Unstoppable (Forehead Kisses #4) (10 page)

“I’m excited to see your work,” he said politely. “I don’t know anything about art, but I know what’s pretty and what’s ugly.”

I smirked. “I just hope you don’t think my stuff is ugly.”

“I have a strong feeling I won’t.” He walked me to the truck and opened the door for me. Normally, he waited until I was inside before I shut the door, but since I was wearing a dress, he walked to his side of the truck so I could climb inside without giving him a view of my goodies.

That would have been awkward.

He left my house and drove to the address I gave him.

I was nervous about tonight. I had two paintings on display. Most of the regular art shoppers knew my name and jumped at the chance to buy my new piece, but showcases were an excellent time to get new fans. Plus, there was free food.

And I loved free food.

After Scotty parked, we walked inside the prestigious gallery. Scotty didn’t touch me. His hand never moved to my waist. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets and he hardly looked at me.

“This place is swanky,” he said when he heard the classical music play overhead. Glasses of champagne were passed around by waiters. Everyone was dressed fancy, wearing designer clothing and jewelry that cost more than the average house. San Diego was full of rich people, but that was good for me.

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

He looked around and noticed the bar. “Can I get you a drink?”

“No, thank you. I’m too nervous.”

“Why are you nervous?” He stepped closer to me so we could whisper to one another.

“I don’t know…it’s easy to judge a painting and say cold and mean things. I guess I’m just touchy about my work. I’d like to say I have a thick skin but I don’t. Showcases are night where I receive lots of praise, but also lots of criticism.”

“I guess that comes with the territory.”

“It does.”

“Are your parents coming tonight?” he asked.

I stopped myself from laughing. “No. They won’t be here.”

“Really? Isn’t this a big deal?” An eyebrow was raised.

I didn’t like to think about my parents’ disapproval. Even though I shouldn’t care what they think, I did. And it hurt me. I needed to rise above it and just forget about them, but no matter how hard I tried, it never worked. “I’m not close with my parents…”

Scotty picked up on the sadness. “May I ask why?”

He once told me I could ask him anything. He was an open book, being honest with me since the day we met. Shouldn’t I reciprocate that? “They…don’t approve of my career choice.”

“Why?” The irritation was heavy in hid voice.

“It’s a long story…they’re from the aristocrats of San Diego. My father is one of the top surgeons in the world, and my mother is a classic housewife. Ash is following in his footsteps and I’m…I’m the loser of the family.”

His jaw clenched and the anger burned in his eyes. “How does following your dreams make you a loser? They should be standing where I am supporting you, not tearing you down.”

It was nice to have someone on my side, to make me feel better about the whole thing. “They threatened to stop paying my tuition unless I changed my major.”

His eyes widened in demonic fire. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “I said no. I can pay my own tuition.”

He rubbed his chin then clenched his fist. “I don’t understand. You’re already a successful artist. The fact your artwork is in this gallery is a testament to that. How could they possibly think less of you?”

“Well, they don’t know what I’ve achieved. They’ve been unsupportive from the beginning, and I don’t want their approval only because I’m successful. I want it regardless. I want it to be unconditional.”

His eyes softened. “That’s exactly how it should be.”

“Yeah…”

The silence stretched between us.

“Anyway, I should get over there.” I moved through the crowd of people while Scotty walked beside me. He was over a foot taller than me and I always felt dwarfed by his size.

“There you are.” Ash sighed when he rested his eyes on me. “Who knew finding an annoying brat would be so hard?”

“You came?” I asked in surprise.

“Why are you shocked? I always come.” He hooked his arm around my waist and gave me a quick hug. “I’m excited to see what you’ve worked on.”

My brother was always supportive even if he didn’t give a damn about art. It was nice to have the loyalty of someone in my family. “Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me.”

Ash noticed Scotty. His eyes widened and then he stared at him for a moment, noticing his suit and tie. Then he turned back to me. “You brought a date?”

“As a friend,” I said quickly.

His face broke out into a smile. “Wow. You’ve actually found someone who can stand you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Do you need to tease me tonight?”

“I need to tease you every night.” He extended his hand and shook Scotty’s. “Thanks for coming with her.”

“I’m excited to see her work.”

“I’m glad my sister is playing nice with the other kids.”

Scotty played along. “She can be fun—sometimes.”

Ash laughed. “Once in a great while.”

I cleared my throat. “If you two are done picking on me, can I do my showcase now?”

Ash bowed. “Lead the way, your highness.”

Scotty and Ash both laughed.

I rolled my eyes and marched on.

I spotted Rydell standing near my platform. I walked over to him and waited for him to finish speaking to an art collector. Then he turned to me. “You look marvelous tonight, like a completed canvas.”

“Thank you.”

He kissed both of my cheeks then stepped back. “You’re quite popular this evening.”

“I hope it’s well deserved. Are you ready?”

“I think so.”

He smirked. “You sound hesitant.”

“I’m nervous.”

“You’re always nervous,” he teased. He led me to the platform where I stood off to the side. Both of my paintings were covered in white drapes. I was nervous to reveal them to everyone. One was old, made seven months ago, and the other was finished recently. They were so contrasting, it was like they were created by two different artists.

“Now for the grand finale,” Rydell said when he grabbed the string. “I give you two new originals by Miss Livia.” He pulled the string and they both were revealed.

