by Joyce Tremel
“She’ll tell you eventually.”
“I hope so.” I pushed my empty plate aside. “It would be nice if Tommy stuck around. I think he’s good for Candy.” I smiled. “He doesn’t let her boss him around.”
Mom laughed. “I’d love to meet him. Do you think the two of them would come to Sunday dinner if I asked?”
I said that I thought they might, then told her some of our plans for our Saturday jaunt to Hartwood Acres. I left out anything that might sound too dangerous. I didn’t want her to worry, but she probably would anyway.
All in all, it was an enjoyable outing. We parted company at the pub, where I gathered up my purchases and took them inside. As I sat down at my desk to finish some paperwork, I realized I was smiling to myself. Mom was right—we definitely needed to do this more often.
• • •
Mike came in at five thirty. He’d helped out numerous times already and he loved tending bar. I could have called Nicole to work instead, but she did enough extra duty and I wanted her to enjoy her night off.
I didn’t have to be at the gallery until eight. Jake was picking me up at my apartment at seven thirty, so I had plenty of time to get ready. He’d been trying to find out what was in the large bag hanging in my office all afternoon. He kept guessing wrong, with most of his guesses leaning toward the risqué. The few times I left my office to check on things in the brewery, I locked my door so he wouldn’t be tempted to take a peek and ruin my surprise.
While I was getting ready, Hops decided that the shoe box was hers. I had taken the shoes from the box, removed the balled-up tissue paper that was inside, and tossed the paper balls back into the box. When I came back to the bedroom after my shower, the paper was scattered all over the floor and Hops was lounging in the box. I shook my head and laughed, once again glad I hadn’t spent money on a cat bed.
I put on a little more makeup than I normally did, adding some gray eye shadow and plum lipstick. I usually went bare-faced or slapped on some blush and mascara. I wasn’t sure what to do with my hair since it was so short. I used a little gel and fluffed it with my fingers. It would have to do. When I finally slipped the dress on, I checked my appearance in the full-length mirror on the back of my bedroom door. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten so dressed up. I hardly recognized myself.
“What do you think, Hops?”
She glanced up from her new shoe box and yawned. She wasn’t impressed.
The doorbell rang as I finished putting on my shoes. The heels were only two inches high, but they felt strange because I always wore flats or sneakers. I was glad the heels weren’t so high that I’d have trouble walking or even trip over my own feet.
When I opened the door, Jake was definitely more impressed than Hops had been. “Wow,” he said.
I did a little pirouette. At least I think that’s what they’d called it when Mom signed me up for ballet lessons when I was five. I’d preferred to spin around and around until I got dizzy and fell over. The ballet teacher frowned on that. I’d only made it through three classes. “What do you think?”
“No one is going to be looking at that painting tonight. They’ll all be staring at you.”
“You look great,” I said. “Very handsome.” He was dressed in a charcoal suit with a white shirt and red tie.
“I’m happy I didn’t throw out all my old suits.” He took both of my hands in his. “If anyone tries to hit on you tonight, I’m going to body-check them.”
I laughed. “I’d like to see that. Just not into the painting, please.”
• • •
The Gallery on Ellsworth was only a block from the parking garage—easy walking distance even in my dress shoes. Jake offered to drop me off, but I wouldn’t hear of it. There was already quite a crowd inside the gallery when we arrived. Philip Rittenhouse stood inside the glass door greeting everyone as they arrived. He shook Jake’s hand and kissed me on the cheek and told me I looked ravishing. Maybe I should dress up more often.
Many of the attendees were public figures. I recognized a few of them, including Ginger Alvarado and her city councilman husband, Edward. Ginger had been the organizer of the Three Rivers Brews and Burgers Festival that we’d participated in over the summer. I pointed them out to Jake and we headed that way.
Ginger greeted us as if she were the First Lady. “I’m so happy to see you both,” she said. “You remember Edward, don’t you?”
“Of course,” I said. “How are you both?”
“Very well,” Edward said. “Fabulous event, don’t you think?”
I didn’t get a chance to respond because a reporter came up to speak to him.
Ginger smiled. “That reporter is about to get a scoop. Edward has decided to definitely run for County Executive.”
Jake and I offered our congratulations.
“I hope this means we’ll have your support.” She looked at us expectantly.
“Sure thing,” Jake said.
Ginger clapped her hands together. “Wonderful! We’ll have all kinds of volunteer opportunities—fund-raising, going door to door . . .”
He put his hand under my elbow and squeezed. I took it to mean, Get me out of this conversation and quick.
Fortunately I spotted my mother across the room just then. “Oh, there’s Mom over there. We’d better go over. It was nice seeing you again, Ginger.” I turned and hurried away with Jake right behind me before she even opened her mouth to say good-bye.
“That was close,” Jake said. “If I would have known she wanted free labor and not just a vote, I would have kept my mouth shut.”
“Look. Dad and the mayor just joined Mom.”
A waiter carrying a tray of champagne was nearby, and Jake took two glasses from him. He passed one to me. “If we’re talking politics, we’re going to need these.”
