Chapter 17

Bredon was buildingup to something. For a man who seemed worldly, he was fumbling around, allowing our talk to go off on tangents.

And I was still fully clothed.

My inner voice kept pushing for me to show patience. I wasn't sure where I would find this reserve because I felt like I would start pulling my hair out.

He looked like he was at the end of the plank, and a pirate had a sword poking him. Bredon did not want to tell me about his job.

"Sage, are you in there?" Talia entered Bredon's private rooms without knocking.

I flashed a wide-eyed look in his direction. Why hadn't he locked the door? We could have been halfway to happy town if I'd had my way.

"What has happened?" He sharply questioned my boss.

She was vibrating with energy. I could almost see sparks jumping from her body. "Justin's going to do a video call in ten minutes. He has huge news."

Bredon didn't respond.

I guess it was up to me. "Do you need my help?" I was lost. Perhaps she didn't know how to log into a video conference…?

"He said you should be there." She neared and gripped my arm. "Come on." She started pulling me toward the door.

"Talia…" I was trying to slow her down, resulting in her pulling harder on my arm. There was no choice. I either had to leave Bredon or lose my limb. I looked over my shoulder. "Can you…?"

"I will find you later."

I thought his promise sounded half-hearted.

Talia pulled me down the hallway to the room where I'd been working. "We can set up here," she said, releasing me. "Lock the door. We don't want anyone to walk in."

I did as she bid. Then I approached the table. I was at a loss about what to do except focus on my boss instead of a man who had not come through with what I wanted.

"Justin never gets excited." She pulled a laptop from a drawer I had no idea was there.

"I can take notes if you like?"

"That would be helpful. I'm so excited. I know I won't remember if there are details."

I grabbed a yellow legal pad from the stack on a nearby shelf.

A beep told me that Justin was calling.

"Hi, Justin." Talia's greeting was as warm as her grin. "Sage is with me like you wished."

"Very good." He was dressed in a navy suit with a light blue shirt that made the gold flecks in his eyes more evident. "Johan Spiegelman's assistant called today."

I leaned closer. I recognized the name. He owned an important gallery in L.A.

"He's familiar with your work, Talia. His gallery is increasing their online presence, and they'd like to offer a few of your photographs," Justin announced.

Talia didn't respond right away.

"His gallery is well-respected," I told them to fill the uncomfortable silence.

"Online only? Not in his gallery?" she asked slowly, her shoulders lowering.

"I didn't press for specifics, Talia. This is a huge opportunity. Plus, if your photos sell online, they can't help but carry your work in their gallery," Justin assured her.

She narrowed her eyes and didn't respond.

"What's the next step?" I couldn't help myself. I was curious. This was a huge opportunity for Talia, even if she didn't immediately recognize it.

"They've asked for twenty photos. They won't use them all, but I think they want to see the breadth of your work." Justin nodded.

I could think of ten that I would send if asked.

"That's where you come in, Sage," Justin told me. "I can't depend on Talia to choose, and I can't make the trip there to look in her vault. I need you to use your eye and choose."

I leaned back in my chair. "Oh."

"You need to be quick. They want Talia and me in L.A. next month to review contracts and to do some press." Justin acted as if he didn't notice the artist's silence.

I held up my pad of paper. "Tell me what they said, Justin. Their exact words." My mind was racing with possibilities.

Justin and I talked for another fifteen minutes.

"Do you think I should do this?" Talia asked in a soft voice.

Only after a few moments had passed did I notice that Justin had not replied. I looked up from my notes.

Talia was watching me expectantly. Her eyes were wide, and her teeth dug into her bottom lip.

"Yes, you should do this. This is a huge opportunity, Talia." I wanted to shake her for not jumping into action and going through the boxes.

"I know that you don't like to hear about the money aspect, but they are known to pay well for an artist's work," Justin shared.

"I suppose we can find some…" Talia was still holding back.

"From what I've seen, we will have plenty of options." I tried to sound confident.

"Talia, listen to Sage. She knows what she's doing," Justin instructed his client. "Don't be…you. Let Sage do her thing."

"Thank you, Justin," Talia said, her tone icy. "I will endeavor not to be me."

"Sage, when you come up with a list, send it to me," Justin barked. "Ladies, get to work." He ended the call.

I watched Talia a little uneasily. This was a different side of her, and I wasn't sure what to expect.

Her posture relaxed after she shut down her computer and returned it to the drawer. "It sounds like you will be us for a longer stay."

"Only if you'd like my help." I didn't want Talia to feel like I took this job and her faith in my skill for granted.

"Of course, I need your help, and I think Bredon wants you here."

"What?' I felt my face heat as a chill traveled down my spine.

"Bredon. You interest him."

"Uhm…well, we…" I had no clue about what to say.

"This is going to be interesting—which is wonderful because it usually gets very boring here." She smiled as she got up and left the room.

I slumped down in the chair. "What the hell just happened?" I asked the universe.

No answer came.