One was a painting of a girl lying on the hill of a meadow. A hat was lowered over her eyes, and the stalks of grass blew in the light summer wind. The sky was a pastel blue, but pink and orange clouds filled the sky. The woman was beautiful with flawless skin and red lips. An open book lay beside her, forgotten. It was a lazy Sunday, a day I remembered experiencing in my youth.

The other painting was dark. I only used dark colors. Midnight blue, black, and gray were used to mark a shadowed corridor. A woman sat on the floor and leaned against the wall, her knees pulled to her chest. A clock sat above her, almost hitting midnight, marking the end of the worst day of her life.

People glanced back and forth between the paintings, whispering comments to their neighbors. I wasn’t sure what they thought of my work. With art collectors, you could never tell if they loved it or hated it until they offered to buy it. I stood to the side, waiting for something to happen.

When I looked at Scotty, he was staring at the darker painting. His eyes were glued to it, examining every piece of the canvass that was covered in paint. His arms were across his chest and he looked tense, almost uncomfortable. My brother kept staring at the girl on the hill. His face was unreadable.

“The bidding will begin in just a few moments,” Rydell announced.

More whispers broke out of the crowd.

I moved away from the platform then stayed in the back, watching people mingle and stare at the two paintings that marked two very different time periods of my life.

Scotty finally came back to me, a serious look on his face. “When were these painted?”

I looked at the first one. “A little over six months ago.”

“And the other?”

“A few weeks ago.”

He kept staring at me, his eyes dark.

“What?” I whispered.

He looked away. “Nothing.”

Was that all he had to say?

“You are…there are no words to describe how talented you are.”

That went straight to my heart.

“I don’t even understand why you’re in college. This was clearly what you were meant to do.”

I blinked a few times so the tears would dissipate.

“They are remarkable. I don’t even appreciate art and I’m totally mesmerized by this.”

They didn’t feel like empty words. He seemed genuinely impressed by my work. And that meant a lot to me. Each painting was an emotional battle. I worked through my conflicted emotions and expressed it through a single image. I was always afraid that people would read through the work and see my soul perfectly. It was dark and twisted. My second painting demonstrated that pretty well.

He looked back at me. “For what its worth, your parents are fucking idiots.”

He hardly cursed at me. Actually, I couldn’t recall a time he ever did in front of me. “Thanks…”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have cursed. I guess it just really pisses me off.”

“It’s okay.”

He stayed beside me and admired my work.

“Now we’ll have the bidding,” Rydell announced.

I usually got a decent price for my work, and Rydell got to keep a percentage for hosting it in his gallery. It was a win-win situation.

“I’ll begin with the first painting.” He stood next to the image of the girl on the hillside. “The bidding is officially open.”

“Three hundred.”

“Three fifty.”

A woman raised her hand. “Five hundred.”

A man cleared his throat from the back. “A thousand.”

Whoa…

“A thousand,” Rydell announced. “Any other bids?”

“Fifteen hundred,” a man called out.

“Two thousand,” a woman jumped in.

Ash looked at me like a tiny elephant just flew up my nose. “Is this shit for real?”

“Two thousand,” Rydell announced. “Any other bids?”

The crowd was silent.

“Going once…going twice…sold.”

The audience applauded.

“You just made two thousand bucks?” Ash asked incredulously. “Why the hell am I going to medical school?”

Scotty gave me a smile. “You’re badass.”

“Badass?” I felt the flush move into my cheeks.

“Yeah.” He leaned close to me then nudged me gently in the side. “Total badass.”

I blushed and looked away.

“Now for the next piece,” Rydell announced. He moved to my darker painting. “The bidding is now open.”

“Seven hundred,” a woman said immediately.

Yowza…

“A thousand.”

“Two thousand.”

Was this really happening?

“Twenty-five hundred.”

“Three thousand.”

I was expecting people to dislike this painting in comparison to the other…I guess I was wrong.

“Thirty-five hundred.”

“What the hell?” Ash whispered.

“Thirty-five hundred,” Rydell repeated. “Any other bids?”

Scotty raised his hand. “Four thousand.”

My neck snapped and I turned to him. “What?”

Scotty ignored me, looking at Rydell.

“The bidd is now four-thousand. Any other bids?”

The room was silent.

“Going once…going twice…sold to the gentleman in the back.”

The audience applauded then looked at Scotty.

“Why did you buy that painting?” I demanded.

“Because I had to.” He said it simply.

“But you don’t even follow art,” I argued.

“I follow this.” He left my side and walked to Rydell. They shook hands and then the painting was wrapped and handed over. Two of the workers carried it to his truck outside.

I stood still, dumbfounded by what happened. “I can’t believe he bought it.”

“Me either.” Ash sipped his drink. “I mean, your paintings are awesome but I’m surprised too.”

Why did he choose that one and not the other?

Scotty came back inside then found me.  “Six thousand bucks in a single night…not too bad of an income.”

I couldn’t stop staring at him. I needed to know why he bought it but I couldn’t ask now.

“You must be rolling in the dough to be able to afford it,” Ash said.

Scotty shrugged. “I’ve been saving my money for a long time.”

“I’ll say…” Ash stared at people in the room and his eyes settled on an older blonde woman.

“She’s probably married,” I blurted.