“Thank you, Joanne, we’ll take this one,” Camille said, breaking their eye contact as she turned to the assistant and smiled. Joanne smiled, nodded, and walked away.
“I should get out of this,” Camille spoke to Devin in a whisper.
“Yes, you probably should before I rip it off you. You look beautiful, Camille.” He got up from his chair to walk to her. Camille placed her hands on his chest, and they kissed again. This time it was a hungrier kiss. They had both seen the look in each other’s eyes. It was evidence of their raging attraction for each other. The dress was just a symbol.
She tore away from him, and he pulled her back again, and now he was kissing her neck, and she threw her head back. He placed his fingers on the lacey straps on her shoulders, and he was just about to tug them away when they heard Joanne clear her throat. They both whipped around to look at her, and she had turned her head away.
“Mrs. Patterson was wondering if we could also interest you in some jewelry?” Joanne asked.
“No, thank you,” Camille replied while Devin chimed in with a, “Yes.”
“I’ll have a look around for what might suit the dress best,” Joanne said before dropping her head and walking away. Camille turned with widened eyes to Devin, who smiled back at her.
“I really don’t need jewelry,” Camille said, pulling away from him slightly.
“Let’s just have a look and see if we can find something for you,” he said, and Camille shook her head.
“No, Devin, this dress is expensive enough.”
He placed a finger on her lips. “Go get changed, and we’ll go look at a few earrings. Something in turquoise to go with your shoes and purse.”
She gulped, looked at him, and then turned to go back into the changing rooms. Devin was having just as much fun as she was.
***
“These are in turquoise and clear quartz,” Joanne said, looping the earrings into Camille’s ears. She then held a small mirror up for her to see while Devin stood behind her.
“I think they’re perfect,” he said, and Joanne nodded. Camille touched them as they dangled from her ears, and then she turned to look at him directly. Devin smiled at her, drinking in her matching blue eyes and the shape of her mouth that he so desperately wanted to kiss.
“Yes, they would have been perfect. But I was thinking diamonds,” he added, and while Camille gasped, Joanne nodded again.
“We can find something in diamonds too. Something in the same teardrop shape,” she replied, walking away.
Camille shook her head and took a few steps towards him. “Devin, diamonds!” She laughed.
“You deserve it. It’s your special night.” He touched her small shoulders, and she tried to suppress a smile.
They were standing in front of a glass case full of bracelets and rings. A solitaire diamond ring was displaced at the center of the flagship engagement ring display. Both their eyes fell on it at the same time, and Camille turned her head away, blushing.
“That’s a beautiful ring, isn’t it?” he asked, and Camille didn’t respond. She obviously didn’t want him to know that she had been looking at it as well. It was too beautiful and too big not to notice.
“That one? Yeah, it’s lovely,” Camille finally said, avoiding Devin’s gaze.
He could feel his emotions running high. Here was a ring alongside a woman he was in love with… could he ask her to marry him? He had never felt this way about anyone before. She made him feel good and had given him strength, and he wanted to protect her. Isn’t that what marriage was supposed to be?
“Do you want to try it on?” he asked, and Camille took a few steps away from him. That excited look from her face had drained, and she almost looked scared now.
“Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to marry me,” he said, and she licked her lips and nodded. “At least, not yet.” Camille was frozen to the spot again.
“Camille…” He walked up to her to hold her in his arms again. “I don’t mean to scare you. I thought we were just having a little fun and I wondered if you wanted to just try it on. It was an innocent suggestion,” he explained, and Camille nodded again.
“Of course. Yeah, no, I didn’t take it a different way,” she said and slipped away from him and walked over to the glass case, staring at the ring directly now. Devin dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans and watched her as she stood looking at the ring nervously.
What could possibly go wrong if he asked her to marry him right there? He was in love with her, that much was certain. He couldn’t think of a life with anybody else. It might be too soon, but what about their relationship was regular anyway?
“Yeah, I’ll try it on,” Camille said, suddenly turning to him and interrupting his thoughts. She looked determined; she looked like she was saying yes. Devin knew, just from her face, that if he asked right there, she would say yes.
“There we go.” Joanne appeared by their side again, and this time she opened a blue velvet box with a pair of diamond earrings. They were long, fat, and teardrop shaped, and Joanne took them out of the box to help Camille put them on.
Camille dragged her gaze away from Devin to wear them and then she looked at herself in the mirror again.
“They look great. They’ll go well with the dress,” Devin said, walking towards her. When she looked at him, her cheeks were red again. She had been clearly thinking about the ring and didn’t care about the earrings anymore. Devin smiled and placed his hands on her small hand on the counter.
“Thank you, Joanne, we’ll take the earrings, the bag, and the shoes,” he said and turned to the assistant, who smiled and walked away. Camille and Devin stood in silence. Camille continued to look at herself in the mirror while Devin looked at her reflection as well.
