Before You (Before You #1)(32)
She wondered whether he’d changed or if she’d changed. The only thing she knew for certain was that their relationship was becoming increasingly impersonal. They never fought. They never discussed the future of their relationship or how they would be together now that she started a business in Aspen, and he intended to stay in LA indefinitely.
She craved the closeness they’d shared as kids and even through college. She missed the physical comfort of his touch, his smell. The physical separation created more emotional distance with every day that passed, and she didn’t know if the relationship could survive much longer.
Jax, on the other hand, occupied way too many of her thoughts since he came to her grandmother’s funeral. The closeness she felt with him at the funeral didn’t fade after he left. Instead, she called him frequently for advice on the gallery, and he called her with names of promising Southern California artists. They talked about their families, and every time something exciting happened in her life, she found herself wanting to dial Jax’s number rather than Cam’s, and the confusion and guilt of that reality ate at her.
She hoped Cam’s visit to Aspen this weekend would change everything. With the loss of her grandmother, she didn’t think she could handle losing Cam or her connection with his family. His family filled more than one emotional hole in her life over the years by treating her as a de facto family member.
She still smiled when she remembered the day Cam found her crying underneath the tree in her backyard on her tenth birthday. No one had planned anything for her birthday, and she felt particularly unloved. Her grandmother gave her a card with ten dollars and her mother was gone, as usual. It didn’t help that Bre had a difficult time adjusting to her first few months in Colorado. Cam told her to come over to play in an hour, and when she arrived at his house, Cam’s parents had arranged a small birthday party for her—a tradition that continued every year until she and Cam left for college.
Bre walked into the gallery after a lunch meeting with a Denver artist in town for the grand opening of her gallery that weekend. Michael and Sara helped her restore the old plank floors, add windows where permitted by the Main Street Historic District, and install lots of lighting to accentuate the artwork. Todd and Ellen came to the paint party last week, and Todd, being a perfectionist, painted most of the interior by himself. The end product exceeded her expectations, and she loved every square inch of the place.
Too bad she couldn’t spend a couple hours soaking it all in. Artwork still needed to be hung. The painters were still touching up the walls and Michael and Sara were busy screwing in light bulbs. They probably could have used a few more weeks to get ready, but this weekend was the Winternational, the annual event celebrating the opening of the area ski resort. She wanted to make a splash this weekend, with so many famous skiers and boarders in town, not to mention media attention. They had to make sure everything was ready. Waiting to open wasn’t an option.
“So what time is lover boy coming?” Michael asked as he climbed down the ladder.
“Cam’s flight lands around seven tonight,” Bre responded as she lifted a painting to hang it on the wall.
“During the two years we’ve worked together, I think I’ve only seen him once when he picked you up at the gallery to drive you home for the holidays. If not for that brief sighting of him and Ellen and Todd’s appearance at our painting party, I would be thoroughly convinced that he’s your imaginary playmate.”
“Don’t give her hard time,” Sara said, wrapping her arm over Bre’s shoulder. “You’re making her uncomfortable. Besides, I went to college with him and Bre, and he’s a really nice guy. You’ll like him.”
“Yes, I already know how great he is. The way the locals talk ad nauseam about that band of his, Total Ruin, you would think he was already a famous rock star.”
Bre laughed. “It’s Chasing Ruin, and don’t pretend as if you don’t know the name of the band. You just don’t like competition for attention.”
“Hardly,” Michael said. “How can I compete with a ghost?”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow at the opening,” Bre said. “Now get back on that ladder so we can actually leave before it gets dark.”
“Is Jax coming, too?” Sara asked.
“I don’t think so. I mentioned it to him, and I emailed him an invitation, but he didn’t commit to anything. He’s been really busy this past week. I guess the band has been negotiating with a couple labels, and as the front man, he wants to be there.”
“I thought Cam handled most of the business side of the band,” Sara responded.
“He does, but this is big, so I think he wants to be there. He’s kind of a control freak when it comes to the band.” Bre walked to the back of the gallery, trying to escape the conversation about Jax. Since he came to her grandmother’s funeral, Sara never missed an opportunity to ask about him. At first, Bre thought Sara might be interested in him, but lately she suspected Sara still questioned whether she and Jax were more than friends despite what Bre told her after the funeral.
“I still think you should have asked them to sing a song or two at our opening. We would’ve drawn a huge crowd,” Michael said.
“We talked about this. The crowd wouldn’t be there for the art. They would be there for the music. We want the opening to be about the gallery and the artists,” Bre responded.