Chapter 32
To Do:
- Deep clean gallery
- Double check catering – gluten free apps?
“Who cleaned this window last,a blind man covered in Vaseline? Honestly.” Claire opened a stepladder with a flourish and spritzed Nicole’s storefront window with glass cleaner. The fairy lights strung inside the display stubbornly illuminated every smudge. The gallery was far enough from the blast site that the windows hadn’t shattered, or Claire would have been dealing with a whole new crisis. Small miracles.
Luckily, aside from her main vehicle, Claire had only lost a scarf and a bag of dog treats in the blast. She had taken all her work and client property out of the car before she had left for Sanctum. Her guardian angel must have been looking out for her. She was temporarily driving the Happily Ever Afters company van until her insurance could replace her vehicle. She mourned her little black Audi. ESA was going to pay, but they would have to wait until after Aaron and Jane had the perfect proposal.
A door in the back slammed, and Claire jumped like a gun had fired. Okay, so the car bomb had bothered her a little more than she had admitted to friends and family. The fact that someone out there hated her enough to go to such great lengths to scare her chilled her blood. All this because she had gently rejected a guy from her business class nearly a decade ago? And now his buddies were punishing her for putting him in prison? It was insane.
She sprayed the window again and scrubbed with a new paper towel. Why were they just continuing to threaten her, anyway? Surely her security system and one measly cop who didn’t even watch her full-time weren’t enough of a deterrent to keep them at bay. Why didn’t they just come take her? Were they waiting for something? Jack’s professional opinion was that they were just trying to scare her, but she wasn’t convinced.
There was time to worry about all this later. Aaron needed Business Claire, not Emotional Baggage Claire.
The gallery teemed with Aaron and Jane’s friends and family. The excitement was palpable. Nicole stalked around with her camera, capturing the family members. A couple of uncles were arguing over one of the paintings on the east wall, shaking fistfuls of cash at each other. A notoriously sloppy cousin was dumping something from a flask into her glass of Coke. Claire made a mental note to watch her like a hawk.
A harried-looking server slid through a crowd of Jane’s relatives and ran up to her. “Claire, there’s a problem in the kitchenette. Do we have a fire extinguisher?”
Claire craned her neck toward the back of the gallery. She didn’t see any smoke, at least. “First cabinet on the left toward the door. Do not burn down my friend’s gallery, please.”
The front door opened, and Aaron walked in. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and he was paler than the last time she had seen him.
“Aaron! How are you feeling?” She quickly moved to intercept him before the family caught sight of him.
“Great,” he croaked. He was now green as well as pale.
“Let’s get you some air,” Claire said, grabbing his elbow and bringing him back outside. The last thing he needed was an interrogation from Uncle Joe.
The heat of the day had died down into a cool evening. Stars twinkled pleasantly against an inky backdrop.
“Do me a favor. Breathe in for seven counts, okay? One, two…”
As she continued, Aaron breathed deeply until his chest expanded like a barrel.
“Okay, now for the tough part. Out for eleven.” She counted down again. He slowly exhaled. “Let’s do it two more times.”
By the last breathing exercise, he was starting to look less green. He wasn’t her first nervous groom-to-be. Hopefully, he was nervous because he was about to ask a life-altering question and not because he was planning to kidnap her and stuff her in a trunk later. But she had gone back through his criminal background check and skimmed all of his social media a second time. He wasn’t in a fraternity in college. He wasn’t out to get her. He was just a guy who wanted to marry his girlfriend. She needed to learn to trust her gut again.
“I know it’s a lot,” she said. “It’s a big day. But it’s going to be amazing. When the night is done, you’ll have a beautiful, talented fiancée and a new life chapter to start together. Do you want to see what we did with your drawing?”
Aaron nodded. She led him quickly through the gallery to the back, where a closed door that was usually Nicole’s darkroom had been transformed into a proposal nook. Aaron and Jane would have complete privacy for the big moment until they chose to share the happy news.
“See? It’s quiet, secluded. It’ll be just the two of you.” She gestured to the bouquets of roses and the false greenery they had introduced to disguise the darkroom. “Nicole will capture the ‘yes’ from her strategically placed camera hidey-holes. Now, her family will surely stampede you with love the second you open the door, but you can stay in here as long as you want. And afterward, there’s an open bar.”