It was true, she made him happy, she was beautiful… and if he wasn’t wrong, she felt the same way about him. But why didn’t he ask her to marry him? Why did he let the moment pass? It was probably because, at the back of his mind, he knew what the truth was - that they could never live a normal life together, not the kind of normal life that Camille was used to.
His life was made up of unpredictable moments. He was constantly in harm’s way, and marrying someone would put her life in constant danger as well. And what if they had kids? He couldn’t do that to his own family.
But Camille would have said yes, he could see it in her eyes.
“Here’s your bill, Sir.” Joanne appeared again, and Devin reached for his pocket to pull out his wallet, and then handed her his card. Camille was following his every movement with her wide, frosty blue eyes.
“What happened back there, Devin?” She broke their silence, and he tried to smile.
“Just an awkward few moments,” he told her and reached for her shoulder. Camille smiled and then proceeded to take the earrings off.
“Don’t worry Devin, I don’t expect you to pop the question just because you made a small accidental suggestion.” She placed the earrings back in their box, then smiled, and he believed that she was smiling genuinely. What she said made him feel a little relieved, because as much as he would have wanted to make her his wife, a married life with him would be impossible for an innocent young girl like Camille. He would only be torturing her by asking her to marry him.
“Should we go get dinner then?” he asked, changing the subject.
Camille smiled as she looked at him and nodded. “I’m starving, and I’m suddenly craving a burrito,” she said, walking ahead of him just as Joanne came back with all their packed bags and his card.
Devin laughed as he carried the bags for Camille. “Burritos it is then.”
They both walked out of Dorothy’s Boutique with happy smiles on their faces. That moment had passed, and they had achieved what they had come here for - to find the perfect outfit for Camille so that she would be the center of attention at the art show.
Chapter Twenty
Camille
On the night of the art show, Devin turned up outside
Camille’s house in his car to pick both the girls up. Emotions were running high - Shayna was giddy with excitement while Camille kept her lips sealed, even when Devin kissed her.
“Just relax, Camille, it’ll all go well. You look beautiful,” he whispered in her ear as she sunk down into the passenger seat. Camille had taken her time getting dressed. The shoes, the earrings, the clutch, the dress, the hair, and the neutral looking makeup… it all had to be perfect.
Shayna was in her usual fishnets, a black velvet dress, and lots of costume jewelry. Both of them praised each other for how beautiful they looked.
“Are we ready to go?” Devin asked as he settled into the front seat. Shayna clapped her hands and Camille turned to him with nervous eyes.
“Hey!” he said, touching her shoulders to reassure her again. “I know you’ve never done anything like this before, but you’re in good hands. If there’s anyone who could do a better job than Evangeline, I have yet to meet them.”
Camille nodded. He had dressed up for the occasion as well. Camille had never seen Devin in anything else except his leather jacket and jeans. Tonight he was in a navy suit, tailored to perfection and a red bowtie. He looked slick like a movie star, and she blushed every time their eyes met. The most gorgeous man she had ever met was driving her to her first art show.
They drove in relative silence. Each of them had their own nervous thoughts to think about, and when they reached the gallery, Evangeline was waiting outside to greet them. She was right, there were huge crowds and an even bigger media group waiting. It had all been kept a big secret, and she had been able to get the buzz going off the launch of a new artist. Nobody had seen a preview, so everyone was dying to know which new talented artist Evangeline Fox had discovered this time.
Evangeline surprisingly held the car door open for Camille as she stepped out, and they both exchanged kisses, something that Camille was still getting used to. As usual, Evangeline was the epitome of perfection. She was in an angelic white sheath dress that flowed like an old Greek princess around her as she moved. She had a floral necklace around her throat and matching earrings. She looked like she belonged on a meadow or a beach, but either way, she was able to carry it off well; creating her very own magical aura with every step she took.
“You look absolutely stunning, darling,” she said, clutching Camille’s arm with her cold, pale hands. A shiver ran down Camille’s spine, but she smiled anyway. She was grateful for everything that Evangeline had done for her and Shayna, and she couldn’t really blame her for anything now. Evangeline was being the poster child of friendliness.
“Hello, darlings, doesn’t Camille look lovely?” She turned her attention to Devin and Shayna while Camille tried to catch Devin’s gaze. She was still nervous, and she didn’t want him to leave her side, but Evangeline was leading her down the red carpet, on either side of which people had been barricaded out along with the press.
“We’ve made this a member’s only screening. Just for the first few hours, so that they can all have the best selection. The other walk-ins can come in after two hours and take the rest.” Evangeline waved her hands around as she spoke, entangling her long arms with Camille as they walked slowly towards the entrance.
“And we also have another little surprise for everyone,” she added, and Camille turned to her with her brows crossed. What more could Evangeline have possibly done? She was already so grateful to the woman.
