Page 121 of How to Get Even

And then it was Chase who could only nod.

‘Are you ready?’ Maurice asked, interrupting his thoughts and checking his watch.

Chase scanned the room, knowing that Bella hadn’t entered yet, but secretly hoping that she might have. He looked to Tej, who winced in sympathy, knowing how much this meant to him.

Chase shrugged off the hope that Bella would be here and approached the centre of the gallery. Sascha excused herself from the man still pointing at her paintings and she and Zadzisai joined him. A hush descended over the packed gallery and the lights suddenly felt a lot harsher than they had a few minutes ago.

He wasn’t going to miss this part of the job one bit, he thought, which made him smile and the first few people at the front smile back.

‘I would like to thank you for coming here tonight and to officially welcome you to the Nayak New York.’ He paused for the applause that seemed requisite. ‘I hope that you can now see that we have a special gallery here. One that shows art and joy from established talents, emerging talents and future artists in the making,’ he said, speaking of the elementary school art, still in pride of place among household names like Zadzisai. ‘Art should be accessible to everyone,’ he said passionately. ‘Art should be a place and an expression that explores who we are, how we are, how we feel and process the world around us, especially when that world becomes unrecognisable or hard to be in. All of the artists here do exactly that and I am proud and impressed by what the team at Nayak have managed to do,’ he said, truly meaning it.

He caught a flash of blonde and tried to ignore the way that goosebumps danced out over his skin and his heart jerked in his chest.

‘I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been a part of the first exhibition at Nayak and it will always be something that stays with me. However,’ he said, taking a deep breath, ‘I think we can all agree that I perhaps haven’t been thebestgallery director the art scene has ever known,’ he admitted ruefully, and gentle laughter rippled out across the room. ‘And if it hadn’t been for the incredible team here, I’m not sure we would have made it.’ He grimaced and turned to Tej. ‘Sorry.’

Tej shrugged easily and more people laughed.

‘But seeing the art world from this vantage has given me a greater understanding of why we do what we do and how important it is to do that with integrity and honesty. So, I’m going to be stepping down after this event and Nayak will be trialling a programme of visiting artists to assume the role of gallery director, with the support of the permanent members of staff, Maurice Bamboux as archivist and registrar, Alison Burberry as gallery assistant, Ye-Joon Yoo as gallery associate and,’ he said, looking directly into the wide grey eyes staring up at him as Bella pushed her way to the front of the crowd, ‘Bella Carmichael as communications director. Whoever is next, will be in their most capable hands.’

He clapped alongside the guests filling the gallery to the staff that had made this evening happen. The staff that had become the friends he’d not known he’d needed. But his eyes were only for Bella.

* * *

He was stepping down? Oh my God, what had she done?

Everyone was applauding, but panic broke out in a sweat at the back of her neck as horror filled her chest. Chase must have seen it, because he frowned for a moment and then, with a comment about not wanting to steal the limelight, he handed over to Zadzisai and walked towards her, grasping her by the elbow and leading her away from the crowd, the gallery and out onto the street.

‘You can’t!’ she cried the moment she hit the sidewalk. ‘You can’t leave. Oh, God, this is all my fault.’ She felt wretched. No, she would fix this. ‘You can change your mind,’ she told him, not quite sure why he was smiling.

‘Is that why you wanted me to come here? So that I’d see you quit?’ she asked, the thought making her feel sick.Oh God. And she’d thought that he had wanted her there.

‘Bella—’

‘We’ll speak to Tej, I’ll explain everything,’ she said, her hands twisting and barely able to meet his eye.

‘Bella,’ he tried again and she bit her lip.

He reached up and with his thumb, gently pressed her lip free from her teeth. He lifted her chin and drew her gaze to his.

‘Bella. I’m okay. This is the right thing.’

‘But if I hadn’t tried to sabotage you?—’

‘Then I quite probably wouldn’t have realised that this – gallery director – is absolutely the worst thing that I could possibly do with my life. I wasn’t lying. I’m a terrible gallery director,’ he admitted.But why was he so happy about it?

‘I’m really confused, Chase,’ she admitted helplessly.

‘I’m not. For the first time in ages, I’m not confused at all,’ he assured her. ‘I know exactly what I want,’ he insisted, with a heat that Bella felt flash over her from head to toe.

God, she wished she wasn’t imagining things. It was all because she’d had to rush here when the car hit traffic just outside of the city.

Who knew there would be traffic? On a Friday night. Heading into Manhattan.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, feeling the emotions well up from deep within.

‘You’ve said that, and you’ve said it enough. It’s my turn now,’ he said, cupping her jaw and she couldn’t help but lean into the palm of his hand.

‘You were right,’ he confessed. ‘I’ve been hiding. For quite a while now. It certainly didn’t help my art, or my marriage, and I wasn’t lying when I said the only reason there’s a gallery opening is because of the team. And I’m happy to be stepping down. Because I’m going to try and start painting again.’

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