Page 10 of We're Just Friends
I swallowed the food in my mouth and then held up my hands. “Now, if you take a look at my paint strokes, you’ll see that it’s similar to French Impressionism while being progressive with some modern colors. You know, like this vibrant stroke of cerulean.”
I made my voice sound extremely stuffy and uppity, as though I should be in a puffy shirt, holding a cigar.
“You’re funny, Mommy,” Caley said while breaking apart a garlic knot.
I smiled at my daughter, appreciating the fact that she found her mother to be funny. I was thankful that having a close relationship with my own mother as a child encouraged me to be the same with my daughter.
“Speaking of fun,” I said while pouring another glass of water for myself. “Aside from watching a movie, do you two have any other plans for tonight?”
I knew that Caley had shown a significant interest in arts and crafts lately, and even though I was into art myself, that was more up Annie’s alley. Growing up, Annie was always the one who had sticker books and created scrapbooks. I was hoping that Annie would break out her craft supplies to encourage Caley to pursue her new hobby. It would at least give her something to do besides think about how her father never called.
“I actually went to the craft store today and bought a Disney scrapbooking kit,” Annie said, practically reading my mind.
Maybe it was her sixth sense, but the two of us had always instinctively known what the other one was thinking.
“That sounds like fun, doesn’t it, Caley?” I turned to my daughter, who was drinking water and swinging her legs.
Caley had been obsessed with Disney ever since she saw Sleeping Beauty. All she ever talked about was growing up and becoming a princess.
I hoped, unlike myself, Caley would actually find a man worthy enough to be her prince. I knew the chances of that were slim, though. Men were all turning out the same way, never satisfied, and they changed with the tides.
“Yes,” Caley said while reaching for another piece of garlic bread. “Does it have Princess Aurora stickers and stuff?”
Annie nodded, winking at me. Even though I wanted Caley to relax with a movie that night, it was important for her to be creative too.
When we were done eating, I paid the bill and then called a cab to come to the restaurant. Annie and Caley were leaving in Annie's Jeep, and I needed to get back to the art gallery. Helen wouldn’t be happy if I showed up late. She liked me standing there, smiling broadly when the clients began to arrive.
“Will you come pick me up in the morning,” Caley asked, wrapping her arms around my legs.
My heart broke as I reassured her that yes, I would absolutely be there to pick her up. "Mommy just needs to work this art showing tonight, but I will be back tomorrow." I brushed the hair from her face. "Besides, you and Aunt Annie always have so much fun together, right?"
Caley nodded big and gave the thumbs up. I smiled as Annie walked over and picked her up. She was growing up so fast. Beyond being in school, she looked almost too big for Annie to carry.
I opened up the cab door, and they both waved. Annie grinned at me, always happy when she saw me doing something other than being the mom and laundry queen. "Have fun!"
I sunk into the seat, sad that I’d be away from my daughter for the night but excited about the art show. I was thankful to have a job that I really enjoyed. It was a long cab ride, but so much easier than me fighting the traffic and trying to find parking in the city. Besides, Helen reimbursed me for most of my travel. It was the only way I agreed to work at the gallery. I guess she really liked me. The trip was calm and quiet, and by the time I got to the gallery, I was feeling relaxed and ready to go.
I walked into the gallery hoping that everything was perfect. When I left earlier that day, all of the paintings were hung, and they were pulling champagne out of the storage cellar. Once I saw that everything seemed to be in order, I grabbed two glasses and made my way over to Gregory. He was talking with two men who appeared to be stereotypical art connoisseurs. One of them was wearing a navy Ralph Lauren turtleneck, tucked into his khakis, and the other, a white and light blue V-neck sweater over black dress pants. Both of them looked as though they had big, fat bank accounts.
“There you are,” I said in my professional, albeit fake voice. “I hope everyone’s having a good time at our showing.”
I handed a champagne flute to Gregory, who seemed thankful to have something to occupy his hands with. He gave me a quick wink and kissed me on my left cheek. “This is Amancio and his husband, Edward.”
I extended my free hand to both of them, smiling as I tried my best to butter them up. Upon closer inspection, I could tell both men had some cosmetic surgery done. Nothing too over the top, like the kind that gives you a cat face. Just some Botox and under-eye collagen fillers.
In other words, they had disposable income.
“You have a beautiful gallery.” Amancio placed his hand on his hip and pointed to Gregory's $5,000 painting. “I was just telling Edward that would look amazing in our fourth guest bedroom.”
I just about choked on my champagne. How could someone have four guest bedrooms, and I didn't even have one?
Edward nodded while adjusting his sweater. He seemed a bit more interested in the $9,000 one, which was a painting of a Rubenesque brunette enjoying a slice of cake.
“Wouldn’t that be breathtaking in our breakfast nook,” he said as they wrapped arms around each other.
Both of them smiled, and I could see William's eyes light up.
“But that’s nearly $15,000, darling,” Amancio said.
