Chapter Ten - Thalia
CHAPTER TEN
Thalia
MY TRIP TO Colorado did absolutely nothing to make me feel better about everything. Lucky for me, I’ve gotten really good at putting a smile on my face when it comes to all things related to Sebastian.
I learned I wasn’t the only one who took a trip to get out of town. Blake told me Owen said Sebastian had gone to Greensboro for a few days. I guess she went out with Kiera and her best friend for drinks, and Kiera was still pretty upset with him.
Not even Sebastian could dim the smile on my face tonight, though.
My parents are in town, and there’s a huge turnout for the gallery opening tonight. I have already sold numerous portraits, and tonight couldn’t be more perfect.
“If you have any pictures in your portfolio that we could use for this article, I’d love if you could send them to me. We’re trying to bring light to some of the more impoverished areas in Africa that are in desperate need of fresh drinking water,” Mia says with a smile as she sips her flute of champagne. Mia is part of the photography department with TIME , and I almost didn’t believe her when she said she was flying down for this.
I notice Eric walking toward me over Mia’s shoulder, and I smile, trying not to let myself be distracted as I answer her question. “I might have something perfect for that. I’ll have to look, but I’m sure I can find something that hasn’t already been copyrighted by someone else.” I turn to look up at Eric as he stands by my side, looking good in his button-down and slacks. My heart quickens in my chest, and then I realize they’re both waiting for an introduction. “Mia, this is Eric.”
He smiles kindly at her and offers Mia his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mia.”
“You as well. Congratulations on tonight, Thalia. I’m glad you decided to open this place; it is truly incredible seeing all your work displayed in the same room,” she says warmly. I resist the urge to do another happy dance after she walks away.
“She’s right, tonight is incredible. You’re great at what you do,” Eric says, stepping in front of me, leaning down to brush his lips over my cheek.
“I’m really glad you came with me tonight. Thank you.”
“Thank you for inviting me. I’m happy to be here for you.”
I smile brightly at Eric, my cheeks protesting at the movement since I’ve been smiling all night. “Tonight is going better than I dreamed it would. I knew that some of my contacts were coming, but I didn’t think this many would come.”
“Of course they came, Thalia. You have such an impact on everyone you meet, I’m not surprised at all. ”
Blake approaches, my brother glued to her hip. Her eyes are wide in amazement as she looks around. “Lia, this is amazing. Would it be bad if I bought them all to decorate our house?”
“I mean, if you wanted to, that’d be awesome, but I actually have a present for you,” I say with a warm smile, untangling myself from Eric.
“But this is your night? Why am I getting a present?”
“Don’t question it, just go with it, dear,” Owen says with a short chuckle, nudging Blake toward me.
I squint at him with surprise. “Did you just call her dear?” What is he? Sixty?
“Well she is my wife, so yes, I did just call her dear.” Owen looks at me funny and I roll my eyes. I have never been able to understand my brother so I don’t know why I’m trying to tonight. “Good luck, Eric, take notes. Apparently, Thalia doesn’t like pet names.”
“Whatever, Owen.” I scoff, turning my attention to the portrait I had framed from their wedding photos. I purposefully never showed it to her because I always intended to gift it to them. It was after everyone had left and I walked back into the building where the reception was held to help clean up, but I found Blake and Owen slow dancing without any music. In the photo, Owen is looking at Blake like she’s the only thing in the world that exists. “That is for you,” I motion toward where it’s hanging on the wall. “A thank-you for everything you’ve done to help me get all this ready. You’re a good friend, B.”
She gasps at the sight of the photo, tears filling her eyes. “Lia, this is too much,” she stammers, blinking rapidly to keep her tears at bay .
“It’s really not. I appreciate you putting up with Owen. I’ve never seen him happier than when he’s with you,” I say, and Blake throws herself at me, hugging me tightly.
“Thank you. We’re more like sisters than friends at this point.”
I feel happy tears well up in my eyes because that’s exactly what Blake is to me.
When I pull back to wipe my eyes, Owen is smiling at me. Too nicely, though. It’s weird. I don’t like it.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I have my own surprise for you too.”
“Well, what is it?” I ask bluntly, and he motions over my shoulder.
“It’s not a what. It’s a who.”
