Focus Lost

by Doug Cooper

  Feeling the strength of her stare, Gabe shifts his weight to the other foot. “Why is everyone so worried about taking up my time tonight? That’s why I’m here.” He notices the low level of champagne in her glass. “But first, let’s refresh your drink. My work, much like me, is more interesting with alcohol.”

  “Only if you’ll have one with me.” She finishes the rest of her glass. “It’s rude to let a girl drink by herself.”

  “Very well. After you.” Gabe extends his arm toward the bar, falling in behind her. At the counter, he takes her empty glass and slips behind for two fresh ones. “Having your name on the flyer does have some perks.”

  As Gabe and Eva toast, Abbie strolls up with a female friend. Both wear similar black, long-sleeve trapeze dresses. The only difference is Abbie’s has an off the shoulder neckline and her friend’s is a V-neck. “Don’t forget us,” Abbie says. “Whatever you’re toasting to, we’ll drink to that.”

  Gabe looks at his watch. “Thought you were going to be here thirty minutes ago.”

  Abbie lifts her friend’s hand above her head and spins her in a circle, rotating herself afterward. “This magic doesn’t happen on its own. How about that champagne?”

  “Nice try,” Gabe says. “Better not let me catch either of you drinking.”

  “No worries. We’ll make sure you don’t catch us.” Abbie tilts her head and smiles playfully. “Who’s your friend here?”

  Gabe looks at Eva, embarrassed he hasn’t asked her name. Eva extends her hand to Abbie. “Actually, we just met. I’m Eva…Eva Fuentes,” she says, almost slipping and revealing her real name.

  “I’m Gabe’s sister, Abbie. This is my friend Gwen.” Arms zig and zag as they all exchange greetings.

  Eva says, “What’s it like having a famous photographer for your brother?”

  “Puh-lease,” Abbie says. “Don’t inflate his ego any more than it already is. He’s difficult enough to live with.”

  “With good reason, from what I can see,” Eva says, looking around the room. “I think others agree.”

  Gabe says, “Or maybe they just heard there was free food and booze.”

  “I’ll give him credit when we can stop peddling pictures at that street stand.” Abbie crinkles her nose and sticks her tongue out at Gabe. “Come on, Gwen. Let’s go check out the spread.” She grabs Gwen’s hand and leads her toward one of the handsome, young male servers circulating with a tray of hors d’oeuvres.

  Gabe yells after her, “Remember what I said about the champagne.” He drops his head forward, shaking it. “I just keep telling myself, I only need to make it through the next few years and get her into college.”

  Eva sips some champagne. “She said that you live together?”

  “Yep, just the two of us,” Gabe says, watching Abbie fondly. “But enough about us. You came here to see some art, not to hear me blather on about me and my sister.” Gabe turns to walk toward one of the lifts. “Let’s start over here.”

  Eva reaches over and touches his arm, causing him to stop. Their eyes connect. She says, “I’d love to hear more. Maybe we can have a drink when things wind down?”

  Gabe curls his lips into a smile pulling his eyebrows, which had risen from surprise at her forwardness, down to their normal level. He looks around the room. “I suppose I better get busy so all these people get out of here on time.”

  Gabe leaves Eva and works his way around the room stopping at each picture telling its story. Eva mingles with other guests, spending most of her time in the vicinity of the bar. Abbie and Gwen entertain themselves as long as two sixteen-year-olds can at a gallery showing. She waits for Gabe to find his way back to Eva before attempting her getaway. Joining them by the bar, Abbie, with Gwen at her side, says, “Seems like a great opening night.”

  “I haven’t got the final tally yet,” Gabe says. “But we definitely made some money.”

  Abbie holds out her hand, rocking back and forth on her heels. “Do you think I might be able to get a little of that cheese? Gwen and I want to go check out the new Levi Combs movie, For Love. It’s showing over at the Regal on Olympic at nine forty-five.”

  “The one with Emily James,” Gwen chimes in.

  Hearing their names, Eva looks away but catches her-self and joins the conversation to avoid suspicion. “I hear it’s very good.”

  Abbie says, “Rumor has it that he might get an Oscar nod for the role.”

