‘Hello, is that Holly?’ a crisp voice said on the other end of the line.
‘Yes, it is.’
‘It’s Jessica, Margot Mead’s assistant. I have some information for you regarding the jewelled egg charm. Is this a good time?’
Yes, Holly thought happily,right now is agreattime.
25
‘Gregorio! What’s up my man!’ laughed Gennaro as he welcomed his friend to his gallery.
Greg smiled fondly at the nickname that Gennaro had given him, and continued to use, since they first met a year or so ago.
‘Hanging in there, man. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything,’ he asked, looking back at the door through which the young woman had just exited. ‘She ran off pretty quick.’
Gennaro waved a hand. ‘Not a problem. It wasn’t that big of a deal.’ He took another glance at the business card he was holding and threw it on the reception desk. ‘Pretty little thing though.’
Greg shook his head; it was so like Gennaro to mix work and pleasure. He was the epitome of a ladies’ man.
‘Interested buyer?’ Greg asked.
‘No, no, nothing like that. Some great duck hunt that she was on, like a scavenger in my opinion. Looking to return a lost bracelet to some artist. She thinks the artist is a woman I might have done some business with.’
Greg laughed at Gennaro’s use of English colloquialisms. ‘It’s a wild goose chase, not a great duck hunt.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Never mind.’
‘Sadly, she wasn’t interested in a thing on these walls, can you believe that? Only interested in finding the owner of this bracelet that she had. I might have to give her a call to help her on her quest, you know? Maybe, just maybe, I can get her to dinner, and then maybe she will be interested in something else, yes?’ Gennaro wiggled his eyebrows, leaving little wonder about what the ‘something else’ could be. ‘Speaking of women, how is the beautiful Karen?’
‘Actually that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.’
‘Your lovely girlfriend?Fantastico, I’m all ears. I would be happy to take her off your hands.’
‘No, not like that,’ Greg laughed. ‘Actually, I just popped by to let you know that I quit my job at the firm. I’m going full time with the photography. I’m hoping to sell some more of my work because I’m planning on proposing to Karen soon, and well, I feel I need to provide her with something that boosts her confidence in my decision, especially if she is going to say yes.’
Gennaro shook his head, seemingly not following how the two factors tied together.
‘I don’t understand. How does your proposal coincide with you selling your work?’
Greg quickly explained that he had sprung his decision to quit the firm and start up his own photography business on Karen. And that things had been a little tense around the oldcasaas of late.
‘I am planning on proposing very soon, but I just want to prove to her that I’m already making a go of things with my new career.’
Gennaro frowned again. ‘You know, my father, when he opened his store, he did so with very little money. He took a chance, but my mother always stood by him. To the very end she did.’ Gennaro seemed to cringe when he saw Greg’s face fall, and immediately realised his bad choice of words. ‘Ah, buddy, I’m so sorry. I heard about your mother … I’m so sorry.’
Greg smiled sadly. ‘Thanks, I won’t deny it’s been hard but … , I guess you just need to come up with coping mechanisms.’
‘You Americans with your coping mechanisms,’ Gennaro smiled. ‘No, what I meant just then was that your parents had a wonderful love story. My parents had a wonderful love story. I hope that your love story with Karen isn’t just based on some photographs.’
‘I’m sure everything will be fine,’ Greg replied, feeling a little uncomfortable. ‘Anyway, I just wanted to find out if you were in the market for anything new?’ He indicated the walls of the gallery.
Gennaro shrugged despondently. ‘Ah Gregorio, my friend. I’m not buying anything right now. In this economy, it’s been slow, especially for the holidays. I have stockpiles of work in the backroom that I have yet to display.’
Greg sighed and looked around at the art that graced almost every surface of the gallery. ‘Of course I understand. But, hey, thanks for hearing me out – and if you do need anything along those lines, keep me in mind, won’t you?’
Gennaro seemed to be thinking. ‘Well, I can’t promise anything, but why don’t you email me some files and maybe we can do something together for the next gallery event in the New Year. Speaking of which, are you going to the benefit this year?’
