“That can’t be enough to entertain the thought of offering me the sponsorship.”
Jess grew hesitant. “…I might have gone a little further. There’s some rumors that you defended a young, vulnerable woman from a sexual attack…”
“I told you not to use Riley!” I shouted angrily.
“And I didn’t. The Patrovo Corporation asked me about it. Turns out somebody got their hands on a police report. That’ll be front page news tomorrow. What was I going to do, lie?”
“I told you under absolutely no circumstances were you to exploit Riley’s trauma to benefit me,” I said, my anger still bubbling to the surface.
“And I made that very clear as well, which seemed to impress Brett Barker. Look, you can hate me all you want, but I’ve bought you your shot. He’s willing to overlook the scandals and the attitude if you can convince him that you’re turning over a new leaf… and your single rival has been taken out of the picture. He’s left with you, or picking someone with half your personality and pop culture draw. All you have to do is come with me and meet him yourself.”
“I can’t go,” I told her definitively. “Because–”
“The hell you can’t,” Jess snapped. “I don’t give a bloody sod how mad you might be over this. I get it. You don’t want to exploit the girl’s trauma. Fine. But you’ve been working towards this for months. Everything you’ve done has been to secure this multi-million contract. I am handing it to you on a silver fucking platter. All you have to do is not fuck this up, yeah?”
“Jess.”
“Do not. I’ll be there in under an hour. We can be meeting Brett in two more. Just put on your best fucking suit and–”
“JESS!”
She instantly shut up, pausing to absorb the anger in my voice. While I composed myself briefly, a moment of tension crackled between us. “What?” She finally asked.
“I was on the phone with Riley when you were trying to call me earlier.”
“Yeah, and…?”
Her tone changed. “…Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. Jess, we reconciled. She knows about the donation. Gloria Van Lark decided to take her in, but only if she moved to California and completely committed herself to the craft.”
“Oh! That’s the tits!”
“No, Jess,” I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “She doesn’t want to do it. She wants to come back here – to England.”
“This girl has it bad for you Lex,” Jess laughed.
“Maybe. Point is, I just got done telling her I’m jumping on a plane. I want to be there before she has to make a decision with Gloria tomorrow…”
“Oh, fuck me sideways,” Jess groaned.
“Exactly.”
“Lex… there’s no way I can reschedule this thing with Brett and Patrovo Corp. It’s now or never. Can’t Riley wait, just a couple of hours? You’re already down a million this week on your little donation, and this is turning down an awful lot more… This is your dream!”
“I don’t care about the fucking money or the goddamn contract anymore, Jess.”
I realized that I’d said the words before I even recognized what they meant. I was stunned at how my heart had overrode my brain, sending a signal to blurt that declaration out… but even as I wondered about this, I knew that it was true.
All that mattered to me was Riley Ricketts.
“You really mean that, don’t you, Lex?”
I didn’t need to give it another second’s thought. “I do, Jess. I really do.”
“Well, I’ll be absolutely damned,” she laughed down the phone. “I thought this little trip might be a good idea upfront… give you some renewed perspective, keep you out of trouble… but you’re a changed man, Alexander Lambert. This woman has really gotten into you.”
“I think she has.”
“Alright then,” she exhaled, the tension leaving her tone. “In that case, fuck the contract. I’ll make the call right after we disconnect. If he can’t wait one more day to hell with the whole damn company. You get yourself to the airport. I’ll call ahead and have a plane ready for you.”
“You’re the best, Jess,” I told her, sighing out in relief. “I can’t possibly thank you enough.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she chuckled. “Go get suited up and head straight for Heathrow. Hit me with a text when you land.”
Riley
There was just one other person I had to speak to.
To the world, she was one of the most talented contemporary sculptors of our time – someone whose highly sought work occupied exhibits in over a hundred museums across the world. Highly reclusive, barely conducting interviews anymore, word was that she had hidden herself away somewhere in the vast archipelago of islands beneath Greece.
Mom was always dramatic like that.
I hadn’t spoken to Jolene Ricketts in years, and I still remembered the last conversation. Well, more accurately, the last vicious fight. We didn’t exactly see eye to eye, but something told me that she was going to be indispensible to me as I really set this major crossroads into stone.
She picked up on the fourth try.
“Hullo? Margaret speaking,” the weary voice on the other line spoke.
“Mom… it’s me.”
“…My stars, Riley?”
I suppressed a small smile at the sound of her confusion. “Yeah, it’s Riley. It’s been a long time.”
“It’s funny… I thought I might never hear from you again,” she told me matter-of-factly. “I take it that you need something from me. Is it money?”
If people thought that Gloria Van Lark was stiff as a board, then they hadn’t met my mother. It always surprised me how such an emotive and passionate sculptor could be such a cold, callous bitch to her own flesh and blood.
“I need advice.”
“Advice,” she chuckled. “Why on earth would you call me in the middle of the night for advice?”
Oh shit, I thought to myself. I didn’t bother to check for the time zone difference…
“Because I need you, Mom,” I answered plainly. “I’m sorry to call so late, I didn’t notice the time… but if you can spare me a couple of minutes, I’ve got a problem that I think you can help me with.”
She sighed briefly. “Fine. What is it?”
“I met Gloria Van Lark today.”
The silence over the phone was deafening.
“Gloria Van Lark approached you? In the flesh? Describe her. How did she look? I need to know for certain.”
“I met Paulette first, who matched the stories. But the real thing was an old woman in a disguise that I can only accurately call homeless chic.”
“That’s her, alright,” Mom remarked. Of course she knew the truth about Gloria… her work had probably been sitting in Spinnoc for a long time now. “If Gloria came to see you, then maybe I was wrong about your painting … Did she at least make you an offer?”
“As much as I appreciate that stunning vote of confidence,” I gritted my teeth, “Yes. She offered to purchase some of my artwork, so long as I packed up everything and returned with her to California. She’s waiting for my final answer tomorrow.”
“You mentioned a problem,” Mom remarked. “I fail to see where it is, unless your problem is clawing for my attention while I’m trying to sleep.”
It didn’t surprise me that she failed to grasp the situation.
“Mom, I’m being torn three ways. New Orleans is magic to me. My friends are here. Everything that I know is here… San Diego is so far away… And then… There’s Lex.”
“Oh here we go,” mother said, letting out a little laugh. “You know, I thought you grew out of boy troubles a long time ago?”
“Lex is trouble,” I confirmed. “I have to choose between launching my career into the stratosphere, or being with one of the most visible celebrities in British culture.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“I’m not. Are you familiar at all with footba– I mean, with soccer?”
/> “It’s not my thing,” Mom replied, “although the locals go batshit insane over the sport. You’re dating an English player? Who?”
“His name is Lex Lambert.”
“…Son of a bitch.”
My heart dropped. “Wait, what? What’s the matter?”
Mom laughed down the phone. “Lightning Lex Lambert? He’s one of the few I do recognize. His sticky thumb is in half of the scandals that come out of England… what on earth possessed you to chase him? He’s going to dump you in a heartbeat!”
“He’s changed, Mom,” I told her, realizing how naïve I probably sounded to her.
“Hogwash. He’s a renegade, Riley. Although, I’ll admit that marrying him would set you up for life… Paintings or no paintings, that’s the practical choice.”
“I don’t care about the money,” I told her emphatically. “I can make it on my own… I just need to know that I’m not making a huge mistake.”