Painted On My Heart

“Yeah, and we both know how well that would go over.” Kellus laughed as he followed her to the space. “He taught a class I took, so I know how stubborn he can get when he wants something a certain way.”

“He says you’re brilliant. I saw the mount out front and loved it. Wait, that’s number six, right?” she asked, moving him down one entire section.

“Yeah.”

“Right here. See? It’s Gage’s organizational plan.” She tapped the sticky note, and he glanced up to where she was pointing. She was right; he couldn’t miss it. Gage had scrawled a big purple six on the pink sticky note.

“Art by numbers. Shouldn’t be too hard,” he teased, carefully placing the art against the wall.

“You’d be surprised. It’s Gage’s plan we’re talking about. Is there anything else you need from me?” she asked, moving a few feet away, closer to the office area.

“No, I have five or six pieces in the van. They’re the large ones and then I’ll go back for the others,” he said, following behind her to the back door.

“I’d say wait until the morning, but the guys will be here early to get everything up before the guests start arriving.”

“No. It’s better for me this evening anyway. I’m sorry again,” he said, taking several steps toward the back door. He had to get his art in before the rain came.

Kellus quickly moved all his work inside before he placed each one in their designated space. Alone for most of that time, he got a really good look at his surroundings. As he saw in Gage the man, the studio had a clash of contemporary versus classic overtones that stayed consistent all the way through to the back offices. The quiet music playing overhead had strong emphasis on local indie bands mingled in between popular mainstream alternative rock and top forty. He liked how Gage tied all that into the gallery and gave the local musicians a boost.

He left the gallery, making sure the door closed tightly behind him. The smell of rain even more than the ominous clouds building above had him picking up his step. He made it to the driver’s seat before the first drop began to fall—a sign that things were looking up.

~?~

Arik flipped over another page in the report he held while rounding the corner leading to the front foyer. After his very clear, stern message in today’s impromptu directors’ meeting, the trickledown effect was immediate. On every level, the staff had pulled their shit together. They were in a much better position, making tomorrow seem less likely to crash and burn, and more like the innovative resort they were destined to become. All very good signs.

Like he’d done about fifty times today, his gaze shifted to the newest piece of art hanging in the foyer. Even with his head full of numbers and employee performance concerns, he never failed to appreciate the beautiful colors and flawless lines. Kellus’s ability to subtly complement color from the limited information he’d had about the facility when Gage had first contacted him amazed Arik.

Caught up between glancing at the art and focusing on his report, Arik almost plowed into the new seating arrangement in the foyer. During their final walk-through, the interior design consulting team had insisted moving the pieces would offer a warmer, friendlier impression for arriving guests. Arik managed to stay on his feet, not trip headfirst over the chair, but the irritation that spiked certainly would have had him doing battle with the furniture if he hadn’t spotted Gregory and Sara talking just a few feet away.

His gaze moved to the studio doors. Initially, he’d been watching for Kellus, but over the last few hours, his concern over the missing artist had turned into a concern for the missing artwork. With the resort opening in little more than fifteen hours, the conspicuously bare walls dominated his thoughts.

Luckily, there had been a change since he’d last checked about an hour ago—there were now wrapped pieces along some of the walls. Other pieces had been delivered and were waiting to be displayed, easing some of the stress he’d carried this afternoon. The art gallery spanned the right side of the foyer, taking up two full lease spaces.

The resort’s grand opening tomorrow meant the media and entertainment outlets would be on hand to check out the Layne-Wilder duo’s newest creation and what celebrities were on property to celebrate. From a purely selfish perspective, he wanted everything perfect. He had to have the critics blasting their shock and awe to the world in order to keep the reservations booking for the next year.

Changing course, Arik flipped the papers back together and closed the file. He came up on what must have been the tail end of the conversation, but Gregory turned toward him, efficiently catching him up. “The artist is running behind and has more to drop off tonight.”