Chapter 29 #2
War? God, that depiction sealed it. He would not have his gallery show at her mother’s gallery. He’d have to convince Beverly after New Year’s.
“I’m sure Phoebe will be glad to see you.” Sawyer hurried toward the bedroom. “Phoebe.”
She came out of the bathroom in a towel with her hair up in large curlers. “Did you call Kyle? God, what am I going to wear? No, what is Brooke going to wear? She’s the fashionista. I’ll bet she’s wearing something totally chic and dressy.”
“Phoebe…” He didn’t dare look behind him. Was her dad standing in the doorway? “Your father is here.”
She clutched her towel when it started to slip. “My dad? Oh God!”
“Yes, that’s me,” the baritone voice called. “The god of your universe. Your creator. Your—”
“Oh stop!” she hollered back as she patted Sawyer and walked around him. “Sawyer will think you’re a complete narcissist.”
Sawyer watched him pull his daughter into a warm hug before tugging back with a frown. “But I am.”
“Let me guess.” She made a show of putting a gun to her head and pulling the trigger. “Mother called after I called her last night. In hysterics, I imagine.”
He was so tall he towered over her. “Def Con 5 was extolled.”
“Daddy—”
“No, I get to start since I jumped on the first flight out of New York to be here.” He pointed to the sofa. “You sit. Sawyer, feel free to grab a seat too. This is about to get fun.”
“Let me grab a robe.” Phoebe floated back in moments later, her eyes heavenward before sending him a smile. “Sawyer, you do not have to stay. Please go and change. I can meet you at the party.”
He looked between the two of them and shook his head. “You’re my partner now. I’m staying.”
River whistled. “Well, I see it is as serious as you said, Pheebes. Good, maybe you can help me talk some sense into my daughter, Sawyer. She’s blowing up her new career.”
“I am not, dammit!” she shot back.
“Pheebes, you’re walking away from your new gallery after only a month. I know your mother ended up with the show you were hoping for, but Beverly called her. What could she do? I ask you… What artist could be worth this kind of enmity between you and your mother?”
Sawyer’s heart began to beat like the first notes out of a Dracula movie.
He didn’t know? Shit.
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Well, I don’t know, Daddy. Maybe you should ask him. He’s sitting in that chair to your right.”
The shocked expression on her father’s face was almost comical. “The art professor? Him?”
He lifted his hand, trying to decide if sliding down in the chair was better than excusing himself.
River pointed a long tapered finger at him. “He’s the show Beverly is so hot about? You didn’t tell me your boyfriend is an artist.”
Suddenly he wished he’d left when he had the chance…
She blew out a raspberry as she threw a pillow at him.
“What? Am I crazy? I never tell you when I’m going out with an artist. Don’t you recall what a nightmare you were when I dated an artist in high school?
You demanded to see his portfolio to determine if he was good enough. You’re as bad as Mother.”
“Fine, it wasn’t my best parenting moment.”
“Have you had one?” she asked smartly.
Sawyer could see they had a very open way of communicating. He kept his mouth shut and tried to stay out of the fray.
Except then River frowned, studying him, his face a hard, flintlike mask. “Beverly is your agent?”
He lifted his chin. This was a proud moment, and he was going to stand tall. “Yes, she is.”
Another whistle followed that pronouncement. “Then you’re the shit. Because Beverly is one of the best agents out there. If I hadn’t thought your mother would be jealous, I would have signed with her.”
“That’s why you chose Howard?” Phoebe gasped. “Because Mom would have been jealous?”
“Look, I was trying to be a good husband.” He went over and sat next to her, taking her hand awkwardly. “You know I loved your mother. We just couldn’t live together. Hiring Howard was one of the things I did to make things work.”
“That’s a nice stroll down memory lane, but I don’t want to hear about Mother ever again.”
“Pheebes—”
“Daddy, I’m telling you, and this time you’d better hear me.
” She locked her hands under her armpits, making Sawyer rise and pick up the blanket on the chair for her since she looked cold despite her robe.
