Chapter Six
Rachel
The guy seemed frustrated, and I wasn’t sure whether he was frustrated with me or something else, but I felt awkward. I turned to leave, just ready to get out of there. I wasn’t even sure why I’d showed up in the first place. I walked back down the stairs and headed toward the exit.
I hadn’t meant to upset him and was confused about why he assumed I was there for the art show when there was clearly a help wanted sign in the window.
“Do you like art?” the little girl asked me, stopping me from leaving the gallery. She was too cute to ignore.
She was adorable and looked a lot like the man, which made me wonder if she was his daughter.
“I love art,” I said and looked over the painting she was currently looking at.
It was an abstract painting with golds, yellows, and blacks. But as you stared at it, a bigger image came into place. You could make out a woman, one that looked upset and maybe even hurt. You could feel the pain in the painting, and it gave me chills. That type of art—the kind that made you think and feel—was what made me get my art degree in the first place. It was nice to be reminded of that after far too long.
“I like the sculpture,” the little girl said.
I looked down at her and saw that she was looking at the sculpture by the front door. I followed her as she started walking over to it.
It was amazing, and I stared at it for a moment. Taking in the shapes and the way it all flowed together, as if it was one large piece instead of several small pieces put together. It was so good, and I figured the artist must be rich. I had seen her name several times in ads around town before. It’s a shame I had never taken the time to come in here. Especially since I lived only two blocks away.
“Isn’t it cool?” she asked me after I had been staring at the sculpture for a couple of minutes.
I smiled at her and then looked back at the sculpture. “It’s very cool. Is this the same artist?” I asked her, knowing that she might not have the answer.
“I think all of it’s the same person. I think anyway,” she said.
I laughed at how she used the words ‘I think’ to reiterate her statement, to make sure I knew that she wasn’t sure. I was certain she was right. Almost all the pieces had the same name and the ones that didn’t just didn’t have a name at all.
“They are all so amazing. Is that your Dad upstairs?” I asked her, surprised at my own ease in this conversation.
Maybe it was because she was just a little girl and all the pressures I usually felt when talking to adults weren’t there. I felt so calm talking to this little girl, and was delighted to see she was so smart.
“Yes, he owns this place,” she said. Her words were so well articulated, I wondered how old she was. She looked like she was maybe four or five, but I wondered if she was older because of how well she spoke.
“That’s cool. Do you get to come here with him a lot?” I asked.
“No. Esther’s brother died, and she had to leave,” she said, leaving me to wonder who Esther was.
“Who is Esther?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t prying too much into this little girl’s life.
“My nanny,” she said.
“Oh, I’m sorry for your nanny. Is that why you get to be with your dad today?” I asked her.
“Yeah, he’s looking to hire someone who will be nice and listen.”
I laughed at how old and mature she sounded when she said this. “The last person wasn’t nice?”
“No, she wasn’t. Janice didn’t like to listen to Daddy,” she said.
I laughed again, and then she dragged me over to look at some more paintings. I knew I should probably leave and let the little girl be, but she was so fascinated with showing me everything that I would have felt bad if I had just up and left her.
“Why are you here?” she asked me, sounding so adult it seemed crazy. She was getting wrapped around my finger very quickly, but it didn’t take much for me to feel that way toward children.
“I came to apply for the job, but I don’t think your Dad liked me very much,” I admitted, then wondered why I said that to his daughter.
A few seconds passed, and we heard her dad start to come down the stairs.
“Why didn’t you hire this lady? She is so nice,” the little girl said.
The guy looked up, and for the first time, I really looked at him. He was older than me, and I noticed as he smiled, that it didn’t quite reach his eyes, making me wonder what he had been through in his life. Had he gone through something that tore him apart just like me?
He cleared his throat and held out his hand, “I’m so sorry. I’m James.”
I grabbed his hand and shook it, “I’m Rachel.”
“I thought you were here for the art show I’m having tomorrow night. My apologies.”
“It’s okay; I wasn’t really clear on why I was here,” I said, hoping to take some of the blame for the mistake and ease the awkwardness.
“This is my daughter, Nell,” he said.
I held out my hand to Nell, and to my surprise, she took it and shook my hand. It was very adult-like, and I had to laugh.
“I think she’d be perfect for the job, Daddy. She really likes the art, and she’s so nice.” Then she added in a whisper, “And she’s so pretty.”
I felt my cheeks heat up and saw the same look in James’ eyes. He laughed, “All of that is very true. When would you like to start?” he asked.
It took me by surprise because I wasn’t expecting him to say that. I was thinking I was going to have to fill out an application and then do an interview. But maybe he just desperately needed the help.
