Romancing the Rogue (76 page)

Rose mentally checked
her list again
.
T
he musicians
had arrived
and set up in one corner of the Main Gallery. The catering staff
worked
in the kitchen, arranging the hors d
’
ouvres on trays. Andr
é had outdone himself. The savory little treats gave off such an appetizing aroma Rose was tempted to eat the entire tray.

Tonight was the Grand Opening. Her reputation and more than a few of her hard earned dollars were at stake. She
’
d convinced dozens of local merchants to gamble on this event along with her, and if it didn
’
t succeed, they would be as devastated as she.

But would the guest of honor come? She hadn
’
t heard from Charlie since he and his family had left the previous day. Ever since then, she
’
d been waiting, terrified he would arrive and remove all his paintings, leaving her with an entire room of empty walls. His work was the main draw. What on earth would she do if he refused to let her show them? Hopefully he
’
d at least keep them displayed until after the Grand Opening.

She
’
d started
through
her checklist once more when the wide front door opened. Early guests? She spun around and set her lips in a welcoming smile.

Charlie stepped in, more handsome than ever. And judging by
his
appearance, he had come to host the gathering, not to take
his
work away.
His
curly blond hair was combed
and
his
jaw freshly shaven.
A
whimsical red silk handkerchief peeked out from the breast pocket
of his neatly pressed gray suit
.
T
he front foyer
filled with his presence
, and it took every ounce of willpower she had not to throw herself at him.

“
You came back,
”
she breathed.
“
I was so worried…
”

He stepped aside, and her eyes opened wide. The entire Brannigan family had come with him. Susie
followed
Charlie in,
along with
Katie and Connor. Like Charlie, they weren
’
t dressed in their work clothes. Rose breathed easier. Susie stepped close and held both arms out.

“
Rose, dear, where is your mother? I owe you both an apology.
”

“
I
’
m right here, Susie. And you don
’
t owe us anything.
”
Lily came up behind Rose and grasped Susie
’
s outstretched arms.
“
My family owes you more than we
’
ll ever be able to repay. I knew my Arthur could be a hard man, but I never knew
,
never dreamed
,
he would ruin people
’
s lives like that. I
’
m so sorry.
”

“
You
’
ve nothing to apologize for. I was wrong to take ou
t
my frustrations
on you. If I had met your husband, I might have had a few words for him. But I know you and Rose had nothing to do with our family
’
s troubles. I couldn
’
t sleep last night, and it wasn
’
t until I got on my knees that the Good Lord told me that I needed to forgive and let go of the anger in my heart. Only then would
H
e let me sleep.
”

Rose blinked
back the tears of relief pooling in her eyes.
“
That is so generous of you, Mrs. Brannigan.
”

