Tears of Endurance (Romantic Drama) Book #1 (4 page)

Chapter six

The run-up to the show was manic. Arianna was busy setting up the gallery and making absolutely sure that Oliver’s paintings were displayed to perfection; each one perfectly lighted and the background had to be just right. She requested the help of both of her part-time assistants for the day of the show, with the promise of a bonus in their salary, knowing full well it may have to come out of her personal finances, what she had left anyway. Oliver had dropped off the paintings at the gallery a few days before and it was now up to Arianna to display them at their very best. She went for the minimalistic look, classy yet understated, simple yet breathtaking, with just the right amount of subtle lighting to show each individual piece in all its beautiful glory. They were generously spaced out so as not to look overcrowded and this enhanced the overall setting of the paintings. Feeling nervous herself now, Arianna was well aware there would be some important guests at her show the following evening and, all of a sudden, the realisation of the importance of the show hit home.

Oliver dropped into the gallery before Arianna locked up
, to view his work as others would see it the following night. As he walked through the door, his mouth fell open. “Wow, they look amazing, Arianna. You really have an amazing eye. I just can’t believe how good they look up there.” Oliver slowly walked around the gallery in awe at the way his own work had been majestically displayed.

“
Oliver, it’s your work up there, your beautiful paintings. All I have done is present them at their best, using what I have at my disposal.”

They admired the paintings, both of them now feeling confident that the show would be a great success. After a private toast in advance of tomorrow
’s show, Arianna and Oliver parted ways for the evening. Feeling satisfied that she’d done all she could, Arianna decided to grab a Chinese takeaway on her way home. She always ordered the same thing: sweet and sour chicken Cantonese style with a side order of egg fried rice. She had a bottle of wine chilling in the fridge and a box of Ferrero Roche chocolates just waiting to be devoured; a little gift from Casey the day before to cheer her up.

She sat down in the small restaurant and waited patiently for her order to arrive; there was a full house and the waiters looked rushed off their feet. Arianna looked out onto the street below. Groups of teenagers were once again heading up towards the top of the high street in their droves. There were one or two couples walking in the opposite direction with a take-out bag in hand and the remaining shops were locking up for the night. She’d always loved Coleshill; it was like a little world all of its own. With a population of just over 6,000, it was a safe place to live and one where many local traditions were still carried out each year. The Coleshill District Round Table always paraded the streets at Christmas time for charity and the local brass band always held an open-air concert in the park behind Coleshill church during the summer. A good turnout was always guaranteed. They had their own cricket team, which was very well supported by the locals. And one Friday every month, Church Street was closed off for the traditional farmer’s market, with local produce from locally farmed vegetables to home baked pies and cakes not to mention the delicious homemade jam on sale. Arianna always stocked up on the blueberry jam, as she was rather partial to it.

“
Here you go, Arianna, sorry for the long wait.” Arianna smiled, said thank you and headed off to her townhouse. She was beginning to dread the weekend nights, Friday nights in particular. She would love nothing more than to go to her favourite restaurant tonight, especially after the week she’d had. She had no one to call: Casey always went out for a family meal on Friday evenings, to Jimmy Spices in Sutton Coldfield with Andrew and her children. Her other two friends were also married with children and never available these days. There were one or two other friends, but they were engaged and she hadn’t been in touch with them for quite some time. As much as Arianna was happy for them, she also envied them too, wishing she had a family of her own to make plans with.

As she turned the key in her door, she vaguely heard her landline ringing upstairs. She ran as fast as she could and picked up the call just in time.
“Hello, Arianna. Sorry I wasn’t in the other night when you called. I was out with my Amateur Dramatics Society and then we went for a meal so I didn’t get home until very late. I did call you a few times but you must have been busy with your upcoming show. How are you, darling? What’s wrong? I could tell by the tone of your voice something was wrong.”

Arianna felt a lump form in the back of her throat. “Oh mum, it’s Justin, he’s left me for another woman. I couldn’t believe it, mum; I never saw it coming for one minute. I thought we were okay.”

