AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Griffin walked out with a smile on his face because Beck invited him to a home game next month.
The man I’m crushing on handled meeting my boss with humor and grace. I wish I could say the same. I silently fumbled with Griffin’s credit card before I walked away to ring up his purchase.
“I’m teasing you, Piper.” Beck flashes me a brilliant smile. “I want you to call me Beck. I also want you to forgive me for breaking up that moment between you and your boyfriend.”
“Griffin isn’t...no, he’s not...I like him, but,” I stammer my way through that before I stop to catch my breath. “Griffin is one of my students. He was here to purchase a gift for his assistant. I’m not his girlfriend.”
“My mistake.” He walks closer to where I’m standing next to the table that my sketches are sitting on. “This is your work, isn’t it?”
I nod exuberantly. “Yes. I drew these. I just sold all of them to Griffin.”
“He’s got a great eye.” He taps one of the frames. “You’ve got immense talent, Piper. This is impressive. It’s good to have you on board.”
Chapter 23
Piper
The second I approach Origin Hall I know something isn’t right. It’s not like I’ve ever been to a private showing for a celebrated artist before. I haven’t.
I’ve been to my fair share of gallery shows in Denver, but those painters and sculptors were typically friends from school or on a rare occasion, a well-known artist’s exhibit would pop up in the city and I’d be one of the first in line to see it.
Tonight, there’s no crowd gathered on the sidewalk outside the venue. From where I’m standing, I can’t even tell if the lights in Origin Hall are on.
I glance down at the invitation in my hand once more. I’ve been clinging to it since I left my apartment. I’m wearing my favorite little black dress and four-inch heels, so I decided to come in an Uber.
Jo caught me just as I was exiting my apartment. She was the one who arranged my ride for me since one of the regulars at her diner drives people around Manhattan in his sleek black Mercedes. I’ve never been in such a luxurious car and even though it cost more than the subway, it was well worth it to avoid the trip here in these heels.
The time printed on the invitation is clear. The event definitely starts at eight o’clock. It’s five minutes past now which means I should see at least a few other people approaching the building, but there’s no one.
Just as I’m about to reach for the doorknob, the door swings open.
I jump back when I see who is standing on the other side. In my wildest dreams, I thought there might be a slim chance that I’d get to meet Sem Jansen, but I wasn’t holding out hope. He’s notoriously private and is nowhere to be found at his own exhibits.
He’s dressed in white pants and a white button-down shirt. His gray hair is slicked back from his face and his black eyeglasses are perched on the tip of his nose.
“Piper Ellis?” Sem holds out his hand.
I glance down at it, wondering if I’m dreaming all of this. This can’t be my life, can it? A few weeks ago I was still in Denver. Now, I’m about to shake the hand of one of my idols.
I reach forward to rest my hand in his. “I’m Piper Ellis. You’re Sem Jansen.”
His green eyes sparkle when he smiles. “Now that we’ve established who we are, you should come in. I’ve been waiting for you.”
I don’t hesitate when he urges me forward by my hand. I follow him into a darkly lit corridor. I don’t hear voices or see anyone.
“Is everyone else already here?” I ask as I look back at the door. “I’m not the last one to arrive, am I?”
“You are the last to arrive.” He smiles as he stabs the call button next to an elevator that I didn’t notice before. “My exhibit is on the second floor. My other guest is waiting there for us.”
One other guest? That’s it?
My hands tighten around my clutch purse. It has to be Beck or Bridget. They must have arranged this and didn’t tell me. That’s the only reasonable explanation for why I was invited.
“Our ride awaits.” Sem reaches for the small of my back when the elevator doors open. I step in with butterflies dancing in my stomach and an overwhelming desire to hug the person who set all of this up.
***
I stand frozen in place inside the elevator even though Sem has already stepped off. A part of me wants to hit the button that will take me back to the ground floor.
