Romancing the Rogue (73 page)

Rose poured
fragrant
tea into
two
of her mother
’
s best china
cups
. It was Tuesday afternoon and
Charlie had
returned for his paintings, but the rain continued to fall, so they remained in the Sheffield sitting room. Since they
’
d dried, the canvases were now stacked neatly in his crates.

“
I like the idea of having my work indoors, and your house is certainly close to the Boardwalk, but how will we get people to come in?
”
he asked.

“
How did you get them to come and see your paintings when you were in New York?
”
Rose countered.

“
They came to the gallery because it was well known.
”

“
And how did it become well known?
”

“
I
—
I
’
m not sure. I suppose they had well
-
known artists, and they advertised.
”

“
Exactly. And that
’
s what we
’
re going to do.
”
Rose had been
awake
half
the night
cleaning up after their weekend guests. Sometime during
the
wee hours
, an idea had taken root in her mind, and she
’
d been excited to share it with Charlie.
“
This isn
’
t going to be the indoor version of your booth. If we want people to come, we
’
ll have to advertise this as a true art gallery. We
’
ll set this up nicely with your paintings, just like the posh ones
i
n Manhattan, and then bombard the residents of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Well, maybe not
all
the residents, but we
’
ll hit the big time. Newspaper ads, radio spots, flyers, whatever we can afford. And we could have special events here, too.
”

“
What kind of events?
”

Rose picked up a notebook and opened it to the first page.
“
Well, I thought maybe we could have an art contest for young people. Let them send in their best work and you
can
judge it. The winn
ing piece
could be
display
ed
in the gallery.
”

“
Okay… what else?
”

“
I remember going to a gallery opening once. There was chamber music playing in one of the rooms. We could have a
G
rand
O
pening
,
and ask some local musicians to come and play during the event
.
P
erhaps
they
’
d agree to perform
if
we have a bucket or
a
box for donations.
”

“
But where would we find art lovers willing to come and look around?
Particularly,
a
rt lovers who would be wealthy enough to throw a few coins to a starving musician?
”

“
We
’
d have to focus our advertising on areas where wealthy patrons live and do business. Cape May, Philadelphia, Manhattan, Baltimore, Washington DC…
”

“
Those are pretty tough markets to break into. How will you get people from those cities to come here? And how could we afford the advertising?
”

“
I
’
ve got
some
ideas. And I know people. Do any of
your
contacts from New York still work in the city?
”

“
I suppose.
”