“I decided that the best effect would be created if we all gathered in the gallery in darkness, just to heighten the tension. There’ll be a countdown, and then the lights will come on, and all the artwork can be revealed in one go. What do you think?” Evangeline turned excitedly from Camille to Devin, ignoring Shayna completely.
Camille looked over to Shayna who was walking behind them, and Shayna shrugged her shoulders.
“That sounds like a good idea, Evangeline, thank you for thinking of it,” Camille said meekly.
“You know best,” Devin said as he walked beside them.
“Smile and wave, honey.” Evangeline nudged Camille with her elbow as she turned to the flashing cameras and waved. Camille pasted a fake smile on her face and tried to weakly wave. This was not the life that she was used to; this was exactly the kind of fame she wanted to stay away from. But it was too late now.
“Camille.” Devin’s hands grabbed her by the waist just as they were about to enter the darkened gallery. Camille caught Evangeline turning to them with crossed eyebrows, and her expression changed again to a wide plastic smile. She grabbed Shayna’s hand instead and pulled her inside.
“Stand anywhere. Just don’t bump into anything,” Evangeline informed them before walking in with Shayna.
Camille turned to Devin, who placed a hooked thumb under her chin and lifted her face to look up at him.
“It’s all going well. You don’t have to stay in the limelight for the whole night. A couple of minutes more and once the artwork is revealed, you can get yourself lost in the crowd,” he told her, and she looked deep into his brown eyes. How did he always know exactly what she was thinking?
Camille smiled, grateful that he was right there by her side and she nodded. “Let’s go in, I’m ready.”
***
Evangeline had arranged for the gallery to be dark, but as their eyes adjusted to the lack of light, Camille could make out figures of people and canvases and framed artwork hanging on the walls. But the darkness wasn’t bright enough to reveal what the artwork was. Camille smiled as she stood with her hand clasped around Devin’s arm. This was all her. This was her work. Her moment. Her chance to shine.
There was the sound of a microphone being turned on, and then Evangeline’s voice filled the room.
“Good evening, ladies and gentleman. I am Evangeline Fox, and I welcome you to Camille Griffin’s show, ‘Country Crowns, A True Story.’”
All around Camille, in the darkness, the room erupted in loud clapping. She could sense that Devin beside her was clapping as well. She couldn’t stop smiling now.
“Once the lights come on in a few minutes, you will be able to witness the work of a truly talented young artist. We will also be handing out pamphlets for you to read a little more about Camille Griffin and the stories behind her work - a project she has completed in association with master storyteller, Shayna DuVry,” Evangeline continued, and there was more applause, even louder this time.
It was evident that people were losing their patience; they all wanted to see these brilliant pieces of art that Evangeline was promising them.
“So without further adieu,” Evangeline said, and Camille felt Devin’s mouth press against the side of her head. “I present to you, ‘Country Crowns, A True Story.’”
Suddenly all the lights turned on.
There was a gasping sound around her as the sheer force of the sudden lights first blinded Camille and then her vision began to clear up.
Her hand from Devin’s arm dropped, and her mouth automatically hung open. All her artwork, hanging from the walls, they had all been disfigured. They had been slashed with a sharp object, like a knife, right down the center, and what looked like black ink had been splashed all over them. None of them looked the same - they had all been destroyed. They had all been originals, the only copies of all her artwork. A lifetime’s worth of work… gone.
There was silence in the gallery, except for the gasps that were still erupting around her. Then Camille heard Shayna’s loud wail.
“What the fuck!” Shayna’s voice pierced through the air, but Camille was frozen on the spot.
“What is going on? Who did this?” Devin thundered, but all Camille could do was stare at her destroyed art.
“I apologize, ladies and gentlemen. There seems to have been some sort of confusion. Please give me a few moments,” Evangeline’s voice rang through the microphone again, and finally, Camille looked up at her.
Evangeline looked as confused as her; she looked like she was on the verge of tears too. S
he dropped the microphone and came running towards them, pushed Devin out of her way, and pulled Camille into her arms. Camille felt the cold skin on Evangeline’s shoulder as she forced Camille to rest her head there.
“I’m so sorry, Camille. I have no idea what happened. They were all fine when we arranged them and turned off the lights. I checked them all myself. I can’t believe this,” she said, and Camille heard the tears in Evangeline’s voice.
Camille straightened herself; hot tears were prickling the back of her eyelids. They were threatening to come gushing down her cheeks, but she was forcing herself to not cry.
“Camille…” she heard Devin’s voice beside her, but nothing was making sense, none of it mattered. Her work, her soul… was all destroyed.
“Camille!” she heard Shayna’s voice and turned to her best friend. They both hugged tightly, aware that everyone’s eyes were on her.
BAD BOY’S SURPRISE BABY: The Choppers MC Page 15
