Exquisite

by Elizabeth Hayley

  Cory’s face softened. “Having to work at a gallery that ended your relationship.”

  Siobhan sighed. So much for celebrating. “It kinda sucks, to be honest.”

  “Has he called?”

  Siobhan looked at Cory’s hopeful yet worried expression. “No.”

  “I’m surprised,” Blaine said. “I thought he’d at least stop by to check on you.”

  “Why would he?” Siobhan said as she took a long pull of her champagne before setting it down. “He doesn’t know I’m back.”

  Chapter 8

  Derick stared at the piece of cardstock in his hand and read it once more. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see the words written on it; it was just that he couldn’t bring himself to fully believe them.

  Not only had he received an invitation to the Lost Diamond Gallery’s grand opening that would be taking place next month, Siobhan had been the one to invite him. He hadn’t even known she was back in New York, let alone planning to run the gallery.

  There hadn’t been any calls between them since he’d spoken to her about the deed. No texts or emails had been exchanged. He’d been sure that she didn’t want to see him. And yet, the invitation in his hand proved otherwise.

  But he wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to see her.

  Derick breathed heavily and then tossed the invitation on his counter before grabbing his coat and heading downstairs. He needed to go for a walk to clear his head.

  The cool, crisp air hit him in the face as he exited the building. It was exactly what he needed. Maybe the sounds and sights of the city would be enough to get his mind off of her. He rubbed his hands together and blew into them before thrusting them into his pockets and heading down the street.

  The movement soothed him, so he walked quickly, crossing streets and turning down others. He’d covered two miles before he’d even realized where he was.

  Somehow, in his effort to get away from thoughts of Siobhan and the gallery, he’d ended up right in front of it. It was almost as if his feet had taken him where his mind didn’t want to go.

  Stopping across the street from the gallery, he looked into the glass exterior, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Maybe this was best. It didn’t matter that they weren’t together anymore, that they wouldn’t be together. He needed to make sure she was okay, happy. He knew his attending the opening was unlikely. What would he even say? Congratulations on the gallery I bought for you?

  Yup. Voyeurism was definitely way less awkward.

  He could see a woman on the phone writing something down, but there was no sign of Siobhan in there. He watched for another few minutes before deciding that he should go home. He took in a deep breath, letting the cool air hit the back of his throat.

  And that’s when he saw her.

  She emerged from the back of the gallery cautiously, her slender fingers wrapped around a painting. She spoke to the other woman for a moment before moving toward the front of the gallery to position the art on an easel in the window display.

  Then she pointed toward the side wall and said something else before grabbing some nearby boxes and heading toward the back of the gallery again. She looked so graceful, so confident, so self-assured.

  This was where she was supposed to be. Even if he wasn’t there with her.

  Chapter 9

  Siobhan looked around the room at the six artists in front of her and tried to not make it apparent how overwhelmed she was. Derick had arranged for all of these artists to show their work at the Lost Diamond, so Siobhan didn’t know most of them. Or any of them, really, except for Kayla, because she’d shown with her when Siobhan had first lived in New York.

  The artists were buzzing around the gallery, looking at how their work was displayed and perusing the other paintings on the walls. Once the murmur died down, Siobhan decided it was time to get this started.

  “If everyone can come this way, I want to run through the schedule for our next couple weeks. Things are going to be very busy before opening night.” Siobhan took a few deep breaths as everyone walked toward her and looked at her expectantly. She’d always loved that she could put something on a canvas and have it speak for her. Directing a group of adoring people was way out of her comfort zone.

  She ran through the logistics of the evening quickly before asking if anyone had any major changes to the proposals they’d submitted. Other than one artist, who wanted to remove a painting from his exhibit, everyone seemed satisfied.

  “Anything else before we head out?” Siobhan asked.

  A young abstract painter named Ricardo looked around at the other artists before turning his gaze back on Siobhan. “I wanted to thank you for what you’ve done here.”

  Siobhan felt too uncomfortable to accept the praise. “I appreciate that. Though, to be honest, this is my first time doing anything like this. So any insights or suggestions you have, they’d be welcome.” Once the words were out, Siobhan realized that she had basically admitted that she was an inexperienced moron flying by the seat of her pants. Way to instill confidence.

  She was still thinking of a way to take back what she’d said when Ricardo spoke again. “All of us are virtually unknown, so I’m not sure any of us can really offer advice.” Laughing a bit, he continued. “I’m just happy for the opportunity to show here. You shouldn’t doubt yourself. Mr. Miller was right. You have a great eye. The place looks amazing.”

  A quick sound of agreement swept through the group.

  “Thank you.” Siobhan cleared her throat. “That’s very kind.”

  “Is Mr. Miller going to be at the opening?” Sylvia, a small slip of a woman who painted big, bold pieces depicting urban life, asked.

  Siobhan’s eyes darted toward the ground for a second before answering. “Unfortunately, I don’t think he’ll be here.” Even though she had sent him an invitation, she doubted Derick would actually come. And since she hadn’t heard from him, she was sure her doubt was well-founded.

