True Love (Volume 4) (Now and Forever) (12 page)

Alex looked back at Eve. “I swear you are the most incredible woman I know. My mother can be very intimidating and you managed her with ease.”

“I grew up in a large family with lots of relatives. I can handle all personality types.”

Alex laughed. “Did Beth find you?”

She nodded. “We are all set, thank you for doing that. Kate was thrilled to hear that she didn’t have to worry about that.”

Alex nodded. “I’m going to head up to my office and make sure all your paperwork is in order. Enjoy your evening and I will find you later on.”

He worked his way through the crowd and said hello to old friends. He was happy. It was the first time in years since Emily had left him that he knew how he wanted his life to go.

As he walked into his office, he sat down and started sifting through paperwork. He thought about Eve’s offer. How would he ever give up his gallery to manage her career? She was in the limelight and galleries wanted a piece of the action. She needed someone who could protect her interests and make sure she was being properly taken care of. He knew people who would be perfect for her but part of him wanted to be with her. What was he going to do?

Beth walked into his office and sat down. “Kate has arrived, she’s downstairs with Ms. Matthews.”

“Thank you again, Beth. I’m going to be tak
ing a few days off starting tomorrow afternoon. Do you think you could handle the everyday operations around here? I will have Patty stop by and make sure the management stuff is taken care of but I wanted to know if you were up for the challenge yet.”

Beth smiled and nodded. “Yes, I will work closely with your sister and make sure that everything is covered properly. Can I ask where you are going?”

“Of course you can. I will be traveling with Ms. Matthews to Pittsburgh to help her with the next stop on her road show. You already have all my contact information so please call me if anything pops up that you don’t know how to handle.”

“No problem, just enjoy yourself. I’m sure that we can figure it out and I won’t need to disturb you.”

Alex nodded as Beth left his office. He closed his laptop and turned the lights off. He headed downstairs to say goodbye to the remaining guests and to find Eve. He removed his suit jacket and left it with reception. He undid his tie slightly and smiled when he spotted her talking with her friend.

“And this gorgeous man is Alex Smith. He owns the gallery,” Eve stated as
she introduced her friend to him. “Alex, this is my best friend, Kate.”

He reached his hand out and shook hers. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. How was the flight?”

“It’s uneventful which is always to good thing in my book.” Kate laughed.

“I couldn’t agree more. I heard you will
help Eve out for a little bit,” Alex said as he noticed how much they looked like twins. He wondered if all California girls had blond hair and long legs.

“When Eve calls for help, I come running.”

Alex nodded. “It’s always great to have a friend like that. I have Paul who is always by my side even if I don’t want him there.”

Kate laughed. “Eve, I like his sense of humor.”

“I told you that he was the whole package,” Eve said as she touched his arm. “The show must be over, you are slowly getting undressed.”

Alex blushed. “Yes, the moving crew has arrived. Beth
will oversee the entire event so if you have questions just ask her.”

Kate nodded. “Let me
go talk with them and make sure everyone is on the same page.”

Alex turned to Eve and kissed her gently. “How did you enjoy
Buffalo?”

“I think it has made its way into my heart. I had my doubts when Steve booked this show but I’m so happy that he did now.”

“Did my gallery provide you with a successful show?”

Eve nodded. “I couldn’t have been more pleased. You have a lot of pull in this community. That’s why I would love you by my side, Alex.”

He nodded. “I know but I need more time. My heart is in this building.”

Eve agreed. “I know it is and I will understand if you can’t give it up.”

Alex kissed her again before the crew entered and started to move her life further away from his.

Alex spent the evening with Eve as they said their goodbyes. He knew he would see her the next day but he already developed a bad habit of not wanting to be away from her.

In the morning, he left her hotel and headed back to his house to get ready for work. Kate
would be driving Eve to Pittsburgh and he planned to be on the road as soon as his meeting with Emily was over.

As he finished in the shower and packed a small bag
and realized that for the first time in a long time he wasn’t over anxious to see Emily. He wanted to get the meeting over with so he could rejoin Eve in Pittsburgh. That was a brand new feeling to him.

He had a quick breakfast with Mrs. Bennett who told him to send her love to Emily and headed toward the gallery. His cell phone rang as soon as he hit the interstate.

“Do you miss me yet?” Eve asked.

Alex couldn’t help but smile. “You know that I do.”

“Have you thought anymore about my offer?”

“You asked me that same question less than two hours ago, Eve.”

“I know. I just hoped that you had made up your mind.”

“Maybe if you let me think about it for awhile, I will have an answer for you by tonight.”

Eve laughed. “Ok, I can take a hint. See you tonight?”

“I’m looking forward to it, drive safely.” Alex hung up his phone as he pulled into his parking space. He dashed inside so he could get his ducks in a row before Emily arrived to discuss her exhibits.

He entered his office and noticed that all of his notes were laid neatly across his desk. He turned to see if Beth was around. He could hear her heels as they clicked up the stairs and she walked over to him.

“Beth, you are incredible. Thank you for getting this all together for me. When did you get here?”

“Just about an hour ago, I wanted to make sure you had the details from her last show. Henry emailed over her information so we can provide her the same opportunities and I also noticed there are a few things that we could offer her that he couldn’t. So, they are outlined here,” she explained as she pointed at the piece of paper.

