True Love (Volume 4) (Now and Forever) (3 page)

“I like to get a feel for a new place before I reveal my identity. If it helps, you were wonderful and I know my pieces are in good hands.”

Alex smirked. “I’m happy to hear that.” He was still shocked by how quickly he was taken by her. She continued to look into his eyes and smiled at him.

“Would you like to see the room?”

Eve smiled at him. “Lead the way.”

As they walked down the hall, Alex asked, “How did you enjoy your first evening in
Buffalo?”

“It was fun. I’m so used to the crazy lifestyle of
California so it was nice to just sit at the lake and enjoy a beautiful sunset.”

“I couldn’t agree more. My family owns a cabin on the lakefront and it’s one of my favorite places. Did you get to enjoy any of our
excellent food?”

She laughed. “I did, I
can finally say that I had a Buffalo Wing.”

Alex grinned. “We actually just call them chicken wings here.”

“Oh, my first local tip, thank you.”

As they approached the room, Alex opened the door and let Eve enter before him. She slowly walked around and examined each piece and made sure the lighting was perfect.

“How did we do, Ms. Matthews?” Alex asked.

She slowly nodded her head. “I have to say that out of every gallery, you have the best presentation. And please
call me Eve,” she said as she locked eyes with him.

“Thank you, Eve but this was all Becca’s creation. She has proven herself to be a great asset to me.”

Becca blushed and looked towards the floor. “Thank you, Mr. Smith. If you would like, I could give you a tour of the gallery, Mr. Pike.”

“That would be lovely.
Eve, would you like to join us?”

She shook her head. “I did that yesterday, go
and enjoy yourself. It’s beautiful.”

Alex looked back towards Eve. “C
an I interest you in some lunch?”

“That sounds great.”

Alex headed back towards the main door as he spotted Emily in the reception area. He turned towards Eve and excused himself.

“Emily? Is everything ok?”

She nodded. “I just wanted to speak with you before my plane left. Can we speak in private?” She asked as she eyed up Eve.

Alex agreed. “Of course we can.” He turned towards Eve. “Can you hang out for a few minutes?”

She nodded. “Sure, I will go find Steve and Becca.”

Alex smiled. “I’m sorry.
Where are my manners? Eve Matthews this is Emily Mason.”

Emily shook her hand. “I’ve read some
recent articles about you. Your last exhibit in Denver was a huge success. You are very talented.”

“Thank you very much. I’m familiar with you also. I noticed one of your paintings upstairs
in Alex’s private collection.”

Emily nodded. “That’s my daughter, Emma. That
is one of my first portraits of her.”

Alex spoke up
as he felt very uncomfortable with the situation that was in front of him. “Let’s head up to my office.”

Once they arrived and
he closed the door, Emily started to immediately cry.

“Emily, I knew something was wrong. What happened?”

“I called Eric last night and told him about your offer to display my work in Buffalo since Henry is closing up his shop. He couldn’t believe that I would even consider it. He thinks that since you haven’t moved on that means you still love me. That you are only doing this to win me back.”

Alex sighed and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m offering because you are talented, Emily. I want to show your work and support you.
You would be a great asset to this gallery.”

“I told him that! I don’t know how to handle this,” she said as she wiped her
tears and locked eyes with him.

Alex took a deep breath as he held her close. “You are going to return to Eric and explain to him that we are friends. I’m here for your professional career
only. If he doesn’t understand that then we will part ways because he’s your husband and that’s the life you chose.”

Emily whispered. “You really are the best. I’m going to smooth things over with Eric and we will be in touch.”

Alex nodded and smiled. “I hope I hear from you soon.” He walked to his door and opened it. Emily walked over to him and kissed his lips softly.

“Thank you for always listening to me, Alex.”

He watched her disappear down the steps and out the front door.

“Are you ready for lunch?” He quickly turned around and spotted Eve behind him.

“Yes, I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s fine. Is she a friend of yours?” Eve asked.

“Yes, we go way back.”

“She’s a sweet girl. I know that her husband is a
professional football player.”

Alex couldn’t help but wonder if she saw the kiss and
judged him. “Eric is a great guy.”

She nodded and changed the subject. “Where are you taking me to lunch?”

He drove Eve to a local restaurant that would give her more selections from their local cuisine. He opened the front door for her and headed inside the small restaurant.

Eve looked around and checked out the rusti
c scenery. “I love this place. It has such a good vibe.”

Alex cracked a smile as the owner walked over to him. “Alex, it’s been way too long! How are you?”

“I’m great, Tony. This is Ms. Matthews. She will be displaying her work at Lakeshore. I wanted to make sure that she ate some proper food while she was in Buffalo.”

“Welcome to our fine city, Ms. Matthews. Would the both of you like to sit outside?”

Alex looked at Eve as she smiled and nodded. “Absolutely, and please call me Eve. Everyone is so formal around here.”

As they were seated, they both ordered
drinks and looked over the menu. Alex couldn’t help but look at her. She was different than everyone else in his life lately. She always smiled and seemed to want to experience life. Maybe it was her free spirited California attitude but he could see himself hanging out with her and that was a new feeling to him.

“Eve, tell me about yourself.
” Alex asked as he put down his menu.

