“You’re spiraling.”
Maybe a little. An older couple came to a stop in front of my painting, and the woman pointed at something in the upper corner. They spoke in low voices, nodding. The man pulled out his phone and took a picture.
“That’s good, right?” I whispered to Cam. “Taking a picture is good?”
“It’s good.”
“Unless he’s sending it to someone to make fun of it.”
“Em.”
“Sorry. I’ll stop.” I dragged in a breath, then another, letting my gaze wander over the crowd.
Cam went still beside me. “What are they doing here?”
I followed his gaze toward the entrance and froze. “Oh, my god,” I breathed, watching Dale and Janice walk in, followed by Travis, Brooke, Erica and Devin. Cam’s whole family.
“You didn’t know they were coming?”
Cam shook his head. “No. I just mentioned that I was helping you deliver your painting this weekend.” He was grinning now. “They must have decided to pop by.”
Janice spotted us and smiled, hobbling over with her cane, dragging the rest of the crew with her. They reached us, and Janice pulled me into a warm one-armed hug, clutching her crutches with the other, before I could fully process what was happening.
“Emily, sweetheart, hello.”
“You came,” I said stupidly. It was like my brain just couldn’t compute.
“We wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”
“Of course we came.” Dale’s eyes crinkled with warmth. “This way, we can tell people we knew you before you were famous.”
“Which one is yours?”
“This one,” Cam said, leading them over.
“Oh wow, it’s stunning!” Erica’s eyes were round as saucers. “You are super talented, honestly.”
I blinked rapidly. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
Janice was studying the painting now too, and when she looked back at me, her eyes were misty. “It’s beautiful, honey. You have a real gift.”
“I think it’s the best one here,” Dale added.
“I don’t know what to say.” My voice was shaky. “Thank you. You really didn’t have to come all this way.”
“Come on now, it’s not that far. And let’s be honest, it’s not every day you get to see something like this.” Travis gestured to my painting and that just did me in.
The tears spilled over, and I swiped at them quickly, laughing. “Sorry, I’m a mess.”
Janice rubbed my arm. “You’re allowed to be. We’ll get out of the way for a bit, so other people can see, but we’ll circle back later.”
“Okay.”
Cam’s family drifted toward the refreshment table, giving us a moment of relative quiet. He leaned in close. “Are your parents here yet? I bet they’ll be really excited to see your work hanging in a real gallery.”
It felt like being dumped with a bucket of iced water.
For a split second, the gallery lights felt too bright, the air too thin.Excited.The word felt like a dart in my mind, making my stomach roil.
