by Lexy Timms
“Got it. What does it require?” she asked.
“You do the bubble wrap, the envelope, the hard case, and then you stick it in a wooden crate that’s padded with those plastic Styrofoam peanuts.”
“Oh, goodie. I inhaled one of those things once. Coughed so hard I thought I went blind.”
“That sounds absolutely horrifying. Don’t kill yourself on these things,” I said, grinning.
“I’ll try not to, boss. But, do you keep those kinds of crates lying around? That sounds like that would take up a lot of space.”
“Actually, I do. There’s a storage shed out back that’s weatherproofed. There are four sizes of crates and multiple bags of those Styrofoam killing machines. One painting goes in one box, and that’s it. I’m about to pack up these two paintings to be shipped to Barcelona, so I’ll show you how to do it.”
“Styrofoam killing machines. That’s what we’re calling them from now on,” she said.
“Good. We need a bit of humor in this place,” I said.
I walked out back and showed Kelly where the storage container was. I pulled out everything I needed and showed her how to pack the paintings. I showed her how to do it with the first one and then let her do the second one. Then, I dumped everything out, and she repacked both of them. It hurt my heart to watch John’s paintings being packed away to leave for good, but I knew it was for the best.
John had saved my life trying to get me out of this shit, and he would be irate if he knew this was still blowing back on me.
I was shocked at how quickly Kelly was picking up on things. We locked the packed boxes in the shed to leave them for delivery in a few days and went back inside. Despite the fact that she had been late for her interview and seemed to have a flighty attitude in general, she was a hard worker and caught on quickly.
Plus, she was passionate about art education in the same way I was. And to me? That was invaluable.
“You want me to lock up today?” Kelly asked. “It’s almost six.”
“I’ve got it tonight. You go on home and get some rest. I’ll need you opening this place without me in the morning,” I said.
“Sounds good. Will you come in after lunch?”
“I’m gunning for just before, but I’ll keep you updated,” I said.
“See you tomorrow, then.”
Kelly left, and I continued to sweep up the floor. We had many visitors come in today, and the floor was disgusting. The good thing about a black floor was that dirt didn’t easily show up, but the bad thing about a black floor was that sometimes the dirt hid and collected more than I could imagine.
I was sweeping up the floor when the bell over the door rang. I figured Kelly had left her purse or something behind, a habit she had quickly developed. But when I turned around, I saw a woman I didn’t recognize standing in the doorway.
“Hello there. I’m sorry, but I’m closing up,” I said.
“Oh, I’m not here to purchase anything. I was wondering if I could stop in and see some of John’s paintings?”
That entire statement took me by surprise. No one who stopped in to see his paintings ever addressed him by his name. They always said ‘that artist you showcased’ or ‘the guy on drugs who painted.’ They were crude names, but I always knew who they were talking about.
“Unfortunately, John’s paintings have been removed so they can be cleaned up a bit. They aren’t currently showcased on the walls right now.”
It was easy for me to spit out that lie, especially since the woman held a shadow of a grin upon her cheeks. She was beautiful, if I set aside her questioning gaze, with long blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and a tall, thin frame with toned muscles that boasted of a strength most women didn’t have. She was obviously athletic, and as I continued to study her, a dreaded thought popped into my head.
Was she here because of Ben?
“That’s a shame,” the woman said. “I was hoping to reminisce a bit.”
“Well, if you’re not purchasing anything, you’re more than welcome to come in and take a look around. I’ve just counted the register and shut it down is all.”
The woman came on into the gallery and scanned her eyes along the paintings on the wall.
“I couldn’t get to John’s showcase a little while back. I was out of town on business. I was hoping to hug Bryan’s neck again.”
“You know Bryan?” I asked.
“From a different time in life, yes. My gosh, I can remember when he and John would run around at their family cabin. I’d visit them all the time up there.”
It was growing very uneasy with having this woman in the gallery. It was painfully obvious she knew Bryan and his family and for a very long time. I watched the way she walked around the gallery, the way she seemed to float instead of walk. Her shoulders were rolled back, and her eyes fluttered along the paintings, but there was something vacant in her stare.
Like she wasn’t wholly present in the art that surrounded her.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name,” I said.
“Because I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Laura,” she said.
“It’s very nice to meet you. Is this your first time in the gallery?” I asked.
“It is,” she said mindlessly. “I noticed a display of designs over there by the register. On those small little canvases.”
“They’re from a local tattoo artist,” I said.
“I knew it. That’s Drew’s work, isn’t it? Drew Carmichael? Man, he was always so talented at that kind of thing. I can remember when he did Bryan’s tattoo on his back. He has this picture of their family cabin on his back. I was in awe of it when he first showed it to me.”
This woman knew about Bryan’s tattoos?
“Yes. Drew Carmichael,” I said. “They’re his designs.”
“Bryan’s are better if you ask me. He should outsource his work to Drew. He’s got this geometric pattern or something on his arm. Absolutely breathtaking.”