There was a short pause before
Sofia replied. “Listen to me, darling. You were always too good for Justin. I never really warmed to him, there was something shifty about him. I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it, and before you ask why didn’t I say anything, well, would you have listened to your old mum? I don’t think so. Once your mind is made up, there is no changing it, Arianna. You fell for him hook, line and sinker and no one could have persuaded you otherwise. Sometimes we mothers have to let our children make their own mistakes, as we did before you. But believe me when I say this, there is someone far more deserving of you out there, someone who will treat you like a princess and treasure you for the rest of your life. I know they exist because for many years I had such a wonderful person in your father before he passed. You too will meet yours, Arianna; just don’t let this experience harden you, okay.”

Arianna tried her hardest to hold back the tears
; she loved her mum with all her heart and respected her more than anyone else on the planet. She could tell her mum was feeling her pain so she held off on telling her about Justin cleaning her out financially as she really didn’t want her to worry. “Mum, I love you, you are right, of course, and as always you talk complete sense. I will say this though; I won’t be running into a new relationship any time soon. It’s going to take me a while before I can trust anyone again. Look, I was wondering if maybe we could go away for a weekend nearer the summer together. It’s been a long time since we did anything like that and I was thinking maybe we could take a break to Dublin or maybe Amsterdam, have lunch, do a bit of local shopping and spend some quality time together.” Arianna let her suggestion linger in the air for a moment.

“
That would be lovely. Dublin sounds great and it’s only a short flight too. I will search for some weekend deals to Dublin and let you know what I find next week, okay? Now, tomorrow is your big day, so give it everything you have. If I could be there, you know I would. I love you, Arianna.”

After an hour spent on the phone to her mum, Arianna popped her takeaway into the microwave to warm it up, poured herself a large glass of wine, and headed to her living room to take up her favourite position on her comfy, oversized sofa. She popped on a movie and tucked into her Chinese takeaway. By midnight, she was spent and made her way to bed, pulling her duvet over her head and falling into a deep sleep.

The following morning, Arianna jumped out of bed full of nervous excitement for her day ahead. There were tons of messages on her mobile phone, which she replied to quickly as she made herself a strong cup of tea to get her day started. Having spent the last few days organising the show and hanging 35 paintings, she felt pretty confident the show would be a great success. Most of the people, professional and otherwise, had responded positively to her invites so she would have a full house.

Although it was the gallery owner
’s objective to promote the art and not particular artists, Arianna always went above and beyond for the artist she was showcasing. This had gone down very well over the last two years for her gallery; she had always wanted her gallery to operate with passion for the art and the artist. She was building up a strong client base among a number of contemporary collectors and now wanted to improve on that by at least 30 per cent by the end of the year.

Arianna was very astute when it came to business
; during the slow times at her gallery, she would rent out the space to local businesses wanting somewhere classy to entertain their clients. She offered a full package, which included catering, and this had proved a great success since she introduced it 12 months previous. She had several bookings a month, which covered the rent for the most part. She had become respected amongst business owners in the area and had also gained a few clients through them via referrals.

The best dealers were not salesmen in the classic sense of the word. Their passion and their connoisseurship, as well as their knowledge, has to combine to convince someone to buy something that has no ostensible function in life, and that is a very difficult thing to do. Arianna had more than enough passion for what she did, and an incredibly good eye. Art was one of the great loves of her life, and the knowledge she had gained while at university only served to increase her passion. She had always had a natural affinity for art, even as a young child.

After she finished her cup of tea, Arianna grabbed her keys and headed to Sully’s Catering Services, situated at the top of the high street. She wanted to check that everything was going well and the platters would be served on time that evening. She’d hired the catering company as she always did when she had a show. Her two assistants kindly agreed to act as waitresses for the evening and she’d roped in an old friend to act as a meet-and-greet person at the entrance, to give it that added professional touch. The wine she’d ordered had arrived the day before and she borrowed a box of wine glasses from a local restaurant, which was more than happy to help out. Satisfied that everything was in hand, she walked over to her gallery. As she walked through the doors and took a final look at Oliver’s art on display, she smiled as she remembered the very first time she’d met Oliver. He was very quiet, a man of few words, and he’d simply handed over his portfolio as he didn’t have his work on disk. He remained quiet and fidgety while she flipped through the pages, in awe at the brilliance of his talent. On viewing his work, there was no doubt in her mind that she would offer him the exhibition space in her gallery. Arianna walked up to a painting and aligned it to please her eye, and then headed back out of the door.

