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“I couldn’t miss this, Jos,” he said, keeping my hand in his as we parted. “I’m sorry I haven’t returned your calls. It all happened so quickly and I wanted to wait until everything settled down before seeing you again.”
Squeezing his hand, a sense of relief washed over me. “I totally get it. You’ve been busy with your new job. Congratulations by the way, we’ve missed you at work.”
He nodded. “You know Maude was never my long-term plan.”
I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turned to find Grayson standing closely behind. “Can I speak with you in private for a moment?”
Pete rolled his eyes while Grayson refused to acknowledge his presence. “It’s fine, Josie. I have to leave anyway, but perhaps we could catch up for dinner sometime?”
“Sure,” I replied.
“Next Saturday? I’ll make reservations at Bellini’s for 7pm. I know how much you love Italian food.” Pete glanced up at Grayson with defiant eyes. “It’s not like we work together anymore.”
I swallowed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll…um…meet you there.”
Grayson glared at Pete as he walked away and I nudged his side to draw his attention.
He cleared his throat and leant down to my ear. “Did Mel say anything to you about leaving?”
“No, she just said she needed some air.”
“I’ve already checked outside,” he muttered impatiently.
I exhaled. “I’ll see if I can find her.”
After a few laps of the gallery, I decided to check outside again, so I made my way into the cloak room to grab my jacket.
“Jesus,” I cried, finding Melanie hiding amongst the leather and fur. Her dilated pupils shot up in horror and back down to her hand where the compact mirror lay covered in white powder.
“Lanie?” a voice rasped from behind me.
I spun around to find Scott’s paling face as he froze at the sight of the girl he used to know.
Melanie’s cheeks reddened as she quickly wiped her nose and lowered her eyes.
“What the fuck?!” Grayson snapped as he entered the small room a moment later.
Before I could even grasp what was happening, Grayson grabbed Scott around his collar and shoved him out of the gallery and onto the sidewalk.
“Grayson, stop!” Melanie cried, chasing after them.
Grayson’s face grew red as he tried to contain his rage. “Is he your new dealer?”
“What? No! I told you, I haven’t seen him in years.”
“Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?” He sneered at Scott, and turned back to Melanie. “What did he give you?”
Scott shoved Grayson hard, making him stumble backwards. “I didn’t give her anything. I’m nothing like my father.”
Grayson secured his footing and glared up at Scott. “Excuse me if I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t give a shit what you believe.” He moved in Melanie’s direction, but Grayson stepped between them.
“Stay the fuck away from her, she doesn’t need someone like you in her life.”
“I’m not in her life,” he bit.
I stepped forward, hoping to diffuse the situation. “Grayson, maybe you should just let them talk. It’s been a long ti—”
