Chapter 40
forty
AMANTHA
The sparkling limestone building stretched into the morning sky. Val slipped his hand into mine as we walked toward the museum doors. Visitors trailed up and down the marble steps, enjoying their Saturday morning.
Kendra had agreed to meet us after Val’s serious, albeit vague, call earlier.
We decided that given Barbara’s disdain for the museum director, there was no way that Kendra had been involved or even aware.
While I still felt sick to my stomach about incriminating Barbara, it was the right thing to do.
I stopped on the steps, riddled with anxiety.
“Are you going to open that door at some point or just stand there looking at it?” Val growled playfully over my shoulder.
I laughed and shook my head, remembering the first time he’d said those words. Turning and slinging my arms around his neck, I took advantage of my taller position on the steps.
“Hmm…” I pretended to think deeply. “Stand here. Most definitely.”
Val’s impish grin widened as he caught my waist in his arms. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He pulled me flush against his body before his mouth met mine—again and again—as he took his sweet time amid the bustling people. Now we were both guilty of loitering on the museum steps.
Despite not wanting to, I let go of Val’s hand as we drew closer to the near-vacant curation wing.
Kendra didn’t appear at all surprised to see me trailing after Val, but then again, the museum director only seemed to have one facial expression. Her near-black irises glittered as she cordially invited us into her office.
“Have a seat.” Kendra settled into her chair. “I presume you’re here to talk about your relationship?”
My eyes widened as Val’s gaze shifted sideways at me.
“Don’t be alarmed, I’ve known for quite some time.
” Her voice carried a trace of amusement, though her expression didn’t.
“Ever since the Felix Andreas gala, in fact. Word to the wise—even janitorial closets are still visible to the public.” Her lips twitched.
“I saw you both walk out. I tried to give you both multiple opportunities to come clean, but neither of you would. So I decided to let it slide until it affected the quality of your work—which never ended up happening.”
I coughed out a surprised laugh.
That’s why Kendra was suspicious? It wasn’t the forgery at all!
Val seemed to have drawn the same conclusion, a small grin playing on his lips.
“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner, Kendra,” I said. “It took a long time for us to… figure things out. But that’s not why we’re here.”
Her eyebrows pinched as her eyes flicked between us.
“It’s not?”
I took a deep breath. Val gave my leg a gentle squeeze that I felt in my chest.
“Kendra, we were in the closet at the gala because I had a strong suspicion that a Felix Andreas painting, Lake Attersee, had been forged.”
Kendra’s jaw dropped with an audible pop, likely for the first time in her life.
I slid over a manila folder with the evidence we had printed off Val’s printer that morning. Kendra’s eyes grew larger with the turn of each page.
I continued, “Val was the first to hear of my suspicion and encouraged me to keep quiet until we knew more. Turns out, Lake Attersee was in fact stolen and swapped with a forgery. And we also know of another attempted thievery of a Cormac Padraig, but the real one is still safe in the archives. Val and I also found the location of the authentic Lake Attersee, but authorities will need to get involved to get it back.”
Kendra’s dark lipstick gaped open and closed for a full minute. “How…” She cleared her throat. “Excuse me. How did you uncover all of this?”
Val went on to explain our private investigation. My heart pounded as he approached the culprit’s identity. This morning, I had told Val I couldn’t be the one to turn in Barbara.
I just couldn’t.
Kendra’s jaw popped again as she gripped the edge of her desk. “Barbara Gaines?!”
Val nodded grimly. “Yes. We saw the real Lake Attersee when we visited her home last night. Amantha has a video we can turn over to the authorities. While there’s still a possibility it’s a well-made replica, there’s plenty of evidence suggesting it isn’t.”
I couldn’t stay quiet any longer with the guilt gnawing my insides. “Kendra, I’d like to advocate for lessening the punishment for Barbara if she agrees to return the painting. I know there will still be repercussions, but this is personal for me.”
She arched a brow at me, though she nodded stiffly.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Kendra exhaled a sharp breath, steepling her fingers on the desk.
“I knew she was upset when the new management team let her go, but we couldn’t let her stay on after seeing how many corners she was willing to cut.
So many pieces were endangered because of her blind eye to protocol. ”
Kendra looked angrier than I’d ever seen her. “I wish I could say I was more surprised by all this, but when it comes to Barbara Gaines, I’m not.”
Her austere expression softened a bit as she turned to me.
