“Am I interrupting?” Dante’s whisper brought her back.
She let her eyes flutter open and took one last deep breath, letting any remaining stress slip away on exhalation. Dante was sitting next to her. When had he moved?
“No, it’s fine. What time is it?”
“It’s almost time for the show to start. I just wondered if you’d like me to get you a glass of wine.”
She chuckled. “For courage?”
Dante rose, stood behind her, leaned over, and massaged her shoulders. “I don’t think you need courage. I just thought it might help to relax you.”
“I’m actually pretty relaxed already. That self-hypnosis thing actually works.”
“Yeah, I’ve used the relaxation technique he taught us at the station when I have trouble going to sleep sometimes. I’m glad you gave it a try—but I was afraid you were falling asleep just now.”
“Ha! Not much chance of that happening.” Mallory rose and turned to face him. She draped her arms around his neck. “How about a kiss for luck?”
“You got it.”
He leaned down until their lips met. His kiss was always perfect. Soft but firm. She felt safe, secure, and loved in his arms. When they finally broke apart, she smiled. “I’m ready now.”
“Glad to hear it. Go get ’em.” Dante led the way but didn’t hold her hand or make her feel like she needed to lean on him—or anyone.
Since she had been seeing him, she’d changed and hoped the changes would continue. Her self-confidence had grown. She felt less vulnerable and less defensive. She had heard that love brought out the best in people and figured that must have something to do with it. She always smiled when she thought about how much she loved Dante. How lucky she was that he was there for her that day. Things could have turned out much differently.
Walking out onto the gallery floor, she stopped in her tracks. The gallery was full. She had never expected a turnout like this. She recognized several of the Fierros, but they weren’t the only ones there. For some reason, she’d thought they would be.Okay, so I still have a ways to go with that self-esteem thing.
Gabriella came up to her and gave her a kiss on both cheeks. “Don’t you look lovely!”
“Thank you.” She didn’t know what to say after that. She didn’t know what to say to anyone. She felt her panic begin to rise, but it wasn’t spiking like it ordinarily would. She took a breath and made herself go back to her relaxed state from a few moments ago. It had to last longer than a minute, right?
A pretty young woman with strawberry-blonde hair came over to her. She stuck out her hand and said, “Hi, I’m Kristine. We didn’t get to meet the other day.”
“Oh, that’s right. How is your mother and the new baby?”
Kristine grinned. “They’re great. I love having a little sister I can cuddle and spoil.”
Mallory liked Kristine immediately.
“Hey, I saw this painting I thought would be perfect for Jayce’s and my living room. Can I ask you about it?”
“Sure.” She followed Kristine over to one of her recent pieces, which Jayce was currently admiring.
“I love the colors and long, gentle brushstrokes. It reminds me of sunset over the ocean. That’s one of our favorite times to go sailing.”
“You got it in one. I like to take walks along the beach at that time of day.”
“So it’s inspired by a calm evening on the sea?” Jayce asked.
“Essentially. I think my mood was pretty relaxed that day. Usually, I just paint what’s inside me at the moment.”
“Were you having a bad day when you painted that one?” Luca asked. She hadn’t even seen him listening behind her. She followed his pointing finger but had already guessed which painting he was referring to. She glanced over at the gray-and-black painting. The strokes were bold and sharp on one side, but on the other side, a face was emerging out of fog. She remembered that day vividly—the day she was fired from her job. Maybe it was the best thing that could have happened to her. She wouldn’t be here now if the photo shoot had gone smoothly.
“Yeah. I was struggling with some confusing feelings that day. Painting them out was therapeutic.”
Luca crossed his arms and stared at it. “Yeah? Well, I kinda like it.”
The gallery owner picked up on their conversation and moved closer. “Quite often, that’s what art does for us. It brings out emotions we can identify with. The artist expresses what we all feel from time to time.”
