Page 31 of Dirty Money
“Wh-What?” Aullie stuttered. She suddenly felt like the stupidest person on Earth. She had thrown away the person who was bringing out something new, something better, in her because he was out with his cousin? All she had to do was let him say a few words that day on her pathetic little excuse for a porch or answered one single phone call.
“Yes. Her name’s Hayley, we’ve been very close since we were young, so I could see how our physical intimacy may have come off the wrong way. I was trying to comfort her, she recently lost her husband.”
“Oh,” Aullie said, her insides awash with shame and guilt. “And you left her to come to my apartment? God, I just feel awful…”
“Hey,” Weston said with a warm smile. “It’s ok. She was understanding and I did go back and spend the rest of the afternoon with her, it’s really ok.”
“How’d she lose her husband?”
“He was shot,” Weston said, suddenly grim.
“Oh, my god!” Aullie exclaimed. “By who? Do they know?”
“Nope, no idea.” Weston’s sudden caginess caught Aullie off guard and made her suspicious but it seemed best not to push it. She’d seen how mean he could get earlier.
“So, why are you even here? How did you find out I was showing?”
“I didn’t actually,” he admitted. “I was here for a meeting with a friend and seeing you was just a bonus. I recognized some of your paintings and figured if I couldn’t have you, I could at least have part of you. I know how much it all means to you and I wanted to make sure you got a guaranteed space to pursue your dreams.”
“So, you used your rich man pull to sell out my exhibit and get me a spot? You really pity me that much?” Aullie said, indignantly. She couldn’t believe him.
“Look Aullie, me being rich has nothing to do with it. You’re talented, I’m not even the only one who bid on your works, I swear. I just made sure to outbid them,” he said with a coy smile.
Well, she thought. At least the other bids were there. If he’s telling the truth.
“I really want to see you succeed,” he said. “I mean that.”
“I... appreciate that,” Aullie said, not sure what else there was to say. Things were awkward between them. She had overreacted and here he was anyway, trying to help her live the life she wanted to live.
She was usually pretty resistant to the idea of a knight in shining armor, she had never wanted to be a damsel in distress.
But there he was, in all his shining glory.
“I don’t like to depend on men,” Aullie blurted, suddenly, breaking the silence and startling them both.
“You’re not depending on me, I’m simply an interested collector with loud opinions. Plus, the gallery owner is a woman, and you all seem to have a thing for these British accents,” he said with a wink.
“It definitely doesn’t hurt,” Aullie agreed. “You could probably have any woman you wanted.”
“Actually,” he said, “I can’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you see, the only woman I want, blocked my number. I can’t seem to get ahold of her to ask her out again.”
With that, Aullie blushed. Her behavior was embarrassing and she just had such a hard time believing he wanted her that badly.
“Well, he might have bought enough of her art to warrant an un-blocking,” she said, with an amused shrug.
“You think so?” he asked, beaming.
“Yeah,” she said, keeping her eyes low. “I do.”
With a gentle hand, he brought Aullie’s chin up, forcing her to look into his golden eyes and she felt as though she were falling into them. He was just so beautiful, not only on the outside but the inside as well.
They may have their differences, but it seemed like a stupid choice to keep running from someone who so badly wanted to support her and help her make her dreams come true.
When he kissed her, gently, she kissed him back hard. The same electricity that had crackled between them before, was back and stronger than ever.
