Page 30 of London
Removing the garment, she returned it to the closet. Since there was no need to dress up for her quick visit to the gallery, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt emblazoned with a red double-decker bus.
Downstairs once more, she wrapped her latest masterpiece in tissue paper and secured it on the front seat of her car. Satisfied it would be safe, she opened the garage door, backed the car out, and headed into the city.
“Exquisite,bella mia!” Francesco exclaimed, admiring the carving. “Did you really create this in a single day?”
“I did. I was… inspired.”
She glanced around, her gaze falling on the sculpture of Apollo, dominating the room.
While it was true she’d chiseled those features months before meeting Gerard, the fact was the god’s face did resemble his. How was that possible? Fate giving her a peek at the future? Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Francesco. Some things weren’t meant to be explained.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t have space for it.” She indicated the wooden hands.
“There’s always room for your brilliance,” he said in his rich baritone. “You’re a treasure! Annarita,” he called loudly. “Come here, please.”
A young woman appeared from the shadows deep inside the gallery, walking briskly toward them. She was attractive, tall, and graceful, with long black hair down to her waist, and dark eyes, the perfect complement to the establishment.
“Linda, this is my new assistant, Annarita. She’s from Rome. Anna, meet Ms. Linda Coriola, the jewel in our humble gallery’s crown.”
Annarita nodded.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Coriola” she said in Italian. “I have always admired your work and followed your career. I convinced my father to order these for me when I started university.” She pushed her hair back to show off her earrings.
Linda recognized them as pieces she sold online—silver coins, with intricately carved Aztec symbols.
“Good choice.” She smiled warmly at the young woman. “Those are among my favorite pieces. Thank you, Annarita. It’s always nice to meet art aficionados, especially those who’ve actually heard of me and appreciate my work.”
Francesco laughed.
“Annarita is going to become a great sculptress, too. She’s studying art and is quite talented. You’ll see. One day, she’ll follow in your footsteps,cara mia.”
“Good luck, Annarita,” Linda said. “I wish you inspiration and a lot of patience. It’s a wonderful career choice, but art can be a demanding mistress. It was nice to meet you.” She turned to Francesco. “You’ll have to excuse me, but I have a busy day ahead of me.”
“Going so soon?” Francesco looked disappointed, still holding the woodcarving. “Won’t you at least stay to see where we’ll place your new piece?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t,” she lied, too restless to linger here, afraid she would give herself away. “I’m sure you’ll find the ideal spot. Take good care of it. This piece is of special importance to me.” She turned to go, stopping suddenly. “Oh, and Francesco, this one isn’t for sale—for display only,” she emphasized. “See you Saturday.”
Smiling, she glanced once more at the statue of Apollo before leaving the gallery.
Whenever Linda needed time to move slowly, it raced. Now, because she wanted it to fly, it did the opposite, the seconds dragging by. She had an entire day to kill. Gerard wouldn’t pick her up until seven. There was only one sensible thing to do—retail therapy. There was nothing like a day of shopping to take her mind off dinner. Besides, she needed groceries, too, especially now that she planned to dust off her old cook books and make her lover delicious meals, now and again.
Now and again?
She stopped mid-step. Now and again sounded like a long-term relationship. Who was the one moving too fast now?
She hadn’t wished for this, hadn’t asked the man to walk into her life, but he had. She couldn’t get him out of her head. Without effort, Gerard had insinuated himself into her bed and into her heart. How long would he want to stay there? What scared her most was the fact that she cared so much about something she hadn’t wanted in the first place. She needed to remain rational about this affair. She couldn’t let herself get hurt again.
It was almost five when she arrived home, her trunk loaded with bags and boxes. It took three trips to carry everything inside the house, and then another half hour to sort through all the stuff she’d bought.
After filling the fridge and freezer with the food she’d purchased, she treated herself to a long, hot bath. Her feet were killing her. She’d walked miles today, going from store to store. All she wanted to do was slip into an old t-shirt, slump on the couch, and watch movies with Pirata until sleep claimed her. Instead, she had to face dinner with Gerard, his mother, and his aunt. At least now she was too tired to be nervous about it.
As the hands of the clock marched toward seven, Linda got ready. After using black eye-liner and mascara to contour her eyes, she applied blush to emphasize her cheekbones, and added pale-pink lipstick.
Dressing in the blue dress, the color almost the same shade as her eyes, she slipped her feet into black, comfortable pumps and dug through the closet for her matching purse. Back in the bathroom, she brushed her hair and twisted it into a loose knot at the nape of her neck for an overall casual and yet elegant effect.
Glancing at herself one last time, assured she looked her best, she grabbed her purse and was on her way down the stairs when the doorbell rang. She hurried to answer it.
Gerard smiled at her. His smoldering gaze as he raked her body made her feel hot in more ways than one.
