by Anthony Burn
He laughed. ‘You’re always on holiday.’
I told my brother to behave and the conversation moved on as we relaxed with our drinks, three of us swigging straight from the beer bottles while Lauren sipped at her wine from a crystal glass.
The mild weather from earlier in the week had continued, making it pleasant enough to sit outside for a while, but now the breeze had a distinct edge to it, and from time to time a chilly gust played across the terrace. Lauren shivered slightly before suggesting we should eat our lunch inside, and when we all agreed she said she would go and finish preparing. I got up to help her, but Amy stopped me.
‘You catch up with Drew. I’ll give Lauren a hand,’ she said. ‘If that’s okay?’
‘That would be great,’ Lauren told her, and the two of them went through to the kitchen, closing the door behind them against the cool draught.
‘Wimps!’ Drew said, when he knew his fiancée was out of earshot.
‘Are you okay to sit out here?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, it’s not cold, is it?’ he said.
I clinked my bottle against his. ‘Good man.’
We sat quietly for a while, and then he laughed. ‘You’re dying to ask me, aren’t you?’
‘Ask what?’
‘What I think of Lauren.’
He was right, but I hadn’t wanted to display my vanity by voicing the question. ‘That obvious, eh?’ I asked.
‘I think she’s gorgeous. Well done, mate.’
I smiled my thanks, and he continued, ‘It’s really good to see you with someone. It’s been far too long. Amy’s really happy too. She’s looking forward to being able to go out as couples.’
I gave him a puzzled glance. ‘That might be a bit tricky when you’re always on the other side of the world.’
He laughed. ‘We’re millionaires, Kee. With private jets, it’s not too much of a problem to meet up once in a while.’
It was a pleasing prospect and I nodded my agreement.
‘Talking of money, Drew, how’s it holding out?’
‘Better than yours, by the look of this place,’ he said.
‘Seriously. Have you still got enough?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, plenty. We bought a lot of clothes and some bling, and Amy’s seen her family right, but you were right about buying stuff. As soon as you know you can have whatever you want, you stop wanting a lot of things. I was going to buy a Ferrari, but I’d never get to drive it. We mainly use the money for hotels and travelling now, so I can’t see it ever running out. Why?’
‘Well, it’s just that I had a go at the stock market…’
He became concerned. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve lost everything.’
I laughed self-consciously. ‘No, just the opposite. I was just checking to see if you needed any more.’
A moment of surprise gave way to the inevitable question. ‘How much have you got now?’
‘About a hundred.’
‘Million?’
I nodded, and watched his chin hit his chest. ‘What the hell do you want that lot for?’ he asked.
It was the question that I’d been unable to answer since I’d stopped trading. ‘I have absolutely no idea. I’m just saying it’s there if you need some.’
‘We don’t even know what to do with what we’ve got. We definitely don’t want any more. But thanks anyway.’
‘Just one thing. Please don’t say anything to Lauren. I’m not trying to keep it from her, but she seems to be scared of knowing how much I’ve got for some reason.’
He frowned. ‘Really? I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to know. What’s wrong with her?’
I smiled happily. ‘Nothing. Nothing at all.’
There was a peal of laughter from the kitchen, loud enough for us to hear through the closed door, and I wondered if Lauren and Amy might have heard what we were saying, but it was quickly apparent that they were sharing a joke of their own.
‘How do they do that?’ I asked Drew. ‘They met less than an hour ago, but you’d think they’d known each other for years.’
‘It’s because they’re much more sociable than us. Men have to meet about three or four times before they get past the nodding at each other stage.
I laughed. ‘That is so true.’
‘That’s why women make friends so quickly, and it’s also why Lauren now knows more about you than you ever wanted her to.’
I grimaced. ‘Maybe we’d better go and split them up.’
‘Too late for that, bro,’ he laughed. ‘She’s already got all the ammunition she needs.’
