“Well, welcome to the States then,” Enzo said.
“Thank you,” Keir replied as he propped open the door.
“Is that my other child I hear?” Colleen called.
Enzo smiled. “Hey Colleen,” he said as the red-haired woman came into view all smiles.
Swathed in a black dress that shimmered and flowed to the floor, she looked like a dark fairy come to life. She rushed over, and he bent down to exchange a hug. At five foot eight, she wasn’t short but she wasn’t tall either. He always figured Aibhlinn got her height from her father.
“I’m so glad you decided to throw your hat in the ring with us. You do so well at shows.”
“Thank you for always having me,” he replied. She’d been a real mentor to him. All the art classes he’d taken had been at her insistence, and the one-on-one lessons she’d given had been innumerable. She’d taken him under her wing right along with Aibhlinn and shared not only her talents but her heart.
“Of course. I can’t wait to see what you’ve done.”
His heart sank as he realized he wouldn’t see Aibhlinn until the show. There’d be no time for reconciliation. Resigned to the fact, he returned to his car and brought in the work. She’d cleared a space on the left wall. Seeing his name—Enzo Jordan—on a sign filled him with a sense of pride. He’d done this all on his own, without his brothers help, or his mentor, Noah’s.
It felt good to branch out and have something he could claim as his. He placed the painting titled Scream first and the next two, Her and His, leaving the last, Solitude for the finale.
“Wow, this is some beautiful work,” Colleen whispered. She glanced at him with the gleam of knowledge in her eyes. She could see her daughter in the picture. “Her is quite interesting.”
“Is it?” he asked, trying to play it cool.
“As much as Her sees him. I find it interesting he so obviously sees her right back. You’d think the next picture would show them together.”
“Life doesn’t always work out.”
“And yet, occasionally it does,” Colleen remarked.
“Yeah, for those who are lucky,” he said.
“Or maybe for those who get their head out of their arses and do what they should’ve a long time ago.” Her green eyes narrowed and her cheeks tinted pink.
“You think that would be best?” he asked. He never understood what Colleen saw in him. She’d looked past his reputation and attitude, and saw someone with talent.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, boy. Do you think a lady will wait forever?”
“No.”
“So, you don’t care?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then what are you saying? I’m confused, and I’m not the only one. You can’t hold on to something like a selfish child who wants it for himself, but refuses to take care of it.”
His eyes grew wide. Is that what I do?
“Chew on what I just said, and come back tonight with a fresh perspective.” She patted him on his shoulder.
Enzo walked toward the door feeling bereft and transparent.
Aibhlinn
She stepped down from the SUV feeling like she might lose her lunch at any second. She’d come in not long after Enzo and set up her paintings across from his. Her mother had covered them with a dark cloth, refusing to let her see then before the show. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It’s either a really good thing or a really bad thing. In the end, she had three medium-sized paintings. The first painting was her original with a woman holding an umbrella for a man who refused to step beneath the shelter.
The second featured a couple embracing beneath the red umbrella. It was the epitome of what she wanted. The best case scenario to this mess they’d made over the years. The last was a woman—alone—walking away in the rain, shadowed and surrounded by the grey darkness. She cut a lonely figure. There was no mistaking the message, and now she second guessed herself like crazy.
Was the ultimatum necessary? Was this fixation she had on him even his problem? Her feelings had grown and began to spill over, why should he suffer? Because he’s in just as deep as you. This situation was made possible by two people ... not one. Her heels clicked on the concrete as she slipped inside the front and came face-to-face with the man she’d been avoiding. They hadn’t given each other the cold shoulder this way since their early twenties. Their gazes were locked.