“I killed two birds with one stone.” Tristan grinned and clapped Gage on the back. “Got his signature on the dotted line.”
“You did sign?” Trent asked, clearly pleased.
“Yeah, I took the plunge.” Gage leaned in and kissed Trent’s smiling lips, causing Arik to roll his eyes at the mushy display.
“I’ll be back here in a couple of days. I’ll stop in,” Tristan said, shaking the hand Arik extended across the bar. Arik moved to Dylan, shaking his hand as well. While he’d never formally met the man—not that it mattered in the rules of Southern hospitality—they’d spoken a few times now and were well past the stage of formal introduction.
“Great,” Arik replied to Tristan and then pointed two fingers toward Gage and Trent. “I’ll see you two tomorrow with my art.”
“I keep telling A it’s a gift, not an expectation,” Gage explained to anyone who’d listen.
Trent wisely kept his mouth shut, just lifting a brow.
“Good night, you guys.” Arik raised his hand and gave a polite wave before grabbing his suit jacket. A jaw-cracking yawn made his eyes tear as he left the building through the front doors. God, he was exhausted. BT and that unexpected trip to the airport really put a kink in his day. Thankfully, the valet had parked his car close by so he didn’t have far to walk. He grabbed the keys from the valet stand and went for the car himself. As much as he liked the jetsetter life, this was perfect for right now. He was too tired to think of much else.
Chapter 4
Pulling up to the front of the hotel, Kellus navigated the orange cones, following the directions of the men guiding traffic, and waited in a long line of commercial vehicles, all trying to get to the front doors. The best he remembered, this resort was opening in a day or two, and the mad frenzy of last-minute activity from just about every corner of the enormous complex confirmed that theory.
The DFW area had hit the big time with the construction of an Escape Resort. Of course, being a native to Dallas-Fort Worth, he didn’t see the draw. Other than the grassy knoll, or the big stampede that consisted of only a few longhorns strolling through downtown Fort Worth, there wasn’t much else, but he guessed by what he was seeing that no one ever had to leave this place to get what they wanted.
A yawn slipped free, and he mentally fought the tiredness threatening to draw him in. He’d stayed up late again last night packaging his art for delivery today. He had four physical deliveries and a handful of shipping pieces, which had all taken hours to prepare and crate for transport. He had to be vigilant in his packing; he couldn’t afford any damage in transit.
He’d started again early this morning. Even though Gage was waiting on him, he’d gone ahead and delivered the other pieces first, just so he could stick around and watch this particular piece’s installation. He wanted a photo of it hanging in the resort for his website. Over the last couple of years, Gage had sent him shots of his art hanging in their various hotels. He thought it made him look a little more legit when his art hung in such sophisticated, trendy places. Luckily for Kellus, Gage had been his biggest support. Both his mentor and fan.
No question he owed so much to Gage. He absolutely wouldn’t be where he was today without him.
When his hair frustratingly fell forward in his face, Kellus reached inside a cubby and pulled out one of several leather straps. He pushed his wayward strands back and tied them off as a security guard stepped forward, coming to his window. Kellus quickly rolled it down. “I’m here to deliver art to the front lobby.”
“The main lobby?” the guy asked, writing on a clipboard.
“I just know the lobby, is there more than one?” he asked.
“Yeah, there’re five entrances. The main lobby’s right here. Most of the check-in happens here.” The guy took a step backward to glance at the large truck and then his eyes focused back on Kellus. “What’s the name of your company?”
The question made sense, as did the man’s glance at the truck panel, but Kellus had had to rent a box truck from U-Haul especially for this delivery. The piece would never have fit in his regular vehicle.
“Kellus Hardin Art.”
The guy nodded looking back down at his clipboard, his finger sliding down the page until he stopped and motioned with his hand for Kellus to move forward. “They’re waiting on you. If you could move the truck around the cones, we can put you right up to the doors to unload.”
“I need to stay while it’s being hung. Can I leave it parked here?” he asked, keeping his foot on the brake, waiting for the answer.