You and No Other

by Toni Jackson

  You and No Other

  Toni Jackson

  Illustrated by

  Christopher Brown

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2016 by Toni Jackson

  Cover design by Christopher Brown

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 Toni Jackson

  All Rights Reserved.

  Chapter 1

  Tina’s hands tightened on her steering wheel as she pulled into the gallery’s parking lot. The sight of the extra-large moving truck occupying a space beside the gallery’s loading dock abandoned by the movers was enough to make her scream. The guys should have been finished loading everything inside. If everything had gone as planned, the artwork would be in place and she would marvel over the newest pieces being sold by the gallery. And they should be preparing to leave.

  Her body slumped in the driver’s seat. She refused to admit defeat with this crew. To say they were difficult was an understatement. One of these days they would learn to follow directions and work without someone hanging over their shoulder.

  Looks like that wouldn’t be today.

  It was a good thing she followed her gut instinct and came in early to supervise the latest shipment of her best friend Dani's work.

  This little stunt was going to waste precious time needed to get everything ready for today’s opening. Just once, she wanted to come to work and find the shipment delivered and in place. They would have been fired the first time they pulled this stunt if she owned the place. This was only one of the many reasons she didn’t want her own gallery. There was no way she could handle the overall stress. Hell, the part she covered was crazy. A sigh escaped her. There was no point in dwelling on ‘should haves’. Slamming it into park, she exited the car, careful to avoid snagging her stockings. That would be the last straw.

  Sitting her iced mocha on top of the car, she grabbed her purse bag from the passenger seat, slinging them over her shoulder while using her hip to bump the door closed. Each step towards the loading dock pushed her pressure up another notch. At this rate, she’d have a stroke by noon. By the time she crossed the doorway and noticed the line of crates stacked from the loading dock to the entrance to the central area, she was cursing under her breath using words that would get her mouth washed out. Working her way through the clutter, she discovered the inside of the gallery was not much better. There was just enough space to shimmy through the small aisles.

  Things were uncomfortable when she started working at the gallery thanks to Sean.

  Who wouldn’t be skeptical of a man with more money than sense walking in off the streets and offering a deal to infuse your company with money, but wanted to put their own person in to deal with specific items? It sounded like something out of one of those old mafia movies, but Sean was nothing if not persuasive.

  Tina’s natural eye for talent proved an asset and smoothed the way between herself and the owners. She also gained the opportunity to learn the day to day operations of running a gallery and everything that was involved. Now she was the manager.

  The arrangement gave her a fresh start. It was a small miracle that she located a business willing to work with Sean. His controlling tendencies put off the most patient gallery owner. Tina smiled at his obsession to give Dani everything she could ever want or need. Once a woman he never wanted, now couldn’t do without her.

  The tilt of her lips was the only sign of contentment she allowed herself while thinking of Dani’s work, powerful pieces containing elements that affected everyone who viewed them. Even after years of seeing Dani’s art, chills ran across her skin whenever she saw a new piece. Each time was like the first time.

  It took every ounce of negotiating power she had ever learned to keep Sean from buying a gallery for Dani. After almost losing her before, he insisted on a place where he could control every aspect of the business and security. Weeks of discussion ensued, with Tina emerging the winner. Dani’s career stood the possibility of dying a slow and painful death if Sean had his way.

  If she hadn’t located this gallery, there wouldn’t have been much of a choice. Dani was just gaining the attention of some of the top art critics of the world. Shaking her head, she lamented over the fact that Sean had more money than he knew what to do with. If he just wanted to throw away some money, he could always hide it in her bank account. She wouldn’t have to spend it. All she wanted was just once to have a balance that high.

  Remembering how things used to be with her two other friends, Clay and Dani, always dampened her mood. The three of them had a game plan to make them all rich before forty. And since it was nearing another anniversary of when everything went wrong. Now all of their dreams and everything else had changed. Clay was dead, Dani was married to a man who absolutely adored her and she was now acting as Dani’s manager. It kept her busy and prevented her from dwelling on what happened with Clay.

  His betrayal left a hole inside her, a dark, gaping chasm that filled her with guilt. Where Dani’s occasional interactions with Clay provided a buffer, Tina in worked with him every day in the gallery and never glimpsed the evil that lived inside him. His attempt to kill Dani, her best friend since childhood, shattered her faith in her ability to make decisions, making her doubt her judgment. It ate at her every day that she never saw anything - anything - that would have given her a clue to his plans. She spent most of her time now at the gallery trying to atone for her guilt.