“Don’t worry. The mayor is just a regular guy. You’ll like him.” We reached my parents and the mayor.
“Well, look at my little girl,” Dad said with a smile after he gave me a kiss. “Beautiful. You look just like your mother.”
“Many years ago, maybe,” Mom said.
She introduced Jake to the mayor and they immediately started talking hockey. I was glad because it gave me a chance to talk to my dad. I asked him about the investigation into Doodle’s murder.
“As far as I know, Mitch hasn’t turned up anything new.”
“Did he say anything about his interview with Candy? Is she still a suspect? Has he talked to the other band members?”
Dad sighed. “It’s not my case, sweetie. Maybe you should ask Mitch.”
I was disappointed. Even though Dad wasn’t the investigator, I had hoped he’d at least heard something. I’d give Detective Raines a call tomorrow. He wasn’t under any obligation to tell me anything, but maybe he would anyway. I finished my champagne and set the glass down on a small table.
Philip clinked his glass with a small fork he’d taken from the hors d’oeuvre table. “May I have everyone’s attention, please?”
We all turned his way.
He stood beside an easel covered with a white cloth. “Thank you all for coming. This gallery has been a dream of mine for many years. Too many, if you ask Marcus.”
His partner was behind him and off to the side, and he grinned. “Way too many.” Soft laughter buzzed through the room.
“I’m doubly blessed,” Philip continued, “that tonight not only marks the opening of the gallery, but also the unveiling of what is one of Johannes Vermeer’s so-called ‘lost paintings.’ I won’t bore you with details, but according to the research of various art scholars over the last few centuries, there are at least six documented works of art by Vermeer that haven’t been seen since the late seventeenth century. They were mentioned in an auction catalog from a patron’s estate in the year 1696. The painting that I’ve acquired
for a buyer is believed to be the one identified in the catalog as Face by Vermeer and is thought to have been painted before 1660.” He smiled. “In other words, this painting predates the famous Girl with a Pearl Earring by at least four or five years.”
I whispered to my mother, “This is so fascinating. Has Philip learned any more about where it came from or how it was found?”
“Only that it was found in Austria hidden in the wall of a house that had been torn down,” Mom said. “A private collector had passed it down through the family over many years and hid it in the wall from the Germans during the Second World War.”
Philip moved behind the painting and placed his hands on the white cloth that covered it. “Without further ado, I present Face by Vermeer.” He lifted the cover to reveal the painting to loud applause.
A frisson of excitement went through me. The thought that this painting was over three hundred and fifty years old thrilled me. I had seen pictures of the Girl with a Pearl Earring many times and this one was similar, yet different. This girl faced in the opposite direction and there were other differences, but it was apparent that Vermeer had gotten the inspiration for the later painting from this one.
Jake stood beside me and reached for my hand. “She’s almost as pretty as you,” he said.
A flash of blond hair caught my eye as a woman moved behind him. I did a double take. It couldn’t be.
“Hello, Jake,” she said.
He spun around. “Victoria?” His surprise quickly turned to anger. “What the hell are you doing here?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
That was an excellent question. What was Jake’s ex-fiancée doing here? Had she come to try and take him back? Or to just make his life miserable? From what he’d told me, those things could be one and the same.
Victoria’s laugh was probably pleasant to most people, but it was like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. “Surprised to see me, darling?” she said.
Jake let go of my hand and put his arm around my waist. “Don’t call me that. And yeah, I’m surprised. I thought the only time you left New York was to fly to Europe or the West Coast. Why are you here?”
Instead of answering his question, she gave me the once-over. And frankly, I did the same to Miss Supermodel. She was almost as tall as Jake’s six foot three. Her blond hair hung past her shoulders, the waves falling in perfect symmetry on both sides. I resisted the urge to reach up and touch my own hair, which I was sure was sticking up in a thousand different places. She wore a baby blue, mid-calf-length dress that hugged her body, and I doubted that she wore anything under it.
“You must be the girl brewer that I’ve heard so much about.” She reached out her hand, and after I checked to be sure she wasn’t holding a snake or something, I reluctantly shook it.
“I’m Max,” I said. Like she didn’t know that already.
Victoria smiled at Jake. “She’s cute, but you’ve really come down in the world.” She looked back at me. “And I guess you think you’ve latched on to quite the catch. He’s definitely a step up from beer-guzzling steel workers.”
If I killed her now, I wondered if it would be justifiable homicide. I curled my fingers into fists.
I had the feeling she wanted Jake to make a scene but he wasn’t falling for her bait. He pulled me closer. “How about answering my question?” he said.
She was holding a glass of champagne and she took a sip before answering. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Jake said, “The only obvious thing is that you’re a conniving little bit—”
“Do you two know each other?” Philip had joined us. I hadn’t even seen him approach.
Victoria gave Philip a dazzling smile. “Intimately.”
At the same time, Jake answered, “Unfortunately.”
I liked Jake’s answer better.
