Amyra looked like she was about to explode. Hoping to either defuse the situation or press the final button, Nicole pointed to the glass case. “I noticed that you still haven’t returned the scarf and necklace you borrowed earlier this week, before you had your days off. I’m sure with your mother’s illness and everything, you simply forgot. I thought I should remind you.”
Amyra’s nostrils actually flared now. But she said nothing.
“Another thing,” Nicole said. “I plan on taking my lunch when it’s scheduled today. At twelve thirty. I don’t think it’ll be a problem because Bernie will be around to lend a hand in case you get busy.”
“Right.” Amyra turned on her heel. “I’ll be in my office.” As she walked away, Nicole realized that Amyra was still marking her territory by calling it her office, but she didn’t mind. Amyra was used to handling the business side of the gallery. According to Vivian, she was good at it too. As much as Nicole hated to admit it, she needed Amyra. She just wished they could get along better.
To Nicole’s relief, Amyra spent most of the morning in “her” office. By the time Nicole’s lunch break arrived, she and Bernie had enjoyed a surprisingly pleasant morning together.
“Uncle Ryan,” Bernie said as Ryan entered the gallery. “What are you doing here?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“I’m working here,” she informed him as Nicole went for her purse.
“And I’m taking Nicole to lunch,” he said. “Maybe you’d like to join us.”
“Nope.” Bernie shook her head. “I have to be here to help Amyra while Nicole’s gone.”
“I think Amyra can get along without you if you’d like to have your lunch break now,” Nicole said.
“It’s okay.” Bernie waved her hand. “I just had a granola bar, so I’m not even hungry yet.”
“Well, if it gets busy in here, let Amyra know that you need help.”
“I will.”
Grateful that Amyra wasn’t around to see her leaving with Ryan, Nicole said goodbye and hurried them out the front door.
Ryan led her down the sidewalk. “I thought we could go to Louie’s.”
“Louie’s?”
“A café about four blocks away. They have the best lobster rolls. And their chowder is killer.”
“Sounds yummy.”
“That’s cool that you’re letting Bernie help out,” Ryan said as they waited to cross the street. “She needs something constructive to do.”
“It’s actually pretty handy having her around.” Nicole explained about Camille’s visit and how Amyra had gotten irritated over being in the gallery by herself yesterday.
“So the soccer player wanted more art?”
“The soccer player’s wife.” She told him about Camille’s inheritance.
“Must be interesting to be independently wealthy at such a young age.”
“I was trying not to envy her.” Nicole laughed. “Not so much about being wealthy, but her seaside home is pretty cool.”
“I’ve always been grateful to my parents for not turning Alex and me into trust-fund babies. They could’ve done that, you know. But Dad knew it wasn’t in our best interest.”
“Your parents always seemed really smart about money and how they raised you guys.” Nicole remembered times when they were kids and how Alex and Ryan never seemed like spoiled, rich brats. Even her dad had been impressed.
“Well, here we are.” Ryan opened the door to an old-fashioned café. A combination of black-and-white checkerboard floors and turquoise vinyl seats trimmed in chrome, it was perfectly charming.
“It’s like going back in time,” she said as they slid into the last available booth.
“Yeah, according to Dad, nothing much has changed in here since the fifties. Including the menu.”
After they ordered lobster rolls and sweet tea, Ryan asked her how working at the gallery was going. “It sounds like you’re having some success with the sales to the Strattons. That’s pretty cool. But I know you and Amyra were having some challenges. Is that improving at all?”
She frowned. “I’d like to say yes . . . but that would be a lie.” She told him a bit about their recent encounters. “I can understand her resenting me for the whole manager thing. But it’s like she’s been set against me from the very beginning—even before that was an issue. I just don’t get that. I’ve tried to be nice to her. Well, for the most part. I sort of pushed her this morning, but it was mostly to clear the air.” She sighed. “Not that it did any good.” She peered at him. “You seem to know her fairly well. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Underneath her hard exterior—which you know she created—Amyra is actually very insecure. She never finished her degree in design school. She said it was because she thought it was silly to get a piece of paper to prove her talent, but I’m not sure that’s really why. She also seems to be embarrassed by her family. Her dad was kind of a jerk, and her parents got divorced when she was in grade school. I don’t really know much about it, but I know she was sort of ashamed of all of them. Her mom was a survivor of breast cancer, and now it sounds like she’s got it again.”
