Page 12 of Treehouse Whispers
Chapter 5
“Hello?” Benji answered his phone after staring at the unknown number for a few seconds.
“Good afternoon, Mr Walker. This is Sharon Lusher from Fine Art Gallery. I have some wonderful news for you. All five of your paintings have sold, Mr Walker. And we would like to ask for some more if you are willing to part with any.”
Benji was speechless.
“Mr Walker?”
“Yes, sorry. Um. You sold all five?” He couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, Mr Walker. They have been the quickest selling art in as long as I can remember. People love your work.”
“Um, thanks.” He didn’t know what to say.
“Do you have any other paintings you would be interested in us selling?”
“I do have more paintings, but I’d have to check them and see if they’re suitable. Can I get back to you about it?”
“Of course, Mr Walker. We would be delighted to have more of your work to show. Maybe consider having a show for your pieces if it’s something you might be interested in?”
“Oh, I don’t think—” Benji started.
“It’s just a thought. You don’t have to decide now.” She paused. “Your earnings will be transferred to your account as per the contract.”
“Yeah,” he said distractedly.
“I’ll give you a call in a couple of days, and we can discuss more paintings. Would that be alright?” she asked.
“Sure. Yeah.”
“Brilliant. I’ll speak to you soon. Goodbye.”
Benji brought the phone down from his ear and stared at nothing in particular. Holy hell! The prices those paintings had on them had made him think they wouldn’t sell because they were too expensive. If all five had sold, that meant he would have around three hundred thousand pounds in his bank soon. His mind couldn’t grasp the idea.
It was the alarm on his phone which jerked him out of his staring match with the carpet. He must’ve been sitting there for over an hour. Switching it off, he shook his head and sauntered to the kitchen for a snack. Jamie would not believe him when he told him.
He took his time eating, making sure to drink plenty, so he didn’t get dehydrated then trailed back to his workroom to paint some more. He knew his parents always worried about him being on his own and staying in the house as he did, but he’d been living in this way for such a long time now, he didn’t see the issue with it. He knew he had agoraphobia, it was something his parents had sat and talked about with him, but he also knew sometimes he had to fight his way through the anxiety to get things done, though he preferred not to.
Everyone was supportive of his abilities and limits. It was one of the main reasons why he pushed himself to do things when he needed to. He wanted to give something back to them for all the hassle he caused them.
A knock at his front door caused him to jump until he heard it open.
“Hey, Benji?”
“Upstairs!” he shouted back. He put down his brush and grabbed the cloth to wipe his hands.
“Hey. How are you doing?” Jamie asked when he entered the room.
“Good, thanks. I wasn’t expecting to see you yet,” Benji said.
“Well, I finished work early. I have a surprise for you.” Jamie smiled. “Get yourself cleaned up and come over to my place when you’re ready.”
“What’s going on?”
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Hurry up.” With that, Jamie departed, leaving the vision of his full lips in a wide grin behind.
“Jamie! What’s going on?” Benji called out, following him out the door but stopping as Jamie zipped down the stairs, laughing.