  “Didn’t realize you were such an Oscar buff.” Gabe looks at his watch. “I don’t know, Ab. Kind of late for a movie. With previews, it’ll probably run past midnight.”

  “I promise, we’ll come straight home,” Abbie says. “Twelve thirty at the latest.” She glances over at Eva. “Might even beat you home.”

  Gabe scans the three faces staring at him, all wanting the same answer, although for different reasons. He removes his wallet and thumbs through the bills. “Okay, not one minute past twelve thirty.”

  “Thank you, thank you.” Abbie kisses him on the cheek, noticing him pulling out a twenty. “Don’t forget money for snacks.”

  “Hold on a second.” Eva digs into her silver Brunello Cucinelli tote. “I have a couple movie passes you can use.”

  “No, no. We can’t accept those. You keep them,” Gabe says. “Abbie can pay me back working in the studio or at the stand.”

  Eva says, “It’s no trouble. I get them for free all the time through work and never go.” She extends two passes to Abbie. “Please, use them. I think there’s also a ten dollar concession voucher with each one.”

  Abbie hesitates, looking at Gabe, who nods his approval. She takes them from Eva, handing one to Gwen. “Thank you so much. Very kind of you.”

  “Too nice,” Gabe says. “Hope you’ll at least let me buy the drinks.”

  “Deal,” Eva says, her eyes again connecting with Gabe’s.

  “Eww,” Abbie says. “I think that’s our cue to leave.” She kisses Gabe on the cheek and extends her hand toward Eva. “Really nice to meet you. Hope to see you again soon.”

  “Me too.” Eva ignores her hand and leans in, kissing her on each cheek. “Two for luck.”

  “Thank you and congratulations on the show, Mr. Adams,” Gwen says. “Promise, I’ll have her home on time.”

  “Remember, young lady,” Gabe says to Abbie. “Twelve thirty sharp. Not a minute after.”

  Abbie straightens her body and salutes. “Yes, sir.” She lowers her arm and grabs Gwen by the hand as they hurry toward the door.

  The rest of the evening Gabe meanders through the room, checking back with Eva periodically. When the owner shuts down the bar, guests linger finishing their drinks, eventually leaving. Gabe, Eva, and the gallery owner are the only people remaining. Outlines of blank spaces show where the sold pictures had hung. Gabe retrieves a bottle of champagne from the ice bin behind the counter and joins Eva on the small couch in the sitting area.

  The gallery owner leans back in a taupe oversized lounge chair, kicking off her open-toed heels and putting her feet up on the matching ottoman. “What a night. I forget how much work these events are.”

  Gabe pops the bottle of champagne and pours three glasses. Handing one to each of the ladies, he proposes a toast. “To a successful opening.”

  They touch glasses. The gallery owner says, “Seven sales the first night. Think it’s safe to say you have arrived.”

  Eva holds up her glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

  Gabe drains half of his champagne. “It’s a nice place to visit. Let’s hope I can stay.”

  “The waterfall pictures created quite a stir,” the gallery owner says. “Do you have any more?”

  Gabe says, “Actually I found another great one today but unfortunately got interrupted…or maybe I interrupted.”

  “Uh-oh,” Eva says. “Sounds like a bit of a story there. What happen
ed?”

  Gabe tops off their champagne. “Ah, nothing. Just a misunderstanding. Some people hiked into my shot and didn’t know I was snapping photos. I’m going to have to go back to get new ones.”

  “You may want to hurry,” the gallery owner said. “Based on the feedback I got tonight, we’re going to get some good press. If you have any other pieces ready to go, you may want to bring them by tomorrow to replace what has sold. We can also review the accounting for tonight and transfer the money to your account.”

  “Sure thing,” Gabe says. “You want me to stay and help clean up?”

  The gallery owner shakes her head. “No, you two run along. The cleaning crew will take care of this.”

  Gabe turns to Eva. “Walk you to your car?”

  Eva puts her hand on his. “That’ll be a good start.”

  Gabe picks up the bottle of champagne they’ve been drinking and holds it toward the gallery owner. “Mind if we take one of these?”

  She extends her glass. “Just a splash more for me then it’s yours. Feel free to grab a full one on your way out. I’m not ready to get up yet. Today was too long, and this chair is too comfortable.”