I gripped the broom tightly as my face began to pale. She really knew Bryan. Who the fuck was this woman? I didn’t ever recall Bryan mentioning anything about a Laura to me.
“How far along?”
“What?” I asked.
“You’re obviously expecting. How far along are you?” Laura asked.
“Um, seven and a half months,” I said.
“Huh. I would’ve pegged you to almost be there,” she said.
“What?” I asked.
“Has the pregnancy been rough? It looks like it’s been rough.”
“Come again?” I asked.
“You know, I’ve got this number for a fabulous health and fitness trainer. She could really help you get your body ready to bounce back from that baby of yours. Here, let me get her card.”
I watched as this woman dug around in her purse as anger pooled in my chest. I looked down at my body, my stomach jutting out and my tits bulging from my top. I looked over at the window and caught sight of my face. My cheeks had grown, and for the first time in my life, I had a prominent double chin.
“Here. Take her card. Call her as soon as you can. She will really make that weight loss easier.”
Laura dangled a card from her fingers like she was doing me some bullshit favor.
“I don’t think I’ll need it, but thank you,” I said.
“Oh, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Some women don’t carry pregnancy as well as others. Take me, for instance. My body wouldn’t distribute weight like yours has. It would be easier for me to bounce back, but with the right time and the right exercises, you’ll be back to tip-top shape.”
Her smile was dripping with disgust, and I thought about ramming her head through one of the paintings on the wall.
“I’m sorry, how do you know Bryan?” I asked.
“Oh, we grew up together. I heard he’s doing well working alongside Ellen St. Claire at the foundation. That’s such a wonderful job for him. He’s perfect for it.”
I felt sick to my st
omach as the woman slowly headed for the door.
“Anyway, think about giving that woman a call. Men like Bryan are hard to come by and even harder to keep around. If he’s going to keep himself in top condition, he’s going to surround himself with people who can too. It’s how men like him operate.”
I felt myself growing lightheaded as the bell above the door rang out.
“Have a good ... day.”
My back collided with the wall as I slid down to my ass on the floor. What the hell had just happened? Who the fuck was Laura? How the hell did she know Bryan? And what gave her the right to stroll on in here and take a shit on my world?
She knew things about him that could only come from recent conversations with him like his work at the foundation and the position he held there. It was possible she heard it through the grapevine or maybe from his own mother or gossip within that community. But as anger pooled in my chest and tears rushed down my cheeks, my hands trembled with a stark possibility.
Was it possible Bryan was cheating on me?
Chapter 19
Bryan
“Holy fuck. How long has it been since we’ve been here, man?”
“It was before Hailey’s art tour,” I said.
“Dude. Not cool. I’ve missed this place’s milkshakes,” Drew said.
“Me, too. These seasoned fries and their banana-mocha shake? There’s nothing like it,” I said.
“I feel like it’s been fucking forever since I’ve seen you.”
“Because we don’t hang out as much anymore. We got adult shit to do,” I said.
“Well, screw that stuff, man. When are we going surfing again?”
“I don’t surf. You surf.”
“Then when the hell are you gonna let me teach you how to surf?” he asked.
“Never. I’m about to be a dad. I can’t be drowning in salt water,” I said.
“Imagine that. Us busy with women and careers and families. Glad we could carve out some time to come enjoy this greasy joint with their awesome milkshakes.”
“No joke,” I said, chuckling. “And speaking of women, how’s stuff going with Anna?”
“You guys ditched us at that club, man.”
“But did you guys even notice?” I asked.
“When we woke up the next morning in my bed, yeah.”
“Oh, shit! So, things are going well?” I asked.
“Oh yeah, man. Better than I would’ve thought. She’s stopped by the shop on a few occasions when I’m closing up, and we’ve gotten lunch a couple of times together.”
“Now all you have to do is not fall back into your workaholic routine,” I said.
“I’m not, and I know she’s trying not to as well. She’s got this project from the foundation that’s keeping her busy, but Sunday nights? She’s all mine, man.”
“That’s enough details about that. Hailey would be pissed if I knew the intricate details of her sister’s sex life.”
“Can’t imagine you’d wanna know that anyway,” he said. “You’ve never been that kinda guy.”
“But you’ve always been that kind of guy, so keep your mouth shut.”
“I wanna thank you guys again. For setting up what you did,” he said.
“It’s not a problem. Hailey and I had a wonderful time too.”
“Especially when you got home?” he asked.
“Cut the shit,” I said. “That’s my wife.”
“My bad, man. I’m glad you guys got some time too. I know you’ve been stressed with shit lately, so I can only imagine how Hailey’s been.”
“It’s been rough. I’m worried about her. We’ve got this kid coming in less than five weeks, and she’s up in arms.”
“What do you mean?” Drew asked.
“My mother’s being a bitch, and she’s stressed with training this new girl at the gallery. She’s got all this baby stuff and becoming a new mom. And again, I’m back to feeling like there’s something she’s not telling me.”