The door opened and Lauren announced that lunch was ready, so we drained the little that was left in our bottles and went inside. The girls were sitting at the table, and Drew joined them while I went to the fridge for more drinks, but when I opened the door there were none left.
‘Okay, who had the last beer?’ I asked, feigning exasperation.
Amy looked self-conscious and made a big pretence of trying to hide her full bottle. ‘I’m so sorry, Kee,’ she said, ‘it was Lauren.’
A scandalised expression swept across Lauren’s face. ‘Hey!’ she yelled at Amy. ‘You’re supposed to be my friend, but you’re just a rotten little snitch.’
I glanced at the women as we all laughed at the exchange, overjoyed at how quickly they had become comfortable with each other.
Drew asked, ‘Do you want me to go for some more? Is there somewhere nearby?’
‘No, it’s fine,’ I told him. ‘I’ve got plenty more in the cellar.’
‘You’re on the top floor. How can you have a cellar?’
‘It’s behind our bathroom. I’ll show you.’ I turned to Lauren, who was taking a sip of her wine. ‘Since when did you start drinking beer?’
The mischief increased in her eyes. She stretched her arm out to full length and pointed at Amy. ‘It’s her fault,’ she said. ‘She kept forcing them down my throat until I got the taste for it.’
‘How many did that take?’ Drew asked.
‘I dunno. I losht count after the firsh shix,’ she slurred.
Drew ran his hand over the smooth granite and gold lettering on the outside wall of the gallery, nodding in approval. He and Amy had said they wanted to see the place, and Lauren and I were happy to show it off, so we took a cab into town after lunch. The street was quiet so the driver was able to drop us right outside, and Drew’s expression as he stepped onto the footpath had more than lived up to our expectations.
‘This is very nice,’ he said, ‘but you’d probably do a lot more business if you had a door.’
‘Thought you might say that,’ I told him, and nodded to Lauren, who waved her phone across the sensor. As the smaller granite block pivoted to become the inner wall of the entrance lobby, Lauren and I put an arm around each other’s waists, enjoying the expected reactions from Drew and Amy. We showed them into the building and watched their faces again. We had grown used to the incredulity of our visitors on their first sight of the gallery, but it felt especially good to see it from my brother and his fiancée.
‘Unbelievable,’ Amy said. ‘I mean, we’ve seen the website and this place looks amazing on there, but in real life it’s just breathtaking.’
Drew had wandered towards the desk. ‘Where are all the cameras?’ he asked. ‘It looks like the news desk on TV.’
I took him inside the ring desk and switched on the computer screens. ‘I think it looks like the bridge of a starship.’
‘Yeah, or mission control. Babe, come and look at this,’ he said to Amy.
She glanced across all the screens and raised her eyebrows in surprise, but it was apparent that she wasn’t as impressed by the technology as her man thought she would be. Her gaze travelled upwards past the bridges and rested on the ceiling lantern. ‘Whoa, that’s lovely,’ she said. ‘Can we go upstairs?’
‘Certainly,’ I told her. ‘Anywhere you like.’
Her eyes fell on a painting at the far end of the room. ‘Oh, I like that,’ she said, makin
g her way around the desk and towards it with Lauren following close behind.
Drew moved to accompany them, but I held him back and gestured to the women. ‘Watch this.’
We sat down and watched while Lauren told Amy about the picture. We could hear them talking, although not distinctly enough to make out what was being said, but as the time passed Amy’s face became more and more captivated.
‘I didn’t know my babe was that interested in art,’ Drew said.
‘It’s what Lauren does,’ I told him. ‘She doesn’t believe me when I tell her, but she could get anybody interested. Come and have a listen.’
I led the way, and had almost reached the girls when the alarms went off. I spun around to see Drew jumping back with a start from the picture he had just pulled at before turning to face us with the expression of a naughty schoolboy who had just been caught misbehaving. Rushing back to the desk, I hit the reset button, and when the din stopped I asked, ‘Are you trying to steal that painting, sir?’