Nicole bit her lip. “I kind of overheard that. I’m sorry. I want to offer her the opportunity to take as much time off as she needs.” She sighed. “In fact, it would probably be a relief to have her gone for a while. Especially now that Bernie’s around to help out too.”
“Then that’s what you should do, Nicole. Offer her some time off.”
Nicole nodded. “I wish your mom had filled me in a little more on the business side of the gallery. I really have no idea how it all works. And if Amyra was gone for any length of time, well, I’m not sure what I’d do.”
“Alex can help you,” Ryan suggested. “He used to run the whole business side of the gallery for Mom.”
“He did?” She felt a rush of hope.
“Yeah. I’m sure he’d be happy to help.” Ryan gave a half smile. “He seemed pretty interested in spending more time with you.”
She felt her cheeks warming, recalling how the two brothers had almost been sparring over her attention that night.
“I think he’s home for a few days after this latest trip,” Ryan told her. “I called him to talk about Bernie yesterday. I wanted to make sure he was up to speed.”
“That was thoughtful.”
“Well, it didn’t seem right that Bernie was dropped on your lap.”
“I really like her, Ryan. She’s a sweet girl. And she’s got some pretty tough challenges in her life.” She frowned.
“Anything an uncle should know about?” His brown eyes looked genuinely concerned.
“She might have told me some things in confidence.”
“You can trust me, Nicole. I love Bernie too.”
She nodded, believing him. She told him about both the bullying Bernie had been subjected to at school and her feeling blame for her parents’ marital problems.
Like Nicole, Ryan was clearly aggravated. “That is so wrong.” He shook his head. “I’ve always felt like Lori has some kind of arrested development going on. I think I already mentioned that she was very young when Bernie was born. They both were. But Lori acted so happy, insisting she wanted a baby. My parents had even wondered if she’d purposely gotten pregnant just to get Alex to marry her. That’s water under the bridge now. Still, that she’d say something like that to poor Bernie—man, it just fries me.”
“I know.” It was sweet that he cared so much for Bernie. “I hate that Bernie thinks her parents would be happier without her.”
“Alex might have his faults, but he has no regrets about his daughter. He loves Bernie,” Ryan declared. “He would never say something like that to her.”
They paused as the waitress set their orders on the table. To Nicole’s surprise, Ryan bowed his head and, she assumed, said a silent prayer.
When he looked up, she was still staring at him, and suddenly he looked slightly embarrassed. “I didn�
�t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he said.
“No, I thought that was nice. I just hadn’t noticed you doing that before.”
He shrugged. “I’m not really legalistic about it. I mean, I like to give thanks, but I believe God understands when I don’t. As long as I’m thankful.” He grinned down at his food. “And I’m thankful for this.”
Nicole nodded. “I am too.” She closed her eyes and silently said her own little blessing.
“I guess I was feeling more like praying after you told me what Lori said to Bernie. It made me realize that this whole divorce thing between her and Alex is serious.”
“You hadn’t felt it was serious before?”
“Oh, I knew it was serious, but I wasn’t too surprised by it. Those two have had problems from the get-go. I guess I hadn’t really thought about the impact it would have on Bernie. That just makes me sad.”
“Me too. I’m glad she’s staying at your parents’ house with me. I think she needs this time.”
“I think she needs someone like you in her life too, Nicole. I’m glad my mom thought to invite you out here for the summer. Especially considering she and Dad are gone. They’re usually Bernie’s soft place to land.”
