AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He shook his head. “My friend is dying to meet you.”
“I’m really nervous.”
“They’re going to love you,” Brodie reassured me.
“I hope so,” I replied and held him tightly. “But it’s not just that. It’s the media attention. It’s more than even I expected.”
“I know. But it’ll calm in a bit. You know these things come in waves.”
I nodded in agreement. But while Brodie was confident, I was less so.
And I became more agitated as the evening wore on.
We arrived late to a huge amount of press outside the gallery. The flashes and shouts were something I was used to, just not aimed at me. They were calling out my name along with Brodie’s. We stopped for a few shots and then moved on with our security.
Once we got inside, Brodie was swarmed with guests vying for his attention. More pictures and autographs and questions.
His friend, Jojo Raines, the owner of the gallery, was kind and took me under his wing while I let Brodie deal with his fans.
Jojo was a force of blond energy, talking a mile a minute as he paraded me around the room, introducing me to the who’s who of the Providence social scene.
“Brodie’s always been special. People are drawn to him,” Jojo remarked as he passed me a glass of champagne.
“They are.”
I was the prime example.
But that niggle of doubt at the back of my mind had me questioning what Brodie was doing with me. I never considered myself special or deserving of any kind of accolades. And shouldn’t he have a partner that shined just as brightly as him?
“When did you two meet?” I asked, trying to distract myself from my negative thoughts.
“In school. Third grade. I was a new student, having just moved here from Vancouver. I was getting picked on during lunch, and Brodie came to my rescue. We’ve been friends ever since.”
That sounded like my Brodie, feisty and protective as always.
“And you didn’t want to join his band? Wait, are you the secret fifth member of Wayward Lane?”
Jojo laughed and rolled his eyes. “Please. I couldn’t carry a tune to save myself. No, I stick to the visual arts, thank you. My paintings and my gallery.”
“You’re an artist as well as the owner?”
“That’s right. I met my husband at this place when I was a starving creative. Now we run it together.”
“I don’t think I’ve met him yet.”
“Oh, Ethan isn’t here tonight. He’s in Spain, visiting his kids. His ex-wife lives in Seville.”
“How long have you been together?”
“Five blissful years,” Jojo replied with a smile. “So, you and Brodie?”
My face flushed—damn nerves.
“Yeah. Our working relationship evolved.”
“I totally understand. You know, he’s mentioned you often over the past few years, so I’m not completely surprised at this turn of events. And Brodie’s not a person who’s easily impressed. Even though you and I don’t know each other yet, I can see that you two have something special together.”
I nodded, unsure of what, if anything, I should say.