Chapter seven

After unpacking his bag and glancing around the large, open-plan apartment with approval, Ben walked out onto the large balcony overlooking the beautiful marina. There was plenty of room for Charlie to lie down and enjoy the sun and it was complete with table and chairs. He took in the beautiful view of the marina, laid out before him like a picture-perfect postcard. He could have been anywhere in Europe right now, he thought; the view was breathtaking and he felt instantly uplifted. The marina was glistening like diamonds and the sky was a clear deep blue.

“
Not bad, hey? I knew you’d like it,” said Tristan, slipping into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

“
This is amazing, Tristan, a real good find.” Ben took in a deep breath and ruffled Charlie’s head. “Come on, boy, you need to stretch your legs. I’m popping out for ten minutes, Tristan, I’ll grab some beers while I’m gone,” he shouted as he headed out of the door.

Brighton
’s only drawback, Ben always felt, was the stony beach. Unlike most beaches in the UK, Brighton wasn’t blessed with miles of sandy beach. However, it didn’t do the popular town any harm as it was a haven for the trendy city types who arrived in their droves at weekends. Brighton also had a well-established, large and welcoming student community, which included two universities, and the beautiful Sussex countryside was only minutes away.

Ben let Charlie off his lead for a good run around
; he loved the water and stood at the sea edge, waiting for the ripples to splash over his paws before running away and then turning around to do it all over again. Ben perched on a large rock and threw pebbles into the cold water. The beach was blanketed with students, some were playing guitars, others were singing, and the tourists were dipping their toes in the cold water, making the very most of a typical spring day.

Since arriving in
Brighton, Ben hadn’t suffered one of his blinding headaches, not even a twitch. He smiled with a sense of relief and looked around the bustling beach. This really was just what he needed, he felt better than he’d felt for months. The sound of the sea crashing against the rocks, watching Charlie running in and out of the sea like an excited puppy and the overall holiday atmosphere everywhere he turned, made him realise just how much he’d missed out on over the years.

“
This is going to be the first of many this year,” he mumbled to himself as he made his way over to Charlie. “Come on, boy, time to go.” Charlie came bounding over soaking wet and running around Ben in circles.
This was clearly what Charlie needed too
, thought Ben as he attached his lead and led him onto the promenade heading towards an express supermarket.

Tristan tapped Stephanie
’s number into his mobile phone while he waited for Ben to return. He let it ring out for ages and was just about to hang up when her rather stark voice hollered down the phone line.

“
What do you want, Tristan,” Stephanie answered abruptly.

“
I am in Brighton with my brother right now, when I return I want no trace of you in my house. Do you hear me, Steph?”

There was an uncomfortable silence before she replied.
“I told you I would be gone by tonight Tristan and I will.”

Tristan stared out to the marina before replying,
“As far as I am concerned, I never want to see you again. You have betrayed me for the last time, I won’t take you back this time, Steph.” Tristan heard a click at the other end of the line, indicating that Steph had hung up. Tristan threw his phone down onto the sofa and was just about to go and find Ben when he came walking through the door with a bunch of beers and a soaking wet Charlie.

“
Thank God for that. I was just about to come looking for you. Here, pass me one of those, will you, Ben.” Tristan walked out onto the balcony, pulled the ring on his beer can, and took a large gulp.

“
Hey, Tristan, you okay? You were smiling when we left, what’s happened?”

Tristan turned around with an angry look on his face.
“It’s Steph, I’ve kicked her out, Ben, and before you say anything, it’s permanent this time. She’s only been seeing some guy from work and not the same one as last time either. I forgave her the first time and that was hard enough, Ben. She is blatantly making a fool out of me and to think I was actually thinking of proposing to her.”

Ben was shocked
; he looked at his brother’s face and knew he was hurting. “I’m sorry, Tristan, I had no idea. You should have said something earlier.” Ben grabbed a beer and kicked off his trainers.

“
You’ve had enough to deal with, Ben, without listening to my woes. It’s for the best anyway. Look, why don’t we take a walk down to the restaurants along the marina and grab a bite to eat. I’ve already booked the boat for tomorrow so we can spend the day fishing. I will do another supermarket run later for tomorrow’s supplies; it will be just us and Charlie, no women in sight!”

