by Parker, Ali
He grinned. “Well played, but yes. I believe Skye wanted to remind people to look for a little bit of magic in every day.”
“Skye?” I frowned, trying to remember if I’d heard him mention the name before. “Is that the artist?”
“Yes. Halsey Skye. He’s a legend around here,” Fulton explained patiently, but I heard an undercurrent of excitement and awe in his tone. “He’s in such high demand, they had to wait months for him to start this mural after contracting him to do it.”
“Really?” I knew street art was a thing, but I didn’t realize people could be contracted to do it or that it was such a big thing that they’d wait months for a person to come paint their walls. “I can see why they’d be willing to wait. He’s a genius.”
“He really is,” Fulton agreed. His words started coming faster, almost like he couldn’t quite stem the flow. “Halsey never had any money. He grew up dirt-poor and lived on the streets for long stretches at a time.”
“Wow.” I let out a low whistle. “Now he’s this big legend?”
He nodded. His eyes still glued to the painting. “Yeah, he started out painting with whatever was donated to him. Unless I’m very mistaken, he still does it that way.”
“Are you serious? Why would people still donate stuff to him if he’s so successful now?” Also, how did he get supplies donated to him in the first place? There were suddenly a thousand questions in my mind, including who had gotten him to the point where he was now. Someone was obviously selling his services, and working with someone so talented had to be damn exhilarating.
Fulton shrugged. “I’m serious. Some art supply store donated a lot of stuff to a homeless shelter he was in as a teenager. He got hold of some of the paints and just started painting. I think he started by painting the place’s bathroom doors and they loved what he’d done so much that they asked him to keep going.”
For some reason, my heart was beating overtime. I was hanging on Fulton’s every word, feeling like he was describing something that was happening right in front of me and to a friend. That was the thing about art, to me. You didn’t need to know an artist to feel a personal connection with them. I had no idea what this Halsey person even looked like, and yet, I felt like I’d known him all my life just from looking at what he’d painted.
Fulton was fully immersed in his story too. His face was animated, his voice filled with pride and emotion. “Rumor has it that he started with the bathroom doors because they were so grimy. He wanted to create something beautiful that people could look at even if they were just passing through.”
“How did he know he could paint, though? How did he know he could take those paints and create something beautiful with them?” It was like I needed the answers to those questions more than anything. If Halsey had found his passion by painting the bathroom doors of a homeless shelter, there had to be hope for me, right?
Money or no money, I had decided that I wanted to go into the art industry. Seeing Halsey’s work, I had just realized that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to find people with talent like his and get it out in the world, help them to make a living doing what they loved no matter where they came from.
“I don’t know how he knew,” Fulton said. “Maybe he just did? You’ll have to ask him those questions, though. I think I read somewhere once that he saw the paints just sitting there after they were donated and thought that since no one was using them, he’d give it a try.”
“That’s quite a story.” It was weird to think of someone who had once lived in a homeless shelter as luckier than I was, but I felt like Halsey had been pretty lucky. In the right place, at the right time to find what he really was talented at.
I might have now figured out what I wanted to do, but whether I would be talented at it remained to be seen. No amount of flirting or peddling bullshit would make me a truly talented art seller.
“There’s more to it,” Fulton continued. “After all the work he did on his paintings once he took off, he never took a penny for it. If anything was sold, he wanted the money to go to a homeless shelter instead.”
“That’s admirable.” I wondered what he was doing now, whether he still lived in a homeless shelter or if he’d started taking payment for his work yet. I vowed to myself that I would find out, and I would get the answers to my questions. “How have I never heard of him? His work is amazing, and his story is even better. His name should be everywhere.”
“Indeed it should,” Fulton agreed, finally turning away from the wall to face me. “I wanted to show you this to give you an example of one person who was among the poorest of the poor and has still become a major success in the art world. You can do it, too, you know. If you wanted to.”
“I do want to,” I blurted out, then pressed my hand to my suddenly racing heart. It was like admitting it out loud and knowing it was absolutely true had kicked me into overdrive. “I know what I have a passion for, and it’s selling art. I want to sell masterpieces created by people like Halsey to others. Not only to help them make successes of themselves, but to also spread their talent as far and wide as I can.”
A slow grin grew on Fulton’s lips as his hands lifted to my shoulders. He crouched down a little so we were at eye level with each other. “You’re serious?”
“I am.” I had barely managed to get the two short words out when Fulton suddenly dropped his hands from my shoulders and wound them around my waist instead. He lifted me clear off my feet, crushed me to his chest, and spun me around. It was like we were in a movie, right there on the sidewalk.
“I think that’s a great idea,” he said when he finally set me down, keeping ahold of my left hand. “I can help you get your foot in the door when you get back to Florida, if you’d like. I may not be in the industry, but I do have connections.”
“No.” My voice was as firm as my decision: rock solid. “I’ll start sending in applications when I get back home, but I want to do this on my own. You’ve helped me more than enough already. Thank you for your offer, but no thank you.”
