by Claire Adams
“What’s this, Daddy?” Nell asked me. She was pointing at a sculpture that a client had set up for her upcoming show. It used different colors, metals, and shapes to create what I called a masterpiece. It was my favorite part of the artist’s whole collection.
“That’s a sculpture, baby,” I said to her. I loved to talk with her about art and wanted her to grow up knowing about everything involving art. This world was quickly changing, and art was starting to become a thing of the past. I wanted to make sure my daughter would know the joy and beauty art brought to the world.
“What does it do?” she asked, studying the sculpture hard. She made a fist with her little knuckles and knocked on the side of the sculpture. I wasn’t worried about her breaking it because it was very sturdy. I mostly just really enjoyed watching her study the various pieces of art. She would get the same look of concentration on her face that her mom used to get.
I knew there were emails I should be answering, but it was hard with Nell here. So far, though, she’d only been asking questions. She’d been pretty good about not touching anything. She was a good listener. Her mother would have been so proud of her.
The gallery door opened and a lady in her mid-to-late thirties walked in. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. She also looked like she’d had a fair amount of plastic surgery. Her face looked too fake to be real.
“Hello. How are you?” I asked her. I tried not to stare at her too much. I didn’t want her to think I was attracted to her. But I also didn’t want her to think I was judging her, either. I was, of course, but that was beside the point.
“Hi. I’m doing fine. Is this where I inquire about the job?” she asked. Her voice was a little cold and off-putting, but I didn’t want to write her off just yet. I had learned it was better not to do that.
I studied the woman’s face, hoping to find some semblance of happiness. I was hoping to catch something on her face that told me she was nice. I desperately needed to hire someone, but I didn’t want to settle on someone who was going to be rude. And so far, it was already looking that way. I was a pretty good judge of character.
“Yes, it is. I’m James, the owner.” I reached out to shake her hand.
But she didn’t take my hand, and after an awkward moment, I dropped mine back to my side. I was already seeing where this was headed. She looked at me, then at Nell, and finally back to me.
“There’s a child here,” she said, like we were standing in a strip joint, not an art gallery.
“Yes, she’s my daughter,” I said, and Nell came over to stand beside to me.
“Hi. Are you going to work here?” Nell asked. I loved that she was not shy. She was a very talkative little girl who liked to socialize and get to know people. She liked to figure out what was going on in the world around her, frequently through the cues of adults.
The lady gave Nell a strange look that didn’t sit right with me. Turning to me, she said, “I don’t think children should be in your place of work. That is highly unprofessional.”
“Look, lady, my nanny had a family emergency and had to leave. I have no other options for her right now. I own the place, so I don’t get how that’s unprofessional. It’s not like I’m in the middle of a showing and she’s running around screaming and breaking things.” I already didn’t like this woman.
“Yes, but still it doesn’t look good that you can’t find reliable babysitters or even help for your art gallery. These are things you should have figured out before you opened your doors.”
“Listen, lady. I’ve been open for quite a while now. Some things happened that I had no control over and that has nothing to do with me being a bad business owner or father. I would like it if you would leave now. I would never hire you in a million years.”
The lady looked shocked. “Excuse me? Well, I’d never want to even apply here. It’s unprofessional of you to have your little brat here.”
I clenched my fists to keep from snapping. “Listen, lady. If you want to go on with the rest of your day and not be thrown in jail, I would turn around, walk through that door, and never look back again.”
I put my hand up when she tried to talk again. “I don’t want to hear it,” I said.
With a huff, she turned and walked out of the door with her nose in the air. A sense of relief flushed through my body. I had felt uncomfortable from the moment she had walked in. How dare her tell me that I shouldn’t have my daughter at my place of work. I was the owner, for crying out loud. I could bring my daughter to work with me if I damn well wanted to!
“That lady was mean,” Nell said. She was very observant and smart. She picked up on things so easily.
“I know. Don’t worry, baby, Daddy got rid of her. She won’t come back now,” I said, and bent down to give my daughter a hug. There was a lot more I wanted to say to Nell about the lady, and a lot more I wanted to call her. But, in the end, I figured it wasn’t appropriate. There were things she just didn’t need to hear.
“What’s this piece called, Daddy?” she asked, turning her attention back to the sculpture.
“Decadence is the name of that piece,” I told her.
“Why’s it called that, Daddy? What does that word mean?” she asked.
I always really loved how curious she was about the world. She wanted to know more about things that most five-year-old couldn’t have cared less about. For being so young, she was also quite the wordsmith. If she didn’t know or understand a word, she would ask me the meaning a few times, so that she could understand it.
“I’m not sure. The artist picked the name.” Then I pulled out my phone and Googled the definition. I read it out loud to her. “Decadence means luxurious self-indulgence. In other words, it’s something really fancy that you like.” It was the only way I could think of to describe it to a five-year-old.
