Just a Sketch (7 page)

She frowned slightly. “But that would cost extra, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes. I haven’t found a catering service that provides free staff.”
She says she’s had other openings, but she sounds like a complete newbie at this.

“I think we’ll stick with letting the guests get their own wine and cheese. I’m paying enough for that.”

“Very good. My staff and I will handle arranging for the food and making sure there’s enough for the event.” Aud had hoped to slip out Friday night to spend time with Leo.
Maybe Leo would like to come. I’d enjoy showing him more about what I do here. When was the last time I wanted to share this part of my life with a guy?

“Where are the loading doors?” Concinta asked. “We need to make sure my work can enter the building. But what would be the use of having these tall, beautiful walls if your doors didn’t match?”

“This way, Concinta.” Aud gestured for her to follow him out of the room and down the short hallway to the loading dock and doors. “There will be a drape across the opening to the hallway when the gallery is open.”

“Very good.” She shook her head as she looked at the doors. “I do not know if this is wide enough for my largest work.” She pulled a tape measure from her handbag and began taking measurements. For the longest distances, she handed one end to Aud.

She tsked as she slipped the tool back into her purse. “We will have to be very careful and angle things just so, but I believe it will do.”

“Good.” Aud gave her his best deal-closing smile, although she’d already signed the final contract for the event nearly a month earlier.

“Then I shall go gather the pieces I wish to have on display.” Concinta turned back toward the main gallery. “Hopefully it will prove to be a most profitable evening for both of us.”

“Your work is exquisite, Concinta,” Aud gushed. He knew she liked to be fawned over. “I’m sure you will have many existing fans showing up as well as plenty of new ones. I’ve made a point to get the show listed in all the weekend events pages, both print and online. The coverage is very complete.”

“Thank you, Aud. I’ve heard nothing but good things from my friends who’ve had shows and openings here.” She paused at the front door. “I’ll begin bringing pieces by in the morning.”

“I can’t wait.” Aud smiled at her, then stood at the door while she hurried out and got into the Cadillac just steps from the gallery.

Across the street, a figure that appeared to be Randal Hudspeth turned from looking in Aud’s direction and ducked into a T-shirt shop. Aud sighed.
It doesn’t mean anything if it’s Randal. It’s a popular part of town. I just can’t see him getting a souvenir shirt. We didn’t find any evidence it was even a human who knocked over the grill the other night; the police still think it might’ve been a raccoon or stray dog.
He turned from the street view the door and windows provided.

“Let me guess. She didn’t go for the cater waiters?” Heather asked from behind the counter.

Turning, Aud shook his head. “Nope. She doesn’t want to pay extra for them, and she didn’t even give me the chance to tell her how much.”

“She did strike me as the low-budget sort of artist.” Heather leaned against the wall.

Aud shook his finger at her. “We don’t call the clients cheap… especially when they’re driving Cadillacs.”

“So you and I both get to work Friday night?”

“Unless you know of anyone else working in the gallery. If she’d gone for the cater waiters, then I would’ve run out on you and taken Leo out.” Aud tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

“Why not see if he’d like to come? I know these openings can get boring sometimes, particularly if you don’t know anyone, but it would be an opportunity for him to see how things around here go.”

Aud nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. I’ll call him tonight and ask. It’ll give me an excuse to call him.”

She cocked a dark eyebrow at him. “You need an excuse to call him? I thought things were going really well.”

“They are. We talked the other night on the phone after our interrupted date. But we didn’t set any definite plans and I didn’t want to come across as too needy.”

“You.” She giggled. “You’re not going to come across as too needy. You’re one of the least needy men I know.”

“Clingy, then?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Not clingy either.”

“So you think it’s safe to call him?”

“Yeah, I think it’s safe. Get him in here for that opening and let’s see how he handles himself in public.”

“He did real nicely the other night at dinner.”

“Then let’s hope he can have a repeat performance here on Friday.”

“If he doesn’t already have plans.”