  Gabe whisks behind the bar and snatches another bottle from an open case. He tucks the one they’ve been drinking under his arm and offers the other to Eva. They bid goodnight to the gallery owner and shuffle across the concrete floor to the exit.

  Outside on the sidewalk, Eva points down the street to the right at a white Mercedes parked on the opposite side underneath a flickering streetlight. “That’s me down there.”

  The heat from the day still radiates from the sidewalk, trapped between the thick, low ceiling of clouds. Eva nevertheless burrows into his arm like she’s avoiding a chill. Gabe swigs from the open bottle of champagne and offers it to Eva. “More bubbles?”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” she says. “But this wasn’t the drink I was talking about earlier. I’m not letting you off this easy.” She gulps several mouthfuls and passes the bottle back.

  “Of course not. We can go anywhere you want. I just need to be home by twelve thirty to make sure Abbie gets there on time.” He drains the rest of the bottle and drops it in a nearby trashcan.

  Arriving at her car, Eva sets the unopened bottle of champagne on the roof and leans back against the driver’s side door. She looks up at Gabe, her eyes narrowing from the flickering light above. “Why don’t we just go there?”

  Gabe misses the obvious implication of her suggestion. “We can do that, but I don’t keep much alcohol in the house. I’m sure we can come up with something though. We still have one full bottle left.”

  “That’s fine by me. I’m not really that thirsty.” She purses her lips, pulling one in then the other to moisten them. Gabe bends down to kiss her. Eva pulls back. “I meant, I want to see more of your work.”

  Gabe lurches back, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I thought—never mind. Of course, I’d love to show—”

  Eva grabs Gabe by the shirt and pulls him close. “And you, of course. I want to see more of you.” She puts her lips on his in a long, soft embrace. “Hop in. You can punch your address into my GPS, and I’ll drop you off at your car.”

  Chapter 6

  Abbie and her friend Gwen sit mid-row in the back of a dark movie theater. A bucket of popcorn balances between them on the inside corners of their seats. The screen shows a prison visiting room with white floors, walls, and ceiling. Steel screens cover the windows. Levi, arms and legs shackled, wears an orange prison top and pants. Emily sits across from him at a rectangular metal table. She looks much younger due to her tartan skirt, white blouse, and her hair in pigtails.

  Levi says, “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

  Rocking back and forth in her chair, Emily squints, sniffling to hold back the tears. “I don’t understand, Daddy. Just let me tell them what really happened.”

  He leans forward. “Sh-sh-sh. Remember, we said we were never going to talk about it.”

  Emily scampers around the table to hug him. He lifts his arms to respond but can’t due to the restraints. She buries her face into his neck. “But they’re going to kill you for something I did.”

  “No! Something I did.” Levi fights to hold back his own tears.

  “No way,” Emily says. “I can’t let you do this.”

  Levi rests his head on hers. “You have to, pumpkin.”

  The emotion flows from the screen into the theater, flooding the viewers. Gwen leans over to Abbie. “He’s totally going to win for this.”

  Abbie grabs a fistful of popcorn. “He’s good, but I wouldn’t be so sure. Never know what could happen.”

  After the movie on the way out of the theater, Gwen checks the time on her phone. “Look at this. Should get you home with plenty to spare.”

  “Let’s stop for a coffee then,” Abbie says. “I want to show you something.” She had been debating all night what she was going to do. Seeing how happy Gabe was at the opening and how well he did, she thought it best to keep quiet and didn’t even tell Gwen. But watching Levi and Emily in the movie got her excited and fortified her resolve. She knew then she couldn’t let the opportunity pass. She would have to do something. Gabe deserved to catch a break for once.

  Gwen pulls her toward the car. “Come on, Abbie. You heard what Gabe said. If we’re late, he won’t let you go next time.”

  Resisting, Abbie stops on the sidewalk in front of the entrance on Olympic. The other pedestrians weave around them. She strokes the fabric of Gwen’s dress around her midsection. “Come on. We look too good to go home this early.”

  “Fine, you win. But we’re only staying fifteen minutes.” Gwen interlocks her arm with Abbie’s, and they walk to the Starbuck’s a block away, behind the Yardhouse at the LA Live complex. “I hate when you make me the responsible one.”

