Good. It’s the best I’ve seen you do so far. You seem inspired. And I have the perfect use for it. I’d like to offer you a showing at the gallery.”
Megan stared at him round-eyed. Only the best, top-rated artists from around the nation showed at Rosenfeld. Several Chicago artists who had started at Rosenfeld and went on to gain renown in the world art community continued to premiere their new work at Rosenfeld & Epner. Being offered a show with them at some time in the far future had only been a vague, unformed dream at the periphery of her awareness. But being offered a show now wasn’t even something that had entered her universe of expectations.
“ I don’t know what to say. Do you really think I’m ready?”
Randy crossed his arms and studied her for a moment before answering. “To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure about the answer to that until I saw this piece. Nancy has been much more gung-ho about the idea. She went a long way to convince me.” He nodded toward her sculpture. “But this really sealed the deal. Yes, I can say it with complete confidence. You’re ready.”
She shook her head, still stunned. A curl broke away from the loose knot on her head and fell into her eyes. “Thank you for your confidence in me. I hope I don’t let you down.”
Randy smiled and took a step closer to her. He gently brushed the tendril behind her ear. “You won’t let us down, Megan. You won’t let me down.”
Megan blinked, surprised to realize how close he was.
“ I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” a familiar voice called with amusement from the entryway to Megan’s small studio. Megan glanced over her shoulder, glad to hear Tina’s familiar voice. The moment with Randy had quickly segued from euphoria to discomfort.
Tina must have been doing some metal soldering because she was still had a protective visor tilted back on her head. The visor looked strangely right, like an accessory to her shorts, cut-off tank top and army boots. Her revealing black clothing, colorful arm tattoo, and pierced belly button only emphasized the delicate beauty and perfection of her face and body. Megan’s greeting froze on her tongue when she saw who stood behind Tina.
“ Someone’s got a visitor,” Tina announced with a grin, obviously relishing seeing Megan’s reaction to the man she’d led into the room.
“ Oh… Christian.”
Megan’s senses tried to realign themselves to the reality of him standing at the entryway of her studio. He looked impossibly tall, perhaps due to the contrast of Tina’s miniature proportions in comparison. He was dressed in the clothing that suited him the most, faded jeans that seemed specially made to show off his lean hips, flat belly, and long legs along with scuffed boots, and a dark blue, untucked T-shirt that highlighted the taper running from his broad shoulders to trim waist. A tiny portion of Megan’s brain took in that the white writing of the logo was in Chinese. His arms were crossed loosely over his chest, giving Megan a glimpse of well-developed biceps and strong-looking, veined forearms dusted with brown hair.
“ How did you find me here?” she asked, still vibrating with shock at his sudden presence.
Christian’s hard stare shifted from Randy to Megan. “Jeff,” he answered tersely, referring to their doorman.
Even with the single syllable, Megan was stunned anew by the resonant, rich quality of his voice. “Oh, right. He’s the one who told me you were out of town,” Megan replied hoarsely.
A silence ensued. Megan blushed hotly, realizing that she’d just revealed that she had engaged in a conversation with their doorman about Christian…something she would have sworn she would never tell him in a million years. Why did he have this effect on her?
Still, he wasn’t gloating over her slip-up. In fact, he wasn’t showing much emotion at all.
“ Jeff must have noticed us together last week. He told me about you leaving with a suitcase
Megan stared at him round-eyed. Only the best, top-rated artists from around the nation showed at Rosenfeld. Several Chicago artists who had started at Rosenfeld and went on to gain renown in the world art community continued to premiere their new work at Rosenfeld & Epner. Being offered a show with them at some time in the far future had only been a vague, unformed dream at the periphery of her awareness. But being offered a show now wasn’t even something that had entered her universe of expectations.
“ I don’t know what to say. Do you really think I’m ready?”
Randy crossed his arms and studied her for a moment before answering. “To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure about the answer to that until I saw this piece. Nancy has been much more gung-ho about the idea. She went a long way to convince me.” He nodded toward her sculpture. “But this really sealed the deal. Yes, I can say it with complete confidence. You’re ready.”
She shook her head, still stunned. A curl broke away from the loose knot on her head and fell into her eyes. “Thank you for your confidence in me. I hope I don’t let you down.”
Randy smiled and took a step closer to her. He gently brushed the tendril behind her ear. “You won’t let us down, Megan. You won’t let me down.”
Megan blinked, surprised to realize how close he was.
“ I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” a familiar voice called with amusement from the entryway to Megan’s small studio. Megan glanced over her shoulder, glad to hear Tina’s familiar voice. The moment with Randy had quickly segued from euphoria to discomfort.
Tina must have been doing some metal soldering because she was still had a protective visor tilted back on her head. The visor looked strangely right, like an accessory to her shorts, cut-off tank top and army boots. Her revealing black clothing, colorful arm tattoo, and pierced belly button only emphasized the delicate beauty and perfection of her face and body. Megan’s greeting froze on her tongue when she saw who stood behind Tina.
“ Someone’s got a visitor,” Tina announced with a grin, obviously relishing seeing Megan’s reaction to the man she’d led into the room.
“ Oh… Christian.”
Megan’s senses tried to realign themselves to the reality of him standing at the entryway of her studio. He looked impossibly tall, perhaps due to the contrast of Tina’s miniature proportions in comparison. He was dressed in the clothing that suited him the most, faded jeans that seemed specially made to show off his lean hips, flat belly, and long legs along with scuffed boots, and a dark blue, untucked T-shirt that highlighted the taper running from his broad shoulders to trim waist. A tiny portion of Megan’s brain took in that the white writing of the logo was in Chinese. His arms were crossed loosely over his chest, giving Megan a glimpse of well-developed biceps and strong-looking, veined forearms dusted with brown hair.
“ How did you find me here?” she asked, still vibrating with shock at his sudden presence.
Christian’s hard stare shifted from Randy to Megan. “Jeff,” he answered tersely, referring to their doorman.
Even with the single syllable, Megan was stunned anew by the resonant, rich quality of his voice. “Oh, right. He’s the one who told me you were out of town,” Megan replied hoarsely.
A silence ensued. Megan blushed hotly, realizing that she’d just revealed that she had engaged in a conversation with their doorman about Christian…something she would have sworn she would never tell him in a million years. Why did he have this effect on her?
Still, he wasn’t gloating over her slip-up. In fact, he wasn’t showing much emotion at all.
“ Jeff must have noticed us together last week. He told me about you leaving with a suitcase
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