“YOU DON’T
already have plans, do you?” Aud asked. He rubbed his hands on his jeans, trying to get the sweat off as he talked to Leo on the phone.
I can’t believe I’m this nervous about asking a guy out.

“No. Once I get off work Friday, I’m free,” Leo replied. “I normally do laundry Friday nights, but I can put it off.”

The comment told Aud a lot about Leo. “You normally do laundry on Fridays?”

“Most of the time, the laundromat I use isn’t as busy then. I can go in and get my clothes done quickly without much fuss or drama.” Then Leo sighed. “It doesn’t say much for my social life, does it?”

“That’s okay. I think I like the idea that you aren’t hanging out at the bar every Friday night. Some of the guys I’ve dated did that. Those relationships never last long for me. I’ve got more to my life than being around a bunch of alcoholics.”

“I agree.”

Aud could almost see Leo’s sexy smile in his simple words. It brought a grin to his face. “So how have you been the past couple of days?”

“I’ve been okay. Stopped looking for folks lurking around the corners and accepted that whatever knocked that stuff over on your patio was just some kind of animal.”

“Yeah, I relaxed a bit more when I made my peace with that too.” Aud sat on the couch and flashed back to Leo sitting there with him as they made out before being rudely interrupted. Although seeing Randal across the street earlier that day had made him wonder again. He hadn’t been back to the gym since Randal came into the gallery.
I have no idea if they gave him my home address too or not. That’s just being paranoid. Randal’s pushy but he’s not a stalker.

“I guess you’ve been busy getting ready for this opening,” Leo continued.

“Yeah. Well, not real busy. We’ve got most everything sorted out already. There were just a few last-minute details to get worked out, and I think we handled most of it today. Now all that’s left is for Concinta to bring her pieces in and get set up. We’ve got the wine and cheese ordered already and the invitations for Friday night have been mailed and ads have been run for the rest of the weekend. Heather handles most of that for me.”

“Okay, what kind of name is Concinta?”

“Hispanic. Concinta Muniz. Beyond that, I don’t know exactly which country she’s from.”

“I know I hear some unusual names when I’m on the phone,” Leo replied. “I actually find it interesting nowadays how folks are throwing out traditional naming parameters and just making stuff up, or at least that’s what it sounds like. I actually talked to a gal the other day whose name was Raisin Dejonia Right.”

Aud blinked. “Okay, that’s odd. I wonder where her mother came up with that name.”

Leo laughed. It was a light cheerful sound that made Aud feel better.
I wish he was here so I could kiss him.

“I asked her. She said her mother was craving raisins and Dijon mustard while she was pregnant and decided to name her daughter that.”

Aud joined in Leo’s laugh. “I guess she should be lucky it wasn’t beer and pickles or something like that.”

“Exactly.”

They dissolved into a simple conversation about whatever came to mind. Aud’s phone beeped a low-battery warning nearly two hours later.

“Hey, Leo, my phone’s beeping at me. It’s about to run out of juice.” His throat tightened. He didn’t want the call to end.

“I had to plug mine in, but I’m getting a bit of a stiff neck. It’s been great talking to you.”

“Yeah, definitely. So I’ll see you Friday night?”

“Sure. It sounds like fun. But you still have to let me pick a place and pay for dinner.”

“How about Sunday again?”

“That’ll work. We can figure out the time and such on Friday.”

A giddy feeling filled Aud. He’d just managed to schedule two more dates with Leo. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Yes it does.” A soft yawn carried through their connection. Leo chuckled. “Okay. I was doing fine until we started talking about getting off here. Now I’m sleepy.”

“Then you go get some sleep. It was great talking to you tonight.”

“Awesome is more like it. Thanks for inviting me to the opening. It’s going to be fun.”

“Yes, it will. Good night, then?”

“Good night.”

Aud grinned like a fool as he tapped the End button and the phone went dark. He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.
How long has it been since I’ve been on the phone that long with anyone except my mother? Even just talking with Leo is wonderful. I only hope he’s not too bored on Friday night.