  “Get, used to it,” Abbie says. “Because I’m about to do something really crazy.”

  They each get a sugar-free caramel macchiato Frappuccino and an iced lemon pound cake to share and sit at a two-top by the window. Abbie takes out her phone and accesses the pictures she sent from Gabe’s computer. “Check out these pics. See anyone familiar?” She turns the screen toward Gwen and swipes through the photos.

  Gwen cuts the pound cake lengthwise, glancing at the screen. On the third photo, she drops the knife and grabs the phone from Abbie. “Holy shit! Is that?” She expands the photo, stretching it with her fingers. “Oh my god. It totally is. Where did you get these?”

  Abbie breaks off a piece of the cake and pops it in her mouth. Mumbling while chewing, she says, “Gabe took them earlier today. And get this: he didn’t even know who it was.” She sits back in her chair, sipping her drink. “It was a total accident.”

  Gwen swipes back and forth between the photos, stopping on the last one. “I mean they’re totally doing it, right? No doubt about that.” She looks up at Abbie. Her eyes bounce with excitement. “What are you going to do with them?”

  “These are too juicy for the gossip sites. I’m going straight to Forbidden Fotos.” Abbie slides her chair around the table next to Gwen and takes the phone. “Let’s see what they’re worth.” She accesses the Hot Tip form on the site. Her thumbs work in tandem to quickly fill in the information.

  “Shouldn’t you just let Gabe do this?” Gwen asks.

  Abbie moves her thumb over the submit button. “You know Gabe. No way he’d go through with it, but he totally deserves some good to happen, and we need the money. He’s sacrificed so much for me. This is my way of paying him back.” She taps the screen. “There. The faster they call us, the more money we can demand.”

  Gwen squirms in her seat. “I don’t think this is such a good idea. He’s going to be so mad.”

  “He’ll get over it.” Abbie takes another big bite of the yellow cake. “What’s the worst that can happen? If th
ey’re not interested, he is none the wiser, or if they are, he makes money. No risk at all.”

  They both stare at the successful submission message on the screen, a two-line thank you followed by a large paragraph of legal disclaimers in smaller print. Gwen says, “How much do you think you can get?”

  Abbie dims the phone and sets it on the table. “I don’t know. A thousand, five thousand, maybe more.”

  Gwen slides back from the table. “Come on. We should probably go.” Abbie stands, pushing her chair around to the other side and follows Gwen toward the door. Gwen says, “You really think that much for five pictures?”

  Abbie says, “I’m telling you these things are worth at least that.” A flash emanates from her phone followed by her Taylor Swift “Fearless” ringtone. Abbie looks at the screen, showing the unrecognized number to Gwen. Answering the phone, she says, “Gabriel Adams Photography… Yes, please hold.” Abbie lowers the phone pressing the microphone into her chest. “It’s totally them.” They hurry through the Starbucks and find a quiet place outside away from the smokers milling around the front. Abbie lifts the phone to her ear. “Hello, this is Abbie, Gabe’s assistant… Yes, that was me… There are five pictures of Levi Combs with Emily James taken at a waterfall recently…Two on land and three in the water… I think the content speaks for itself.”

  Gwen, now on board with the plan, bounces up and down, excitedly, whispering. “Ask for an offer. Ask for an offer.”

  Abbie waves for her to be quiet. Into the phone, she says, “Could you make an offer, please? I have several other media outlets interested… Between five hundred and fifteen hundred dollars depending on the quality and content… I was thinking more around ten grand for all five… Yes, I can do that.” Abbie motions to Gwen for a pen. Scavenging through her purse, Gwen locates one and hands it to Abbie. “Go ahead,” Abbie says. She writes an email address on her hand. “Got it. I’ll send them right over… One more thing: we’ll need Gabriel Adams Photography listed with the photo credit… I don’t care if that’s not your usual policy. You’ll need to change it if you want these photos… Yes, I’ll send them over right away. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.” She lowers the phone, joining hands with Gwen, and squealing with excitement. “Holy shit! They totally agreed. Ten grand! I just have to email them the pics, and as long as they are what we say they are, they’ll wire transfer the money to whatever account I want.”