Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
“Okay, three is fine, and I’ll be ready, but we need to go out to dinner before the game.”
I rose and drank some more coffee before taking a shower. I let my hair dry in loose curls and used some of the temporary color that Tori gifted me, picking the burgundy that matched the jersey. The gallery couldn’t find harm in that since I was an artist.
Still, I tucked the colored strands into a loose ponytail before leaving the house. Tori watched me walk to her car with my jersey over my arm, smiling widely. “I got mine too.” She pointed at her chest, and I raised my eyebrow as I placed mine carefully in the back seat. “I’m not the interviewee so I thought it was okay to wear it.”
“I see how it is.” I leaned back as she pulled away from the curb, preparing myself for this last-minute meeting. We pulled up in front of a gallery facing the mountains, and I appreciated the view for a moment. “So, they’ve seen my stuff?”
“Yep. They have a great idea of it, but you need to sort through the rest of it. Let’s go! The sushi place down the street is calling my name.”
Tori jumped out of the car, and I opened my door to follow. We walked up to the spacious, two-story building and she walked through the doors, announcing our presence.
“Tori, it’s lovely to see you again.” An older woman walked out of a back room to greet us, and I stared at her. She was classy and looked younger than what I guessed she might be. She hugged Tori and then me, pulling back to look me over. “You’re a lovely little thing. I had a chance to see your work thanks to your friend here, and it’s incredible.”
“Thank you very much,” I replied as she glanced around the building.
“I have a nook where I feature new artists, and that’s where I’d like to show yours. We could mark it up from your last show, and I’ll give you sixty percent of sales. How does that sound?”
The gallery was large, and I smiled as I looked around. “That sounds amazing. I already have it in one, and there are a few others that might take it, so I think this would be a great boost.” I grinned at the woman, and she offered me her hand.
“Let me show you the area I have in mind.”
We walked through the gallery to the left, and I glanced at the rooms that featured art of all kinds. I was getting used to this feeling, and shivered as I realized that my dream was coming true. She gestured to the left and I saw an area with walls painted a vibrant purple that could hold around ten paintings. “Here we are. Depending on the size, we could get several pieces in here.”
“I agree. I have a few on hand now, so would you prefer to fill it or add to the space?” I asked as Tori shot me an approving smile. We talked about the four that I had ready and she said to get a couple more done and then we’d go from there. I thanked her and shook hands again before Tori followed me to the car.
“Look at you! You handled that like a champ. My girl is quite the boss.”
I laughed as she opened the doors with the push of a button, and I slid inside her car.
“She made a great offer. I didn’t do anything,” I protested as Tori started her engine.
“That was a great fucking offer. You are going to be a star, my darling.” Tori watched as I leaned my head back to sigh slowly.
“This is so surreal.” I looked back to make sure the jersey was still there and decided to change into it once we were parked since I had a T-shirt on underneath my soft black cashmere sweater.
“It’s all happening, Elyse. This is your dream.” Tori smiled at me as she stopped at a light, and I let my mind wander to Ryder. “The career and a guy who thinks the world of you.”
“He does, doesn’t he?” I murmured as I gazed at her. “He came to work today, and Lucas was there to iron out some details when he arrived. Ryder was calm and didn’t freak out. I could tell it bothered him a bit, but he stayed calm. He trusts me.” I frowned as I drew my lip between my teeth.
“There isn’t any reason not to. You never wanted Lucas.”
I winced, and she held up her hand as she pulled forward.
“I know you were flattered, and I get that. You’re so new to this attention, and he was excessive. He’s hot. But you wouldn’t have gone there. You just didn’t know how to handle him and Ryder… Well, he did.”