Reggie drove down Euclid Avenue towards University Circle. With tissue in hand, she wiped away the tears. The drive back to Cleveland with Dylan had been uncomfortable, but in true Dylan fashion, he’d done his best to keep the tone light. To not make her feel any worse than she already did.
Another tear leaked out.
Sighing, she put on the turn signal to pass a car. The flashing green arrow beat in time with her broken heart. It reminded her of Dylan and how they’d met. More tears.
It was ridiculous to act this way. She’d known him for less than a week, and it had been her decision not to pursue a relationship. Turning her mind from Dylan, she focused on driving. Weaving through an obstacle course of construction cones and heavy traffic was a challenge.
Jeffrey had a prime location for an art gallery,just blocks from the Cleveland Museum of Art, as well as other smaller museums in the area. University Circle was the cultural center for Cleveland.
Of course, Jeffrey being Jeffrey, his gallery wasn’t just an art gallery. The attached coffee house brought folks in on the weekends, and boasted the most delicious pastries. On Friday and Saturday evenings, patrons packed in to listen to poetry or music while they perused the art.
Once he’d even had a mime. It hadn’t gone so well.
She pulled into the small parking lot behind the gallery and cut the engine. Every muscle screamed with tension. Wiping away the tears, she dashed on a little makeup to hide them, pasted on a smile, and stepped out of the car. Picking out her favorite painting, she headed to the back door of the gallery.
She hit the buzzer. The intercom reminded her of Billy Clyde and Theresa. Such good people.
She sighed.
“Who is it?” His voice sounded tinny coming through the intercom.
“It’s Reggie.” After she heard the buzz, Reggie walked through the back door. She leaned the picture against the wall. She would surprise him with it in a minute.
Jeffrey looked up from his cluttered desk in the corner of the workroom. Space was limited, so his office was shared with the frames and paintings waiting to be hung. The scent of varnish mixed with the coffee aroma from the adjoining rooms.
His chocolate brown eyes flashed a welcome as he jumped up and gave her a hug. “Thank goodness, you’re here. You can rescue me from all this dreariness.” His hands fluttered towards his desk. “Reggie, dear, what are you doing here on a weekday? You never take a day off. Are you sick?” He felt her forehead and frowned. “No fever.”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but that can wait. I wanted you to look at this painting and tell me what you think.” She pointed at the picture she’d deposited by the door.
Jeffrey turned it around, but said nothing for a few minutes as he examined it with trained eyes. “It’s delightful. It’s whimsical and fun, but still beautiful. Who painted it?”
“Nobody you know.” Reggie smiled. She knew how to push his buttons.
“Don’t be so sure.” He raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, I’m sure.” She challenged.
Jeffrey hated it when others knew something about the art world he didn’t.
“She’s an artist I met over the weekend. I thought you might be interested in selling her work. I brought a few more paintings along, in case you wanted them.”
“Let’s take a look.”
After a trip to her car, they lined Joni’s paintings on easels. Jeffrey paraded back and forth in front of them, stopping to stare at each. Finally, he looked up at Reggie. His hands fluttered towards the paintings. “These are wonderful. Simply wonderful. You say she has more.”
“Tons more.”
“Give me her number. Perhaps, I’ll arrange a show. In the meantime, I’ll call a few of my special customers and give them first dibs on these.”
“How much will they sell for?” Reggie hoped it would be enough to help with Joni and Richard’s money woes.
Jeffrey looked back at the artwork and tapped his finger to his forehead. “I think I can get two thousand for them.”
“Two thousand. That’s great. That means they’re four hundred each. I’ll take the landscape. Go ahead and frame it for me.”
He rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. “No, no, no, my dear. I meant two thousand a piece.”
“Oh, my.” She blinked. That was a surprise. She’d known they were good, but that good? She thought for a moment. “I’ll still take the landscape.”
“You paying by check?”
“I wish. I’ll have to use my credit card.” She rummaged through her purse and handed it to Jeffrey.”
“There’s no hurry. You can pay later. I trust you.”
“There is a hurry. She needs the cash but, please, don’t tell her I bought the first one. She’ll think it’s charity. And I expect you to cut your commission. Her brother saved my life this weekend.”
“Whaaat? You mean figuratively, of course.”
“No, I mean literally. I had people shooting at me.”
He grabbed her arm. “Do tell, girlfriend.”
“I’ll need a cup of coffee, first. And if I’m buying that picture for two thousand, it better be a free cup.”
“Let me have Robin run your card, and I’ll even throw in the framing for half price.”
“You’re all heart, Jeffrey.”