LEO PAUSED
as he stepped onto the sidewalk. He’d had to park three blocks down from Bright Thoughts Gallery. Colorado Avenue was packed with cars and even the couple of off-street parking lots in the area were crowded.
This can’t all be for the opening, can it? Maybe one of the bars in the area is overly busy.
He straightened his dark green button-up shirt in the reflection of a candy store window. Across the street, music blared out of the bar on the corner. A few people lingered there, but it didn’t appear to be enough to account for all the cars.

He walked toward the gallery, his brain clicking through the worry that had engulfed him all week since Aud had invited him to the opening.
Aud’s a really awesome guy, but things like this make me think he’s beyond me. I’ve never dated anyone who ate at fancy restaurants and held art gallery openings. I’m a simple guy who works in a call center.

The inside of the gallery was packed. Leo opened the door and paused again. For a moment the urge to turn and walk away hit him, but he didn’t want to disappoint Aud. Squaring his shoulders, he forced himself to walk across the threshold and into the crowd.

Unlike the bar nearby, the music in the gallery was soft and classical, barely audible over the tide of gentle conversation. The diversity of the crowd surprised Leo. There were young hipsters mingling with older folks whose wealth showed in subtle ways, like gold rings and expensive watches that were a contrast to their jeans or slacks. The youthful members of the crowd were louder than the mature ones. In one corner, several were talking loudly about a statue of a naked woman.

“Leo,” Heather, Aud’s assistant, called to him.

He looked in her direction.

She smiled at him as she waded through the crowd. “Glad you could make it. I know Aud will be happy you’re here.”

Seeing a familiar face helped him relax a bit. “Where is he? Or is he busy doing art stuff?”

“Art stuff.” She chuckled. “I’ll have to remember that one. Yeah, he’s back with the artist right now. But they’re about ready for the big reveal; then things will relax a bit and he’ll be yours until sales start.”

Leo glanced around, trying to figure out where he should wait. “So what should I do?”

“There’s normally a lot of mingling going on, but it’s up to you. If you want to just hang out and do some people watching, over by the door to the back room or near the counter is good.” Her eyebrows rose. “I’ll be back.” She hurried past him with a worried look toward a group of loud twentysomethings.

Leo looked toward the door to the back room. Several people were gathered there, one of them gesturing at a large glass sculpture. A spot near the counter was currently open, so he strolled over to it and stood with his back to the display case of delicate jewelry. It was a good place to see what was going on, but he didn’t need to wait long before Aud slipped out of a door on the east wall.

For a second, Aud stared in his direction and graced him with a huge smile. Then Aud cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentlemen, if I can have your attention, please. I know you have all come to see some of the finest art produced in the Front Range in years. Your wait is over. I give you Concinta.” He clapped and stood aside from the door as it opened and a tall, elegant woman with long black hair walked out.

“Thank you.” She smiled as the applause died down. “I’m so honored that you have all come out to see my latest work. I despise giving long speeches at these things so if Aud is ready, I think it’s time to let you all see what you’ve come here to experience.”

Aud did something to the wall, and Leo realized it was on a track. It folded up as Aud pushed on it. In the room behind the quickly disappearing wall, bright lights illuminated large paintings of stylized Southwest street scenes with adobe buildings and almost cartoon-looking vehicles. Everything was bright and cheerful. There were pedestals with smaller pieces on stands and even a couple of mobiles and decorative chimes hanging from the ceiling.

More applause rose up from the gathered gallery goers before they moved forth in a wave, flooding the room.

Aud smiled and said something to Concinta before he walked toward Leo, who was staying close to the counter, feeling safer as the art enthusiasts hurried past him.

“I’m glad you made it.” Aud hugged Leo and gave him a quick kiss.

“Thanks for inviting me.” It was all Leo could say.

“What do you think so far?” Aud took Leo’s hand and followed the crowd into the newly exposed gallery.

“I wasn’t expecting so many people,” Leo admitted. “Are these things always this busy?”

“Concinta has a wide popularity and a huge fan base. It makes for a great opening.” Aud stopped near a large painting of a mission with a bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle driving past it. “Some of these paintings are the best she’s ever done.”