‘Drew, will you behave yourself?’ Amy shouted at him, and then turned to Lauren. ‘I’m so sorry, I forgot to bring his reins with me.’
‘I was just trying to see how they hang away from the wall like that,’ Drew explained.
‘Don’t worry,’ Lauren told him, ‘Kee did exactly the same thing the first time he was here.’
I held out my arms in a gesture of denial. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
The girls shook their heads. ‘They are so much alike, aren’t they?’ Lauren said to Amy.
She nodded a vigorous agreement. ‘Oh, yeah. It’s terrifying really.’
Just over an hour later, we were standing in the entrance, waiting for the taxi that would take Drew and Amy to the airport for their flight back to the USA while they thanked Lauren for her tour of the gallery. Lauren had told them about the artists and explained the various styles, answering a barrage of questions with more patience than I could have managed. I had trailed after them, watching their fascinated faces and feeling immensely privileged to have such a knowledgeable and enchanting girlfriend.
‘I will never look at art the same way again,’ Amy told her. ‘You’re amazing. Thank you so much.’
Lauren’s cheeks reddened. ‘I’ve only been telling you what I know.’
‘Yeah, but you know so much,’ Drew joined in, ‘and you make it all really interesting.’
‘It’s only because I love art. I’m sure if you told me about golf I’d find it just as interesting.’
Amy put on a horrified face. ‘No, Lauren. No. Please don’t get him talking about golf, I beg you.’
‘You’re lucky my big brother is here to protect you, babe,’ Drew teased her, ‘otherwise you’d be flat out on the ground by now.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ she countered. ‘It would take a man, not his breakfast!’
We were still laughing when their taxi pulled up. Drew embraced Lauren, and I hugged Amy.
‘She is lovely, Kee. I’m so happy for you,’ Amy whispered to me.
I thanked her as we separated, and shook my brother’s hand.
The girls clung to each other for a long time. Drew opened the taxi door and let the driver know they were coming. When they finally let go of one another, Amy told her, ‘You’ve got my number. Call me. At least once a week, okay?’
‘I will,’ Lauren said quietly.
Amy wagged her finger at Lauren. ‘I mean it. Call me.’
‘I will,’ she said firmly.
They grinned and hugged again before Amy kissed my cheek and followed Drew into the taxi.
Lauren and I stood arm in arm while we waved our goodbyes and watched until the cab disappeared around a corner at the end of the street.
‘I’m so sorry that you and Amy didn’t get along,’ I said. ‘Today must have been a real nightmare for you.’
‘Oh my God, Kee. She’s wonderful. She’s totally my new BFF forever.’
I couldn’t help laughing at her mistake.
‘What?’ she asked.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, ‘but you just said, she’s your best friend forever, forever.’
If I’d expected contrition, I was mistaken. She narrowed her eyes at me. ‘Yeah. You wanna make something of it?’
‘You have definitely been hanging around Amy for too long,’ I told her. ‘I forbid you to talk to her again.’
It turned out that we were able to make Christa McKenzie an offer she couldn’t refuse. She came for an interview on the following Friday, and arrived full of apologies for the possibility that she might be wasting our time. She explained that she wasn’t looking for a career change, and that she had taken the meeting more out of courtesy rather than in any expectation of being persuaded otherwise.
‘It never does any harm to find out what else is on offer,’ she said smoothly, ‘but I don’t want you to think I’m here under false pretences, so if you’d rather not proceed on that basis, I completely understand.’
Lauren assured her that we were still happy to continue, and set out our plans for the gallery and the agency. She detailed our roles and what we were looking for from a prospective employee before outlining the sort of contribution she thought Christa could make. Christa in turn had a lot of questions, while giving many ideas of what she could bring to the role, and as I listened to the women’s discussions I got the feeling that Ms McKenzie was becoming steadily more convinced.
I put in a few comments of my own and answered a couple of questions, but I was content to take a lesser part in the negotiations, until Christa spoke directly to me.
