Page 96 of Make Me Scream

He’s being nice. Having to take those down and rearrange the entire gallery now would be a disaster. I couldn’t do that to him.

“It’s fine,” I say. “Seriously. They’re beautiful. They deserve to be seen.”

He smiles and squeezes my hand.

“You’re beautiful, Gwen. And amazing. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

I pull him into a hug.

“You’re the amazing one. You’re the most talented person I’ve ever met, and the best friend anyone could ask for.”

He wipes his cheek as he lets me go.

“You too, Gwen. Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome.”

We tour the gallery until Martin arrives, followed shortly by Professor Mundell. He greets me with a cautious but respectful tone. We both share a mutual admiration for Joel, and I don’t think either of us wants to spoil the mood. We can talk about Lane another time.

Mundell introduces Joel to his fancy guests as they arrive, so I make myself sparse and watch them make their way through the gallery. I kinda wish I could be with them, to see rich arts patrons fawning over Joel, but at least I don’t have to act friendly around Mundell. Joel steals glances my way, smiling so wide I can’t help smiling back. It’s great seeing him so happy.

Scanning the room, I stop at a wrinkly, hunched over man who’s staring at me. Caught red-handed, he flinches, but doesn’t break his gaze right away. He turns to my nude paintings, then back to me, then to the paintings, his jaw dropping progressively wider.

He’s going to tell everyone, isn’t he? He better buy some fucking paintings.

“Hey, Gwen.”

I turn around, knowing who it is.

“Lane.”

“You look amazing,” he says, taking in the new dress.

He looks good too, as usual. Tight black sweater that hugs his solid chest, sharp khakis — stylish, but casual. He holds a glass of champagne, though no one’s serving the drinks yet. Lane must have helped himself.

“Are you supposed to be here?” I reply.

Mundell could spot him at any moment, and I’m certain nothing good will come of it.

Lane scowls.

“Rush doesn’t own the gallery. And I was invited.”

“Really?”

So far, no one’s paying us any attention. I’ve been out of the loop for the past few days, so I don’t know if word has gotten around about Lane’s firing. For the moment, the guests are still perusing Joel’s art and socializing with one another.

“I need you to be on my side, Gwen.”

“And I need you not to fuck tonight up for Joel,” I hiss. “If you go, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

He shakes his head, turning up his lips in dismissal.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I know how much this means to you.”

“Bullshit, Lane. You’re here to embarrass Mundell and you know it!”

Struggling to keep my voice down and smile, I reach out for his arm to drag him away.

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