"Do you know where the gallery is?"
"Aye, it's near a pub that I used to frequent," Baird said. He turned down a narrow back street and began to slow the car. "I'm pulling up in back as I assume that's where they will want you to unload."
Aislinn could only nod as he pulled to a stop behind a building that looked like a large warehouse with huge windows that ran the length of the building, allowing the natural light to seep into the rooms within. Her heart fluttered in her chest and Aislinn found that for a moment, she struggled to breathe.
"Shh, your work is magnificent. You'll be the talk of the town," Baird assured her and climbed out of the car. She watched him walk to the man standing by the back door and dug her clammy hands into her jeans.
"Okay. You've got this. And if nobody likes it…so what? You've got a fine business back home that you can barely keep up with," Aislinn said to herself and then pushed the door open to go meet with the man standing with Baird.
The man he spoke to turned and beamed at Aislinn. Tall, rail thin, and wearing a tweed smoking jacket with an honest-to-God monocle perched on his eye, he was fascinating and eccentric all in one package.
"You must be Aislinn. I'm Martin O'Hennesey, the art director.
"Martin, lovely to meet you in person finally," Aislinn said, grinning up at him, grateful that he wasn't some stiff and reserved art snob.
"We're ready to receive your work. Would you like to stay for a bit and help us to set up the show?"
Aislinn almost said no and then thought about how well Morgan had arranged her shop. She gestured to the van. "Can my assistant work with us? She's a great eye."
"Of course," Martins said smoothly and then turned to call into the building, where several men emerged to help. Aislinn turned to Baird.
"We may be a while."
"No problem, I'll steal Patrick for a pint," Baird assured. He leaned over and brushed a kiss over her lips, lingering for just a moment as the city sounds swirled around them.
"I'll call you later," Aislinn said, holding up her cell phone clutched in her hand.
"Do you need anything else from the car?"
"Just my pocket book."
Baird retrieved it while she went to talk to Morgan. Without any shame at all, Aislinn reached out and scanned Morgan and Patrick with her mind. She didn't even care when Morgan glared at her and gave her a mental shove back. Instead, she grinned widely at the girl, hooking her arm through Morgan's. She was happy to read that they seemed to have come to an uneasy truce. She wondered when they would admit their attraction for each other. Shrugging it off, she pointed a finger at Patrick.
"You, go with Baird. You'll receive a pint or two in reward for your service," Aislinn ordered. Patrick grinned at her and waved to them both as he ran to Baird's idling car.
"So?" Aislinn demanded.
"So, what? Where are they going?" Morgan said, stepping neatly around Aislinn's question.
"They are going to the pub. You and I are going to help set up the show."
Morgan squealed and bounced on her heels. "Really? I get to help?"
"I insisted."
Aislinn's breath whooshed out of her as Morgan flung her arms around Aislinn.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Aislinn untangled herself from Morgan and patted the girl on her arm. "You've got a good eye. You're an asset to my shop. Now, what do you think about setting it up by moods?"
"Let's take a look at the space and see," Morgan said, all business.
Turning, they walked into the gallery.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Hours later, Aislinn was ready for a pint herself.
Morgan had proved to be an invaluable asset and she and Martin had soon taken over the set-up of the pieces. They'd decided to flow the moods of the ocean through the various rooms until they reached the crowning glory.
Her three panels.
She stood back from them now as one of Martin's assistants adjusted the lighting to better highlight the paintings. A part of her stood in awe of her work. The panels covered the entire length of a wall and were stunning, demanding a response from the viewer. No person who looked at these paintings would remain unmoved.
Her eyes fell to the smallest bit of personal imagery that she added to the middle frame. The images were of her and Baird, walking the beach, their heads turned to look at the water as the faintest of glows pulsed from beneath the waves. Those who knew little of the cove would assume that it was just the sun hitting the waves in an odd way.
Fiona would know. As would the other girls.