They continued to visit as they enjoyed their lobster rolls—which were even more delicious than she remembered from her childhood—and by the time her lunch hour was nearly over, she felt like they’d barely sat down. As he walked her back to the gallery, she still had one pressing question on her mind, but she had no idea how to ask it. She wanted to know about Cassidy. Who was she, and what did she mean to Ryan? It was too awkward to just bring it up out of the blue, so she didn’t. Instead, she thanked him for taking her out and told him to have a good day, then hurried back into the gallery.
“You can take your lunch break now,” she told Bernie as she put her purse away.
“But Amyra’s scheduled—”
“That’s okay,” Nicole assured her. “I don’t mind being on my own.”
“Did you have a good lunch?” Bernie asked slowly, almost as if she was stalling for some reason.
Nicole told her about the lobster rolls. “I forgot how fabulous they are.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” Bernie nodded but didn’t make a move to leave.
“Hey, do you need some money to get lunch?”
Bernie shrugged.
“You do, don’t you?” Nicole went for her purse. “I didn’t even think about that.”
“Mom didn’t give me any money. She said to ask Dad. But he was gone.”
“Here.” Nicole handed her a twenty.
“Dad will pay you back.”
Nicole smiled. “Yes, I’m sure he will. Now you run along and get something.”
Bernie thanked her and headed out. Nicole glanced into the back room, curious as to whether Amyra was still around but not really wanting to run into her. She was just going back into the gallery when she heard footsteps.
“How was your date with Ryan?” Amyra asked in a snarky tone.
“It wasn’t a date,” Nicole said. “Ryan and I are old friends.”
“Well, I’m sure Cassidy will be glad to hear that.”
“Cassidy?” Now she was interested.
“You don’t know about Cassidy Sherman?” Amyra looked pleased as she stepped closer to Nicole, as if she’d just gotten the upper hand and intended to use it.
“Well, sure, I know about her,” Nicole said. “Alex mentioned her the other night. But we haven’t met.”
“Seriously?” Amyra’s dark brows arched with way too much interest. “She’s been such a fixture in Ryan’s life for so many years, and you and Ryan are such good friends, so how can it be you’ve never met Cassidy?”
“Well, maybe we have met,” Nicole said quickly. “Maybe I don’t remember her.”
“Oh, you would remember Cassidy.” Amyra smiled slyly. “She’s a tall, gorgeous brunette. Looks a bit like Anne Hathaway—only prettier. You wouldn’t forget Cassidy.”
“Well, I don’t remember anyone like that,” Nicole admitted. “But I have heard the name. I got the impression she’s Ryan’s girlfriend.” That might’ve been a stretch, but it was not completely untrue. “Like I said, Ryan and I are just friends. That’s all.”
“It’s good you know that, Nicole. It would be so sad if you thought Ryan was really into you, when everyone knows his heart belongs to Cassidy.”
“No worries there.” Nicole felt the heat rising to her face.
“Cassidy is a pediatrician,” Amyra continued, as if she thought Nicole really wanted to know. And maybe she did. Maybe it was best to hear it all at once. Get it over with, like ripping off a bandage.
“Interesting.” Nicole imagined a children’s doctor who looked like Anne Hathaway. Not a bad package.
“Yes. She’s very intelligent. Same age as Ryan and she’s already got her residency. I heard she’s the youngest resident in Memorial Hospital history.”
“Impressive.” Nicole wondered what more Amyra planned to say since she was obviously trying to blow Nicole away with all this information. Perhaps Cassidy sang like Adele or was able to jump from building to building in a single leap.
“Do you know what pediatricians make?” Amyra gave a harsh laugh. “I looked it up once. They make, like, a hundred grand and more. Makes our little paychecks look pretty meager, doesn’t it?”
“I guess so. I obviously didn’t choose a career to get rich. After all, I’m a teacher.” She forced a laugh.
“Oh yeah, that’s right.”
“But there’s more to life than riches, right?”
Amyra scowled, then turned to get her purse from beneath the counter. “I’m going to lunch now.”
