23. Nico
NICO
There was no part of me that wanted to go back to Boston.
As soon as I pulled out of town, I dug Cameron’s flannel out of the trunk and threw it on.
Even if it meant I had to blast the air conditioning on the drive, I needed to feel him close to me.
He hadn’t asked me to stay, which stung, but I hadn’t told him I wanted to stay either.
There were too many moving parts to figure out, not least of which was my career.
I’d have to do the math on how much I’d need to start my life over in Sleighbell Springs, but at least it would be cheaper than New York.
When the phone rang, I’d hoped it was Cameron, but the name on my caller ID made my stomach sink.
“Hello, Gus.”
“Can you come by the gallery today? There is a buyer I’d like you to meet.”
I checked my watch. “Does it have to be today?”
“They’re about to spend thousands on two of your paintings, so yes, Nico. Today.” Frustration and impatience laced his tone. But he cleared his throat and softened his voice. “Please.”
Seeing Gus’s face was the last thing I wanted, but if I had any hope of starting things over in Sleighbell Springs, I needed these paintings to sell. And the man never said please.
“I can be there in two hours.”
“Thank you, darling. Don’t be late,” Gus said, and then he hung up.
My phone gave a low-battery signal just before I passed through a section of forested two-lane highway with no reception. I must have forgotten to plug it in last night when I ended up in Cameron’s bed. The charger was in my suitcase in the trunk, so I powered off the phone to save battery.
Good thing I knew the drive between Sleighbell Springs and Boston by heart.
When I pushed through the door of Gus’s gallery, it was dim and suspiciously quiet.
By the time I made it back to Boston and dug something presentable to wear out of my suitcase, the gallery had already closed to the public for the day.
It was unusual for Gus to send the receptionist home when a high-end buyer was coming in for an appointment. Maybe this was someone Gus knew well.
“Gus?” I called out as I made my way down the hall to his office.
“In here, darling.”
The reappearance of the pet name made me pause just outside his door. He’d used it on the phone, too, but I’d been driving so it had barely registered. The door was cracked, and light was filtering into the hallway, so I entered.
Gus was standing, leaning against his desk, wearing the dark navy suit I’d always said was my favorite on him.
The smell of his cologne, which used to make me weak in the knees, felt cloyingly strong in the small space.
I glanced around the office, as if the mysterious buyer might jump out from behind a bookcase.
“You look good,” Gus said as he pushed himself off the desk and approached me.
“Where’s the buyer?” I stepped back, and my shoulder hit the doorframe.
“I texted to tell you he needed to reschedule, but I’m glad you came anyway. I’ve missed you.”
My brow furrowed. “You… what?”
“I know the game you were playing on Friday, making me jealous by dragging that muscle man to your opening.” Gus ran his fingers up my arm. “But you can stop the act now. You and I are much better matched. I should have never let you go.”
I scoffed and stepped around him. “How did Ted take that news?”
Gus waved me off. “Don’t worry about Ted. He understands the situation.”
“Enlighten me, then,” I said, barely resisting rolling my eyes. I was beginning to wonder if the rich buyer was just a ruse to get me to his office, but since my phone was dead, I couldn’t verify whether he’d actually texted me.
“Ted was fine with being the side piece before. He’ll be fine with it again because he knows I’ll be able to make his career like I made yours. We can go back to the way things were, no problem.”
My mouth dropped open at that. “The way things were when you were cheating on me?”
“Well, it’s not cheating if you know about it, darling,” Gus said matter-of-factly. “I’d be fine with it if you wanted to have the occasional fling, too. But you know, we made a good team. We could go so far with your career.”
“Cameron is more than a fling.”
Gus scoffed, dropping to his knees in front of me. He licked his lips as he gave me a look I think was meant to be enticing, but it only made me flinch. I was embarrassed by how well his charms used to work on me, but now I felt less than nothing.
“Are you still holding onto that ruse then? Maybe I need to remind you how good we are together. Do that thing with my tongue you love so much?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Gus.” I threw my hands up in frustration. “You and I are over. We’ve been over. And I’m in a relationship with someone else.”
That someone else was the person in my mind as I rushed out of the office. Gus’s threats followed me down the hallway—how I was making a big mistake, throwing away my future, that he’d get me blacklisted everywhere in Boston—but I couldn’t stay in this gallery a moment longer.