Page 20 of Fresh Canvas
Would Anthony be okay for a whole summer? Was Ryan even capable of solo parenting for that long? Or should I stick it out until Ryan gave up?
But Anthony also missed Ryan. A lot. Our separation over the last year had been hard on him. He was struggling in school, snapping back, and, despite my best efforts, seemed to carry the weight of it all on his small shoulders. Anthony had even gone so far to insist that even though his dad really messed up, Vanessa wasn’t that bad.
That bad?
The likelihood of me accepting that I might have to co-parent with my husband’s mistress was on par with Val Russo becoming a decent human being.Each time I saw Vanessa or heard her tittering laugh, I was back in my minivan watching them on the crosswalk. In fact, the urge to run her over never fully went away.
But I recalled Anthony’s wide grin the last time Ryan came to pick him up. Anthony had rushed to the door, excited to go to a Green Bay Packers game. The sleeping boy that returned home that night, cradled in his father’s arms, still wore the hint of a smile and a foam finger.
I rubbed my temple before rolling my neck in a circle. All these decisions felt too heavy, too weighted with consequences.
RYAN: Seeing as how you won’t respond, we’ll have to do this in person. Again. Let me know when you’re ready to give up, K?
I shoved Ryan’s coercion into the pocket of my dress pants before standing.
“Kate, I’m going to get some coffee before the day starts. Do you want some?” I asked.
Kate shot a grin around her computer screen. “Yes, but the coffee pot in the break room is practically sewage,” she said. “Only for emergencies. There’s a barista in the cafeteria. Would you grab me a matcha latte?”
“Sure.” I got halfway down The Spiral when my phone buzzed. If it was Ryan again, I was going to chuck the stupid thing down the toilet.
KATE: Don’t forget we have our morning meeting with the rest of the department at 8:15 in the boardroom. And grab Blythe an iced caramel macchiato. She’ll kill us if she has to drink the break room sludge.
Chuckling, I joined the barista’s line as another message pinged my phone. Scatterbrained Blythe had forgotten to pick up a stack of flyers for the Felix Andreas exhibition from the copy room. She’d need them for the morning meeting, which happened to start in four minutes. I groaned.
Accepting a drink carrier from the barista with a quick smile, I jogged back to The Spiral and rushed up its shimmering twist to the second floor.
8:12 AM.
I scanned my freshly-minted keycard at the employees’ entrance. Instead of my usual left turn, I headed right. Rushing to the end of the hallway, I retrieved the heavy stack of flyers from the copy room.
8:15 AM.
I grimaced.Great first impression, Amantha.
The curved glass wall of the boardroom revealed the rest of the team already seated inside. Cheeks flushing pink, I pressed my hip against the door and pushed it open.
“.... so we’ll all need to put our best effort forward to prepare for the opening,” said a black haired, small-framed woman standing by the head of the table. This was presumably Kendra Steele, the museum director that had been hired after I left. The slant of her brows and deep frown lines in her caramel skin told me this woman probably didn’t smile a lot. I stepped in, wordlessly conveying my apologies for being late.
A pair of dark, brooding eyes caught mine right as Val Russo took a sip of his own coffee.
His eyes bugged out of his head as he choked on the hot liquid. Droplets spewed from each violent cough onto his white button-up shirt. Attempting to mop the mess with his hands, he muttered an apology while pinning me with a murderous look.
Smiling sweetly, I sauntered around the table, set the coffee in front of Blythe, and handed her the flyers.
“Team, I’d like to introduce my newest assistant, Amantha Adams.” Blythe grinned at Mr. Russo. “I’ll assure you all that she is beyond talented, and we are lucky to have found her.”
“Hear hear!” Kate raised her coffee with a grin.
“Welcome to the team, Amantha. We’re happy to have you on board,” Kendra said flatly.
Mr. Russo avoided looking at me, grunting with a noncommittal wave of his hand.
While Kendra began outlining the curation department’s responsibility for Felix’s upcoming exhibition, I chose the chair next to Kate and across the table from Russo. Settling deep into its cushions, I folded my hands in my lap with a smug smile.
See Val? You’re not so scary after all.
I was going to enjoy watching him squirm.