  Sylvia’s face fell. “Oh. That’s such a shame. He seemed so passionate about the gallery.”

  “Yeah, he was. It was inspirational to hear him talk about it.” That had come from Wiley, an untrained artist who drew the human form so well his paintings looked like they were photographs. “I’m surprised that he won’t be here. I hope everything’s okay.”

  “He had a prior commitment, I think,” Siobhan assured him with a smile that felt too sad to be convincing.

  “Must be important if he’s missing your opening for it. He clearly thinks the world of you,” Wiley said. “He told us how talented and determined you were to pave your own way. He thought other artists could learn from that.”

  Feeling her eyebrows furrow, Siobhan quickly tried to school her features, not wanting to let on that she evidently knew less about Derick’s reasons for opening the gallery than the strangers in this room. “He said all that?” she couldn’t help but ask.

  “Oh, yeah,” Ricardo said. “He said that he saw firsthand how difficult the life of an artist could be, and if he could help relieve even a little bit of that stress that you endured, then he would. But he said that he was just providing the space. It was you who’d make it shine.”

  “Like a diamond,” Sylvia added with a smile.

  Siobhan returned the smile, and for the first time in a long time, it didn’t feel forced.

  Chapter 10

  The ding of the elevator caused Derick’s head to snap up from the paperwork he had been focused on, which was spread out across his dining room table. He rose and moved toward the foyer, wondering who it could be. The doormen never let people up without phoning him first.

  He came to an abrupt halt as he saw who was visiting him.

  “Hi, Derick.” Siobhan’s hair was damp from the drizzling rain outside, and she was dressed in a bulky coat to try to stave off the frigid New York air. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  “I’m sorry to just drop in. I figured they’d call you before letting me up, but I
guess you never told them…umm, told them that…” Siobhan closed her eyes briefly before refocusing on him. “Anyway, when they told me to go up, I figured that, at least this way, you couldn’t refuse to see me.” She said the last bit with a small laugh, but it sounded strained and awkward.

  “I’d never refuse to see you. I’m not a petty teenager holding a grudge.” The words came out harsher than he’d intended, but having her here, in his space, was seriously screwing with his head.

  Her shoulders slumped a bit at his tone, but she maintained eye contact. “No, I know. I didn’t think that. I just…. Okay, I kind of thought that. Mostly because I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to see me. But maybe that’s because I typically act like a petty teenager.”

  She was rambling. And despite the fact that part of him liked that she was nervous—liked that she obviously still cared what he thought about her—another part hurt at the very sight of her. “What are you doing here, Siobhan?”

  She chewed her bottom lip for a moment before speaking. “Tell me why you bought the gallery.”

  Derick couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Does it really matter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I need to know.”

  Derick scoffed. “Oh, well, by all means then, let me sit here and recount the whole story. I want nothing more out of life than to give you whatever you need. Never mind what I need.”

  Siobhan lowered her head and stared at the floor. “What do you need, Derick?”

  “For you to not ask questions if you aren’t interested in hearing the answers to them.”

  Siobhan’s head popped up. “Why wouldn’t I be interested? I came all the way here to ask.” She sounded exasperated.

  “What a hardship. You took a cab a few blocks. I traveled across states for you. I tried to give you everything you needed—be everything you needed. And for what? So you could punish me for something you never even gave me the chance to explain?”

  She took a step closer to him. “Are you kidding me right now? You had months to explain—to tell me about the gallery. And instead you lied to me.”

  “I never lied. I was waiting for the right time to tell you.”

  “Don’t give me that. Not telling me is still lying by omission. Don’t draw these fuzzy lines and try to hide the truth between them. When you didn’t tell me that you’d bought a gallery—which you intended for me to run and to display my paintings in—it was a huge violation of trust.”

  Derick rubbed his forehead roughly. “Why do you always have to blow everything out of proportion?”

  Siobhan jerked back slightly at that. She took a few deep breaths, and when she finally responded, her voice was barely above a whisper. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

  “I already answered that. I was waiting for the right time.”

  “But why was there a right and a wrong time? Come on, Derick. If you hadn’t known what you were doing was going to piss me off, you wouldn’t have kept it from me.”

  Derick shook his head. “What does any of this matter? I say up, you say down. I go left, you go right. We’re never going to see eye to eye here. The very fact that you think I’d do something that I knew would hurt you says all that needs to be said. You can’t understand where I’m coming from, and I can’t understand where you’re coming from. It’s that simple, and that tragic, and there’s no fixing it.”

  “I disagree.”

  Derick huffed out a laugh. “Of course you do.”

  “Tell me why you bought the gallery.”

  “Jesus Christ! Because you reminded me what it felt like to watch someone you love struggle and not be able to help them. Or, in your case, not be allowed to help them. But when you left, it gave me a broader perspective. You weren’t the only one fighting for your dream. So I thought, if I couldn’t help you, then maybe I could help them.” He had unconsciously moved closer to her, still drawn to her despite his anger.

