Page 37 of Monsters

Chapter 14

NOW

“Gem,” David, my boss, sighed heavily into the phone. He was on speaker which made his disappointment all the more glaring. “It really is last minute, and the exhibit is due for installation tomorrow.”

“I know, and I apologize.” I was sincere. The thought of leaving town when there was yet another huge show due to start was not ideal, and in my eyes, unprofessional. “I’ve trained Charlie well, and I’ll give him detailed and precise instructions.”

It was six in the morning, and I was already on my way out heading north to Maine. I’d planned to leave early knowing the roads were quieter. If the detectives were correct in assuming I’d be followed, at least they’d be more visible. So far nothing was out of the ordinary. I knew David to be an early riser for his dawn gym sessions, so calling him this early wasn’t uncivilized.

“I’m not so sure I share the same faith in Charlie as you do.” He sounded skeptical, but Charlie had been a great asset to me, as long as he steered clear of the opening night ‘open bar.’ “There’s a lot riding on this, Gemma, especially after the last horror story of Maximus Kline.”

“I know and trust me, he won’t be filing a suit against the gallery. He was very understanding given the situation.”

“Lucky we had you to talk him off the ledge.” There was a playful smile in his voice. David was still unaware of my unwitting involvement in the vandalism. If he knew, we wouldn’t be having this conversation as Charlie would have been promoted the next day without any doubt of his performance. Business is business, and me being there was a danger to the gallery’s reputation.

“The next exhibit will be great, and, in fact, I know it will bring more of a crowd than Maximus’s did.”

“You should be here,” he said with an edge of disappointment. “But since you’re not, you’ll have to come out for dinner with me when you return.”

My heart sank to a pounding beat. He always did this. Putting me in an uncomfortable position was his forte. David liked to watch me squirm by pushing the boundaries of our professional relationship.

“David, I—” Knowing rejection was imminent, I barely started before he cut me off.

“Think about where would be nice to eat. A new wine only bar opened up a block over from the gallery. Anyway, I have to shoot off. Take care of Charlie for me, would you? I’m counting on you to pull this together from wherever you’re off to.”

Again, before I could respond David had ended the call, and I was left formulating yet another excuse that would close the deal to another date, while still keeping hold of my job. The result would see me upon my return, resigning and looking for another gallery position, hopefully higher up the ranks without the unsolicited advances from my employer. But for now, I had greater issues to run from.

~

Two hours later, I arrived in Maine. With lush green grass and purple wisteria trees in full bloom framing the driveway of my parents’ house, I could finally feel a sense of relief. Exhaling heavily and shaking off the negative energy from the last week, I found myself looking forward to a few days of peace. The car bobbed and dipped as I navigated the dirt drive to the side of the house where I parked and retrieved the bags of groceries I’d bought in town.

The house was a labor of love for my father who had spent countless hours reshaping and remodeling until the once rundown house morphed into a beautiful home. Mom, always the decorator and fan for fashion, adorned every room with an elegance found only in homemaker magazines. They’d moved from Little Valley, Delaware when I started my first year of college.

The key had only just slid into the lock when Mrs. Harper sang out from across the white picket fence dividing the properties. “Yoo-hoo,” she sang, giving an enthusiastic wave. “Hi, Gem darling.”

Forgetting about the key which required some elbow grease, I waved back and smiled. “Hi, Mrs. Harper.”

“Look at you…” she crooned, pulling off her gardening gloves, “… you get more beautiful every time I see you.”

“Thank—”

“I can’t even remember the last time I saw you. Did you get the birthday card I sent? You can never trust the postal system these days, everything goes missing.”

“I did and thank—”

“How long are you staying, darling?”

“Well, not—”

“Are you still seeing that fine young chap, Peter?”

“Yes, I—”

“He’s good for you, darling. You know they say couples start looking like each other after some time.”

“No, I didn’t know—”

“But you two still have a while to go before that happens. A bit like how dogs and their owners look the same.”

---