“Thanks, Horatio. Some people should have texted before they showed up and tried to manage things.”
“Some people should have told their fathers the full story.” He gently tucked the blanket around her, which she allowed. “I see now why you didn’t. Tell me everything.”
By the time Phoebe was finished, River was walking the floors. His hands were shoved into his cords, and there was a menacing scowl on his face. “Launching a nuke and telling her to fuck off isn’t good enough, Pheebes. I might have to start a fire in her gallery after smoking a last cigarette.”
Thank God Madison loved joking about her cleaver or he’d be so out of his depths with this kind of talk.
“That’s so film noir 1970s, Daddy,” she said with a sigh. “Plus, it’s arson. Mother is not worth going to jail over. But I’m glad you understand now. So can you leave?”
He stopped and shook his finger, looking every bit like a great artist commanding attention. “No, honey. We’re making this right. Sawyer, do you want to have your first gallery show at my bitch of an ex’s gallery?”
The man’s intensity was practically explosive. “I was just talking to my friend about that. We were thinking I could pitch Beverly on doing a bigger show at a top gallery instead. Maybe in New York.”
He slashed his hand through the air. “Yes, but what’s your incentive? I know Bev. She won’t want to back out of an understanding with Ivy. Especially for a new artist—even one she’s signed. Reflects poorly on her.”
“Maybe I can tell Mother she’ll be helping my boyfriend out, having his first show,” Phoebe snarled. “That would make her back out. She’d hate for me to eke out any happiness, even through my boyfriend.”
God, they really were living out Hamlet.
“I have no idea what your mother might do at this point,” River ground out, his jaw tight. He paced a few steps forward and then back before pausing, his expression lighting up. “Wait! I have an idea on your incentive. Assuming you two are planning to be public about your relationship.”
They traded looks. “I’m honored to be with your daughter, sir, and hope to have the chance to show you how much she means to me.”
Phoebe playfully sagged to the side as if blown away by his formal protestation, her lips curving. “We’re moving in together, Daddy. Is that public enough?”
The man looked him up and down again. Slowly. Sawyer met his gaze head-on. “Then let me finesse this with Beverly for you as a parental gesture. You know me, Pheebes. I’m a pro at complicated relationships.”
That had Phoebe sagging even further down the couch. “That’s sweet, but let’s hear your plan before Sawyer agrees. It’s his career, after all.”
He caught her eye and sent her a smile. “I’m all ears, sir.”
River drummed his finger on his thigh. “Here’s what I’m thinking. I’ll call Howard and tell him I need to give Beverly one of my shows. He won’t like it, but when I tell him about you and Ivy, he’s going to open a bottle of champagne and toast me for this. Because he hates Ivy, and he loves you.”
“Yes, he does,” Phoebe added with a hand clutched to her chest. “Sawyer, wait until you meet Uncle Howard.”
He didn’t need to ask who she was talking about.
The man was a legend. Howard Carrothers didn’t take clients anymore. That’s why Sawyer hadn’t reached out to him. “I can’t wait.”
“We agree you’re the only saving grace from my marriage, Phoebe.” River came over and tipped her face up. “If I had to do all of the agony over, I would. To have you, Pheebes.”
Sawyer was really starting to like this nickname.
Her eyes were suspiciously wet as she batted his hand away. “For an egoist, you’re not too bad of a parent.”
He wheezed out a laugh. “Your psychiatrist has records that probably say otherwise. But I’m here, and I figure that will negate a bunch of negative behavior in the past.”
“You mean like when you crawled into your studio and painted for weeks, forgetting my birthday, my high school graduation, my—”
“Yes!” He winced and grabbed the sides of his head passionately. “Let’s not forget how insensitive and emotionally unavailable I can be.”
She snorted. “Here we are again. Talking about you. When we should be talking about me and Sawyer. Horatio? What do you think? If my dad calls Beverly, are you good with this? Because I want you to be happy more than anything.”
He went over and took her hand. “I’d like to call Beverly and pitch her. If you’re willing to come on the line, River, should she go for it, that would be excellent.”