“She makes a habit of that, doesn’t she?”
“You think so?” I asked.
“Uh, you don’t? First with the shit with your brother. Then the shit with her being sick. It’s kind of her thing.”
“You think that’s a bad thing?” I asked.
I watched as Drew turned the question around in his head. I darted my eyes to look out the window and settled them on Hailey’s gallery. By all accounts, my dreams had come true. I built a successful business, and I had a job I loved. I found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and we were expecting a child. All of those boxes I had set out to tick off my list as a young man emerging from college had been accomplished.
So why wasn’t I happy?
“I think it could become a bad thing if she makes it a habit,” Drew said.
“For all the grief and heartache my mother has caused, she did point that out about Hailey’s personality.”
“What did she say about it?” he asked.
“That it made her unreliable and that, eventually, she would betray me.”
“Yep. Sounds like a load of shit from your mother. Hailey not telling you things like that doesn’t mean she would betray you. That sounds like your mother’s manipulative train of thought.”
“At least we agree on that,” I said.
“What it does mean, though, is that Hailey is still struggling to open up.”
“But why?” I asked. “Why? After everything we’ve been through? Haven’t I shown her I will stand by her side through anything?”
“Dude, it’s got nothing to do with you. Hailey’s her own person, and not all the things she deals with will center around you, man. Maybe this is just her shit. I mean, she’s not close with her family, right?”
“She was when she was sick,” I said.
“Okay, let’s start there. So, they were around when she was sick. She relied on them, probably. Leaned on them maybe?”
“Yeah? They came to visit a lot,” I said.
“Then, they what? Left? Have they been back?”
I leaned back in my chair as I chewed on a french fry.
“No. They haven’t been back,” I said. “But, we also went on that European tour.”
“You guys have been back for almost a month now. Have they come to see their pregnant daughter?” he asked.
“No,” I said.
“You’ve only been in her life for, what? A year, maybe? But she’s lived with her parents and their bullshit her entire life. You saw what they went through with Anna when her sister branched out and shit. They’ve reinforced that mindset, man, that unless shit really kicks up, they won’t be there.”
“Holy hell. It’s got nothing to do with me,” I said.
“Nope. She made decisions with her life, and her family left her. So she keeps tough and hard decisions close to her for ... I don’t know. It could be many reasons. Maybe she feels like people will only be there if she’s suffering. Or maybe it’s her way of testing people around her, to see if they will stay despite the tough calls she makes. Or maybe it’s her way of protecting herself because the most important man in a girl’s life is her dad, and hers wasn’t there. Who the fuck knows? I’m not a head doctor. But from being back around Anna, that shit has affected her. And Anna has only dealt with it the past year or so. Think about how Hailey’s formed, having to deal with it ever since she was eighteen.”
“Where the fuck was this wisdom a year ago?” I asked.
“Sitting in some dumbass vault while I drooled over women, man. But being with Anna and owning my own business? It’s given me time to think and reevaluate things. I like where I am, so I want to figure out how to make this current state of life better.”
“Sounds like we got dreams coming true all over the place,” I said.
“You’re damn right we do. But it isn’t always rainbows. Building our business taught us that. And with Hailey? And Anna? We’re building something from scratch. So expect the road bumps and the fights and the m
oments where you wanna give up, man. Because they’re coming full force.”
I looked back over at the gallery and saw Hailey come out. She looked exhausted, and I made room for her to come sit with us at the diner. I watched as she waddled to her car and opened the door. Then her eyes panned up to me and found mine. She studied me as I looked at her through the window of the diner, my hand raising to her and beckoning her to come over.
But instead, she dropped herself into her car and drove off.
“Looks like someone had a bad day,” Drew said.
“I need to go.”
“Whoa, whoa, man. Wait a minute,” he said.
“She’s upset. I have to go after her,” I said.
“Just give her some space to breathe. Hailey’s always been that way, right?”
“Not always. I mean, I don’t know. Look, she’s carrying my child, and she’s not okay. I have to go make sure she’s—”
“Bryan, sit the fuck down,” he said.
I sat back down into my seat as Drew released my wrist.
“Just finish your dinner and then make your way home. Give Hailey some time to decompress. In the past, you pushing and poking and prodding didn’t get her to open up any fucking sooner. So try something different. Give her space to process.”
“She’s not okay. You saw that look. The way she was hunched over and walking.”
“And my advice still stands,” he said. “Finish your food and give her some space.”
“Part of my duties as her future husband is to be there when she’s had a bad day,” I said.
“And the other part is understanding when she needs you to butt out. And that look? It had ‘butt out’ written all over it,” he said.
“Drew, I—”
“Man, if there’s one thing I know about women, it’s to not go looking for trouble when there’s no trouble to be found. Right now, you’re making assumptions based on a look from across the street. Anything could be wrong, and if you assert yourself too soon or start making assumptions while she’s racing with hormones and exhaustion, you’re gonna make things worse.”
I sighed as I grabbed another french fry and tossed it into my mouth.