She wondered what Baird would think when he saw it. If he would be angry with her for reminding him of a moment that both scared and perplexed him. Or if he would finally see the answer that he needed in her painting.
True love, Aislinn mused. The cove only glowed in the presence of true love. She'd known it to happen for others and had often wondered if it would happen for her. When it had, the force and sheer beauty of it had all but taken her under. She wished that Baird had reacted differently. That they could have stayed to watch the play of otherworldly light dance through the waters.
She'd been annoyed herself, Aislinn reminded herself. It hadn't just been Baird that had wanted to go.
I wasn't ready to see it, Aislinn whispered silently to the painting and traced her hand over their miniscule forms on the beach.
A gasp sounded behind her and then a long slow clapping of hands. Aislinn tensed and turned to find Morgan with her hand covering her mouth and Martin smiling at her, applauding her with his long, thin hands.
"Bravo, my dear, bravo. Simply marvelous. I'm glad that you made us wait to see this piece," Martin said as he paced back and forth in front of her paintings, a look of pure bliss on his face.
"What will you call it?"
"The Revelation," Aislinn whispered.
"Yes, I love it. People will be lining up to purchase this. We have some heavy hitters coming tomorrow and I suspect that this will be sold by the time the show is over."
Aislinn tried not to feel a bit weepy at the prospect of her paintings going to someone else. A part of her wanted to say that they weren't for sale.
"What…what if I don't want to sell them?"
Martin turned and scanned her face for a moment. Whatever he saw there made him nod slightly. "We'll take inquiries but not list it for sale. That way you can decide after the show and we'll let people know the price at that point. It makes it even more exclusive that way," Martin said.
Aislinn breathed a sigh of relief and beamed at the director. "Thank you."
"No problem. You've done a wonderful job with your show. I suspect it will be a huge success."
"What time do you need me tomorrow?"
"Hmm, I'd say around 6:00? That way you can go over any final changes you'd like made."
"I doubt there will be any. You've done a wonderful job with showcasing my work. Thank you," Aislinn said, reaching out her hand to shake Martin's.
"Ready to go, Morgan?"
The girl finally turned from the paintings, a sheen of tears in her eyes.
"I'm honored to know you," she whispered to Aislinn before wiping the tears from her eyes. Aislinn slung an arm over the girl's shoulders.
"No tears, come now."
"That's the best kind of art…the paintings that bring a visceral reaction," Martin murmured and smiled at the women as he led them to the back door.
"I'm in need of a pint," Aislinn decided as she pulled out her phone and texted Baird.
"I think the hotel is fairly close," Morgan said and walked to her van. Aislinn followed and hopped into the front seat.
"Aye, looks like that's where they are at," Aislinn said, reading her text.
The night passed in a blur of laughter and good food. Aislinn had to keep pinching herself to believe that her friends were all here to celebrate her first art show.
She turned to look at Baird as he signed for the tab at the end of the night
. His eyes smiled at her and a part of her just clicked into place. Knowing it was right.
It seemed like tomorrow would be the beginning of a whole new chapter in her life.
Chapter Thirty-Six
She was right.
Having Baird with her definitely calmed her nerves. She'd even slept a little. Probably from sheer exhaustion, she thought as her lips quirked a smile back at her in the mirror. Baird was a particularly generous lover and he'd kept her up much of the night showcasing all of his fine abilities. Aislinn clipped her curls back from her face, knowing that the girls would style it for her later.
"Almost ready?"
Baird was taking her for a quick lunch and then to see his colleague at the university. In deference to walking around the city, she'd slipped on some tennis shoes, jeans, and a breezy tank top in a bright blue. Aislinn snagged a tote bag and a bright fuchsia scarf to wrap around her neck and met Baird at the door.
"All set." She beamed up at Baird and he bent to give her a quick kiss.
