Howard had been talking nonstop for
twenty minutes. Each time Petey thought
she’d found the opportunity to extricate herself, he continued his rambling,
while edging ever closer, invading her personal space, and chatting about his
work and his home in New Jersey. He
seemed to be one of those individuals who was completely inept at picking up on
social cues.
She’d just worked up the gumption to
simply excuse herself the next time he came up for air, when she heard a
familiar voice.
“There you are, darling!” Nik swooped in, handing her a glass of
wine. “I’m so sorry I’m late. Will you ever forgive me?” He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed
her cheek.
Stunned, Petey stammered a bit. “Um, yes.
Well…darling, yes, you certainly are late. What’s up with that? I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I know.
But traffic was a nightmare, what with the rain. You just wouldn’t believe it.” Nik turned to Howard. “Who’s your friend?” He smiled pleasantly at the confused man.
“Oh, sorry. Nik, this is Howard. Howard, meet Nik.”
Howard worked his mouth, but was
blissfully silent.
Nik reached to shake his hand. “So nice to meet you. If you’ll excuse us, I need to make up for
lost time. Come, darling.”
He grasped Petey’s hand and led her to
the opposite side of the gallery. When
they reached a quiet corner, he turned and smiled at her.
She gave a relieved laugh. “Oh, my God, for the second time tonight, you
saved my bacon.”
Nik laughed, too. “The exasperation on your face said that you
needed rescuing. Who was he anyway?”
“Some guy that my friend Jules thought I
should meet. I mean, he’s nice enough,
but he had absolutely no sense of personal space. And he would not stop talking. Sheesh!”
“He’s probably just shy in the presence
of such a pretty woman.” Nik’s blue eyes
sparkled.
Petey rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure that’s it,” she said
sarcastically. “I guess you ditched your
business dinner?”
Nik nodded. “I did.”
She eyed him curiously. “What kind of business are you in?”
He paused a beat. “I’m in international finance and
development.”
Warmth flooded her face, and she knew she
was blushing. A sheepish smile curled
her lips. “I have no idea what that
means.”
He smiled, too. “I travel and meet with business people,
mostly, occasionally politicians, and we discuss ways to improve our national
economies, and ways to assist developing economies as well.”
“Oh.
I’m sure Jules would understand completely. She has a sharp business mind. I’m just so,” she gave a self-deprecating
chuckle, “right-brained.”
She fanned herself lightly with her
hand. “So, you’d had enough of finances
and development for one night?”
Nik nodded agreeably. “I’ve worked all day. As I sat listening to more business
conversation, all I could think was that I’d like to attend the gallery opening
of a promising young sculptor.”
Petey’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Well, if I hear of any, I’ll let you
know.” They both laughed together.
“I just watched your video. Such an interesting way to introduce yourself
to patrons.”
“Oh, that.” Petey blushed. “Jules flew out to Montana a couple of months
ago. She hired a film crew to follow me
for a day, do interviews and stuff. Then
they just put it together.”
He regarded her curiously, eyes
sparkling. “What are the chances you’d
give me a guided tour of this incredible exhibit?”
She pretended to consider his
request. “Well, you did see to it that I
was put back together after being blasted by that tidal wave. And, you rescued me from being talked to
death by a close-talking dentist. I’d
say your odds are pretty good.” She
laughed. “I think bringing me a glass of
wine put you over the top, though.”
Nik laughed, too. “Lucky for me, then.”
“Lucky for you. Okay, let’s take a tour.”
HUGE THANKS for hosting my new modern-day fairy tale, Chasing Ordinary! <3
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
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