Mags and Eze began the circuit, pausing before each piece to appreciate the artist’s talent. She accidentally jostled a person at her elbow while admiring a painting of a shepherd finding a lost lamb in the shelter of a castle ruin.
While still studying the painting, she apologized for bumping them. “Isn’t the artist a master of light. Just look at how thesun is infiltrating even the smallest crevices in the stone.” Mags’ eyes widened when she finally glanced right and recognized the person at her elbow that she’d been speaking to.
“Justin Turner!” Mags exclaimed. “My word, it’s been ages.” Mags hadn’t seen them since she dropped out of school.
“Oh my God, I haven’t seen you in ages. I had to take a break from uni. I miss seeing everyone.”
Justin’s cheeks pinkened as they returned Mags’ bear hug. “It’s Jina now, or again rather. It’s good to see you too, Mags.”
Justin, or Jina rather, had had a ginormous crush on Bébhinn forever ago when they were in the same hiking club.
“I’d be happy if we never bring up my Justin faze. Christ, but I was so ridiculously obvious when I was mooning over Bébhinn. It took a while, but once I learned to love myself, love being a woman who loves other women, yeah, I figured out I didn’t need to change my name or pronouns to be, well, exactly who I’m supposed to be.
“Poor Bébhinn. Crushing on her is one of my biggest regrets, but also one of the best things that ever happened to me. No one should ever have to change who they are for anyone.”
“Well said. I’m happy for you and never be embarrassed by the past,” Mags bumped Jina’s side, I’ve been mooning over the same man since I was fifteen. You got over your crush a lot faster than I have.
“Speaking of the men in my life,” she turned around to find Eze still studying the castle ruin and clasped his forearm, “Jina, this is my good friend and flat mate, Eze Otaji. Eze, this is a friend from university, Jina Turner.”
Once introductions were finished, Mags asked, “Do you have any work here tonight?” The focus was on one artist, but there were still pieces by other artists throughout that sold through Smith Gallery.
Jina rubbed the back of her neck and blushed again. “I don’t have any pieces, no, but my girlfriend does. She’s crazy talented. Tonight is in her honor.”
“No way! My older sister, Mirren, is the one managing this gig,” Mags bragged.
“You’re joking,” Jina huffed. “Anna speaks of nothing so much as your sister. I’m dying to meet her myself. Speaking of. There was some crazy loon who stopped me outside asking after a Mirren MacGregor. She must have meant your sister, Mirren Campbell. The woman even asked if Mirren’s younger sister would be here. She had to have meant you.”
“I guess, but that is odd, and Mir’s been married for years. Surely, if the woman knew our family, she would know that. Did she say what she wanted?”
“She only wanted to know if I knew either sister, and if you guys were inside yet or not. She’d already walked through, but said she was leaving town, so she couldn’t stay. Before she walked away, I asked her name. Hannah Keels, not sure of the spelling. I’m sure it was someone Mirren must know, so maybe don’t tell her I said the woman was crazy,” Jina laughed.
“Probably an artist wanting an easy in and pretending to know my sister. I could have saved them the trouble. There is no easy in with Mir. You’re either amazing or you aren’t. Your Anna must be tipping the amazing scale.”
“Oh, she is. I would love to introduce you.”
Mags looped her arm through Eze’s as they followed Jina through the crowd, where she ended up at the shoulder of a beautiful woman, perhaps early thirties, and clearly Anna if Jina’s broad smile was anything to go by.
Mags gave her sister a quick hug while Mirren introduced Anna to her and Eze. “It’s very nice to meet you, Anna. Jina and I had mutual friends at uni. Eze and I haven’t been through your full collection yet, but we’re both truly blown away.”
“That’s lovely of you to say, but I think your sister deserves the credit, if only for believing in me. I would still?—”
Anna abruptly cut herself off to grasp Mags’ hand, turning her wrist this way and that. “Your bracelet is stunning. Jina,” she gasped over her shoulder to her girlfriend, “did you see this? Where did you get it?”
Mirren grinned. “My sister is an artist as well, but instead of paint, her medium is embroidery floss. Our family is very proud of her. The PM’s wife wore one of her pieces recently.”
“Stop bragging me up,” Mags shook her head, fighting the heat that wanted to bloom in her cheeks.
“But this is bragworthy, Mags. It’s really beautiful,” Jina said, taking her own close look. “I can’t believe you can get that detail with thread.”
“Oops,” Mirren interrupted. “Duty calls, Anna. One of the servers just signaled me that one of your pieces has a potential buyer.”
Anna let out a high-pitched squeal, promptly covering her mouth, “Oh Jesus, I’m so unprofessional.”
“If I were an artist, I could assure you that I would crow the house down with every sale. My husband is way too stoic in that department,” Mirren shook her head in disgust.
“I’ll walk with you, babe. You’ve got this,” Jina encouraged as they began to move away.
Anna turned back once to ask Mags to give Mirren several of her business cards. “I will.” Mags barely held in her own squeal. Eze excused himself to visit a professor he knew, leaving the sisters alone. For the first time tonight, she noticed that Mirren appeared tense.
