Before You(48)

“What happened?”

Explaining what happened wasn’t an option. Afraid that guilt and betrayal was written all over her face, she quickly looked away, pretending to look for something in her purse.

“Your silence makes me nervous. What did he do now?” he said as he leaned against the doorjamb.

Sensing the blush already staining her cheeks, she hoped that he didn’t notice her discomfort. Ironic that Michael was ready to believe the worst of Cam when she was the bad actor this time.

“Let me guess. He cancelled again. I guess that explains the roses sitting on your desk. I thought he finally remembered an important event in your life, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Something came up. I don’t blame him for cancelling.”

“Then why do you look like you’ve been crying all day?”

“Really, I’m fine,” she said, shrugging. “But thanks for informing me I look like shit.”

“You aren’t very convincing.”

“Who’s not convincing?” Sara chirped as she walked into Aubrey’s office with a big smile on her face, her light blonde hair swaying.

“Cam cancelled again, and Bre is desperately trying to persuade me she hasn’t been crying all day,” Michael said, looking at Sara with raised eyebrows.

Frustrated, Bre slammed her hands down on the top of her desk. “Michael, it’s not a big deal. The grand opening starts in less than thirty minutes. We don’t have time to sit around discussing my relationship problems.”

Smiling reassuringly, Sara hugged Bre tightly, which nearly resurrected the tears that she fought so hard to keep at bay for the last hour. After few moments had passed, Sara pulled back and looked at her with sympathy and compassion, which only served to make Bre feel like the worst person in the world. If Michael and Sara knew what really happened, they would be utterly speechless.

“Bre, don’t worry about it. If you and Cam are meant to be together, it will happen. You’ll see. Everything will work out better than you could imagine. This is just a blip on the radar. The next time you see Cam, this will all be forgotten.”

Sara’s open and sincere smile made Bre sick. She fiddled with some papers on her desk so Sara and Michael couldn’t see her face. Both of them had been so supportive since her grandmother died. If she could tell anyone of her folly, it would be these two people, but she just couldn’t form the words that combined, would be a confession that would change her life forever. No, she would never tell anyone what happened between her and Jax last night.

“She’s right. I’m sure Cam loves you. Sometimes guys can’t stop themselves from being clueless assholes. I, on the other hand, am perfect,” Michael said, folding his arms across his chest.

Lifting her head, Bre forced out a laugh, trying to reassure her friends. “Thanks for being the best friends a girl could hope for.”

Pushing his body away from the doorjamb, he smiled. “You’re damn right. Now get out there and do your magic. We need to make some big sales tonight. Get your game face on!”

“You can count on it. When we’re done, we won’t have much artwork left to sell.”

Satisfaction slid across his face and she questioned what he was up to. “I hope that’s the case. Our surprise artist will be thrilled.”

“When do I get to look at this art? I need to know a little bit about it to talk to potential buyers.”

“Go take a look, but I don’t think you’ll have any trouble discussing the artwork.”

Walking onto the gallery floor ten minutes later, she paused to enjoy the view. Immensely proud of her funky art gallery, she couldn’t believe she actually owned the place. Her eyes sought out the area that sat empty last night waiting for the surprise artwork, and she gasped.

“You like it,” Michael said, leaning over her and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“I can’t believe you put it there. How did you get it?” Bre whispered.

“Sara arranged the whole thing,” Michael responded.

“No, it wasn’t my idea,” Sara interrupted. “It was Jax’s.”

Bre inhaled sharply at the mention of Jax’s name. She was such an ass this morning and all along he had been planning to make her dreams come true. “I should have guessed. Now I know why you two were acting so secretive yesterday.” Bre ran her finger over the frame of the painting. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

“Why not? Your paintings are brilliant. Anyone can see that. I bet all three pieces will sell by the end of the night,” Michael said. “Painting is your gift. You should pursue it.”