“Thank you,” he said on an exhale. He seemed to still be following the breathing exercise.
She adjusted the spotlight below the print. Although his fiancée was the real artist, he certainly knew his way around a sketch. It was roughly drawn, but the similarities between the caricature and the real-life people were undeniable.
“You did such a great job,” she said, patting him on the arm. “And that’s a perfect rendering of the ring.”
He shrugged. “It was no big deal. I took a picture and tried to make it as realistic as Jane would have. She could draw a better sketch in a coma.”
Claire laughed and swatted at him. “She’s going to love it. She should be here any minute,” she said, glancing at her watch. “I just have a couple of things to check on. Don’t forget, I have the ring. I’ll pass it to you when you’re about to go to the back room. Do you want to stand outside until Jane gets here? It’s a little crowded in here.”
He let out another slow breath and nodded before disappearing outside. He cut through the throng of family and friends, wringing his hands and taking deep breaths. Jane’s father clapped him on the back as he passed.
Claire took another glance around, adjusting a frame that was slightly tilted.
Hors d’oeuvres—check. The waiters were passing spinach dip crostini, mini crab puffs, and tiny shooters of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Jane’s favorites. Champagne—check. It sparkled in glasses at the bar, ready to be passed out. The storefront was now gleaming, so Mindy must have finished the glass cleaning job while Claire was with Aaron. Claire had done trash pickup and some light power washing on the sidewalk only an hour ago, so surely it hadn’t gotten out of control since then.
Her phone beeped. Jane had pulled up out front. A thrill ran through Claire. “Faces to the wall, everyone! Talk among yourselves. It’s showtime!”
The guests whirled to face the artwork on the walls. Aunt Muriel pulled out her compact and trained it on the door. Claire shook her head.
She planted herself in the middle of everything, quickly swiping a crab puff that was about to fall from a tray and crumpling it into a napkin. She stuffed it into her pocket. Hopefully, she would remember to throw it out so it wouldn’t become a sleepwalking snack later.
“This is so nice, Aaron,” a woman’s voice said as the couple crossed the threshold. “I never knew there was a gallery here. I wonder if they ever accept local artists for shows.”
Jane stepped confidently inside in a purple kimono romper and combat boots. Her shock of red hair was peppered with streaks of green. A pearl clutch dangled from one hand.
“Couldn’t hurt to ask,” Aaron said, sweating under the overhead lights.His voice cracked.
Friends and family glanced at the couple out of the corner of their eyes, barely concealing wide smiles.
“Oh, it’s my favorite concerto,” Jane said as Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5” played softly overhead. “This is my kind of place. Oh, and spinach dip crostini!” She accepted one from a passing waiter. “I want to live here,” she said as a glass of champagne was pressed into her hand.
“Shall we look at some of the art?” Aaron asked.
“Of course,” Jane said, taking a sip as they walked to the nearest wall. “Wait a fricken second—” Her systematically plucked and groomed brows knit together. “This is my painting.”
Aaron stood next to her and feigned ignorance. “Are you sure? Maybe someone else just painted the same spot in the park as you.”
“No, these are definitely mine. That’s my niece,” she said, gesturing to a young girl with cornflower hair giggling under a sun hat. “What the hell?” She turned, clearly searching for someone in charge to begin asking questions.
Nicole stepped in out of nowhere. “Hi, Jane. My name is Nicole, and this is normally my photography studio,” she said, gesturing at the structure. “Your boyfriend wanted to surprise you for your anniversary, so he asked me to host an exhibition for you. It’s an honor to display the work of someone so talented.”
Jane turned to Aaron and hit him on the arm. “You did not.”
He shrugged, still sweating, and managed a smile.
“I did.”
“Oh my god,” she said, pulling him into a hug. “I don’t even know what to say.”
He kissed her tenderly on the forehead. “You’re the most talented artist I know. Your work deserves to be seen.”
Claire sidled up to Aaron and slid the ring box into his pocket.
