Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set (102 page)

I frown at his words. This is news to me. “You do?”

“Yes, baby, I do,” he says, looking into my eyes. “And that first night you came. Oh, my God! I was so nervous that night. I just kept praying that we wouldn’t suck, ’cause I knew that if we did, it was going to be all my fault because I was so freaked out that you were there!”

I can’t help the slow smile I feel spreading across my face right now. “Are you making this up just to try and make me feel better?” I ask softly.

“I am telling you the gospel truth, baby,” he says looking deep into my eyes. “And I know that getting onstage and playing an instrument isn’t quite the same as inviting a bunch of strangers to view your artwork but, I think the same principles apply … just like any other art form. You’re still opening yourself up, putting your heart and soul on the line, allowing others to view or listen to or read something that you created, something that came from your heart and that you’ve spent a great deal of time and energy and effort on. And you slave and obsess over it, making sure it’s as perfect as you can possibly make it, only to put it out there and hope and pray that someone might be touched by it.” He pauses for a second and then adds softly, “That’s just the nature of the artist. All artists.”

I am overwhelmed by his words and by the passion in his voice. I throw my arms around him, hugging him tightly, and he laughs slightly at me. Then I release him and look into his eyes. “I love you, Josh,” I say softly. “Thank you.”

“For what? I didn’t do anything,” he shrugs.

I nod my head. “Yes, you did.”

We eat our lunch then, chatting about his day, and by the time we finish our sandwiches, I am feeling much better about tonight. As we’re sharing the bottle of water, Josh glances at his watch and sighs.

“I should get back inside.”

“Okay,” I smile.

“Thank you for bringing me lunch,” he smiles.

“Thank you for talking me back from the ledge,” I reply and he laughs. Then he reaches out and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, and he leans in and kisses me. We stand up and gather up our trash, discarding it in a nearby waste bin, and then he takes my hand and walks me to my car. He opens the door for me and kisses me once more.

“I’ll see you at home in a few hours,” he says softly.

“Okay.”

“I love you, Sam,” he says quietly, his words taking me by surprise as he lightly runs the back of his index finger down my cheek to my chin. Then he leans down and kisses me again, passionately this time. By the time I get into my car, I am practically floating on air. And I remain in that dreamy state of euphoria the entire trip back home. I park my car right beneath the portico and walk into the house, feeling as if my feet aren’t even touching the ground. It’s the Joshua Pierce effect and I am so high on it.

*****

“So … how do you deal with the stage fright?” I ask softly, anxiously twisting my fingers as I glance toward the door. We’re standing in the middle of the gallery, waiting for the doors to open and my show to begin.

“Deep breaths, baby,” Josh says quietly, smiling at me. “In through the nose and out through the mouth. Look at me, come on … breathe with me,” he says, inhaling deeply for a moment and motioning for me to do the same. I do as he tells me, inhaling deeply for a moment and then releasing it. As he breathes with me, I look him over. He is dressed in his black suit with a white dress shirt and a stripped green tie, chosen to compliment my emerald green Karen Zambos Vintage Couture cocktail dress. He looks so sexy in a suit; talk about yummy! And he is being so supportive and attentive; he is just adorable.

We take several calming deep breaths and, by the time we’re done, I really do feel slightly better and I smile at him. He leans in and kisses my forehead.

“Better?”

I nod silently. Taking a nervous glance around the gallery, I look at my artwork adorning the walls. Here, in this setting, my paintings and sketches do look amazing. Some of them, I almost don’t even recognize myself; Lola has done a wonderful job of seeing that each piece is perfectly placed and lighted.

“Okay, Sam,” Lola says as she approaches us, smiling broadly. “Doors are about to open; you ready for this?”

Instantly, I am hit with a wave of nausea.
I can do this! I can do this! I can do this!

“Breathe, baby,” Josh whispers, wrapping his arm around my waist and giving me an affectionate squeeze. I watch in terrified silence as Lola opens the doors and the first gallery goers begin to trickle in. To say that I have butterflies right now would be such an understatement!

