artist. It’s just that his particular canvas happens to be made from shoe leather. I guess I inherited that itch.” She paused and risked rejection by asking, “Would you be willing to look at a few of my drawings? I would love your opinion.”
“I would be honored,” Laci answered. “Top designers are always sending me samples so I’m used to seeing stuff before it hits the runway. I can give you an honest assessment of what I think if you’d like.”
CoCo nodded, her stomach flipping with anticipation. It’d been a long time since she’d shown anyone her sketches. The fact that Laci seemed genuinely interested was a huge boost to her fragile ego. “That would be awesome. Even if the idea does scare me a little. In the past I haven’t dealt well with rejection.”
Laci chuckled. “Nobody likes rejection. But you come from shoe royalty. My guess is that you’re far more talented than you realize. Do you have your sketches with you?”
“Actually, I have them on my phone. I have an app that allows me to sketch and I store them in the cloud.”
“That’s amazing. I am wowed by technology these days. I’m not exactly technologically savvy. Half the time I can’t figure out my damn phone. I am in awe of anyone who has mastered the apps on their phone.”
CoCo laughed, wondering how she got so lucky as to meet Laci McCall and to find her so easy to talk to. “They say you should never meet your idols because they almost never measure up. But I can tell you right now, you have exceeded my expectations. You’re a wonderful person and Kane is so lucky to have you.”
Laci smiled, appreciating the kind comments. “You’re too sweet. If anyone is lucky, it’s me. Kane is my better half and I’ve known it since I was fifteen years old. I count Kane among my many blessings.”
CoCo blinked back tears. To have something so precious, and to know it, must be an incredible gift. She didn’t know if she and Rian were meant for the long haul but she knew that there was something special between them even if she had no idea how to make it work. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your advice. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone in my life worth listening to. I’ve surrounded myself with too many superficial people for too long. It’s a nice change to listen to someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.”
“I did that for a long time. I think it just comes with a certain level of fame or celebrity status or even wealth, but the good news is if you have a good foundation, those things work themselves out. Eventually you get tired of the same old scene, the same old people, doing the same old things. You might’ve already gotten to that point. But trust me, it won’t always be this way. Once you know what you want in life, and you have the confidence to go after it, nothing will ever be the same. There’s this great quote that I love sharing with people and it goes like this. ‘When sleeping women awaken, they move mountains.’ It’s really powerful and it helped me realize that the power to make change is always inside of you. If you don’t like the way that your life is, then change it. You’re not locked into a track. And you have more resources than most. You can do anything you want with your life. A strong woman. I see it in you. Plus, I know Rian wouldn’t be interested in somebody who was weak. That’s just not who he is. So whatever you want to do with your life, just go for it.”