“I hadn’t realized that,” Philip said, “or I would have invited Max and Jake to dinner with us.”
Victoria placed her hand on Philip’s arm and gazed adoringly at him. She did know he was gay, didn’t she? “I didn’t know he’d be here. This isn’t the usual company he keeps these days. Besides, I adore surprises.”
“We’ll have to all get together another time then,” Philip said.
Jake mumbled, “When hell freezes over.”
I was the only one who heard him and I suppressed a smile.
Victoria still had her hand on Philip’s arm and he placed his other hand over hers. “It’s time to introduce you.”
She gave a catty smile to Jake. “I’ll be delighted and honored to let everyone know that I’m the owner of that painting.”
Jake and I were both too shocked to say a word. We watched them head toward the painting. A waiter passed by and Jake grabbed a glass, downed it in one gulp, and put the glass back on the tray. Mom and Dad had been watching the exchange and had to have heard some of it. They were now beside us wanting to know what was going on.
While Jake explained, I realized my hands were still balled into fists. I relaxed them and wiggled my fingers. I couldn’t believe that Victoria was the owner of that painting. I knew models sometimes made a lot of money, but that painting had to be worth at least a million. And I doubted that she bought it because she actually liked it. She wanted the prestige of owning a famous painting. She didn’t care a whit about the painting itself. She’d lock it up and use it for bragging rights. I thought of the line from one of the Indiana Jones movies. To paraphrase Indy, Face by Vermeer belonged in a museum.
Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed Mom was talking to me and that Dad and Jake weren’t there. “Sorry,” I said. “I was thinking. Where did the guys go?”
Mom pointed to the food table. “Your father was hungry. He didn’t have time to eat dinner.” She touched my arm. “Are you okay? That had to be quite a shock.”
“I’m fine. I never thought I’d actually get to meet the infamous Victoria.” And I’d never wanted to.
Mom studied my face. “Jake loves you, you know.”
I nodded. We hadn’t actually made any declarations to each other, but we both knew that’s what it was. “I know. And I know he’s much happier now. I just hate what she did to him.”
Jake and my dad returned with two plates full of various appetizers. I snatched a mini-quiche from Jake’s plate.
“Hey! Hand’s off, O’Hara,” he said with a grin. I was relieved he was back to his usual self and that he wasn’t going to let Victoria get the best of him. That wouldn’t have been the case a few months ago.
We didn’t stay much longer. We’d seen the painting, which was the reason we’d come. Although Victoria had looked our way several times, she’d been too busy with reporters and photographers to bother us again. We didn’t even get to talk to Philip, but we did ask Marcus to tell him we said good-bye.
Jake was quiet on the short walk to the parking garage. Once we were in his truck, he turned to me. “I hope you know that I’m over her.”
“Of course I do.” But it was nice to hear it.
He reached over and traced his finger down my cheek. “You’re the one I care about. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“The feeling is mutual.” I took his other hand in mine. “I will never do what she did to you and try to mold you into something you’re not.”
“I know you won’t.” He leaned over and kissed me.
It was a long kiss that seemed to go on forever and we were both breathless when we separated. “Wow,” I said.
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath and started the truck. “I’d better get you home before we steam up the windows.”
I grinned. “You have defrosters in this thing, don’t you?”
He laughed and put the truck in gear. “Yeah. But do you really want to make out in a truck in a parking garage?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never done it before.�
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Jake shook his head. “This is no time to live dangerously, O’Hara.”
“Spoilsport.”
The good-natured teasing took the heat level in the truck down a notch. By the time we reached my loft building, my heartbeat had returned to normal. He walked me to my door and we said good night. I went in still thinking about that kiss.
• • •
I was up early the next morning and at the brewery by six. The hefeweizen was ready to keg, so I spent a couple of hours taking care of that and cleaning up. By the time I’d finished, my stomach was growling so I headed next door to the bakery.
Candy was behind the counter with her part-time weekend clerk. Everyone in Lawrenceville seemed to be hunting for sweets again this morning, and it was ten minutes before I made it to the front of the line.
“I’m sorry,” Candy said. “Your chocolate muffins are all gone. And so are the apple cinnamon.”
“That’s okay. I’m in the mood for something different anyway.” I quickly studied the contents in the case. “How about that blueberry muffin? I haven’t had one of those in a while.”
“It’s all yours.” She put it in a waxed bag and moved over to the cash register. “We’re still on for Hartwood Acres tonight, aren’t we?”
I nodded. “I really don’t like you going.” If there was some way I could talk her out of it, I would, but I knew it would be fruitless.
“I’ll be fine,” she assured me. You’ll all be there and so will Tommy. Nothing is going to happen.”
“I hope you’re right.” I paid for my muffin and she handed me the bag. “If you get a chance, stop over later. I have something big to tell you.”
Candy’s face broke out into a huge smile and she clapped her hands together. “Oh! Jake popped the question, didn’t he? This is so exciting!”
My face turned redder than the T-shirt I was wearing. I’d better set her straight. And fast. “No, he didn’t. It’s nothing like that at all.”