I am slightly shocked as I witness the gallery filling up so quickly, and I see many faces that I recognize from the art community. People that are known to be patrons of the arts. And my stomach rolls slightly as I watch them moving slowly around the space, taking in my work.

“There’s the woman of the hour,” I hear a familiar voice say behind me, and Josh and I turn as one to see Lucas and Karen smiling at us. “This is incredible, Pita. I can’t believe my baby sister did all this,” he says looking around at my work. I hug him tightly and he laughs slightly at me.

“I am so impressed, Sam,” Karen says, glancing around at the walls.

“Thank you both for coming,” I tell them with a nervous smile.

“Are you kidding? Where else would I be, Sam?” Lucas says looking at me with a frown as he shakes hands with Josh.

We chat with the two of them for a few moments before Lola interrupts us, saying she has some people I should meet. I glance anxiously at Josh and he smiles at me. “Go on,” he whispers, looking me in the eye. “You can do this.”

I return his smile and give his hand a nervous squeeze as I step away, following Lola. She leads me over to a man and woman who I soon learn are Mr. and Mrs. Blankenship. I’ve never met them before but, their names are quite familiar to me as they are both members of the Pryor Art Museum’s Board of Trustees. I am stunned that they’re here. We talk for several minutes and I learn that Mrs. Blankenship is an avid collector of nudes and she wants to purchase one of my paintings. I am completely speechless!

My astonishment only grows as the evening wears on. The gallery is packed with people and Lola appears to be in her element, flitting from person to person, making sure I spend a few moments speaking to all the right people. I spend over an hour being led around by her as she introduces me to several art collectors and patrons, and reacquaints me with others from the art community whom I’ve met over the years. And she stands by proudly listening as I discuss my art with many of them.

By the time I free myself from making the rounds with her and get back to Josh, my head is spinning and I feel breathless and invigorated. He stands talking to Lucas, Karen and Dennis, and also his mother and aunt, and I’m so surprised to see them here. I walk over to them and Josh smiles down at me as he wraps his arm around me, pulling me close and lightly kissing my temple.

“Does Lola know you’ve sneaked off?” he asks, smirking at me, and I roll my eyes.

“I think I’m safe for a few minutes,” I giggle.

“Samantha, honey, I am just so impressed with your art work,” Olivia says as she hugs me. “Josh said you were very talented but, I had no idea!”

“It’s all so beautiful, honey,” Aunt Celeste echos, and I blush at their words.

“Thank you both so much,” I answer meekly. “I’m really touched that you’re here; I had no idea you were coming.”

“Oh, we wouldn’t have missed this for the world! Are you kidding?” Olivia smiles.

“And Paul and Pamela are around here too,” Aunt Celeste says, pointing to the other side of the gallery where I see Paul Jr. and his wife standing back admiring a series of sketches. And I am suddenly overwhelmed by the sense of love and acceptance I feel from Josh’s family. I knew they were all aware of my art show but, I never expected them to make the effort to come out and show their support.

Josh gives me another affectionate squeeze and I smile up at him. “There are a few other people you might know lurking around here too,” he says quietly, and points to the side of the gallery where Lee and Molly Parson are sipping glasses of wine as they study the sketches I did of Josh working out. Then Josh points to the other side of the room and I see Dave and Lindy Conner milling about, as well as my Uncle Kenny, Aunt Jen and Grandma.

I can feel myself starting to get emotional when I feel a light tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I actually squeal out loud when I see Meg smiling back at me! I practically throw myself at her, I am so excited, and we embrace in the biggest bear hug imaginable.

“Megan, what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t getting back until Sunday!”

“You think I’m going to miss your first gallery opening to prolong my honeymoon a couple of days?” she asks incredulously. “That is not how we roll!”

I hug her once more and I smile at Scott who is standing directly behind her. I feel so loved at this moment, as I stand in Josh’s arms, surrounded by our families, looking around the crowded gallery in wonder and delight. And all I can think about right now is how I really wish my dad could be here.

“Excuse me, Samantha?” It’s Lola, stepping into our little family circle and lightly touching my arm. “I’m sorry to interrupt but, there’s someone else you really need to talk to. A reporter for the
Seattle Times
art section is here and wants an exclusive with the artist.”

