Page 59 of Saltwater Promises
“No crazed fans? Bitter ex-husbands?”
“No, luckily not,” she said with a laugh. She and her ex-husband were on quite good terms, though they didn’t chat as much as they used to.
“For our information, who should be on the VIP list? Are you bringing a partner to the event? Or anyone important?”
There was no way for her to know if Mike would actually make it. Plus, he’d probably rather die than have his name on a VIP list. “No.”
“Very well. I’m glad I caught you here, actually. That saves us a debrief before the show.”
“Great!”
“I’ll let you go back to your charming friends. We’ll talk later.”
“Have a nice evening.”
What an odd man. He didn’t look like security, but what did Lynn know?
It seemed over the top to hire a team for her silly little show, but Miguel thought of everything, and far be it from her to question what he was doing.
Miguel had told her that he had over twenty years of experience working in galleries, and that he’d worked his way up from an unpaid intern position. Surely he must’ve seen some pretty outrageous things, and that was why he was so meticulous in his planning.
She made a mental note to ask him what kind of chaos prompted him to hire security for every event, but the idea was soon drowned out when a small group surrounded her to ask her about her upcoming show.
As she stared into their faces, the thought suddenly hit her that she wasn’t cut out to be a star. Even though they were being exceedingly kind, she just wanted to hide away with her paintings and never go out again.
After answering questions for half an hour, Lynn needed a break. She slipped out the back of the gallery and took a moment to admire the night sky. It was peaceful there; she didn’t have to smile or nod or pretend to be someone that she wasn’t.
Soon everything would be back to normal. The show would come and go, and she’d still be the same person, little old Lynn, painting away.
Mike would come to her show – or perhaps he wouldn’t. Lynn couldn’t decide what she dreaded more. If he finally did finish this assignment, then she’d actually have to have “the talk” with him.
Her mind was made up, though. This was no way to live. She needed to find out if Mike had any feelings for her, or if it had all been another game of great pretend for him.
The back door popped open, startling her. It was Cheryl, urging her to come back inside. She held out champagne as a bribe.
Lynn accepted it with a smile. For a little while, at least, she could let her fears float away on the spiraling bubbles in the glass.