“Oh. Like when I name my dollies?” She didn’t have much to say about the definition. And I figured it was because it went right over her head. I figured it would. I didn’t really know how it could do anything but. She was a smart girl, but there was only so much she could understand at this moment time. It made me wonder how she was going to be as she got older, though. Was she still going to be as curious as she was now? I hoped so.
I laughed, “Yes, just like that.”
“What are we going to do when I start school?” Nell asked. She sounded a lot more concerned about this that she should have been. I blamed that on myself. I was always worrying about something, and things seem to brush off on her all the time.
Shrugging, I said, “I have no idea, sweetie. I’m hoping we find something out soon.”
We headed upstairs so I could look for a phone number. I remembered a guy who had come by six months before and said that if I was ever hiring, he would be interested in working for me. I searched for a good five minutes before giving up.
“What are you looking for?” Nell asked as she spun around and around in my office chair.
“A phone number. Stop doing that, sweetie,” I said and continued to dig through some boxes.
“I’m gonna go look at the pretty pictures,” Nell said, and then she stopped spinning, got off the chair, and walked down the stairs.
It was only a few minutes later when I heard footsteps coming back up.
Giving up looking for the phone number, I prepared to head back downstairs just as a younger woman in her mid-to-late twenties came to the door of my office.
I paused when I saw her. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. She had long sandy blonde hair and the most beautiful dark green eyes. Her beauty took my breath away.
But I was still feeling frustrated with first the rude older lady, and then with not being able to find the number I needed. I didn’t really have the patience to deal with her.
I had to deal with people showing up early for art shows all the time. It was the most frustrating thing for me. For some reason, our people just didn’t understand how to read the time or date on a flyer.
“The art show isn’t until tomorrow,” I said. I didn’t mean to come out sounding so frustrated with her, but I just couldn’t help it. I was already on edge from everything else that was going on, and now here was somebody showing up a day early for the art show. It didn’t even look ready downstairs; I didn’t understand why she would think that it was time.
“Thanks,” she said with a funny look, then she turned around and started to walk out. I felt bad, but I really wanted to find that phone number. I didn’t want to chase her down and deal with any of that. But I was a little curious as to why she was here. The way she’d reacted didn’t seem like she was here for the art show. In fact, she kind of acted like she had no idea there was art show even going on. That’s what I remembered the help wanted sign.
Chapter Six
Rachel
The guy seemed frustrated, and I wasn’t sure whether he was frustrated with me or something else, but I felt awkward. I turned to leave, just ready to get out of there. I wasn’t even sure why I’d showed up in the first place. I walked back down the stairs and headed toward the exit.
I hadn’t meant to upset him and was confused about why he assumed I was there for the art show when there was clearly a help wanted sign in the window.
“Do you like art?” the little girl asked me, stopping me from leaving the gallery. She was too cute to ignore.
She was adorable and looked a lot like the man, which made me wonder if she was his daughter.
“I love art,” I said and looked over the painting she was currently looking at.
It was an abstract painting with golds, yellows, and blacks. But as you stared at it, a bigger image came into place. You could make out a woman, one that looked upset and maybe even hurt. You could feel the pain in the painting, and it gave me chills. That type of art—the kind that made you think and feel—was what made me get my art degree in the first place. It was nice to be reminded of that after far too long.
“I like the sculpture,” the little girl said.
I looked down at her and saw that she was looking at the sculpture by the front door. I followed her as she started walking over to it.
It was amazing, and I stared at it for a moment. Taking in the shapes and the way it all flowed together, as if it was one large piece instead of several small pieces put together. It was so good, and I figured the artist must be rich. I had seen her name several times in ads around town before. It’s a shame I had never taken the time to come in here. Especially since I lived only two blocks away.
“Isn’t it cool?” she asked me after I had been staring at the sculpture for a couple of minutes.
I smiled at her and then looked back at the sculpture. “It’s very cool. Is this the same artist?” I asked her, knowing that she might not have the answer.
“I think all of it’s the same person. I think anyway,” she said.
I laughed at how she used the words ‘I think’ to reiterate her statement, to make sure I knew that she wasn’t sure. I was certain she was right. Almost all the pieces had the same name and the ones that didn’t just didn’t have a name at all.
“They are all so amazing. Is that your Dad upstairs?” I asked her, surprised at my own ease in this conversation.
Maybe it was because she was just a little girl and all the pressures I usually felt when talking to adults weren’t there. I felt so calm talking to this little girl, and was delighted to see she was so smart.
“Yes, he owns this place,” she said. Her words were so well articulated, I wondered how old she was. She looked like she was maybe four or five, but I wondered if she was older because of how well she spoke.
“That’s cool. Do you get to come here with him a lot?” I asked.
“No. Esther’s brother died, and she had to leave,” she said, leaving me to wonder who Esther was.
“Who is Esther?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t prying too much into this little girl’s life.
“My nanny,” she said.
