ANOTHER CHANCE
Chapter Seven
Cal said nothing
during the drive to the gallery, leaving Rose alone with her thoughts. It was crazy,
it really was. A month ago, she couldn't stand the sight of the man in the
driver's seat, and now she was his employee. Of course, that was different than
being his fiancée, but still...
Rose put that
thought out of her mind when she arrived at the gallery. It was smaller than
she imagined, but it looked nice enough.
When they got
inside the gallery Cal said, "I'll be looking at some of the Romantic
pieces if you need me."
"Okay, who are
you and what have you done with the real Caledon Hockley?"
"Actually, I
happen to like art. I just don't like the Impressionists, that's all."
"All right,
whatever you say."
She walked over to
a corner of the gallery where several charcoals were sitting on a table. They
were Calvert's all right. There was no mistaking the boldness of the lines, or
the accuracy of the shading. The drawings were of all sorts of people. They
were doing all sorts of things: running, jumping, riding. The only thing they
had in common was that they were all outdoors.
Cal appeared,
carrying an oil portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte. "Did you see anything you
liked?"
"They were all
so wonderful, I couldn't decide which one was my favorite."
Cal smiled.
"I'm glad you liked it. Care to join me for lunch? I have something very
important to tell you."
"How could I
refuse?"
*****
"Now what did
you want to tell me?"
"It's about
the job I offered you."
"Well?"
"There is no
job."
"What?"
"I'm sorry. It
was the only way I could protect you."
"Protect me?
From what?"
"The streets.
Poverty. You don't know what you're getting into."
"What would
you know?"
"Plenty.
Several years ago, I went to Paris, without my parents' permission or
knowledge. I was bored, pure and simple. So, I lived the life of a wanderer. As
a matter of fact, that's how a met a struggling artist named Jack Dawson."