“So what’s got you upset, Luca?” Dante asked.
Luca shrugged. “I don’t know. Stuff? The world?”
Gabriella put her arm around his waist. “This is my son, who’s in the police academy,” she said, as if that answered the question.
Helen nodded. “I imagine that job brings up all kinds of feelings. I know a couple of cops who are artists, and they talk about trying to counteract some of the aggravation they’re stuck with at the end of the day. Do you have any creative outlets?”
Luca laughed. “Not really. I’ve been in school for the past four years, and now I’m going through even more training. Maybe someday, I’ll have the time.”
Mallory didn’t know why she was surprised the sophisticated woman might know some cops well enough to be acquainted with their personal feelings. She just pictured this woman only socializing with the rich and famous. She was glad to have that stereotype busted and progressively felt more comfortable.
Then Helen excused herself. Just like she’d told Mallory to do. Quick conversations, then go on to the next. She did a nice job of modeling what that looked like.
Dante was striding toward the front door. “Hey, man! I’m glad you could make it.”
Mallory followed him with her gaze.Noah?She hadn’t expected him. Last she’d heard, the two were on the outs. She was almost as happy to see him as Dante was. The last thing she wanted to do was create a rift between brothers.
Behind Noah, a vaguely familiar young woman stepped through the door.
Oh my God. It’s the woman who got me fired!Mallory took a calming breath and remembered that the same woman put her in touch with Helen. She was wondering whether she should say hello when the woman made a beeline for Helen.
Yeah, that made sense. If they were buddies, she’d want to greet her friend and at the same time check out the work of the crazy artist she had referred. Mallory stayed in the background while the two women embraced and said their hellos.
Noah strode over to her. “Hi, Mallory. It looks like a great turnout! You must be excited.”
She grimaced. “More like terrified, but thank you for coming. A familiar face is always welcome.”
“Even mine?”
“Of course! Why would you think otherwise?”
Noah kicked at the floor. “I don’t know. Maybe because I haven’t been the most supportive brother on the planet recently. In fact, I’ve been kind of an ass.”
Since Dante was talking to Luca, he wasn’t there to elaborate.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I wouldn’t worry. Dante seems like the understanding type.”
“Yeah. He is. I just thought… Never mind. I should check out your artwork!”
“Please do. And grab a glass of champagne.”
He glanced at the waiter pouring some into fluted glasses. “Oh, the good stuff. Nice.”
Noah wandered off, and she found herself alone for the first time since she’d walked onto the gallery floor. She took the opportunity to do some deep breathing again.
Just remembering that little trick kept her relaxed. She spotted a man alone, admiring one of her ribbon paintings. She’d noticed multicolored ribbons tied to a fence, blowing in the breeze one day, and snapped a picture. Later at home, she had tried to capture the feeling they evoked on canvas.
She approached the gentleman. “Uh, hi. I’m Mallory Summers.” She offered her hand, and he shook it, smiling broadly.
“I really like this. So many artists paint gritty pictures of the city, but this looks like a chain-link fence with a twist. And it’s a pleasant surprise.”
“Thank you. That’s exactly what I was going for.”
Just then, above the murmurs, she heard, “What the… Helen!”
Oh no.
The woman from the photo shoot was staring at her dead husband. His ghost face looked like it was coming out of the fog in the dark painting.