She flashed her million dollar smile and pulled her blonde hair back into ponytail to keep it from blowing in the wind. “Well, I’m from
California. My family and friends are still there. I spend most of my time traveling from city to city and realized lately that I don’t have enough time to paint or sculpt.”

“I’ve heard that before from artists
. It’s hard when the fame hits to find free time to do what made you popular.”

She smiled. “It’s true. I would love to sit down and paint especially on the road but it’s so tough.”

“What do you like to do in your free time?” Alex asked.

“I love being
in the outdoors; walking, jogging, rollerblading. Stuff like that.”

“I used to
love those things but I haven’t been able to get free time to do them,” Alex explained.

“I’m here for a few days
. Would you like to take a run with me?”

Alex smiled at her and loved her attitude. “Absolutely, sounds like fun.”

“I need to ask because I’m a curious person and well, you need to be nice to me and can’t get mad.”

Alex chuckled at her playfulness. “
That sounded promising, what do you want to know?” He watched her eyes roll over his body and back up again. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was interested in him.

“I
consider myself to be an observant person and I was curious about what was going on between you and Emily Mason,” Eve politely asked.

Alex took a
long drink of his water and wondered why she would ask him that. Just as he cleared his throat their food was placed in front of them. Alex thanked the waitress and took a bite of his sandwich.

He heard
Eve as she chuckled in the background. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Alex swallowed his bite of food and smiled at her. “I’m not uncomfortable.”

“Yes, you are but that’s ok. It’s cute.”

Alex blushed and looked at her. “I’m trying to figure you out. There is something intriguing about you.”

Eve grinned. “I like to give that impression, keeps you on your toes.”

Alex laughed. “What time do you run
in the morning?”

Eve smirked and shook her head. “Oh no, back to Emily, what is the deal?”

Alex threw his hands in the air as if to surrender. “She’s my ex-girlfriend.”

Eve nodded. “I could see
that there was a connection. I’m assuming that you are still in love with her.”

“No, it’s over. It’s been tw
o years since we were together,” Alex explained.

“You know what I
witnessed and you lingered after that kiss.”

Alex couldn’t think of anything to say
to her. He was suddenly very uncomfortable and out of his element. He took a drink of water and paid with credit card.

Eve quickly reached over and placed her hand on his. He looked deep into her eyes and he felt a power between them. She softly whispered. “Alex, don’t be uncomfortable. This conversation is
only between us. I think you are so sweet and I would like to get to know you better but I like to know what I’m up against. If you are still in love with her and want to break up a marriage, I would warn you against. But, if you only have a broken heart and looking for a way to recover then I’m here for you.”

Alex still couldn’t wrap his mind around this mysterious woman. But, she was right. He needed to move on from Emily and it was time he enjoyed his life.

“Eve, you are right. Yes, I was madly in love with her and over the past two years I threw away relationship after relationship because they weren’t her. But, it’s time that I moved on.”

Eve smiled. “And how are you going to do that?”

Alex stood up and reached for her hand. He guided her out of the restaurant and walked through the parking lot and as they approached his car, he leaned against his door and watched as she released her ponytail. She had innocence about her but Alex knew deep down that she wasn’t.

Eve moved closer to him. “You haven’t answered me. How are you planning to move on?”

“I’m going to start by asking you to join me for a morning run along the beach. I can pick you up in the morning at your hotel.”

Eve smiled from ear to ear. “See you at seven.”

Alex drove Eve back to the museum and left her with Becca to finish up all the details of her event. He headed back to his office, leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath.

It was the first time in years that he looked forward to a date. He probably shouldn
’t refer to it as a date though. She just wanted someone to workout with. But, he couldn’t help but think how sexy her long legs would look in jogging shorts. His thoughts were interrupted when Becca walked in.

“They have approved of the exhibit, Mr. Smith. The show will start at seven tomorrow night and the same on Friday. Ms. Matthews left you this note. Did you need me for anything else?
I would be happy to stay and help you close up.”

“No, you can head home. I will close tonight. Becca, you
have become a wonderful asset to me.”

She blushed and smiled. “Thank you, Sir.” She turned and left his office. Alex liked Becca, she got
her work done in a timely matter and never made a pass at him like the last two assistants.

Alex looked down at Eve’s note
in his hand and opened it.

I realized that I never gave
you my information and didn’t want to bother you in your office. I’m staying at the Regent Hotel on Pearl Street, room 245. I look forward to seeing you in the morning - Eve

He smiled at the note as
he finished up his work and headed downstairs. The gallery was peaceful at night and he enjoyed the quiet. He set the alarm and locked the door behind him.

He pulled
into the long driveway for his estate and decided to walk around the house towards the patio. He loved his house and took great pride in keeping up the appearance of the grounds. He had the honor of letting Emily’s best friend, Sam have her wedding in the backyard. Alex looked towards the pond and remembered the large tent that had to be brought in for the special occasion. It was beautifully done but ultimately led to Emily to return to Eric.

Alex quickly changed his train of thought as he put his stuff on his patio table. He removed his suit coat and undid his tie. He lounged back into his chair and tried to clear his head. It wasn’t long until his phone rang.