Alex shook his head. “Man, how did I overlook you in the past?
What a fantastic job, Beth. My sister should be arriving shortly, can you just tell her to come up?”

“Of course, I will go greet Mrs. Mason.”

Beth left and Alex quickly sifted through her notes. He looked up as Beth walked Emily into his office. He stood up and walked around her desk to hug her. “Hey Emily, how are you?”

“I’m doing great, thank you for taking the meeting with me.”

“Anytime, you know that. Let me go through all the details for you and we can figure out what we need to do.”

They talked for over an hour on the exhibits, the payment schedules and the length of each display. They discussed her children and of course, Eric. It felt comfortable to Alex for the first time in awhile.
They laughed and joked about the past and Emily smiled at him. “Something is different about you.”

Alex shrugged. “
I’m happy to see you.”

Emily shook her head. “Nope, it’s something else. You are just…happy. What’s going on? Did you find someone?”

Alex laughed. “Come on, Emily.”

“Don’t hold out on me! Alex, I’ve been dying to see you happy again. Who is the lucky girl?”

“Eve Matthews.”

Emily gasped. “Alex, that’s wonderful. She’s beautiful and perfect for you.”

Alex nodded. “She was sent here for a reason, Emily. I needed that fresh breath of air and she’s it.”

“That’s so awesome. Tell me more.”

Alex chuckled. “My ex-girlfriend wants to know about my new girlfriend. That’s a first.”

Emily laughed. “You know that I want only
the best for you, Alex. I’m not the petty ex-girlfriend.”

“I know that. Well, maybe you could help me with something then.”

Emily nodded and sat back in her chair. “What’s going on?”

“Eve had to fire her manager suddenly and asked me to come and work for her. She wants me to oversee
her career. But, this gallery is my life. You know that, you were here to see my dream come true. I can’t imagine leaving Buffalo and being on the road all the time.”

Emily shook her head. “It’s not that bad, Alex. You are only on the road when you want to make an appearance at a
special show. Most of the time, your exhibits are moving, you aren’t. As her manager, you could do most of the work on the phone and maybe make some short trips to new cities. But once you have those connections, you can trust your instincts on future viewings.”

Alex nodded and listened to her. “I knew you would be a good person to ask about this.”

Emily smiled. “Look at me. I’m in Denver most of the time. I only fly when something big is happening or I need to make a new connection that my manager couldn’t handle. I come to Buffalo because it’s a chance for my kids to see their grandparents.”

“So, you are saying I could stay here and still help her out.”

Emily frowned. “You are missing the bigger issue, Alex. She isn’t from Buffalo. She has her own life back in California, right?”

Alex nodded. “That’s true. We live on different sides of the country. My family is here and hers is there. What am I going to do?”

Emily smiled. “Alex, if you really want to be with her. You will figure it all out in time.”

Alex smiled. “Thank you for listening to me.”

“I told you that we are friends, Alex. It just took us a while to get here. We will be in contact a lot more now so I’m always here for advice.”

He nodded. “Thank you. I will have Beth send all the paperwork to your manager so you can review it with him. Let us know if you have questions along the way.”

Emily stood up and hugged him. “Go get her, Alex.” She turned and left his office.

Alex grabbed his jacket and headed down the stairs. “Beth, please send over the paperwork to Emily’s manager. She loved the presentation. You really stepped up for me. Thank you.”

“Of course Mr. Smith, just so you know your sister is waiting for you. She’s walking through your personal collection.”

“Thank you, I will go find her.” Alex headed through the gallery and found his sister
as she stared at some of their father’s paintings. “He loved that one.”

Patty nodded and smiled. “I remember him showing it to me as a young girl and making me understand the importance of art. Sometimes I forget that stuff.”

“Patty, I need to ask a huge favor of you.”

She nodded. “Go get her, Alex. I overheard your conversation with Emily. You are in love. Go get her.”

Alex kissed her cheek. “Call me if you need anything. Beth is amazing. You will fall in love with her.”

“Are you going to take the job?”

Alex shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I guess I will decide when I get there.”

Patti hugged him. “I love you, Alex. I’m happy to see that twinkle back in your eye.”

Alex smiled and headed towards his car. He had already packed and he set his GPS as he headed towards Pittsburgh. He couldn’t wait to see her again. He quickly dialed her number.

“Are you on the road yet?” Eve asked.

“Just hit the thruway, I will see you in a few hours.”

“How was Emily?” she asked.

“She was great. Beth did a fantastic presentation for her and she’s on board.”

“That’s wonderful. Anything I need to be worried about?”

Alex laughed. “Not at all Eve, you have captured my heart. I couldn’t wait to get on the road.”

“Great answer, Mr. Smith,” she laughed.

“Have the crews started to set up?” he asked.

“Yes, Kate is with
them right now. I’m about to go visit and get a feel for the place.”

Alex laughed as he thought back to when she did that at his gallery. “Just don’t come onto the owner like you did with me, ok?”

Eve laughed whole heartedly. “I came onto you? You couldn’t stop following me around. I saw that look in your eyes.”

Alex smirked. “We will agree to disagree. I will see you soon, Eve.”

“Until later, call me when you get to our hotel.”

Alex hung up and smiled as he thought about the choices that la
y in front of him. He had just a few hours to make his decision.