disappears into the background.
“Hi,” I greet her after a few seconds of silence.
“Hey.” Her voice is so soft I almost miss the word.
“I see you made it, big brother.” Sterling pats my back.
“Mr. Ahern. Jane Tabel. It’s so nice to meet you,” the lady introduces herself. “This painting of yours is magnificent. I’d love to buy it.”
“It’s not for sale.” I glare at him.
Sterling takes off the price tag and shrugs. “He’s right. My assistant must have priced this by mistake.”
Abby narrows her eyes at him and snorts.
“Oh well, I’ll contact you via email, because I’d love something similar.” She nods at Abby and me and leaves.
“Wes, have you met my partner? This is Abby. Abby, meet my asshole brother, Weston.”
“You’re not funny, and up until a few minutes ago, this was for sale,” Abby says blowing out a breath and throwing her hands up in the air.
I can’t believe she’s working with Sterling when they’ve always frustrated each other so easily.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have to pay the caterer.” She tilts her head and turns her full attention to me. “It was nice seeing you, Weston. Sterling, you’re in charge.”
My heart deflates when she turns around and leaves me behind.
“She hates me,” I sigh, watching her go.
Sterling rolls his eyes. “She hates me because I just called her my assistant. And I didn’t warn her about you coming. You never confirmed that you’d swing by, and honestly I’m not here to babysit her feelings, or yours.”
“Is she your partner?” I frown, trying to understand the meaning of that word.
She was never interested in art, so why is she here?
“Yes, she owns half of this business.” He grins. “She took a chance on me, not that I needed the financial backing. But it meant so fucking much to me that she offered and used the money Dad left her. She believes in herself and in me—and it’s a fuck you William Ahern, Sterling-is-worth-it shout out to heaven.”
“I doubt Abby did it to challenge Dad.”
“In my head, that’s how it went. So don’t take away the illusion, big brother,” he laughs.
“I’m proud of you, Slugger.” Proud of her too for believing in herself.
Although, this isn’t what I imagined she’d be doing after rehab. I thought she’d be behind a desk crunching numbers. Is she following her dreams?
He grins. “I’m kind of proud of you too, big brother. You seem to have fixed your shit.”
I smile, not sure if I can say that everything is fixed, but at least I’m not as fucked up as I was when he kicked me out of the company.
“Anyway.” He squeezes my shoulder. “It’s time for me to charm the fans. You should catch up with a certain beauty. See if she still carries a torch for you.”
“We’re over,” I remind him.
“You’re telling me that you don’t love her anymore?”
I love the idea of her. I'm in love with our memories. But in no way am I in love with her. “I can’t be in love with someone I don’t really know.”
“You’re not in love, but you love her. She’s right here.” He tilts his head. “Why don’t you give it a try? You have a chance to show her the man you’ve become, and to discover who she is.”
“Who is she?” I ask under my breath.
“Find out, Weston. You won’t regret it.”
— — —
Abby stands close to a door at the end of the hallway speaking with one of the waiters to whom she’s handing an envelope.
“Hey,” I nod at her once we’re alone.
“Sterling didn’t mention I’d be here, did he?” Her voice is guarded, while her eyes wander around the room.
“How are you?” I flinch as I stare at her hands.
It’s hard not to think that if I’d acted faster or been closer to her that day, I could have prevented it from happening. I stop, reminding myself there’s nothing I can change from the past and that I can only plan for what’s ahead.
She crosses her arms, effectively hiding them. “I’m fine, thank you. And I’m on my way out, but it was good to see you, Wes.” She clicks her way across the floor in a pair of high heeled sandals, waving and smiling at some of the patrons.
“Thank you for coming,” she says a few times to the people who wish her a good night as she moves toward the door. I follow right behind her.
The sudden breeze hits me on the way out of the gallery. It’s slightly chilly