‘May I ask an impertinent question?’ she began. ‘When I came in, I made what is obviously a poor assumption that you, as owner of the gallery, would be leading this interview…’
It suddenly occurred to me that she might be concerned about our management structure, so I asked, ‘Do you have a problem with Lauren’s authority?’
‘Absolutely not,’ she countered, quickly. ‘My question was to do with autonomy. Obviously you have a special relationship, but I was wondering what level of independence I can expect, particularly at times when Lauren is not here?’
‘I have to say, I hadn’t given it a lot of thought because I don’t consider it an issue,’ Lauren answered. ‘I see all of our roles as supportive of one another rather than having anyone in a supervisory position.’
‘I agree with that,’ I added. ‘Lauren is far more experienced and knowledgeable than me and that’s obviously true of you too, so I’m content to take a back seat in the day-to-day running of the gallery. In the unlikely event we have a problem and can’t come to an agreement between us, then Lauren will always have the final say. Is that acceptable to you?’
Lauren’s mouth had dropped open at my last remark, but she quickly recovered and smiled at me while Christa said, ‘I think that’s very fair. We have a very structured hierarchy at the Hanniden, and you may not quote me on this, but I think some poor decisions get made because of it. This sounds very refreshing.’
‘Can we assume you might be interested?’ Lauren asked her.
‘I would like to say yes,’ Christa said, ‘but it depends on what you’re offering in terms of salary. Once again, I want to apologise if I’ve wasted your time, but I should warn you, I’m on very good money where I am.’
I smiled. ‘We assumed you would be.’
‘Why don’t you tell us what you’d be prepared to consider,’ Lauren suggested, ‘and we’ll start from there.’
‘Okay, cards on the table,’ Christa said. ‘I’m currently earning seventy-eight thousand, and as much as I like what I’ve heard I couldn’t really envisage jumping ship for less than ten percent on top.’
‘Eighty-six thousand,’ Lauren said. She looked to me for a confirmation.
I answered her unspoken question with a shake of my head and a slight raise of my eyes.
She understood without hesitation. ‘Frankly, Christa, we’d consider that to be quite insulting. Besides, since I’ve know
n Kee I’ve developed a liking for round numbers. We’d like to offer you one hundred thousand.’
For the first time that afternoon, the ultra-calm and assured Ms McKenzie lost her cool. Her eyes widened, and she just managed to prevent her mouth from drooping open as she searched our faces for signs of deception. At last, she said, ‘You’re not joking, are you?’
With some holiday owing to her, which she was able to work into her notice period, Christa was free to start with us just two weeks later. Apparently, her bosses at the Hanniden had been particularly upset by her departure and while they made several inducements in an attempt to retain her, they couldn’t get close to our offer. To make matters worse for them, she had called us on the Monday following her interview to ask if we were looking for anyone else, because she had a trainee working with her who she thought might be an asset to us.
Ashley was an earnest and well-presented young man of nineteen, who was not only interested in art, but also a keen computer programmer. Following his interview I tentatively suggested to Lauren that he would be able to help with the web design and administration systems as well as finishing his training, only to find she had been thinking along the same lines.
He and Christa started on the same day, and the gallery immediately felt like a busy place to be. The ring desk worked perfectly, with plenty of room for the four of us.
Even so, after many years working completely on my own and just a few weeks with Lauren, the sudden presence of two more bodies felt alien and somewhat unsettling to me. I knew I could get used to it, but I was glad when later in the day we decided on working rotas, which meant we would rarely all be together, and for the next two days I would work at home.
That decision proved more fortuitous than I could have imagined, because the very next day Lauren travelled back in time and I was there to pick up the pieces.
I sat down at my computer soon after she left for work, but it wasn’t long before my mind started to drift and I began daydreaming about her. It had been a few weeks since we’d had any time apart, and I laughed at the thought of missing her so quickly. I reminded myself that this was the point of us working separately, and redoubled my efforts to concentrate with only marginal success.