Aislinn felt like a schoolgirl, she thought later on, as Baird dragged her around his old stomping grounds. She'd stopped in pubs, gone to stores, and even walked through the park where he claimed that he had made the decision to become a psychiatrist. Aislinn didn’t mind be dragged all over town as it was a beautiful day and it kept her from thinking too deeply about her show that evening. She'd done everything she could to make it a success. It was time to let go and let it ride.
"Ready to go meet Matthew?" Baird asked, smiling down at her as he slipped his hand through hers. They were walking through the main courtyard of Trinity College and Aislinn was admiring the architecture of the building.
"Sure, is he a psychiatrist too?"
"He is but he's moved more towards studying the brain…as in running experiments, studies, things of that sort. He likes to test his hypotheses and get results where I tend to like to work with people and see results that way."
"Both valid, in their own right," Aislinn said as he held open a door for her and they stepped into a long, cool corridor. A sleek black desk with a young woman on a computer was positioned in front of the hallway and Aislinn assumed it was a check-in of sorts.
The woman smiled brightly up at them. "Can I help you?"
"We are here to see Matthew. You can tell him it's Dr. Delaney," Baird said. The woman scanned her list and waved them on with her hand.
"You're all cleared. Head on back; he should be in his office or the lab."
Baird snagged Aislinn's hand again and they walked along the corridor, passing doors with small desks piled with books, and people on the phone or grading papers.
Baird stopped her at an office door that had a small name sign reading: Matthew Connor, Ph.D. He poked his head in the door and then back out to smile at her.
"Must be in the lab."
They followed the corridor along to where the hall ended at a line of glass windows and a door. Through the window, Aislinn could see three men huddled over a table, looking through a pile of papers. Baird knocked lightly on the window and the men looked up. The man in the middle, who looked like a miniature version of Santa Claus, beamed at Baird and rushed over to open the door.
"Come in, come in," the man, who Aislinn presumed was Dr. Connor, boomed out, his voice matching her initial Santa Claus impression. He grabbed Baird in a fierce hug and then turned to peer at her.
"And this beautiful young lady?" he asked, grabbing her hand and pulling her further into the room. Aislinn found herself utterly charmed by him and laughed up at him as he led her towards the other men.
"This is Aislinn, a soon-to-be-famous artist, and my girlfriend," Baird said proudly, wrapping his arm around Aislinn's waist. She laughed lightly up at him and turned to the men.
"Pleased to meet you. Not quite famous, but an artist nonetheless," she said.
Dr. Connor's eyes narrowed and then a huge smile broadened across his face. Turning to the men next to him, he gestured at Aislinn.
"Gentlemen! This is the Aislinn that I was telling you about. The one that Baird told us about. You know, with the extra-sensory abilities. I'm so happy he brought her to us."
An icy dredge of panic flicked through Aislinn's stomach and she separated herself from Baird, struggling to pull breath through a throat that was suddenly closing up.
"Oh yes, how wonderful. I'm so happy that you've agreed to let us study you," one of the other men beamed at her, pulling a notepad from a folder and slipping his glasses on. Dr. Connor, oblivious to the change in Aislinn, continued.
"Yes, when Baird first emailed me about you, I was so excited to make contact with someone who openly uses her extra abilities. We've been dying to get someone willingly in the lab so we can study the neural pathways that are used when you tune in to that side of yourself. We're hoping that we'll finally have an answer to why the brain sees what it does and can put a rest to this magick nonsense." Dr. Connor sniffed and then finally focusing in on Baird and Aislinn, he stopped talking.
"What. Are. You. Talking. About?" Aislinn hissed through her teeth, her hand clenched to her stomach. Her whole body had seized up as though she had one huge muscle cramp and she forced herself to breathe shallowly as her mind tried to compartmentalize her emotions in order for her to focus on the words coming from Dr. Connor's mouth.
"Your ability? To study you?" Dr. Connor began and Baird cut him off.
"Didn't you receive my email? The one where I said that I've started dating Aislinn and was no longer interested in pursuing that study?" Baird asked icily, turning to move closer to Aislinn. She backed up, bumping into a chair, her body trembling in shock.
