Page 25 of Break Me Not

“It will never be just us,” I said, stepping away. “Finish your stuff and leave.”

Without letting the guilt at the change in her expression sway me, I turned around and shut myself back in the office for the rest of the day.

I didn't see Jax before she left. The head of my team introduced himself to me, and it all seemed fine, but the anxious part of me couldn’t forget about our interaction and wondered if she would show up tonight.

With that running through my mind, before I knew it, it was already time to open the gallery for our small showing.

I stood in the middle, welcoming guests and showing them around.

Tonight's artist was Iris Wren, a long-time acquaintance of mine, though I’d never met her in person. We handled everything through email and sometimes even post. Even her name was a pseudonym used to protect her identity.

She had gotten in touch, saying she had a handful of items she was finally ready to sell, though she didn't want anything big and flashy, so I assured her we would have a small, quiet get-together.

I hadn't expected the gallery to be packed with visitors with only a week’s notice. Jen and Milo, my other part-time assistant, were helping with crowd control and the line outside while I handled guests as they came inside.

We'd already sold three medium-sized paintings. There were two small sculptures, a collection of smaller paintings and antique frames she had repaired herself, and one large painting no one had bought yet.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I said as a familiar curly-haired, doe-eyed photographer looked over that one.

“Maybe I can get Sloan to buy it for our house,” Lillian said with a smile. She wore a casual T-shirt and leather jacket with jeans. Seeing her and Sloan together was rare, but seeing her like this alone made me realize just how perfectly suited they were for each other.

“I think you can get that girl to buy just about anything for you,” I replied with a small laugh. “I should thank you. After all, she and Ax are some of my biggest clients because of you.”

She gave me a playful push.

“It's a win-win. I get beautiful art, and you get money. I don't forget how many of my pieces you've peddled out, so maybe I should be thanking you instead.”

I waved her off.

“Your photographs are beautiful. They would've sold without me. You don't need to thank me.”

“Now you’re being modest.” Looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening, she added, “Also, you looked so hot the other night.”

I flushed at her compliment.

“Thank you,” I said and turned to look at the line out the door. “I have to admit I was a bit out of my comfort zone.”

“No one could tell, I promise.”

I turned back to her. “You knew, right? Who she really was.”

Lillian grimaced. “I didn’t. Sloan mentioned it after the fact, but she keeps clients’ details locked up tight so she wouldn’t spill anything that would compromise your trust in us.”

I nodded, though I didn’t know how I really felt about it. Betrayed was too strong a word. Misguided? Hurt, maybe?

There were far too many emotions inside me to be able to pick them apart. And after everything with my shitty ex-husband, I was just so tired.

I tried to put it out of my mind and focus on tonight’s showing, but it was hanging over me like a ghost.

Claire. How could I do this to Claire?

And how could Jax? Though I felt that, as Claire’s mother, I should have recognized her friend, no matter how much she had changed.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No… It’s just all so complicated.” I shook my head and turned the subject back to her. “But what about you? Anything new?”

“Sloan keeps me busy, but speaking of my work, I have some new⁠—”