  She emerged from the boxes, watching closely as a few of the men popped up from the crates they had been sitting on. A couple tried to alert the others. Each one stood as she passed, heads low, shoulders slumped. All of them seemed remorseful, except the new guy, Manuel. He took his time standing up when she entered and met her gaze. She would cut him a break for now since he was new, but he needed to learn that even though she didn't own the gallery, she was in charge when it came to Dani's work.

  “Good morning, gentlemen.” Her sarcasm drifted over the room. Some of the men turned their heads, refusing to meet her eyes. Tina sat the things down on the receptionist’s desk before turning to face the men. She crossed her arms and glared at each of them, tired of having to go through these changes every time a new shipment came in.

  “Is there some reason why these items are sitting in the main showroom? The gallery opens in two hours and these items have to be stored and displayed.” She said.

  One of the older gentlemen from a previous job stepped forw
ard, arms outstretched. “We weren’t sure of which items needed to be placed in storage and unpacked, or what you wanted to be swapped out on the floor.” He shrugged and looked around for the support of his coworkers. Tina fought to keep her stern expression in the room full of bobble heads. “So, we figured we’d wait until someone came in,” he continued.

  Tina inhaled, fighting off the possibility of an early morning headache. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time she heard that excuse.

  “The instructions were given yesterday. In writing. Find them! Even so, you know the crates don’t belong here. The storeroom is in the back,” she snapped. Grabbing her bags and coffee, she started towards her office, only to pause when she realized no one was moving. The men stood in the same place, watching her walk away.

  Turning back to them, she put her free hand on her hip. “Are you waiting for a special invitation? Mover!” She watched as the men quickly spread out between the crates with their dollies and started moving the items to the back before turning around. A quick glance showed that the new man was dragging his feet again. She would give him a couple of days before talking to him and to determine if this was really the place for him. Right now, she needed all of them to work on cleaning up. It would be bad to have the gallery cluttered and filthy when they opened in a few hours.

  Walking into her office, she stowed her purse in the desk drawer and locked it, then took a large gulp of her mocha. The first sip was heaven. Heavy on the chocolate and just enough espresso to get her blood moving. The caffeine filtered through her veins and pushed the last of the grogginess from her mind. Tension eased from her shoulders as she walked back outside to oversee the rest of the work.

  She was still standing there sipping when James, the owner of the studio and his wife, Temar, strolled up to her an hour later. Tina hid her smile as she watched them exchange a look.

  “Morning, Tina. What time did you get here?” James questioned as they stepped closer and watched the activity.

  Tina smiled and hid her smile behind another sip. “Not long ago.”

  She knew they loved the income and customers that Dani’s art brought into the shop, but they always complained about her working herself to death. Most mornings she arrived before them and left after them most nights. She never had a date at the gallery functions. Her entire life revolved around the business. On more than one occasion, James attempted to have some of his friends drop by in the hopes that one of them would catch her eye, but it never happened.

  Temar schooled her face to hide her emotions. She felt sorry for Tina. Although she pretended to be tough, Tina had a heart of gold. She noticed Tina’s face whenever their three-year-old, Aidan, came to work with them. She was resolved not to pry, but if she had to go to Dani to get more information she would. If she kept working at this rate, Tina would have a nervous breakdown.

  “Of course,” They muttered with a smile.

  Tina motioned towards the men moving the last crate to the back. “They were all sitting around on crates like they didn’t know where everything belonged.” Trusting the crew to finish the work on schedule, she turned towards her office. “I’m going to go in the back in a minute and check out the rest of the shipment. There should be something in there from the new guy, Frazier, right?”

  They fell into step beside her as James answered. “Yes, several as a matter of fact. I’ll grab the vacuum and clean up some of the splinters they left behind.” He handed his briefcase to his wife and walked off towards the back closet.

  “Why don’t you at least finish your mocha first? Get some caffeine up in your system.” That was code for you’re going to need it, I need to talk to you.

  Linking her arm through Tina’s, Temar escorted her to the office. Tina wasn’t fooled. It was too convenient that James made himself scarce and left the two of them alone. She didn’t have long to wait before the questions started.

  “Everything fine with you?” Temar asked. Tina noticed how she nibbled at her lip before continuing. She knew they wanted her to slow down, and she appreciated their concern. In a few years when Dani’s work was going for six figures each - which wouldn’t be long by her calculations - she could afford to slow down. But until then…she would keep pushing.

  “Dani has this fantastic statue she sent over. I had to almost get on my knees to pry it from her. Wait until you see it. You’ll cry.”

  Temar frowned. “That’s great. But that doesn’t tell me how YOU are doing.” Her arms crossed arms in front of her and one eyebrow raised while she waited for an answer.

