Page 11 of Colors and Curves
“Who was that yummy specimen?” Sophia startles me from behind, then comes to stand at my side. Jocelyn stands on the other.
“I don’t know. Well, I do, but not.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Well, that sounds complicated,” Jocelyn comments slyly. “Don’t you love complicated relationships? It makes things so much more interesting.”
“Relationship? I don’t even know his name.” My voice rises, and I slap my hand over my mouth. I jut my chin to the side for them to follow me. We huddle in a quiet corner, with me keeping one of my eyes on the lookout for him or if someone needs help. “I met him a couple of days ago.” Then I tell them the story, but it’s cut short because Daisy is discreetly waving me over. Her face is flushed and tight.
“And now he’s here,” Sophia says. “It’s too bad he sounds like a jerk. Still, he’s quite handsome.” I nod in agreement.
“I guess I’ll have to talk to him again before he leaves.” Daisy keeps eyeing me. “Listen, ladies, I’m being summoned. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Fine,” Jocelyn responds. “But we want the full story later.”
“No details left out,” Sophia adds.
“Whatever,” I mumble, then notice Daisy approaching me with a tight lip. My insides twist, but this time it’s not for pleasure. Something’s wrong.
“What’s the matter?” I mutter when she reaches my side. “Is a photograph damaged?”
She shakes her head. “Can we talk for a minute? In your office?”
“Should I be concerned? You’re making me nervous.”
“Let’s see once you hear what I have to say. It’ll only take a few minutes.” She motions to my office.
“Should we get Monica too?”
“Not yet. I want to talk to you first.” She hurries off.
What the fuck could be wrong? The night’s been running like clockwork. I go through every possible scenario from all of my past experiences. What could I have missed?
Nobody needs help and everything looks under control. It seems to be slowing down too. I mention to Monica that I’ll be in my office for a minute. Once I’m in there, I grab a red rubber band out of my stash. Back and forth, I pace the floor.Pull, release. Pull, release.Some people use stress balls—I pull on rubber bands.
“Skylar,” Daisy says from the doorway. I plaster a fake smile on my face like I’m not worried at all. Everything is glorious. I give one more vicious tug on the rubber band, then turn around. Daisy’s there, but he’s right behind her, the one I just talked to. My jaw drops and my arm twitches. The rubber band shoots from my fingers and zaps him on the neck.
It has to have hurt because that was a tight and thick one.
I move forward. “Sorry.” It’s the same dry tone he used the other day when he apologized to me. His eyes bulge, then he rubs his neck. When his hand drops, it looks like he has a hickey.Oops.I wish I gave it to him.Focus!
“Thanks for the warm welcome.” He smirks as he removes the rubber band from his shirt. “I think this is yours.” He extends his arm and drops it onto my opened hand. I toss it back onto the pile on my desk. Is he trying to be charming?
Daisy clears her throat before I can respond. “Skylar, I’d like to introduce you to someone. From what he says, you’ve met before.” There’s an uneasy twang in her voice, and she fiddles with her dress. If she’s nervous, who the hell could this guy be?
Then it hits me.
No. No. No. Or maybe…Yes. Yes. Yes.
Chapter 6
Julius
Why am I doing this?That’s been my favorite and most confusing question ever since I met her. Skylar… The one who’s running this gallery and who I can’t stop thinking about. I’m standing exactly where I was yesterday when I was spying on Daisy, sweating like hell, and now I feel like I’m going to puke.
Daisy is going to flip when she sees me here tonight. She’ll want to know why I didn’t tell her, and she’ll tell me how unprofessional it is that I just showed up. She might even tell me to leave without telling anyone who I am. But that won’t work because once I see Skylar, I won’t be able to leave unless someone kicks me out.
I almost called Cameron and told him he didn’t need to watch Chance. But I couldn’t get myself to do it. I’ve decided to look at this as a business decision. If I have to attend the opening at Mossi Krelo Gallery, attending this one tonight will give me an idea of what I’ll be dealing with. Just as Daisy suggested. Openings aren’t new to me. I’ve been to many, just not my own. Of course, deep down inside, I know I’m here for Skylar, not work. That scares the shit out of me. Only family comes before my work.
Maybe I’ll just pretend I’m a normal person who wants to look at the exhibit. Daisy can play along. But this isn’t a joke and Daisy would never do that. I’d be screwing around with my profession and Skylar’s. No one would win.