“You should really check out the piece in the back room,” Nicole said, gesturing to the darkroom. “It’s one of a kind.”
“Sounds great. Let’s go,” Aaron said, a tremor in his voice.
Jane and Aaron walked slowly to the back of the studio. She clearly wanted to stop and look at some of her paintings, but Aaron guided her with a hand on the small of her back.
Finally, they walked into the darkroom. There was a soft gasp as Jane stepped inside and snapped the door shut.
Nicole sprang into action, picking up a tablet, and opened the program that was linked to a number of Wi-Fi-capable digital cameras inside the darkroom. False camera shutter noises came from the screen. It wasn’t as good as having free range over the angles, but it would have to do for a couple who craved privacy.
Claire stood on tiptoe to peer over Nicole’s shoulder. Even with the limited angles, the lighting was flawless. Jane’s eyes sparkled. Aaron’s smile was much more relaxed now that he wasn’t in the middle of a throng of aggressive relatives.
Claire flailed her hands above her head, trying to draw everyone’s attention. The relatives, who had clearly been waiting with bated breath for this moment, stormed across the wooden floorboards like a herd of cattle.
She held out one hand, certain that they would press their noses against the closed door if she allowed it.
“Shhhh, give them their space,” she hissed, shooting a pointed glance at Aaron’s Uncle Joe, who had a GoPro on his forehead and a DSLR camera in front of his face.
The relatives reluctantly retreated a few feet, glancing at Jane’s artwork but still focused on the door. It was so quiet in the studio that rain tapped audibly against the storefront. Thankfully she had counted on the rain and secured a very photogenic umbrella for their impromptu engagement photo shoot.
A loud squeal sounded from behind the closed door, and everyone crowded around again.
“Oh my god, yes!” Jane said, sounding slightly muffled.
Claire waved the waiter over, and he began distributing champagne. She took a glass, then immediately set it back down. If the press happened to stumble by the gallery tonight, she would surely end up on the front page of the paper. Hartley the Harlot Dares to Sip Champagne.
It was all Rachel’s fault. If she hadn’t accused Claire of being an alcoholic during the preliminary trial, the press would have had no ammunition. And now she was going to have to see Rachel’s stupid, smug face this weekend when she visited Barney in prison. Ugh. There was time to worry about that later. She still needed to make sure the family didn’t stampede Aaron and Jane when they came out.
Nicole’s warm presence arrived at her shoulder, camera poised to capture the happy couple’s exit, and Claire smiled at her best friend.
The antique knob turned slowly, and Jane and Aaron stepped out, not paying attention to anyone or anything in the room but each other.
“Surprise!” various family members yelled.
“Jesus Christ!” Jane panicked, screaming and flinging her pearl-studded clutch into the audience. It hit Uncle Joe in the cheek and knocked his GoPro off.
Claire snatched up the GoPro and returned it, retreating as the bride-to-be profusely apologized and was swarmed by family. Nicole, clearly grateful to be back in charge of the camera, whipped out the stepladder Claire had used earlier and climbed it, aiming her camera at the mob of joyous family.
“So,” Mindy said, a spinach dip crostini in her hand.
“So?” Claire said, leaning against the wall and fighting the urge to take her phone out and jump back into the next proposal. They had a meeting in the morning with their client, Dr. Weaver, for the escape room proposal. Her head was buzzing with ideas.
“You’re going to Venor tomorrow to meet with the professor about your mark.”
“Yes, after the meeting with Dr. Weaver.”
“And then on Friday you’re having a dinner party.”
“Yes.”
“With the guy who smashed your heart and his mysterious estranged brother.” Mindy raised her eyebrows.
“Yes. But he doesn’t know his brother is coming.”
“Right. I’m sure that won’t backfire. And your biological father, who abandoned you two decades ago.”
“That’s correct.”
“And his family, who you know nothing about.”
“Just his wife, as far as I know. Trampy Tanya.” Claire shrugged.
Mindy tilted her head. “You’re sure they’re not bringing your alleged half sister?”
Claire glared at her. “I can only handle two new family members at one time. I can barely even get Charlie to take my calls. The half sister will have to wait.”