Page 17 of Fresh Canvas
“I take it you’re a fan of Felix Andreas as well?”
A bright voice interrupted my thoughts. An energetic, twenty-something Asian American woman stood holding a tray of her own. Her eyes twinkled in amusement.
“Is it okay if I sit?” Without waiting for my response, the woman swept into the booth across from me, smile edged in striking maroon lipstick.
“I’m Kate Chen. Sorry, but I saw you freaking out over the pamphlet. Finally, someone matches my energy!”
“It’s nice to meet you, Kate. I’m Amantha Adams,” I said, waving the pamphlet, “and you’re right. I’m hard-core fangirling right now.”
“Me too! He was by far the most revolutionary artist of his time. Theprecision, right? Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re not wrong.” I laughed.
Kate’s energy felt like a ray of sunshine, lifting the spirits Mr. Russo had tried to crush. I cupped a hand to shield my whisper from the buzzing cafeteria.
“Do you think security will kick me out if I bring a pillow and blanket to camp out in the exhibition?”
Kate’s long sheet of straight black hair brushed her waist as she laughed. I decided I liked the sound, bright and contagious.
“You’ll have to fight me for the best spot then. But you should know my memory-foam pillow hits like a brick. Consideryourself warned.” Kate’s mouth quirked. “But I’m pretty sure I’ll get there first. Employee perks and all that.” She poked a fork into her salad.
I grinned and took another bite of my sandwich. “You work here? What department?”
“Curation.”
I lifted a puzzled eyebrow. “Really? But I thought the museum only had two curators. Um, Blythe Barlow? And…” I tried my best not to gag. “Val Russo?”
Kate shook her head. “Oh no, I’m not an actual curator. Blythe is my boss.”
A curator’s assistant.
I sighed wistfully. “Good for you, Kate.”
“Oh, jeez! Thanks, but why are you saying it like your dog just died?”
I snorted a laugh. Peeling my banana, I began to tell Kate about working as Barbara’s assistant, ending with the tale of my awful interview with Mr. Russo.
“Ew.” Kate’s dark brown eyes flashed. “Don’t take it personally. Val treats everyone like human garbage.” She pointed at me with her fork. “I’m serious.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse,” I said. “I mean, isn’t there a basic code of human decency or something?”
“Val wouldn’t care if there was,” Kate said. “But enough about him.” She loaded her fork with more salad. “Why’d you leave? Like, why’d you stop working for Ms. Gaines?”
“I got pregnant.” I thought of my spunky mini-human and smiled. “My son is ten now. Anthony is the best. I know I’m biased, but he’s literally the funniest person I’ve ever met. And he’s why I needed that assistant position.” I sighed, resting a temple against my palm. Only a mother’s love could mourn the chance to work for the devil.
“You know, Val isn’t the only person hiring for an assistant.”
“What?” My eyes snapped back to hers.
“Turns out, Blythe needs two assistants. The position hasn’t been listed yet since she just decided last week.”
Why would one curator need two assistants?
Reading my confusion, Kate chuckled. “I know, I know. It must seem like I suck at my job if she needs another. But, Blythe is”—Kate furrowed her slender, arched brows—“a lot. Don’t get me wrong, the lady is a crazy genius. I’ve never met anyone whose mind works the way hers does. But she is such a scatterbrain. It’s too much work for one person.” She checked the time on her phone. “In fact, if you’re almost done, we could catch her on her lunch break. I could introduce you.”
I stood and instantly collected my trash. “I’m done, I’m done! Let’s go!”
Kate’s vibrant laugh rang above the din of the cafeteria.
