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“I guess that’s me. Not sure about that description!” She knelt to tie the offending lace. “And you’re Jack? I’ve heard lots about you.” Straightening up, she gave him her best smile.
“Here we are, in the flesh. Listen, I’m Elda’s oldest friend, so you can never usurp me in that category, even if you are fast becoming her favourite.”
He offered her a grin which was so warm, Charlie couldn’t be offended.
“From the stories I’ve heard, you’re irreplaceable. It’s lovely to meet you at last.” Charlie extended her hand. She already liked Jack and had no intention of getting in the way of his friendship with Elda. If anything, she was curious about what made their friendship tick along after all these years. Keeping people at arm’s length was her usual playbook. “Is Elda inside? How is she?”
“The artist herself? Terrified. But looking gorgeous, as ever. I fashioned her a black sling to go with her outfit.” He clapped his hands together, as if directing the proceedings. “Let’s go and lend our support. She needs a couple of extroverts to hold her up.”
“Have you been to any of Elda’s shows before?” Charlie followed him through the wide reception area and into the lift.
“I’ll have you know, I’ve followed her career all the way from Mrs Beecham’s classroom to her final graduate show.”
So it was going to be hard to know if Jack was ever serious about anything then.
“But tonight is special to her. It’s the first proper gig she’s had as a professional artist. That curator guy really knows his stuff.”
“Yeah, I got that impression.” Charlie tucked in a loose tuft of hair. She desperately needed a cut, but her spare time had been filled lately by spontaneous opportunities to catch up with Elda. “Have many people turned up?”
“Loads more than I was expecting. The Francis Paul PR machine has clearly been working overdrive. Even the local news has turned out.”
“Blimey, no wonder Elda is feeling nervous.” Charlie’s urge to protect Elda was strong and unexpected. A little voice inside her head reminded her to stop trying to fix everything.
The doors opened to reveal the exhibition space just as Elda had described. The large room was bustling with an array of colour. Loud, flamboyant outfits clashed with life-size paintings, and everything stood starkly against the bright white walls.
As Charlie’s eyes adjusted, she craned her neck to scan the crowd for Elda’s familiar figure. She spotted her holding court with a small gathering of people. “Is that her collection?” Hanging perfectly from six suspended wires, they looked better here than she’d ever imagined from Elda’s description.
“That’s it. He had three walls rendered, and that copper cable isn’t cheap, you know? Just for our girl.” Jack filled the room with pride, and Charlie quietly matched his energy. “Go, disturb her. She’ll be glad of the interruption, especially from you.”
A flutter of nerves caught Charlie off-guard. She wasn’t used to her body betraying her. She hesitated for a moment longer, enjoying the view. Elda held her space with elegance, and the silk shirt they’d chosen together caressed every movement of her petite frame. Her small audience was captivated, and though Charlie was too far to hear the words, she studied Elda’s lips, imagining how they tasted.
When Elda caught her eye, adrenaline shattered Charlie’s stillness. Here she was, across a crowded room, bathing in the presence of a woman she really liked being around. What was it about her? She certainly transcended the physical transactions she’d shared with others. But Charlie wasn’t sure she could handle anything more than casual. What if it all went wrong, and she was left alone again?
There wasn’t time to dissect her feelings when Elda broke from her group and strode across the polished concrete floor. Charlie stiffened her spine, glad of the firm surface beneath her feet. She’d never thought about swooning over anyone, but if challenged in court, she wouldn’t be able to think of another way to describe the sway overcoming her as Elda approached.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Elda tilted her head.
“Nothing. I’m just pleased to see you here.” She gestured to the room. “Look at all this, and your pieces right in the middle of it. It’s phenomenal.”
“I’m so glad you’re here. Is Jack here too? Have you met him? I told him to come and look for you. I couldn’t bear the thought of you wandering the corridors trying to find the entrance, and —”
“He found me. Are you okay? Let’s grab a drink.” Charlie touched the small of her back, and they walked to the bar. She picked up two glasses. “To you, and your continued success.”
Elda took a deep breath. “Thank you. I’m grateful that you came. I know you’re busy.”
“There’s no way I would’ve missed this. I want to brag to all these people that I was in the room when the last stroke was brushed across the canvas.” Charlie avoided Elda’s eye contact, hoping her flimsy humour would hide the fact that her heart was beating like a drum. “Has your mum made it?”
“No.” Elda’s shoulders hunched.
“Have you called her?”
“No way. She could get herself to the train station if she really wanted to make the effort. She’ll probably have forgotten all about it.”
“What do you mean? She wouldn’t have let something as big as this slip her mind.”
Elda smirked but couldn’t hide the sadness in her eyes or the tremble of her bottom lip.
“She’ll have lost half the day at the bottom of a bottle. It’s classic behaviour. I don’t know why I expect more from her.” Elda’s volume dropped. “I’m sorry, I should have told you before about her drinking. It’s been a problem for years. Tragic, but true.”