River’s brows shot to his forehead before his booming laugh filled the small room. “Your new beau might have a professorial air, but he’s got backbone. He’d have to in order to keep up with you, wouldn’t he?”
“A backhanded compliment.” Her tone was jocular. “How surprising. That’s your cue to call Beverly, Sawyer.”
He frowned. “Now? But it’s New Year’s Eve.”
“Sawyer,” River practically rumbled, “I happen to know Beverly bailed out an artist when she was sitting shiva for her mother. Plus, I’m right here. Might be good to profité, as the French say.”
Right. Pulling out his phone, he thought through what he wanted to say. When Beverly came onto the line, he laid out the issue as succinctly and neutrally as he could. When she didn’t say anything, he laid the incentive at her feet. He swore he could hear her breathing change to near panting.
“You’re telling me that River Kennison—the bane of my agent existence—would be willing to let me arrange a show for him in exchange for setting up a bigger show for you at a top gallery of my choosing in New York?
Sawyer, I know we’ve only just met, but this is not something to joke with Beverly about. ”
He almost laughed at the use of third person. “It’s not a joke.”
“But why would he do that?”
He gulped. The moment of truth. “I happen to be in love with his daughter, something I struggled with mentioning because I didn’t want to seem unprofessional.”
“Give me the phone.” River grabbed it from Sawyer’s hand.
“Beverly! How wonderful to talk to you again so soon! Isn’t that the best news about Pheebes and your newest protégé?
Am I serious? Would I joke about this? After all of these years?
Okay, fine, I’m an ass. But this isn’t April Fool’s Day.
We both know how much my daughter means to me.
I don’t like what Ivy pulled this time. So yes, you have me for one show. One show only. Twenty paintings.”
Phoebe smothered her laughter with her hand. Sawyer was too shocked by him lowballing the number to say anything.
“No!” His voice was emphatic as he sent them a wink.
“Thirty won’t work, Bev. Fine, twenty-five.
I’ll talk to Howard and then let you two work everything out.
Yeah, you go ahead and get on that. I know you’ll want to call Ivy too and tell her about the change in plans.
Tell her Happy New Year for me and Pheebes, will you? ”
When he hung up, he and Phoebe laughed until they were holding on to each other and wiping aside tears while Sawyer savored the feeling of freedom.
He would have a show free of entanglements, and it was going to kick ass.
He couldn’t wait to tell his roommates about it—and that he seemed to have River Kennison on his side too.
Mind-blowing.
“You just launched your own nuke, Daddy,” Phoebe finally managed after settling down.
“Not my first. Felt good too. I’m tired of trying and keeping the peace between you two. I believe my role at shuttle diplomacy is over. Thank God!”
Their shared elation had Sawyer smiling. He was glad Phoebe had him in her camp. “Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” River gave a wolfish grin.
“I can be insufferable about things like this. I mean, I still remind Phoebe of that time I drove all the way out to some dumpy apple farm in Westchester so she could go on a pony ride. It was the saddest, most worn-out nag of a horse you’ll ever see. But she skipped around for days.”
“You were trying to keep me from interrupting your painting time the following week,” she reminded him. “Look, we’re talking about you again, Daddy, and you’ve had your quota.”
“We still haven’t talked about your career.”
“Another time—I want to celebrate this fabulous turn of events with my man.” She launched herself off the couch and into his lap, twining her arms around his neck.
He pushed back the hair that had escaped one of her curlers.
God, she was beautiful. Any earlier turmoil from her eyes was gone.
They were sparkly and full of light. Exactly like he wanted for her.
“You all good?” she asked sweetly.
He laughed. “Yeah. I just got everything I could ever have wanted. Because I could not in good faith or with any honor make you wear that gorgeous dress you brought last night to Nanine’s and walk into your mother’s gallery for my first show. What kind of gentleman would do that?”
She fingered the collar of his shirt. “Not my Horatio.”
“Who the hell is Horatio?” River blustered.
They were both sputtering with laughter as they kissed.