  “I opened the damn place because I love you and admire you. Because I watched you flourish in Detroit. It was like you’d found something there that you couldn’t find here and that was bullshit. I can give these people a spot in an empty room, Siobhan, but I can’t help them succeed. You can. So I put the gallery in your name, and hoped that with time, you’d see yourself how I see you. That you could bring what you found in Detroit back here and share it with these people who desperately need it.”

  He was right in front of her now. So close he could see the tears collecting in her eyes.

  “I don’t even know what I found in Detroit anymore,” she said, her voice cracking.

  She dropped her head, so he put his finger under her chin to tilt her gaze back to him. “I do,” he said. “Hope. You found hope there, Siobhan.”

  And for reasons he couldn’t explain other than the fact that her proximity always made him a little stupid, Derick leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. It didn’t take long for the kiss to grow more heated. In a moment, they allowed all the emotions that were swirling through them to meet and spark between them like an electrical fire.

  He pulled her closer as her lips parted to allow his tongue to sweep over hers. He wanted to consume her. To fold her body into his and keep her with him always.

  And it was that thought that made him pull away. Because as much as he wanted to keep her, he didn’t trust her to stay.

  “We can’t do this,” he said against her lips, soaking in the last bit of contact. Allowing it to be the closure he needed.

  “Can’t or won’t?” she asked, her eyes searching his.

  He dropped his hands and stepped away from her. He shrugged. “Both.”

  She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. “For what it’s worth, I know that I screwed up. I barged in here like I was blaming you, but really, I needed to understand your thinking. I needed to grasp the full scope of how epically I messed everything up. And I’m sorry for that. If I could take it all back—”

  “But you can’t,” he interrupted. “And I’m not trying to be a dick by saying that. It’s just the reality. This,” he motioned between them and shook his head. “I can’t stay on this merry-go-round and expect the scenery to change, you know?”

  “But what if it could change?” Her voice was quiet, but he could hear the pleading there.

  “It would still only go around in a circle.”

  She rubbed her hands over her face. “God, that…was a really deep metaphor.”

  A laugh burst out of him. “Thanks.”

  She smiled at him, but it was gone quickly. “No. Thank you.” She gave him a long look before turning to go back to the elevator.

  When her back was to him, he couldn’t resist imparting one final piece of information. “Do you want to know why I named it the Lost Diamond?”

  She turned back to him slowly. “Sure.”

  “Because even though you lost yourself for a little while there, you still are, and will always be, the toughest, most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

  A few silent tears slipped out then, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. She seemed to be struggling to find words, but the moment really didn’t call for any more. They’d said all there was to say.

  “Take care of yourself,” he finally said, both to end the moment and because he meant it.

  She turned and hit the button for the elevator, and the doors slid open immediately. She got on before turning back to him. “Good-bye, Derick.”

  The doors closed, and she was gone. It was then that he finally said the words and felt the true gravity of them. “Good-bye, Siobhan.”

  Chapter 11

  That…is a really depressing story,” Marnel said as she looked at Siobhan with pity in her eyes.

  “Tell me about it,” Siobhan replied. When she’d asked the girls to go to lunch, she hadn’t intended to go into the whole mess, still feeling too raw from it. She’d wanted to be close to people who cared about her. But as soon as they’d arrived, she’
d found the whole sordid tale pouring out of her. The release was cathartic. She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed it.

  “And it only gets worse,” she continued.

  “For Christ’s sake, how could it possibly get worse?” Blaine asked.

  Siobhan ignored the implication that her life couldn’t get any bleaker. “I need another job,” she explained.

  “Why? Did that asshole take the gallery back? Because I once dated a hitman who owes me a favor.” Marnel’s voice was hard and angry. And loud. People at nearby tables all turned to stare.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t scream that in front of strangers,” Cory suggested.

  Marnel waved her hand. “Whatever. Their word against mine.”

  Siobhan was going to argue that it was actually about fifteen words against Marnel’s, but decided it was pointless. “No, he didn’t take the gallery back. But until it opens and we start selling paintings, there’s no money coming in. I need to supplement my income somehow. So it looks like it’s back to the want ads for me.”

  Her friends all looked at one another, smiles spreading across their lips. Then they all trained their eyes back on Siobhan.

  “What?” she asked.

  Blaine reached across the table and laid her hand on top of Siobhan’s. “I think you know what.” She gave Siobhan’s hand a little pat before withdrawing.

  Siobhan was confused for about ten seconds. Then her shoulders drooped and her mouth set in a thin line. “Shit.”

  Chapter 12

  Siobhan had been back hostessing for a week, and was surprised at how few new faces there were. The restaurant business had always seemed like a pretty transient environment, but the Stone Room had managed to hold on to most of the same staff Siobhan had known when she last worked there. The only notable exception was Hayden, a short, beautiful girl who wanted to be a poet.

  The girl seemed reserved, but she’d always been nice when Siobhan had worked with her so far. Siobhan wondered what her story was, but was interrupted by Cory elbowing her. She glared at her friend until Cory tilted her head toward the front of the room.