“Amantha, I promise to see what I can do, but once the authorities are involved, any pleas on her behalf may be out of my hands. Regardless, I want to thank the both of you. Val, you were correct in your assumptions of what a scandal like this could do for the museum’s reputation.
Our staff and I appreciate your discretion.
We’ll now be able to prosecute Barbara outside of the public eye.
And Amantha”—her lips twitched with what I’d come to realize was her version of a smile—“I’ve been nothing but impressed by you.
This extra measure of dedication and loyalty is not lost on me. Thank you.”
She stood to dismiss us, but I interrupted her.
“Kendra? I have one more thing I’d like to discuss. After resigning, I had a moment to reconsider. If the position is still available, I’d love to come back if Blythe will still have me.”
Kendra’s eyes didn’t leave me as I shifted nervously in my seat. “I’m sorry, Amantha, but that position has been dissolved. You see, the board and I have discussed restructuring the department for quite some time now.”
My chest deflated. “I understand.”
“I’d like to offer you the new position of Junior Curator instead.”
It was my jaw’s turn to drop, followed by Val’s.
“The board and I met during the planning of Stirling’s soirée, and they supported my decision to open a third curator position for you. Of course, we didn’t foresee you leaving us so quickly.”
She turned to Val. “Val, the restructuring would create two Senior Curator positions, the roles of which you and Blythe would be assuming. Is that something you could agree to?”
Without tearing his proud gaze from mine, he said, “Of course, Kendra. I’d be more than happy to accept that position.”
Unexpected tears smarted in my eyes.
Through the rollercoaster of motherhood, a life-shattering divorce, the loss of my father, a rediscovered passion, and a new-found love, I had irrevocably arrived.
I wasn’t the same woman anymore.
For the first time—in possibly my whole life—I thoroughly knew who I was.
My name was Amantha Adams, and I was enough.
TWO MONTHS LATER
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I picked up the last piece of silverware from the dishwasher, putting it away and closing the drawer with my hip. “Like, really ready for this?”
Val’s velvety chuckle resounded in my phone. “For the last time, yes. But that still doesn’t stop me from being nervous.”
I swept a strand of hair back into my messy mom bun and leaned against the counter with a smile. “Be honest. How clean is your apartment floor right now?”
“Clean enough to eat off.”
I laughed, the warm glow in my chest spreading to my toes.
“Gosh I love you.”
“I love you too, Adams. Honestly, I can’t wait until I can stop calling you that. Why won’t you let me propose again?”
I feigned an exasperated sigh, happy he couldn’t see my doofy grin. “First thing’s first, Russo. If all goes well, you’ll have a ring on my finger soon enough. Don’t get your undies in a bunch.”
“Have you been thinking about my undies, Adams?” His voice dipped seductively.
A surprised laugh puffed my lips out. “What?! As if I’ve even seen them!”
“An oversight, don’t you think?”
Two pink splotches warmed my cheeks. I couldn’t wait to remedy that oversight. “On that note, I’m changing the subject. How far away are you, again?”
“About ten feet.”
I rushed to the living room window, my stomach fluttering as his eyes met mine through the glass pane. “And just how long have you been ten feet away?”
His eyes crinkled into my favorite smile, his phone pressed to his clean-shaven cheek. “A while.”
He wore a pair of perfectly tailored jeans—probably Nonna’s doing—and the sexiest fitted navy polo I’d seen to date. The October wind tousled his curls.
Nerves sped my pulse, a tiny bead of sweat forming on my lower back. “It’s going to be fine, right?” I whispered.
Val nodded wordlessly to me from the walkway. “More than fine, Angel. It’s going to be great.”
I swallowed. “Let’s do it.”
Val ended the call and stowed the phone in his pocket before giving me another small smile.
I left the window, indulging in a deep breath in front of the living room mirror. The hem of my oversized paint-splattered t-shirt brushed my leggings.
“It’s going to be great,” I whispered to myself.
The doorbell rang.
“Anthony, could you come here for a minute?”
Anthony had been home for weeks, and I swear he’d grown an inch since he got off the plane. Having him back felt like breathing oxygen into my body again. His arm had healed wonderfully, although he was bummed to throw out his buddies’ signatures when his cast came off.
The trip to Europe had been good for him. He now walked around with a budding sense of maturity—that is, as much maturity as a pubescent boy could have. Our fragmented family had somewhat settled into their new roles and boundaries.