  Tina eased around her desk and dropped into the chair. It was always better to sit for a lecture.

  “I’m good,” Tina said. Temar pursed her lips, giving no doubt she didn’t believe her. “I swear, I am.”

  Now she understood how Aidan felt when he got in trouble. Temar had a serious mommy face going on. She couldn’t catch a break. If it wasn’t her fussing, it was Dani.

  After silently staring at her for several minutes, she pursed her lips and nodded. “Fine. I won’t press the issue right now. But what I am going to do is tell you that I want you to leave every day by five.”

  Tina opened her mouth to protest, only to be cut off by an upheld hand. “Nope. No excuses. You are to go home and watch the housewives or something, understand?”

  A part of her wanted to protest but she knew they were right. This was their way of showing they cared. Tina smiled and rose to give her a hug. There weren’t many people she considered friends and she was often humbled by ones she had gained over the years. She blinked back the tears rising in her eyes “Yes, mami. I will leave by five. I promise.”

  “Good. I’ll be watching you.” Temar smiled as she exited the room, her mission accomplished.

  Tina took a moment to pull herself together before going back outside on the gallery floor. It was good to have people who cared about you.

  Chapter 2

  The chirping noise of her cell phone greeted Tina when she walked back into her office after checking the last of the shipment. Unlocking the desk, she rummaged through her purse, hoping to catch it before it stopped ringing. The phone always slid to the bottom of her purse, making it impossible to find. Keeping it with her as she walked through gallery was out of the question.

  Two phones had already mysteriously disappeared leaving her without a lifeline. Her entire life was in her cell and the cloud was her best friend. Without it, she’d be lost. She found it just before it stopped ringing saw Dani’s number.

  Swiping her finger across the screen, she connected the call. “Hey, Chica!”

  A sigh drifted to her through the line. “Tina, you finally answered. I never thought I’d reach you. I need a humongous favor!” Dani’s panic drifted to her over the line.

  “Hold on.” She closed the drawer and walked back out to the floor, looking at her watch. Nearly eight. They had thirty minutes to clean up and open the doors. Across the room, two of the men joked around near one of the statues they had just placed on a pedestal.

  “Hey!” she yelled, resisting the urge to toss her phone at them. They jumped and nearly ran from the room. Tina cringed at the noise of the squeaky dolly as it faded into the background before placing the phone back to her ear. Every time they moved something, she had the overwhelming urge to break out the WD-40.

  Going back into her office, she rested in the chair and crossed her legs. “Before you ask for any favors, how is my niece? Did she smile today?”

  Dani laughed and Tina heard the baby gurgling in the background. “I told you the last time it wasn’t a smile. She had gas.”

  “Fine, sweetie. You believe what you want. I know Lily was smiling at her tia. So. What’s this enormous favor you need?”

  “Sean has some business associate coming into town and we’re going out to dinner. I want you to go.”

  Tina shook her head, forgetting Dani couldn’t see her. “Chica, that’s part of your wifely duties being married to someone like Sean. Y
ou know that.” Why were married people always trying to set up their single friends? The last thing she needed right now was a relationship. Acting as Dani’s manager was time-consuming.

  “That does not mean I want to sit there and hear them talk shop all night. I need somebody I can talk to when they start rambling on about stocks and dividends.” Her desperation drifted across the line, making Tina regret her comment.

  “You’re not trying to hook me up with anyone, right? I don’t need them to think that I’m some little gold digger.”

  Dani huffed. “I swear. I just want to round out the numbers. Besides, Sean would kill me. You know how he is about keeping business and home separate.”

  Picking up a pencil, Tina began tapping it on the desk. “So he knows you’re asking me?”

  “Yes, Tina. He knows and he’s okay with it.”

  “Okay, then. I’m game for a free meal. What restaurant?”

  “Since the weather’s going to be pleasant tonight, I suggested Palomino’s, down by the water.”

  That figured. Dani loved seafood.

  What would she wear? There was the flirty, peach colored dress that she had just bought along with those black sling back pumps?

  “Hello! Earth to Tina!” Dani yelled.

  “Oh, sorry, just thinking of what I should wear.” Standing up, she checked the main area and saw James vacuuming while Temar dusted.

  Satisfied that everything was on track and she wasn’t needed, she focused on the conversation. “Speaking of which, what are you wearing?” Tina cringed as she thought of Dani showing up in dust-covered clothes. It was normal for Dani to lose track of time while working. She was a little better since she had the baby, but Tina still had little faith in Dani’s ability to dress herself.

  “I’ll be presentable,” Dani gritted out.

  “In other words, Sean picked out a dress for you, didn’t he?” Tina giggled.