Before You (Before You #1)(34)
“Yes, sir,” Bre responded, looking around the gallery. “What are we going to do with the front corner of the east wall? We don’t have enough paintings to fill that space. We need about three more.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Michael said. “I have a surprise artist I plan to reveal tomorrow night.”
Sara chuckled under her breath.
“Are you hiding something from me?” Bre questioned, looking back and forth between Michael and Sara.
“Yes. That’s why it’s called a surprise,” Michael responded.
Chapter Sixteen
“Are you sure you don’t want to go out for a drink?” Sara said, holding open the front door to the gallery.
“No. I’m going to stay here in case the cleaners have any questions,” Bre said.
“Make sure you lock up after they leave,” Michael yelled from the sidewalk. “I don’t want to walk into a bare gallery tomorrow night. Total ruin before we open our doors to the public would be more than I could handle.”
“Hey, I only forgot once and the gallery was empty at the time,” Bre yelled out the front door over Sara’s shoulder.
“Well, now it isn’t,” Michael responded.
Sara hugged Bre. “Ignore him,” she whispered. “He’s anxious about the opening.”
“So am I,” Bre said.
Sara dropped her arms from Bre’s shoulders and grabbed her hands. “And don’t worry about Cam. Everything is going to sort itself out. This weekend will be good for you two.”
Bre shook her head. “I hope so. For some reason, I’m more nervous about seeing Cam than the gallery. How backwards is that?”
“It’s because the gallery is going to be a raging success. Nothing to worry about there.”
“I think you’re right,” Bre smiled. “Now go have some fun, but not so much that you have a hangover tomorrow.”
“You too! Tell Cam I said hi,” Sara yelled.
Bre watched Michael and Sara get into Michael’s car, then she went to her office to review her notes on all the artists showing their work at the gallery tomorrow night. Although she had everything committed to memory, she took comfort in being overly prepared.
As the hum of the vacuum cleaner filled the air, a text from Cam popped up on her phone.
Sorry, babe. I can’t make it to the opening. Major band and work stuff this weekend. <3
As Bre read the message, she could feel her eyes blazing with anger. Of course, Bre thought. His band. His job. Those are the only two things he cares about anymore. Her loved ones could die, she could be celebrating her new business, and Cam would choose his band and his job over her. Why didn’t she see it earlier? He didn’t want to be part of her life right now.
She started to type a response to Cam’s text, but she deleted it and called him instead. She refused to let him cancel again without talking to her. She deserved more than a thoughtless text.
“Hey, babe,” Cam answered enthusiastically. “Did you get my text?”
“Would I be calling right now if I didn’t? You’re supposed to be on a plane right now! I wouldn’t call you if I thought you were flying,” Bre realized her voice was unnaturally loud, but she couldn’t control her mounting frustration. Michael and Sara were right. Cam never made her a priority, and she let him get away with it. She never challenged or questioned him.
A forced laugh escaped Cam’s throat. “I guess not. Babe, don’t be mad. I’m sorry. The meeting this weekend is important and I need rent money. I wouldn’t miss your big day if I could avoid it.”
“Really? I find that hard to believe,” Bre said, sucking in a deep breath so she could hold back the tears threatening to fall. She refused to cry. Not now. “It’s a believable excuse to use once or twice, not every time you cancel.”
“I don’t cancel every time. You’re the one who left LA early and cancelled our plans.”
“Oh, please. Don’t pretend as if you cared. You hardly could be bothered to hang out with me when I was at your house.”
“That’s not true,” Cam responded softly. “We were working things out when you decided to run home to fix your mom’s problems. I don’t know why you let her push you around.”
“Leaving had nothing to do with my mom. My grandmother was dying. I would have left whether my mom was around or not. Don’t try to change the subject. You’ve bailed twice now for two major things in my life.”
“Don’t be selfish, Bre. Not everything is about you. So what, I’m going to miss your little party. It’s not a big deal. I need to support my band. It’s my future and I need to pay rent. I can’t suspend reality to suit your needs.”
“It’s not just any party. It’s the grand opening for my art gallery, but that isn’t the only thing you missed. You missed my grandmother’s funeral, too. Those are two really big things. They don’t get much bigger than that. If those two things aren’t important, then tell me what is?”
“Succeeding as a music artist has been my dream since I was a kid, and I’m not going to walk away from an opportunity so I can go to some little party for your shop. Getting signed by a label is way more important than opening a little shop in a ski town.”