I turn quickly, and more tears fill my eyes when I catch sight of Chris standing there with his two-year-old son, Henry. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were my best friend, but you look far too successful and put together to be her. She’s a bit of a hot mess.”
“No way, you told me you couldn’t come when I invited you!” I say, moving quickly to hug him tightly. His deep laugh resonates through me, and I relish the familiar sound.
“It would have ruined the surprise.”
Chris and I had a rocky start to our friendship in college because he’s basically refused to put up with any of my shit. Once he figured out I wasn’t going anywhere, he made more of an effort to be my friend since he was still at Duke getting his master’s degree. He ended up becoming one of my best friends, until he moved down to Florida when Allie was offered a job there. We talk every few months to catch up, but he’s busy with his family and I’ve been busy traveling the world. Scheduling phone calls is difficult with the different time zones and unpredictableness of life.
I crouch down carefully because of my dress to be the same height as Henry. “Hi, buddy, do you remember who I am?” I ask softly, and Henry nods once, a puzzled expression on his face. His dark hair is swept out of his face, and his little bowtie melts my heart. “I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you recently, but I have a book at my house that I got you from France last time I was there.”
Chris laughs again as Henry now beams at me. “Lia, he couldn’t even tell you where we live, let alone where France is.”
I stick my tongue out at him. “Well I’m going to make sure Henry is fluent in French. D’accord, petit bonhomme? ”
Chris moves to hug everyone else as I lift Henry into my arms. I balance him on my hip, bouncing him slightly as he giggles quietly. “No Allie?”
“She said to tell you congratulations, but she had to work. It’s just us this time.”
“I’m really glad you’re here. I can’t believe you guys kept this from me!” I glare accusingly at Owen who simply shrugs.
“There’s been a lot going on. I thought you could use a good surprise,” he says, playing it off with a smile, but this means everything to me.
My parents are around here somewhere; Mom is probably chatting someone’s ear off, and Dad is most likely following her around quietly. Penelope is…actually, I’m not quite sure where Penelope is. I look around, trying to spot her dark hair among the crowd of people, but it’s become a little crowded in here .
I’ll find her in a little bit; she’s got to be somewhere around here.
“It was a great surprise, thank you, Owen,” I say, giving him a smile as I adjust my grip on Henry.
Chris smiles apologetically at Eric. “Hey man, I’m sorry, but I’m going to steal her for a bit if that’s okay? I think we’ve got some catching up to do.”
“She’s all yours. Thalia does what she wants, and I’m not going to try to control her. I’d hate to get punched like Bash,” he teases, and I roll my eyes as they all laugh. They wouldn’t find it funny if they knew what he said.
“Well, I guess that answers one of my questions already.”
My cheeks are burning red because of course he’s seen those stupid clickbait articles about Sebastian’s black eye. I set Henry on the floor gently, but he’s quick to reach for my hand. Baby fever is totally 100 percent a thing.
“I’ll come find you later,” I promise Eric, who only smiles, shooing me away with his hands. I glance around, trying to find a quieter spot that will give us a chance to talk more freely. I have a firm grip on Henry’s hand, but Chris eventually picks him up. “How’s Florida?” I ask as we work our way through, observing the portraits.
“Sunny, rainy, humid. I used to think there was nowhere more humid than here, but I was wrong. It’s not my favorite spot, and I wish I’d known that before Allie accepted that job,” he admits. I look at Chris in surprise, catching the almost resentful tone in his voice.
“Why didn’t Allie really come?”
Chris adjusts Henry in his arms, but he’s squirming, clearly wanting down. “We’re going through a rough patch right now. She needed the weekend to relax or whatever. Being a parent and married is harder than she thought it would be.”
“I’m really sorry, Chris.”
“It’ll work itself out. We’re trying to make it work, which is good, but I didn’t come here to talk about my marriage. Lord knows I do enough of that in couple’s therapy. Do I even want to know what you punched Sebastian for?” Chris redirects the conversation back to me.
I look down at the red dress I’m wearing, and I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Same shit as always.” I cover my mouth when I realize I cursed, and Chris chuckles immediately.
“You’re in the presence of a toddler who picks up every single word he hears. You might want to try being a little more careful.”