“You’re kidding?” I say softly, feeling myself grow queasy. I don’t want to talk to the press.

“Hey, Lola,” Lucas speaks up, getting everyone’s attention. “I’m just curious. The place is packed but, is anybody buying?”

“Is anyone buying?” Lola repeats with a laugh. “I’ve sold seventeen pieces already and it’s only nine o’clock. At this rate, the entire collection will be sold out before the evening is over. And the show is scheduled to run for two weeks.” She sounds extremely pleased and I can’t believe what I’m hearing. People are actually buying my artwork. Holy cow!

Lola takes my hand and begins to pull me gently away toward the front of the gallery, where the reporter stands waiting to talk to me. And I hold tightly to Josh’s hand, refusing to let go for a moment. I glance back at him and he’s watching me intently, his blue eyes shining brightly at me.

“Samantha?” Lola’s voice is insistent and questioning.

Still holding Josh’s hand, and his gaze, I look at him imploringly. And he reads my silent plea astutely, lightly squeezing my hand as he steps forward and, together, we follow Lola to the front of the gallery. And as I talk with the reporter, nervously answering her questions, Josh stands by quietly with Lola, watching and listening, just being my moral support.

We talk for several minutes and I try not to let my nerves get the best of me as the reporter asks question after question about my artwork and my inspiration. She even asks about my father, saying, “Ms. Colby, your father, Richard Colby was as famous for being a patron of the arts as he was for his shrewd business acumen. What do you think he would be feeling tonight, watching you debut your work to the art world and, setting up the art scholarship in his name at the University of Washington?”

“Oh, gosh,” I sigh, as I think about her question. “Throughout this whole process, I have often wondered what Daddy would think. I’m really not sure. I know that he would be encouraging me to pursue my dreams because he was always just the most supportive person in my life. But as for what he might be feeling right now … I’m afraid I can’t answer that. I can only hope that he would be proud of me for trying. And for doing something positive with the legacy he left behind.”

“I’m sure he would be,” the reporter offers. “And I notice that you’ve done several sketches of Detective Joshua Pierce. I loved the ‘Body in Motion’ series of workout poses; it’s simply beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I smile shyly, stealing a quick glance at Josh who looks slightly embarrassed.

“I wonder, what do you think your father’s reaction would have been to your steamy relationship with the handsome Seattle Detective?”

I stare at her in wide-eyed, shocked silence. What a completely inappropriate question! I feel my face flushing, and another glance at Josh tells me immediately that he’s pissed. I open my mouth to respond, having no clue what it is that I’m going to say, when I suddenly hear a very cool voice say, “Well I can answer that question.”

Shit!
Looking to my left, I see my mother strolling up to my side. Her sheer presence stuns me, and I feel like everything is moving in slow motion.
Why is she here?
My eyes lock with Josh’s and his pissed off scowl only grows deeper. And, from the corner of my eye, I see Lucas with a harried expression, trying to pick his way through the crowd to reach us.

“I can tell you exactly what my husband would have thought of our daughter’s relationship with Detective Pierce,” mother says to the reporter, who’s now looking at her very expectantly. “First of all, he would have been extremely grateful to the detective for coming to our daughter’s rescue and saving her from that psychopath. Something our entire family is indebted to him for,” she smiles sweetly, easily charming the reporter. And although her tone carries that cool, crisp manner of hers, I sense that she’s actually being sincere. My mother’s version of warm and heartfelt.

“As for their personal relationship…,” she pauses, and I’m not sure if it’s for affect, or to gather her thoughts. “I believe Richard would see exactly what the rest of our family sees. That Detective Pierce is a highly decorated officer of our fine city, and a good and honorable man. And he obviously cares a great deal about our daughter. My husband would be impressed with Samantha’s behavior, and he would be nothing but supportive and proud of her accomplishments here tonight. As am I.”

I am completely dumbfounded by her words and I stare at her in silence for a moment, not really believing that any of that just came out of her mouth.

“Well, thank you so much for your input, Mrs. Colby,” the reporter smiles at mom. “And Ms. Colby, thank you for your time. Congratulations on your success tonight.”