I couldn’t stress to him enough how important it was to me that I did this on my own. I might have slightly overreacted to feeling like I was a charity case to him, and I no longer thought I was, but I didn’t even want to have to wonder.
This was my life and my future we were discussing. I wanted to make it happen for myself and on my own terms. I didn’t want to have to look back one day and wonder if I owed my entire life to someone else. I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny, and the only way was to do it myself.
Fulton searched my eyes for a long second, but he must have seen how dead serious I was, because he left it at that. “Okay, but if you ever change your mind, my offer stands.”
“Okay.” I squeezed his hand, wanting him to know how much it meant to me. How much everything he had done for me meant to me. He was the one who had kickstarted this whole process, and I would never forget it. “I think I’m ready to go back to Florida now, Fulton. I know I said I wanted to stay for a couple of days, but now that I’ve decided what I want to do, I really want to start doing it.”
He smiled, taking my free hand in his as well and holding both tightly as he leaned forward to press a soft kiss to my forehead. “I totally get it. I can see the passion burning in your eyes. I know what it feels like, and I can’t wait to see what you do with that fire, so let’s get you home.”
Chapter 23
Fulton
“Home at last.” Valerie undid the buckle on her seat belt, turning in the passenger seat to face me. “Thank you for taking me to Seattle with you. It was an eye-opener of a trip.”
“Thank you for coming with me.” I smiled and pushed my sunglasses onto the top of my head. “HalsStuey’s work tends to open eyes, as it should. He’s an extremely talented man. I’m sure he would be thrilled if he knew he had inspired you to pursue a career in art.”
“To be fair, it wasn’t only him. I never would have discovered his work if not for you, so you should give your
self most of the credit.” Valerie angled her head to glance at the beach house she shared with her friends. “Do you want to come inside?”
I sighed, shaking my head. I wanted to take her up on her offer more than anything, but we were back in Florida and there was still some time before close of business. “I’d better get back to work. These last few days have been a much-needed break, but there are a few stops I have to make now that we’re back.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t have rushed back.” A wistful look entered her eyes, but then she blinked and it was gone. “I don’t suppose you could have stayed much longer anyway, though.”
“Not really, no. If you’d have wanted to stay another day or so, I would have been able to make it work, but it may have been a bit of a challenge.” If we’d stayed, I wouldn’t have been able to spend much more time with her. There was too much to be done, but I’d have been able to get my work done on my laptop while she went out to explore.
Valerie tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking as she chewed lightly on it. “Will you be going back to Boston now?”
“Not quite yet.” I planned on staying in Florida as long as I could, but I didn’t know how long that would be. “There are still some things I need to do here. The Tampa branch was the one hit by the robbery, and I want to stay close to help with the aftermath.”
I’d also asked for security footage from various areas of the bank that I hadn’t reviewed yet. Something still wasn’t sitting right with me, and I had to figure out what it was before I left. It wasn’t only an excuse to stay here so I could spend more time with Valerie, I really did plan on seeing through my mission concerning the robbery.
The robbers had been apprehended before they could get much farther than the main floor, so the footage for the rest of the building hadn’t seemed all that important. There was something niggling in the back of my mind, urging me to watch it all.
Valerie smiled, her shoulders relaxing. “So you’ll be around for a while?”
“I hope so.” I nodded slowly. “I won’t leave without saying goodbye when the time comes, either, so don’t worry about that.”
She batted her eyelashes playfully, bringing a hand to her heart. “Why Fulton Yates, is that your way of saying you’ll see me again?”
“Absolutely.” There was no doubt in my mind that we would be seeing more of each other while I was in Florida, as much as she would let me see her. “Unless you’re tired of me now?”
She rolled her hazel eyes, giving her head a quick shake. “I’d like to see you again. When will you be free?”
“Tomorrow night?” I dragged a hand through my hair, my mind racing through the things I needed to get done. “I’m not sure how the rest of my day and tomorrow is going to go, but I’ll make sure that I’m available tomorrow night.”
“Such a busy guy,” she teased, reaching for her door handle. The small duffel bag filled with items we’d bought for her in Seattle sat between her feet. She lifted the strap at the same time she opened the door and slung it across her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, then. Good luck with work, Fulton.”
I watched as she hopped out of the rental car, the duffel bouncing lightly against her hip. “Are you sure I can’t carry that inside for you?”
When we’d turned on to their street, I’d offered to carry the bag inside. Valerie shot me the same look she gave me now and had said pretty much the same things too. “I’m perfectly capable of a carrying one tiny bag. Most of the trays I carried around at the restaurant were heavier than it is, and I carried those around all day.”
“Fine.” I pursed my lips, struggling against my instincts to take the bag from her anyway. My father had raised me as a gentleman, which meant I carried the bag even though I knew full well that she could do it. It was the principle of it, but I knew Valerie wouldn’t appreciate the intervention after she’d refused my help. “For the record, I know you can carry it. I just would have liked to have helped.”