Ben nodded in agreement.
“Sounds perfect to me, Tristan.”

The following day, Ben and Tristan spent all day out on the boat fishing, Charlie was in and out of the sea and the weather couldn
’t have been more perfect. The sea was relatively calm and perfect for fishing.

“
Do you remember when we first came down to Brighton on our own as teenagers, Ben? I will never forget that night we went clubbing and by the end of the night after a beer drinking competition, you were as sick as a dog. The next morning you looked like death, to say the least!”

Ben shifted his position and smiled at Tristan.
“If I recall the night of events accurately, you slipped the odd shot of whisky in my beer, hence winning the bet!”

Tristan fell about laughing.
“I guess that was a bit unfair. That was a fantastic weekend, Ben. We were young and carefree with no fears for the future back then.”

Ben handed Tristan another bottle of Stella and they both stared out to the open sea as they reminisced old times.
“What was that girl’s name, you know the one, Tristan? She followed you around all night until you got lucky with the blonde girl and even then she didn’t get the hint and came over to you as she was leaving and slipped you her number. You always knew how to attract them. When I think of some of the scrapes I’ve had to get you out of over the years. You really were a lady’s man back then, Tristan, I can’t believe how much you’ve changed over the last ten years.”

Tristan thought back to those years when everything seemed easy and he had the world at his feet.
“Life has a way of changing our perspective, Ben, as you well know. I became tired of relationships devoid of depth, I started to question my life more and more as the days passed. I no longer wanted one-night stands and short-term relationships. I guess I grew up, Ben, and wanted something more meaningful.” Ben placed his hand on Tristan’s shoulder and nodded in complete understanding.

They went down to the promenade for an evening meal after they docked and enjoyed a scrumptious dinner of halibut and sautéed potatoes with a side order of vegetables, polished off with a bottle of wine. When they finished, they took a long walk along the promenade with Charlie before heading back to the apartment. The next couple of days, Ben and Tristan spent most of their time on the beach. Tristan hired out a jet ski a few times while Ben could only watch on with envy as he sped out to sea, bouncing up and down on the waves and shouting with excitement. It would be quite some time before Ben would be able to climb onto a jet ski. As he watched his brother fly off into the distance, he wished he was riding alongside him.

“Next time we’re here that will be me out there, Charlie.” He looked down and Charlie got up and ran towards the water’s edge when he saw Tristan heading back to shore.

After a few much-needed days in Brighton, Ben and Tristan headed back to
Birmingham on the Saturday morning. Tristan dropped Ben and Charlie off at his apartment and headed off home himself. He was eager to see if Stephanie had taken more than she should have, not to mention locking up the place before she left.

Ben walked through his apartment, threw down his bag, and poured some water into a bowl for Charlie. He picked up the newspaper off the coffee table and re-read the small ad for the Freedom Gallery of Contemporary Art, which was showcasing the work of Oliver Steen that very evening. He decided to call the gallery to ensure he could arrive without a pre-bought ticket. He dialled the number at the bottom of the advert and waited patiently for someone to answer.
“Hello, Freedom Gallery of Contemporary Art, Arianna speaking.”

Ben liked the sound of the woman
’s voice down the end of the line. “Hello, I saw your advert in the local newspaper and I was wondering if I can just turn up this evening or do I need to have a pre-ordered ticket?” Ben queried.

“
No, you can just turn up, although it will be a full house tonight so you may want to arrive a little earlier. Have you been to Coleshill before?” she asked.

“
Yes, I know Coleshill fairly well,” replied Ben.

“
Then you will know how hard it is to park on the high street. I advise you to park opposite the local gym at the back of the high street, close to the police station. There is a large car park and there are always spaces available,” advised Arianna.

“
Thank you very much, Arianna, I look forward to the show. See you later then.” Ben rang off but the subtle, yet irresistible, voice of Arianna remained with him for a while later.

Ben looked around and studied his rather sparse looking walls. He really could do with brightening the place up a bit, he thought, as he walked slowly from room to room. He decided if anything caught his eye at the show, he would purchase something for his apartment. He wanted a contemporary piece to complement his contemporary surroundings. The show was due to start at 7:30
p.m. so he had plenty of time to get showered and changed.