“Have you talked to Charlotte?” Jay stood by the oven, peering in at something that smelled wonderful.
Ben shook his head. He’d hoped she would call or text, but he hadn’t heard a word. Hence, the visit to Jay this afternoon, hoping for information. But then, it didn’t surprise him he hadn’t heard from Charlotte. It was his own fault. He’d been such a goofball the night of their date. At the end of their date, he’d panicked, kissed her quickly, and ran back to his bungalow.
“Robin said she’s headed back home today. It wasn’t a heart attack like they first thought.”
“It wasn’t? That’s good news.” Relief washed through Ben. He’d been so worried when he’d missed her leaving the show last night. He’d heard why she left in such a hurry but wished he’d been able to help her or at least say goodbye.
They’d been missing connections all last week. And to be honest, he hadn’t quite sorted out his feelings toward her, hence the panic the other night. Oh, he liked her. Had fun with her. But what did he have in common with a talented artist?
“The local artist show was a great success. Robin said all of Charlotte’s paintings sold.”
“I’m sure Charlotte will be thrilled. It was too bad she had to leave early.” Ben shook his head. “But, of course, she needed to check on her mom after Eva said her mom was having a heart attack.”
“She’ll come back and get ready for her solo show. It will all work out.” Jay walked over and perched on a stool beside him.
“So… you’ve only officially gone out with Charlotte once. You going to ask her out again?”
“Probably. I mean, yes.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I got spooked a bit on our last date. Like what was I doing? What does she see in me? I… well, I kind of just fled back to the bungalow.”
“So… ask her out again and figure out how you feel about her. Quit being such a goof.”
Ben grinned. “You’re probably right. I’ll ask her out again.”
“When?” Jay pinned him with a stare.
“Next time I see her.”
“You know, they’ve invented this thing called a cell phone. You could call her…”
Charlotte walked into Paul’s gallery later that afternoon, wanting to thank him for the check and having her at his local artist show. He looked up from where he was talking to a customer.
She waved and wandered around the gallery, giving him time. The door to the gallery opened and Delbert Hamilton entered. He lit up when he saw her. “Charlotte, just the person I wanted to talk to. Do you have a few minutes?”
“I’m all yours.”
Del steered them to a corner of the gallery. “So, I have a proposal for you.”
She looked at him. “What kind of proposal?”
“I’ve just recently purchased a small hotel on Moonbeam Bay.”
“Oh, that area of Florida is beautiful.”
“It is. A boater’s paradise. They built a canal system with beautiful homes lining the canals with easy access to the harbor and the gulf.”
She wondered what he was getting at, but let him talk.
“Anyway, I’d love some of your paintings to hang in the lobby of the hotel. They’d be perfect. And, if possible, I’d love to commission you to paint the old live oak in the town square there. It’s near the harbor and the sunsets behind it are stunning.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.” He wanted her work in his hotel and a commissioned piece?
“I drew up some papers. You can look them over. Talk to a lawyer if you’d like. It has figures on it. But it’s negotiable if you don’t think the payment is reasonable.”
She glanced at the numbers on the paper he handed her and almost dropped the pages. “You’re going to pay me this per painting, plus this for the commission piece?”
“Yes, if you agree.” He gave her a warm smile. “But you don’t have to answer me now. Think about it. See if you feel the price is right.”
As far as she was concerned, the price was wonderful. Fabulous. Perfect. But then she paused. She hadn’t handled the money side of things. She should take her time and figure this all out. “Yes, give me a bit of time. But this does sound like something I’m interested in.”
“Perfect. I’ll be back in touch soon.” He nodded to her, waved to Paul—still busy with his customer—and walked out of the gallery.
She stood there staring at the paper in her hand. Could the type of painting she was doing now really bring her this kind of money? And the commissioned painting? The amount Del was willing to pay for that kind of blew her mind.
Paul walked up to her. “You okay?”
“I… I think so. Del just made me an offer to do paintings for a hotel he bought on Moonbeam Bay.”
“I heard he bought the old Cabot hotel. It’s closed now, and he’s remodeling it and doing some upgrades. He did such a great job on the Hamilton Hotel in Sarasota. I’m sure he’ll do a great job with this one, too.”
“I always had my agent handle the financial side of things. I’m unsure about all of this.” She held out the paper to him.
Paul took it and skimmed through it quickly. “Reasonable offer, I think. And if your paintings keep selling well, he’s getting quite a deal. They’ll only go up in value. You really have a way of showing the emotion in your paintings. Of bringing a viewer right into your worldview.”
“So, you think I should take the offer?”
“I have a lawyer I use for some of my work. Would you like him to look at the offer and contract?”
“Yes, that would be wonderful.”
“With your permission, I’ll give these to him and have him contact you. His fees are reasonable and he’s a very sharp, level-headed lawyer.”
“Thanks for your help, Paul. I feel a little out of my league with all this.”
“You could get another agent to deal with this.”
“I—I’m not ready for that, I don’t think.”
“Well then, I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“I appreciate that. You’ve done so much for me. The local artist show. My solo show.”
“Oh, about your solo show. I’ve gotten some art critics to come to the opening. And someone from Florida Sunshine Magazine is coming to do an article for their art section. I’ve taken out some ads and done some promotion.”
“Paul, I don’t know how to thank you.” Gratitude flowed through her.
He reached over and rested his hand on her arm. “Think nothing of it. I love helping you. And your show will bring in a lot of traffic to the gallery, so see, in a way, you’re helping me.”
The door to the gallery opened, and a couple walked in. “I better go see to them.” Paul smiled and went over to greet them.
She stood there for a few moments trying to gather her thoughts. Things were spinning out of control in her life right now. But not in a bad way.
And suddenly she wanted to see Ben. Talk to him. Tell him everything that had happened. She whirled around, headed out of the gallery, and hurried down the sidewalk to the marina.