“
Good. Get me their names and I
’
ll work on it.
”
She held her breath
and waited for Charlie to respond
.
But he
’
d gone silent. He wouldn
’
t even look at her.
Had she
gone overboard
?
Did he think she was crazy?

~~~~

Charlie
stared into
his teacup
.
He knew Rose waited for an answer, but he couldn
’
t help hedging. A gallery for his paintings?
It seemed too good to be true. But Rose was his Lady Luck. Every time she appeared, good things happened. Maybe he needed to just let her continue her magic.

“
Your
mother
is all right with this idea?
”
he finally asked.

“
Mother was the one who suggested it. Charlie, this arrangement could help both of us.  If we can make a go of it, I would be able to keep an eye on
her
because
she
’
d be right
here with me. And it would give her a sense of helpfulness
because
she was always known as a wonderful hostess, back before
…
when Father was alive. Please say you
’
ll think about it.
”

“
I will definitely do that.
It would be nice to
not have to haul my paintings back and forth every day, not to mention the bother of setting up and tearing down each day.
But hanging paintings in a home doesn
’
t make a
gallery.
We
’
ll need
to attract
c
ustomers
who are willing to pay for the art.
”

“
Leave that to me. I was a business and journalism student before I came home to take care of Mother.  I
’
ll work out a campaign that will get people to come. You
’
ll see.
”

As Charlie
’
s mind whirled with Rose
’
s ambitious plan, he thought of another detail.

“
What sort of terms did you have in mind?
”

Her brow furrowed.
“
Terms?
”

“
I can
’
t expect you to open up your home and do all the work of showing my art without some sort of compensation. What will this arrangement cost me?
”

Rose closed her notebook.
“
I
’
ve given that some thought. My goal is to make this gallery successful enough that I won
’
t have to work outside
the house
. Mother isn
’
t able to care for herself, and I would like to be here with her as much as possible. So I
’
d like to propose my charging you a commission on any paintings sold here.
”

“
How much
will you take?
”

“
Twenty
percent.
”

Charlie
frowned
.
The
rate
was
half of
what
he
’
d paid in New York.
Did she realize that? Or was she setting it low to get him to agree?
“
Are you sure?
”

“
I know that
’
s low. I
’
ve done my homework. Other artists, if there are any, would be charged a higher commission. But for you, I want to offer this lower rate, because I want to add a clause with your agreement.
”

“
A clause?
”

“
I want your promise that if
—
when
the economy turns around and you go back to New York, you
’
ll continue to provide us with an inventory of your paintings. After all, you are the major draw here. Yours is the name that will bring people to this gallery.
”

Charlie got up and paced.
Rose s
ipped her tea, leaving him to his thoughts.

“
I
’
m hesitant to jump in with a full
-
scale grand opening event. That sounds expensive, and I don
’
t want to risk spending money my family can
’
t afford.
”

“
I understand. Mother and I don
’
t have money to burn, either. Why don
’
t we try showing your art here for a month? If we can get the locals and maybe those from the affluent neighborhoods in Cape May to come, I
’
ll plan a full-scale event — within a reasonable budget — to widen the visitor base and perhaps gain some patrons.
”

“
Okay, we
’
ll do it. But I want you to promise me something.
”
He waited until her shining eyes focused on his.
“
I want you to promise that neither
of us
will go into debt over this.
”
Seeing her nod, he continued.
“
I have all I can do to keep our family home and feed my mother and siblings, and I don
’
t need any more bills.
”

She nodded solemnly, and Charlie relaxed.

“
I understand, Mr. Brannigan. When my father died, I was stunned at the extent of his debt. I, too, have been working to dig our way out. I have no intention of having more creditors than I have now. That
’
s why I will do all I can to guarantee the success of this venture.
”

After Charlie left,
Rose turned to the next page in her notebook. Thinking back to
her
marketing classes at Vassar,
she
outlined a plan for making a success of her business venture: The Sheffield Gallery.
By the time she crawled into her bed
,
she had a long list of people to contact.

As she drifted into slumber, her thoughts turned to Charlie. So tall and handsome and — she rolled over and punched the pillow as if to shake him from her mind. Surely she didn’t have romantic notions about the man. He was an artist, for heaven’s sake! And the life of an artist didn’t lend itself to stability. Only a few years ago, Charlie had been a big name in New York, and now he sold newspapers. For her own sake, she’
d
best forget about silly dreams and concentrate on making her own success.

The next morning
,
Rose awakened before the sun.
She
dressed quietly, tiptoeing out of the house so Mother
wouldn
’
t hear
. Her first stop was at Andr
é
’
s
Café
on the Boardwalk. André Duval, the proprietor,
swept the boards in front of his restaurant.

“
Good morning, Monsieur Duval. Do you have a moment?
”

“
Bonjour, mademoiselle.
What can I do for you?
”
Andr
é
had grown up in Philadelphia, but he often spoke French in the restaurant, believing it gave his business an authentic flair.

“
I have a business proposition for you. I am in need of a caterer for a lavish event and would be honored if you would agree to supply the refreshments.
”

André frowned.
“
I am not in the catering business.
”

“
I understand. But this event will include prominent citizens
from
Cape May, as well as Philadelphia and possibly New York City. Wouldn
’
t
it
be to your benefit to have these people taste what your kitchen can provide? Think of this as an advertising opportunity.
”

The chef scratched his chin.
“
What do you need?
”

She
left the restaurant
with
not only an agreement from the Frenchman,
but
a
new
job. It would require aris
ing
in the wee hours of the morning, but after cleaning and scrubbing the town
’
s finest restaurant,
she
’
d have the rest of the day to put
her
ideas in motion.

For the next two days,
she
worked
her
way through the rest of the items on
her
list, visiting various businesses
in the afternoons
after
her
job at
André
’
s
.
She