“Oh, I’m sorry for your nanny. Is that why you get to be with your dad today?” I asked her.
“Yeah, he’s looking to hire someone who will be nice and listen.”
I laughed at how old and mature she sounded when she said this. “The last person wasn’t nice?”
“No, she wasn’t. Janice didn’t like to listen to Daddy,” she said.
I laughed again, and then she dragged me over to look at some more paintings. I knew I should probably leave and let the little girl be, but she was so fascinated with showing me everything that I would have felt bad if I had just up and left her.
“Why are you here?” she asked me, sounding so adult it seemed crazy. She was getting wrapped around my finger very quickly, but it didn’t take much for me to feel that way toward children.
“I came to apply for the job, but I don’t think your Dad liked me very much,” I admitted, then wondered why I said that to his daughter.
A few seconds passed, and we heard her dad start to come down the stairs.
“Why didn’t you hire this lady? She is so nice,” the little girl said.
The guy looked up, and for the first time, I really looked at him. He was older than me, and I noticed as he smiled, that it didn’t quite reach his eyes, making me wonder what he had been through in his life. Had he gone through something that tore him apart just like me?
He cleared his throat and held out his hand, “I’m so sorry. I’m James.”
I grabbed his hand and shook it, “I’m Rachel.”
“I thought you were here for the art show I’m having tomorrow night. My apologies.”
“It’s okay; I wasn’t really clear on why I was here,” I said, hoping to take some of the blame for the mistake and ease the awkwardness.
“This is my daughter, Nell,” he said.
I held out my hand to Nell, and to my surprise, she took it and shook my hand. It was very adult-like, and I had to laugh.
“I think she’d be perfect for the job, Daddy. She really likes the art, and she’s so nice.” Then she added in a whisper, “And she’s so pretty.”
I felt my cheeks heat up and saw the same look in James’ eyes. He laughed, “All of that is very true. When would you like to start?” he asked.
It took me by surprise because I wasn’t expecting him to say that. I was thinking I was going to have to fill out an application and then do an interview. But maybe he just desperately needed the help.
“Whenever you need me to,” I said, smiling a real smile for the first time in a long while.
“How about Monday?” he asked.
I was surprised that he wanted me to work so soon, but at the same time, I was kind of glad because then I wouldn’t have to sit around wondering if I got the job or not. Plus, this only gave me two days to freak out about starting the job.
“Yeah, sure, Monday will work,” I said.
“Yay!” yelled, Nell, “I’m so happy right now.”
“Why is that?” James asked.
“Because you hired a nice lady. She was talking to me about all the art in here. She likes the sculpture too,” Nell said.
“She does?” James asked, but he was looking at me. “What’s your favorite piece?”
I brought him over to the gold, black, and yellow abstract painting. “This one,” I said.
“It’s deep, isn’t it?” he asked.
We were both staring at it, and I thought it was really cool that we were both interpreting it the same way.
“It’s got a lot of emotion within it,” I told him.
“I agree,” he said.
The three of us stood there in silence and looked at the painting. It was crazy to think that Nell was so well behaved and I wondered where her mother was. That didn’t seem like an appropriate question to ask though. It would be like if someone asked me why I was twenty-six without a husband or child yet, like all the other people in my class.
I pushed the thoughts out of my head. I didn’t want to think about any of t
hose things right now. Especially not when he just hired me to work for him. It would seem funny if I broke down in my place of work before I even started working there.
“It really is amazing,” I looked around at everything. “All of these pieces are quite good,” I said.
“The artist does a great job. This is her fourth show here, and she typically sells out of her pieces fairly quickly,” James said.
“I can see why. Her work is truly amazing. I’ve always admired artists that can really bring emotions out in their pieces,” I said.
“I like all the pretty colors,” Nell chimed in.
James and I laughed at the same time and then we looked at each other. He really was an attractive man, though since he was now my boss, I knew I shouldn’t really be thinking those things. But the only other man I had really seen lately was my pharmacist, Sam. And he wasn’t nearly that attractive. He didn’t come close to James.
He looked athletic, or at least like he took care of himself, and he had kind eyes and a good strong jawline. He was hot. I let the thoughts fade away as we both tore away from the gaze I don’t think either of us realized we were still sharing.
“I’ll see you on Monday then?” I asked.
He nodded his head. “Eight AM would be great.”
“Eight AM it is,” I said. Then I looked at Nell. “Thank you, Nell. It was wonderful meeting you.”
“It was nice meeting you too, Rachel,” she said.
“You remembered my name?” I asked.
She nodded her head, “Yeah. You’re nice. I always remember nice people’s names.”
James and I both laughed at that. Then I turned toward the door so I could leave.
“Thank you, and I’ll see you Monday,” I said.
“See you Monday, Rachel.”
The way he said my name sent a chill through my body. It was a strange feeling, and I hadn’t felt anything like it in years.