“
Not generosity. It
’
s remembering the way I
’
ve always been taught. If I want God to forgive my sins, I need to forgive those who have wronged me and those I love.
”
She gave Lily
’
s hands another squeeze then looked around.
“
Now then. We
’
ve got a party to put on. What can we do to help?
”

~~~~

“
Relax, Miss Sheffield.
Everything will work out just fine.
”

Connor Brannigan stood before her, a champagne flute in each hand. He held one out to her, but
she
shook her head.
She
needed to be on her toes, and champagne wouldn
’
t help.

The young man shrugged and set one of the glasses down.
“
Looks like you
’
re going to have a nice turnout.
”

“
Perhaps. But right now most of the crowd seems to be locals and a few who vacation here. I was hoping to attract some new visitors.
”

“
You seem really worried about this evening.
”

Rose sighed.
“
I
am
worried. I
’
ve got a lot riding on this. If it doesn
’
t succeed, it
’
ll be bad news not only for the gallery but so many other people who have taken a chance on this.
”

“
It will be just fine. Look, here are some distinguished patrons now.
”
He gestured with his wine glass at the elderly couple coming through the door. Rose
’
s jaw dropped when she recognized them.

“
Uncle Rodney? Aunt Hermione?
”
Rose
hurried over to greet them.
“
What a delightful surprise. Welcome to the new Sheffield Gallery.
”
Spying a waiter, she waved him over.
“
Would you like something to drink? An hors d
’
oe
uvre?
”

“
Nothing for me, dear,
”
her aunt
answered.
“
We just had dinner at the loveliest little restaurant on the
B
oardwalk. Andr
é
’
s, I think it was called. Excellent food. Quaint little town. Now I know why your father liked to vacation here.
”
She looked around.
“
I see you
’
ve kept up the house quite well. This is a very…
creative way of keeping it open.
”

There was a thinly veiled snub in the compliment, but Rose chose to ignore it.
“
I
’
m so glad you came.
”
Spotting Charlie, she waved him over.
“
I
’
d like you to meet our featured artist, Mr. Charles Brannigan. Mr. Brannigan is a veteran artist whose works have been displayed in Cunningham
’
s Studio in Soho.
”
She hid her smirk of satisfaction as Hermione
’
s eyebrows rose to her hairline. Hermione Sheffield had once been a struggling artist who
’
d aspired to but never quite attain
ed
the distinction of having had her works displayed in a major gallery in New York.

T
he elder woman recovered quickly.
“
So good to meet you, Mr. Brannigan. I
’
m eager to review your work. I am a patron of several museums and galleries.
”

Charlie bowed politely.
“
I
’
m honored you came here tonight. Please allow me to guide you through the gallery.
”
He offered his elbow, and Aunt Hermione took it, tittering like a young girl. Uncle Rodney followed, shaking his head.

Rose would have liked to follow them to see what her relatives thought of the gallery, but the foyer suddenly filled
.
W
omen
draped
in
fur stoles and diamond necklaces
arrived, escorted by
gentlemen with jewel-encrusted walking sticks.
Rose didn’t
have time to worry about anything except greeting guests, making sure their glasses remained full, and thanking them for coming. At one point
,
she
’
d wondered how her mother fared with all the strangers in the house, but a glance in
to
the sitting room eased her fears. Lily held court, her eyes gleaming as she once again acted her part as hostess of the manor.

The musicians were extremely well received, and their box in a discreet corner overflowed with donations. Between numbers, their lead violinist kept busy jotting down telephone numbers and booking information. He
’
d come prepared with business cards and seemed quite happy at the opportunity to hand them out.

Rose noticed several of the oil paintings as well as other items sported
Sold
signs. It seemed the evening was a great success, but she couldn
’
t help wondering
,
What does Charlie think of this?

As if her thoughts had summoned him, he appeared at her side.
“
Rose, you look like you need a break. Why don
’
t we step outside for a few moments? Your mother and my family can take care of things here.
”

Looking around, she realized it was true. Still, she hated to leave the party.

“
We won
’
t go far. Just to the Boardwalk and back. You need some fresh air.
”

She nodded and grabbed a shawl from the front closet. The ocean breezes could be chilly
after dark
, even in the summer months.

They stepped outside
,
and as soon as she breathed in the salty air, she
knew Charlie had been right
.
H
er
worries diminished and she relaxed.

“
I wanted to be sure and tell yo
u how much I admire the work you’ve
done. Not just for me, but for the whole community. I can
’
t remember when I
’
ve seen the Boardwalk so busy.
”

Rose hadn
’
t noticed before, but she did now. Though dusk had fallen, the Boardwalk was crowded with couples and families. Not just locals, but hundreds of visitors crammed into the shops and stopped at the food stalls.
Women
in designer clothing laugh
ed
and chatt
ed
with the merchants
, s
treet musicians, jugglers,
and
mimes
. I
t was like a carnival as far as she could see.

“
Word really got around about
you
r
Grand Opening and
all the people who were invited. I know
you
’
ve been busy taking care of all the details as far as the gallery, but I wanted
you
to see just how far reaching
you
r idea was and how many people it helped. André came into the gallery to find me and ask when the next event was going to be because he wanted to be ready. He
’
s got to hire and train additional staff to take care of all the vacationers who have arrived.
”

Rose was speechless.
She
’
d simply wanted to tell the world about the Sheffield Gallery, and
had
done it in the biggest way
she
could think of. The gamble had paid off in dividends larger than
she
’
d dared to dream of.
Her
heart overflowed
,
and
she
reached up and threw
her
arms around Charlie.

“
Oh, this is wonderful! Thank you so much for trusting me!
”

Charlie lifted her in the air and twirled around.
“
Thank
you
. You
’
re the one who had the vision and the drive to make it happen. I know a lot of people who are going to be thanking you for the rest of the summer.
”

Suddenly, the hug changed, heating up until it was no longer a hug of thanks.
As he set her down
her eyes searched
his
with questions
.
Finding the answers she sought, she closed her eyes as
his
head bent closer to hers. The first touch of
his
lips was gentle, a caress
, like l
ittle butterfly kisses all around her mouth. And then
his
embrace tightened, and he deepened the kiss. She reached up, gathering
his
hair in her fists, and gave as much as she got, wanting to get closer, wanting more
.

“
Charlie, where did you run off to? I can
’
t find Rose either — oh, sorry.
”

Connor
’
s voice ended the fantasy and Charlie
’
s arms dropped, leaving her chilled.

“
I guess we
’
re being summoned.
”

Did she dare hope
the gruffness in his voice reflected sadness at ending the kiss? She nodded, and they both walked slowly back toward the house.

Connor stood at the front door, an odd expression on his handsome face.
“
Sorry about the interruption
,
b
ig
b
rother
, b
ut a patron wanted to speak to you. I
’
ll go and find her while you
,
er, straighten yourselves up.
”
He turned on his heel and walked away.

Rose stole a glance at Charlie and gasped.
His
hair was a mess, and her lipstick was smeared all over
his
cheeks.
His
collar had been pulled out from
his
jacket and rumpled beyond repair. Quickly, they helped each other get presentable and returned to their guests.