My mouth felt dry as sandpaper. “The only thing I did was give Malcom the link to your website and tell him to check it out.”
I kept my voice level, reasonable, trying to deflect her fury with calm. But Jesse’s eyes blazed brighter, and I realized I’d said exactly the wrong thing.
“You had no right to do that.” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “I didn’t ask for your help. I didn’t want anyone’s help. Can you imagine how I felt when Janine told me that you arranged this exhibit for me?”
Damn my stupid mouth. I could barely remember mentioning this to Janine. I had no idea how I’d phrased it, but it didn’t even matter now. Everything had blown out of proportion and up into my face.
Jesse’s voice slashed deeper, echoing off the buildings around us.
“I felt like a hooker, Sebastian. And an idiot!”
The crude comparison hit me straight in the solar plexus. I actually stepped backward, my heel scraping against the asphalt.
“No wonder she didn’t like me,” Jesse continued with a short, bitter laugh. “She thought I was taking advantage of you, asking you for a favor because I was sleeping with you.”
“I talked to Malcom way before you and I—”
“Started screwing? Yeah, right. Maybe it was just to butter me up.”
Anger started to rise in my chest, and I pointed my index finger at her. “Jesse, you’re out of line. You know very well you’re being unfair to both me and you.”
“I don’t know anything about you, Sebastian.” She shook her head, and in the harsh streetlight, I could see tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t know you at all. All I know is that you stood by me all these weeks, pretending it was news to you, and I never suspected a thing.”
I watched her face transform. Every ounce of trust drained out of her expression like water through cupped hands.
“You could have lied to me about a million other things, and I never would have known,” she whispered.
“Now, wait a damn minute.”
Something hot and desperate clawed up my throat. I took a step toward her, but she planted her palm against my chest—a barrier of flesh and bone that might as well have been a concrete wall.
“No, you wait a damn minute.” Her palm pressed harder, and I could feel her trembling. “Maybe you don’t realize that what you did was wrong, so let me explain it to you.”
The condescension in her tone made my jaw clench, but I forced myself to stay still.
“You robbed me of the chance to make it on my own, Sebastian. You made a fool of me in front of Malcom, Janine, and whoever else knew that it was you who got me this invitation from the gallery.” She was breathing hard now, each word coming faster than the last. “You sat there, day afterday, listening to me babble about how glad I was that people appreciated my talent.”
“And they do! Malcom loved your work the minute he saw it. Those people who came today loved it. Do you think I asked all of them to buy your work?”
“I’ll never know, will I?”
The defeat in those five words nearly brought me to my knees. She dropped her hand from my chest, and suddenly the space between us seemed larger than the Grand Canyon.
Her gaze wandered off in the distance. “I’ll never enjoy praise without wondering whether I’ve earned it or not. And I sure as hell won’t be able to trust you again.”
The finality of it terrified me. I grabbed her arms, my fingers finding the soft fabric of her dress, pulling her toward me with something close to desperation.
“Jesse, I just wanted to make this happen for you sooner, so that you can work as an artist full time.” The words tumbled out, tripping over each other. “I believe in you, and so does Malcom. It was wrong not to tell you that I knew him, but I was sure you’d be too stubborn to accept any kind of help, even if it was something as insignificant as a recommendation.”
“So you knew I wouldn’t want something that I hadn’t earned, yet you did it anyway.”
Her voice was deadly quiet now. Worse than the shouting.
“Youhaveearned this, damn it!” The words exploded out of me, echoing off the empty storefronts.
“Hell, yeah, I earned it on my back. On my knees, too.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. She might as well have slapped me.