She laughed, resting one of her hands on top of the open door and sticking her head back into the car. “I know. Thanks for the offer, but I’m really fine. I’ll see you tomorrow night, Fulton.”
Before she left, she put her fingers to her lips and blew me a kiss. I mimed catching it and she winked, then slid her sunglasses over her eyes and bounded up the stairs, finally disappearing into the house.
I returned the little wave she gave me and watched as the front door closed behind her. When she was gone, I rested my head back and closed my eyes as I tried to focus my thoughts. Valerie had consumed too much of them over the last couple of weeks, and I didn’t think that was about to change.
She’d only just left, and I already wanted to go after her. If I’d known suddenly being without her was going to make me actually miss the girl as soon as she was gone, I’d have stayed in fucking Seattle with her.
We hadn’t stayed in Seattle, though. We were back in Florida and that meant I had to go see Elliot. Taking a deep breath, I pushed my sunglasses onto the bridge of my nose and started the car. The engine of the sports car purred when it turned over. At least the rush of being encouraged by a mechanical masterpiece to push it to its limits was familiar—unlike so many of the other emotions I was feeling.
I gave in to the temptation, taking the long way to the Tampa branch of the bank and pushing the car as much as I could in the light traffic. When I parked outside the building, I rolled my shoulders and mentally prepared myself to leave Valerieland. Back to reality.
Elliot looked up when I walked into his office without knocking, surprise crossing his features before he grinned. “Fulton? This is a surprise. I thought you were in Seattle.”
“I was. I got back earlier today. Thought I’d stop by to check in with you.” Closing the door behind me, I strode to his one-cup coffee machine and loaded it up before leaning against the wall for the wait. “Have there been any developments in the case?”
“No.” He blew out a deep breath through his nose, the corners of his pressing in out of frustration. “We haven’t heard any more news. The authorities have been quiet and so have the media. It seems they’ve finally lost interest and moved on.”
I nodded, relieved that we were no longer under public scrutiny. “How about the employees?”
“They’re okay.” He lifted his hand and tipped it from side to side. “I’ve done a couple of briefings about how to handle customers who are difficult or distrustful of us, and they seem to be working.”
“The media is no longer fueling the fire.” I mused, shutting my eyes for a fraction of a second before I heard my coffee starting to run into the waiting cup. “We’re in for another shit storm once the trial starts. People may be moving on for now, especially because the money has been returned, but we’ll be back to front and center as soon as the courtroom drama starts.”
Elliot agreed with a nod and grim expression. “I’ve been thinking about that too. If there’s a way we can avoid a drawn-out trial where the world will be reminded of months on end that we were hit, we need to do it.”
“I know, I’m working on it. I’ve mentioned it to our lawyers, and they’ve assured me that when the time comes, they’ll have a plan.” In the meantime, I had spent some time on the plane educating myself about the legal process and what we might expect going forward. It was our first time to have been hit, but there had been more than enough cases nationwide for me to get a general idea of what we were facing.
Elliot sat back in his chair and reached for a cup of coffee that looked like it had been standing there since that morning. He sipped as though it was hot and fresh, lost in thought. “Good to know you’re already working on it. If there’s anything I can do, just say the word.”
“There’s nothing anyone can do right away, but I’ll let you know once I’ve heard from the lawyers. I’m going to do my best to stay in Florida until we know one way or another which way this thing is going to go, but I’ll need you to represent the bank if I can’t be somewhe
re.”
“Understood.” He nodded. “What happened in Seattle? Anything interesting?”
My spirits lifted instantly and my heart flooded with warmth. “Yeah, actually. Valerie said she—”
Elliot raised a brow and put up his hand to stop me. “Valerie? That waitress you told me about, right?”
I nodded. “She came to Seattle with me and I took her to see some work done by an artist there. It was the last push she needed. I think she’s seriously considering a career in art now, especially having seen that it’s a path open to anyone passionate enough about it.”
“That’s great.” He frowned, but there was a ghost of a small smile on his lips. “But when I asked about Seattle, I meant what happened with the bank.”
“Oh, that.” I winked, waving my hand. “Stuart’s a drama queen. I’ve sorted it all out, I hope. I’ll keep checking in on the branch, but he needs to learn to manage his damn people if he wants to remain on as a manager.”
“I’ve always had my doubts about that one, but I’m sure he’ll get his shit together.” Elliot leaned forward, crossing his arms on his desk. “Okay, so tell me more about this Valerie now. You took her to Seattle with you?”
“It was kind of a last-minute thing.” I picked up my cooling coffee and carried it over to sit in one of the chairs across from him. “We weren’t planning for her to come with me, but then it happened, and I’m so happy that it did.”
“How so?” He cocked his head, a strange knowing gleam entering his eyes. “Are you guys a thing now?”
“We’re something,” I admitted. “I’m not sure what yet, but there’s definitely something there. She’s different, Elliot. When I’m with her, I feel like I’m different too. Or not different, just like I can be the person I really am. Different to who I am when I’m wearing a suit and running the company.”