would abide by her promise to Charlie — they would run the gallery on a trial basis for one month, but
she
intended to have arrangements in place for the Grand Opening as soon after the thirty day period was over.

On Friday, Rose
’
s last stop was
the office of the
Five Mile Beach Journal
, Wildwood
’
s newspaper. Daniel Finn
was
hunched over his typewriter, pecking away, but
he
looked up at her over his wire-rim glasses as she entered the office.

“
Good afternoon, Mr. Finn. I am Rose Sheffield, and I am a resident of Wildwood.
”

“
Good afternoon, Miss Sheffield. What can I do for you?
”

“
I would like to submit a press release for your paper, and if you have access to wire services
,
I would like you to send this release to the papers in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Newark, and New York City.
”

Mr. Finn
’
s brows rose.
“
That could cost some money.
”

“
I know that if a reporter chooses to submit a story to the United Press, there is no cost. I am giving you material for a story. You might consider this a frivolous human interest story, but I feel it is news that
could
affect the livelihood of many citizens in the Wildwood area.
”

The newsman sat up and reached for his pen. His other hand grabbed an empty sheet of paper.
“
You have my attention.
”

Rose was ready with her copy.
“
Paintings by Mr. Charles Brannigan, renowned artist whose paintings have been shown in top Manhattan galleries, will be featured at the Grand Opening of the Sheffield Gallery on Thursday, July 14.
”

Finn
’
s brows dipped
,
and he sat back.
“
The Sheffield Gallery? You want me to run an advertisement for your brand new art gallery and disguise it as a news article?
”

“
Yes. It is a coup for a small gallery as ours to have exclusive access to an artist of his stature.
”

“
That may be so, but what makes this news for the average citizen?
”

“
It will be noteworthy once you add the financial advantages for the city.
”

“
What kind of advantages?
”

“
The Grand Opening will involve several city businesses. André
’
s Café is supplying the refreshments. Malarky and Sons are doing the renovations. Mr. James Tuttle is coordinating several area musicians to provide the entertainment. I
’
m hoping to persuade Miss Diana Levine to assist with the decorations—
”

“
Okay, okay, I understand. This is a community effort. If it succeeds, all of Wildwood will benefit from the influx of visitors. I
’
ll write the story and send it over the United Press wires. But then you
’
ve got to deliver. You understand if everyone in the community works hard to set things up and nobody shows up, you
’
re going to have a lot of angry people who have done a lot of work for nothing, not to mention their expense.
”

Rose
’
s heart clenched, but
she
lifted her chin.
“
I won
’
t let that happen.
”
Keeping
her gaze leveled at him
, she tried not to squirm
as he studied her.

Finally, the man nodded
,
and
she
let out
her
breath.

“
All right. I
’
ll write the story. Let me look at the flyer you
’
ve prepared.
”
Rose handed him her copy
,
and he studied it for a moment.
“
Your event isn
’
t for another month. Are you sure you want the story to run this early?
”

“
Yes. I want to spark interest in the gallery. I plan to follow up with news stories about the various artists to be featured, as well as some of the musicians and other vendors involved in the event.
”

One bushy brow rose, and the newsman nodded thoughtfully.
“
You
’
ve put a lot of thought into this campaign.
”

“
I have. Can I count on your cooperation?
”
At his nod, she rose and extended her hand.
“
Thank you for your time.
”

Her errands for the morning completed, she returned home with a light step. The Sheffield Gallery.
It
has
a nice ring to it,
she thought. Hopefully others would think so, too. Today Charlie would start bringing his paintings over so they could decide how to display them.

Rounding the corner, she found him waiting at her front door with a huge crate full of paintings perched on his bicycle handlebars. A younger version of Charlie waited with him, another large crate on his equally dilapidated bicycle.

“
Good afternoon, Charlie,
”
she called.
“
Why didn
’
t you go into the house?
”

“
The door is locked,
”
he explained.
“
I thought perhaps you
’
d decided to rest aft
er working hard in the restaurant
.
”

“
Oh, no, I was
—
running some errands. I apologize for making you wait outdoors. I thought I
’
d left the door unlocked.
”

“
No harm done. Oh—
”
He turned toward the young man next to him.
“
—
t
his is my brother Connor. He came to help me bring more paintings and to give us a hand setting things up. He
’
s pretty handy with a hammer and nails.
”

Rose extended her hand and smiled brightly.
“
I
’
m so glad to meet you, Connor. Welcome to my home
—
soon to be the site of Sheffield Gallery.
”

“
That
sounds so prestigious
.
”
Connor took her hand and beamed back. He was almost as tall as Charlie, but lankier. And his voice told her he had a bit of growing to do yet. Someday, she supposed, he would be a heartbreaker with the ladies.

She found her keys
,
unlocked the door
, and led the
way inside.
“
Let me put on the kettle for some tea, and I
’
ll be right with you
.
”

A
s
she
turned toward the kitchen,
her
mother
’
s anxious voice call
ed
from the top of the stairs.

“
Rose,
dear
, is that you?
”

“
Yes, Mother,
”
she
answered
.
“
Do you need something? Do you feel unwell?
”

“
Oh no, I
’
m fine,
dear
. But there were some strange men outside this morning, so I went down and locked the door before they could get in.
”

“
Strange men? Charlie and his brother are here. Are you sure it wasn
’
t them?
”

“
Charlie? Charlie who?
”

“
Charlie Brannigan, Mother. Remember, we
’
re getting the house ready for the Art Gallery opening?
”

“
Art Gallery? In our house? You mean strangers are coming here?
”

Why
is
Mother
so confused?
Though she
wasn
’
t much at domestic tasks,
Lily
’
s
mind had always been nimble.
Rose
flew up the stairs to take a closer look.

Lily peered out of her partially open bedroom door, a look of terror in her eyes. Rose
noted the lace collar of Lily
’
s nightgown and realized her mother
hadn
’
t even donned a dressing gown.

“
Mother, what
’
s wrong? Why aren
’
t you
dressed yet
? Shall I call a doctor?
”