“Before you go . . .” Nicole laid a hand on Amyra’s forearm. “I know your mom is sick, Amyra. I’m sorry. And I wanted to let you know that if you need to take some time off, it’s okay. I’m sure I can—”
“If I need to take time off, I’ll take it, Nicole. I do not need you to give me permission. Thank you very much.”
Feeling like she’d been slapped, Nicole just stood there as Amyra stormed out through the gallery, slamming the front door behind her. How a gesture that was supposed to be kind had turned on her like that was a complete mystery. But then again, so was Amyra.
14
On Friday morning, Nicole noticed how Amyra seldom left the front part of the gallery. Since it was the busiest day Nicole had seen so far, it wasn’t surprising. Even when Amyra took her lunch break, she was only gone for thirty minutes. It was obvious she was trying to generate a sale from the increased foot traffic, but sometimes her tactics sounded a bit like a used car salesman. Nicole wondered if Vivian would approve.
“I have a client coming in at two,” Nicole told Amyra after returning from her lunch break. There was a lull in the gallery traffic, and it seemed a good moment for a brief conversation.
“Your young heiress?” Amyra teased.
“Camille deserves the same respect as any client.”
“Excuse me.” Amyra’s tone was straight out of middle school.
Nicole decided to ignore her, going to the back room to check on Bernie. She explained that she’d be occupied with Camille. “Try to be available just in case Amyra needs help with a customer.”
Bernie rolled her eyes. “Amyra has never asked me to help. Well, unless it’s to clean the bathroom or get her a cup of coffee.”
Nicole grinned. “Welcome to the life of an intern. Tell you what, if Camille purchases anything, you can help me. Okay?”
“All right.”
As it turned out, Camille purchased two watercolor paintings and a handblown glass platter. “If you want to take them with you, I can have them ready to go in about half an hour or so,” Nicole told Camille after she’d written them up. “Do you have any more shopping to do in town?”
“Well, remember how you said you’d help me do some shopping in other galleries?” Camille said quietly. “Is that offer sti
ll good?”
“Of course.” Nicole nodded. “I’m happy to do that.”
Camille’s eyes lit up. “Do you have time now?”
Nicole glanced over to where Amyra was talking to a customer. “Sure, why not. Let me get Bernie started on wrapping these up for you.”
With Bernie going to work on the art pieces, Nicole and Camille went across the street to another gallery. Nicole had only seen the River Wild from the street, but it seemed a nice enough place. As they walked through the gallery, Nicole felt like they could do a better job of displaying, but since she was here to make suggestions for Camille, she focused only on art pieces. Eventually she found an acrylic that she thought would look great in Camille’s dining room.
“I really like it,” Camille said.
“The price seems reasonable too,” Nicole pointed out. “If you’re certain you want it, I’ll head to the next gallery and start looking around while you pay for it.” Nicole told her the name of the gallery.
“Thank you!” Camille hugged her.
Nicole hurried on down the street to the Red Door. This was a more contemporary gallery, but it wasn’t long until Nicole found a couple of pieces that she thought might interest Camille.
Soon Camille joined her and fell in love with the two pieces. “I think that just about finishes off my art budget,” she said.
“Well, with everything you’ve purchased, your home will be looking pretty fabulous. You really don’t need more.”
“I’ll be by to pick up my pieces after I handle this.” Camille hugged her again. “You’re the best, Nicole.”
When Nicole went back into the Graham Gallery, Amyra was standing by the front door. “Did I see you going into the River Wild with your client?” she demanded in a hushed voice.
“That’s right.” Nicole quickly explained her promise to help Camille find just the right pieces for her home.
“You took a client to a competitor’s gallery?”
“There was nothing more for her here.” She waved a hand. “Most of our art is too traditional for her contemporary home—”
“I cannot believe it,” Amyra hissed at her. “Now I’ve heard everything.” Since a customer was approaching, Amyra turned away with a pasted-on smile. “May I help you?” she asked in a saccharine tone.
Under a Summer Sky--A Savannah Romance Page 12