Page 41 of How to Get Even

‘Okay,’ Chase said, calling attention back to him. ‘I’m afraid we’ve lost Zadzisai,’ he said, ripping the Band-Aid off in one fell swoop.

Maurice looked appalled, Ali bemused as if she knew she should be shocked but didn’t quite get why, and Ye-Joon put his head in his hands. Ye-Joon hadreallybeen looking forward to working with Zadzisai’s paintings.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, genuinely, feeling responsible, because as gallery director, he really was. ‘But I’m already looking, and I will find someone to replace Zadzisai as our featured artist.’

‘Everything has to change,’ Maurice said. ‘The website, the promotional plans, almost the entire first magazine?—’

‘Neither the main pages of the website or the magazine have gone live yet, so we have time to change the copy there,’ Bella said soothingly. ‘We’re still compiling mailing lists so no actual specifics have gone out to clients. We’re actually in a really good place for this to have happened. It would be different if the information had been released…’

She trailed off a little towards the end of the sentence as if suddenly getting distracted, but despite that, Bella’s words had the desired effect, soothing the ruffled concerns of his team.

‘Absolutely. It’s better that we know now so that we can make the changes we need.’

‘But all the other artists were chosen because of how their pieces worked with Zadzisai’s,’ Ye-Joon said, worried. ‘Does that mean we’re changing everything?’

‘I’m not changing a single thing until we have a new featured artist in place,’ Chase said firmly.

‘And… do you have an idea as to who that might be?’ Bella asked hesitantly.

I’m working on it, wouldn’t cut it.

‘Not yet,’ he admitted.

How can we help if you won’t let us?

Just like then, Bella held his gaze now and he shoved the deep discomfort at putting his trust, his faith in other people aside and said, ‘But I’m open to ideas.’

Maurice raised an eyebrow – though whether that meant he was impressed or derisive, Chase couldn’t tell. Ali tapped her fluffy-tipped pencil against her sparkly notepad, eyes to the ceiling as if this was the pose of ‘deep in thought’ she had perfected from teen movies.

Ye-Joon frowned.

‘Ye-Joon?’

He squinted. ‘There is this girl –woman,’ he hastily corrected under Bella’s watchful eye, ‘at college. She’s… something else, man, like seriously. What she can do with a brush. It kinda reminds me of you, you know.’

Chase tensed against the emotional gut punch.

‘BA? MA?’ he asked.

‘MA. Sascha Levy. Fine Art. There’s something there, that’s all I can say. You’d have to go see for yourself,’ he said with a shrug.

Chase made a note, before saying, ‘Look, I know that this feels like it stops us in our tracks but it doesn’t. I’ll be focusing on this, but I still want to see the mock-ups and copy for the remaining artists, as well as the marketing schedule for the lead in to the pre-opening by the end of the week.’

The team nodded and he got up as they began to file out, Bella hanging behind. Just as he’d expected.

‘You want to go from Zadzisai, to an art student?’ Bella asked sceptically, thankfully having waited until it was just the two of them.

‘I haven’t even seen the work yet.’

‘But you’re considering it?’ she prodded.

‘Yes. I am.’

‘Did you consider approaching another established artist? Someone that would at least have enough recognition to draw the kind of attention needed?’

‘Did I think about it? Yes,’ Chase said, returning to his seat behind the desk, because the hint of her perfume as she’d stood close to him had surprised him. He’d expected floral and sweet, but that wasnotwhat Bella was wearing. ‘Of course I did,’ he said, regaining his chain of thought. ‘And did I think that any other established artist that would attract the kind of attention you’re hoping for would run for the hills like Zadzisai? Absolutely.’

The conversation was beginning to grate and he needed her out of his office. The V of the silk shirt was tantalizingly close to revealing.

---