In betrayal.
Dr. Connor shook his head in bewilderment. "No, I've been in the lab most of this week. I'm sure that I'm frightfully behind on email. Is this…not what you wanted?"
"No, we don't want this," Baird said firmly and Aislinn was startled to hear laughter cut through the room. She froze when she realized it was coming from her.
"Is that what I am to you? A rat to be studied? So you can satisfy your curiosity?" Aislinn asked Dr. Connor, ripping her arm away from Baird's hand when he reached for her.
"No, no, of course not, dear," Dr. Connor said and then closed his mouth, finally realizing it was in his best interest to shut up.
Aislinn turned to look at Baird, her entire body shaking with betrayal. Nausea swirled in her stomach and her world shifted beneath her, cracking. And in doing so, her heart trembled and fell into the crevice that Baird had just opened beneath her feet.
"You just couldn't let it go? Could you?" Hurt oozed from her voice but she raised her hand to stop Baird's approach. "You always have to have answers. To the point that you were willing to submit me to this? To be some sort of thing to be studied?"
Baird shook his head, not touching her. "No, nothing like that. I promise, it was nothing like that."
"You want me to perform for them? Is that it? Fine," Aislinn said, rage overtaking the hurt that made it next to impossible for her to breathe. "This one on the left? He's tense right now, but fascinated by me nonetheless. And, he's wondering how much he can pay me to subject myself to a study. Nothing, by the way," Aislinn said. Turning, she looked over at Dr. Connor.
"Aislinn, stop. You have to listen."
"Dr. Connor is also fascinated by me but he seems to have a bit more of a heart because he is also having trouble watching this as it's painful for him. He doesn't like to see people hurt." Aislinn bowed her head to Dr. Connor, silently thanking him.
"And this one?" Aislinn pointed at the last man in the room. "He thinks this is funny. So I've a mind to tell you what you can go and do." She jerked her hands at him, pretending to do magick, and the man flinched and yelped.
Aislinn turned, finally meeting Baird's eyes.
"And you. I don't care what you're feeling. You took my private world and spewed it in front of them for their excitement and perusal. I allowed myself to be vulnerable to you." Aislinn shook her he
ad at him, forcing tears back from her eyes, promising herself a long vacation in Greece if she could hold the tears back. She wouldn't give Baird that.
She'd already given him enough.
Aislinn tore from the room, racing down the corridor.
"Aislinn!" Baird shouted after her, his feet pounding on the hard linoleum floor. Aislinn saw the woman at the front desk talking to a man that looked like security. They both turned at the shout.
"Security!" Aislinn screamed and the man ran to her.
"This man. Stop him. I must get away safely," Aislinn shouted at him as she continued running. She heard Baird curse as the security guard intercepted him but Aislinn refused to look back.
Leaving her heart in the science building, she ran for the hotel, gasping, and trying not to cry. Aislinn tore into the lobby in a panic, and pressed the button to the elevator, praying that it would come quickly.
"Aislinn!"
Aislinn refused to look up, afraid that she would break down in the lobby where several people milled about, waiting for others.
The door opened and Aislinn ran into the elevator, grateful that the car was empty.
"Aislinn!" Cait whipped through the doors just as they closed behind her. She stared in awe at Aislinn and reached out to grab her arm.
"Oh no. Oh, honey, what happened?"
Aislinn just shook her head, terrified that if she spoke, everything would come flooding out and she would never pull herself together for her show. Cait narrowed her eyes at Aislinn as she read her mind.
"That bastard! I'll skin him myself." Cait swore up a storm, her pub owner's roots showing through. Aislinn almost cracked a smile at her violent outburst. Almost.
"Okay, okay, just breathe. Let's go to your room and get your stuff. You'll come with me?"
Aislinn nodded. She was grateful when Cait didn't ask anything else, just simply reached out and held her hand. There were times when talking was just too hard.
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