Page 26 of Keeping Kyle

With a glass of wine to settle my nerves, I moved into the crowd. It looked like the entire team was here, including coaches.

“Mr. Murray. I thought that was you.” I turned and found David approaching. “You looking for Kyle?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

“I saw him a couple minutes ago in the alcove over there.” He pointed off to an area in the rear of the gallery. “I think he’s found a picture he likes.”

“Thanks.”

He’d mentioned that he liked Adriana’s work. It would be interesting to see exactly what he was in to. Disappointment crept over me because I missed that moment when he discovered the image that spoke to him. I liked moments when his eyes lit up in recognition of something—whether it was food he enjoyed, me skating better, or whatever. Tonight, I’d missed out because I didn’t prioritize our date.

Kyle stood with the artist and another woman who was dressed in a very smart gray suit, perhaps the gallery owner. They were in the middle of the space, but I had a good guess about what he’d bought. The image of The Joe was amazing.

I stayed put for a moment and watched them talk.

Hesitation served no purpose. I took a breath and approached. I stepped in next to Kyle and offered a quick nod and a smile to him so I didn’t interrupt Adriana.

He gave me a tight smile in return.

“IT WAS REALLY great to be able to get additional access because of Terry. I think the building manager thought I was crazy, scraping bits of paint and taking small bits of other materials from the interior and exterior. I also flew a drone before and during the deconstruction to get some of the images.”

She looked to me as she finished her thought and then another look at Kyle.

“Adriana Kennedy and Sarah Katz, this is Austin Murray, my date.” He explained that Sarah owned the gallery, and I extended my hand and greeted them.

I opted to save my apologies for when we were alone. “You’re the proud owner of The Joe picture now?”

“Yeah. I am.” His eyes were bright and excitement came into his voice, erasing the look he’d first given me. “What you heard was some of the material that she’s put into it. I’ve now got a small piece of the arena forever.”

“I’m so glad it resonated with you,” Adriana said. “I’d hoped it would end up with one of you guys.”

Sarah checked her watch. “We should have you make your remarks. It’s about quarter till.”

“Of course. Kyle, please excuse me. Austin, great to meet you.”

“Mr. Pressgrove, I’ll have your paperwork shortly. Thank you again so much.”

Sarah and Adriana went toward the front of the gallery, and Kyle turned his attention back to his new purchase.

“This is really incredible. Come see.”

Kyle brought me over and excitedly pointed out where there were actual materials, like the paint scrapes, being used as part of the layering Adriana had done. The excitement that rolled off him filled me with warmth, but it was tinged again with regret that I hadn’t seen him discover the picture.

“Do you have anything else from the arena?”

“I’ve got my locker, which I have in my guest bedroom. If I ever build my own place, I’ll figure out exactly the right use for it. The players got to take some stuff before they started marking things for the auction. I wish I’d taken more, but I tried to be realistic about what I might actually display because I didn’t want to just put stuff in storage.”

As attention was called to the front room, people moved in that direction, leaving us mostly alone.

I reached for Kyle’s hand, and he let me take it. “I’m sorry.” I spoke softly. “I know my track record with you sucks. All I can do is apologize and try to do better.”

He nodded, his jaw tight. He held in what he truly wanted to say, probably due to the venue

I dropped my head, unable to hold his gaze. “I understand. I—”

“I’m trying to do better too.” That spark in his eyes from when he showed me the picture was gone, and now he looked troubled. “I hold too much on things I was told as a kid. I need to be more understanding that things can come up.” He sighed but some of the sadness lifted. “Let’s go listen to Adriana. Then we’ll enjoy the rest of the night and decide what’s next.”

I nodded but said nothing. We ended up smiling at each other, and he squeezed my hand. As we joined the crowd around Adriana, his confident smile returned, and I put on my best networking face.