“Sorry, same stuff as always. You’d be proud, I got him good.” I hold up a fist and pretend to swing. “If there’s one thing I’m sure Bash and Owen regret teaching me, it’s how to throw a punch.”
“I bet they do, those pictures made it look terrible.”
They really did.
“I made it count. I promise you, he deserved it.”
“I’m sure he did. Have you guys had a chance to talk since the last time we spoke?” Chris asks, and I shake my head, choosing to look at the landscape pictured in front of me.
“Not about anything real. Just these petty arguments where we continue going in circles. I’m not sure I want to talk to him, though. I just want Sebastian out of my life,” I admit softly, even if it doesn’t feel like the truth. It should be the truth .
Chris gives me a knowing smile as he sets Henry down on the ground. He moves to immediately hug my leg. “Do you actually want Bash gone, or is this like that time when I had to call you out on your BS? I can have a very similar conversation with Sebastian telling him to pull his head out of his butt if you’d like.”
Censoring around children makes these conversations seem so much less serious.
“Daddy, butt!” Henry giggles happily, and Chris rolls his eyes.
“See, a parrot.”
“A cute parrot,” I defend Henry, running my fingers through his hair. “I appreciate the offer, but he’s getting married in two months. We had our chance, Chris. I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but I’m certainly not going to try and break up an engagement for someone I don’t even know anymore.”
“That’s bull. You know exactly who he is, but I can respect your decision. I think you’re making a mistake, though,” he says bluntly. It’s a lot easier for Chris to say that when he doesn’t know everything.
I look at him skeptically. “Are you really suggesting I try to break up the engagement?”
“I never thought you guys would stay broken up this long. I guess I’ve been wrong before. Six years ago, I never would have believed you two would last three years together.”
“It’s over for good,” I say with finality. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the coordinator of the Homes for Habitat charity.
“Thalia! I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I need you for a minute to say a few words. We had a large donation come in,” he explains excitedly, and I have mixed feelings. William was supposed to do all the public speaking tonight, but I should have known he’d rope me into something.
“Of course. Chris, I’ll find you when I’m done,” I promise, and he pats my shoulder.
“Go on, Lewis. Henry and I will be fine. I’m going to go find Owen and Blake,” Chris says, and I follow the coordinator up toward the front of the room where the first picture I ever sold to a major magazine is hung. It’s from the little cliff in the woods that overlooks that magnificent valley. It feels almost like a full circle moment.
I catch Penelope on our way to the front and pull her with me. “You did just as much work on this place as I did. Come with me,” I say and she smiles brilliantly at me. She’s been with me every step of the way and deserves to be recognized
The three of us stand at the front of the room and the music stops, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Welcome everyone! I’m William Vernon, coordinator of the charity, Homes for Habitat, that Ms. Lewis has graciously decided to host tonight during the opening of her wonderful gallery. We’d like her to say a few words because not only is she hosting, she’s donated her time, talent, and half of the proceeds from tonight to go toward the organization. On behalf of all of us at the charity, thank you,” he says, smiling kindly to me, and the room is quick to applaud.
I’m passed the microphone and I chuckle nervously. I’m not good in front of crowds. “Thank you to everyone who has come tonight. I’m Thalia if you don’t already know me, but a few years ago I was going through a hard time in my life. I wanted to find purpose again, and I’d been offered the opportunity of a lifetime to go to Africa to photograph a portfolio for National Geographic . While I was there, I wanted to do more. I reached out to the charity, Homes for Habitat, which focuses on building homes in impoverished communities to give back. Whenever I wasn’t exploring with my camera, I was learning how to help build a house from scratch. It’s an incredible cause, and I was told that a few minutes ago there was a large donation made. Whoever you are, I’d like to thank you personally for your generosity, so please pull me aside at any point tonight. Finally, I want to thank my wonderful business partner and best friend for all the work she’s done to help me get this place ready for tonight. I could never have done it without you, Penelope. There’s plenty of champagne to go around, grab a glass, be safe, and I hope you all have a wonderful night.”
There’s more clapping and I can feel my cheeks turn bright red. From the viewpoint I have, I catch sight of a tall man with dark hair who looks extremely familiar to Sebastian Walker walking out the front door. Except before I can follow, I’m pulled away into another conversation with one of my work contacts to discuss when I’m going to accept more photography jobs.
Tonight has been perfect.