“Whenever you need me to,” I said, smiling a real smile for the first time in a long while.
“How about Monday?” he asked.
I was surprised that he wanted me to work so soon, but at the same time, I was kind of glad because then I wouldn’t have to sit around wondering if I got the job or not. Plus, this only gave me two days to freak out about starting the job.
“Yeah, sure, Monday will work,” I said.
“Yay!” yelled, Nell, “I’m so happy right now.”
“Why is that?” James asked.
“Because you hired a nice lady. She was talking to me about all the art in here. She likes the sculpture too,” Nell said.
“She does?” James asked, but he was looking at me. “What’s your favorite piece?”
I brought him over to the gold, black, and yellow abstract painting. “This one,” I said.
“It’s deep, isn’t it?” he asked.
We were both staring at it, and I thought it was really cool that we were both interpreting it the same way.
“It’s got a lot of emotion within it,” I told him.
“I agree,” he said.
The three of us stood there in silence and looked at the painting. It was crazy to think that Nell was so well behaved and I wondered where her mother was. That didn’t seem like an appropriate question to ask though. It would be like if someone asked me why I was twenty-six without a husband or child yet, like all the other people in my class.
I pushed the thoughts out of my head. I didn’t want to think about any of those things right now. Especially not when he just hired me to work for him. It would seem funny if I broke down in my place of work before I even started working there.
“It really is amazing,” I looked around at everything. “All of these pieces are quite good,” I said.
“The artist does a great job. This is her fourth show here, and she typically sells out of her pieces fairly quickly,” James said.
“I can see why. Her work is truly amazing. I’ve always admired artists that can really bring emotions out in their pieces,” I said.
“I like all the pretty colors,” Nell chimed in.
James and I laughed at the same time and then we looked at each other. He really was an attractive man, though since he was now my boss, I knew I shouldn’t really be thinking those things. But the only other man I had really seen lately was my pharmacist, Sam. And he wasn’t nearly that attractive. He didn’t come close to James.
He looked athletic, or at least like he took care of himself, and he had kind eyes and a good strong jawline. He was hot. I let the thoughts fade away as we both tore away from the gaze I don’t think either of us realized we were still sharing.
“I’ll see you on Monday then?” I asked.
He nodded his head. “Eight AM would be great.”
“Eight AM it is,” I said. Then I looked at Nell. “Thank you, Nell. It was wonderful meeting you.”
“It was nice meeting you too, Rachel,” she said.
“You remembered my name?” I asked.
She nodded her head, “Yeah. You’re nice. I always remember nice people’s names.”
James and I both laughed at that. Then I turned toward the door so I could leave.
“Thank you, and I’ll see you Monday,” I said.
“See you Monday, Rachel.”
The way he said my name sent a chill through my body. It was a strange feeling, and I hadn’t felt anything like it in years.
As I walked down the sidewalk toward my house, I thought about Sadie and how she had said that a job could make me feel better. I was surprised to find that I did feel a little better. Like I had a purpose again. A reason to get up and leave my house. Maybe that’s what she meant.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Sadie’s number.
“Hey!” she said in a sing-song voice when she answered on the third ring.
“Hey,” I said.
“What are you up to?” she asked.
“Well, I just walked out of that art gallery a couple blocks from my house, the big one that has art shows sometimes, on the weekend?”
“Good for you, honey; did you enjoy looking around?”
“Yes, but I did a little more than that.”
“What do you mean? Do they do classes or something? That would be so great for you.”
“Well, they were hiring, so I went in to ask about it and met the owner and his adorable daughter, and well, I guess I have a job.”
“What. O-M-G, you don’t mess around, girl! Rach, I am so proud of you, really. Congratulations!” she said, and she legitimately happy for me and that made me feel even better.
“I just wanted to call and tell you thank you for telling me to get a job. It’s strange, but I do already feel a bit better about life. Like I have a purpose now or something,” I told her.
“You’re welcome. Oh, honey, I knew it would help, and that’s why I was pushing you to do it so much. I know what a big step that was and how hard it may have been for you to take such a big step. You are amazing!”
We got off the phone, and I made my way back to my apartment. When I got there, I went inside and didn’t immediately lay down on my couch or bed. Instead, I unloaded the dishes in the dishwasher that Sadie had loaded and started for me when she had been there earlier in the week. I cleaned up my trash, even taking it all the way down to the dumpster. This was typically a trip I only made once a week when the trash truck would come.
Then I gathered up all my clothes and started some laundry. Even though I had a washer and dryer in my apartment, I had hardly ever used it. I wasn’t even sure why. As I worked, I realized that I really was starting to feel better already, and was excited to see what might come from the job I had just accepted.