Chapter 52
Speaking of Brody…
“So, tell me how you guys met,” Marian says as she dishes out two heaping servings of spaghetti. “Evie says she introduced you, but I find that hard to believe.”
Gavin laughs. “Actually, it’s the truth. I had to meet with a student and she got bored and wandered off. I could see her sitting at the counter, but I didn’t realize she was talking to the guy next to her until I came to get her. Did I tell you he’s an artist?”
Over her shoulder, Marian gives him an arched look. “Gav, this is Richmond. Everyone here thinks they’re an artiste.”
“No, he’s really good,” Gavin says. The words come out in a rush, and he feels like he’s gushing, but he can’t stop. “Brody is crazy talented. I’ll have to show you the picture he drew of Evie that she gave me today. It looks like a damn photograph.”
Marian’s smirk tells him she doesn’t believe him, and he wishes he’d thought to bring the picture along to show her. “Ask Evie,” he says. “She’ll tell you. He drew her something—“
“Angry Birds,” Marian tells him. “It’s an app, and not exactly what I’d call fine art. I mean, I’m sure I could draw them, too, if I tried hard enough.”
Gavin shakes his head. “That’s nothing. We were in Virginia Beach this weekend at an art show, and he had a booth on the boardwalk to sell some of his sketches. He’s designing the interior of a new skate shop opening down on Cary. He’s good.”
“I’d like to meet him.”
Marian sets a plate in front of Gavin—the spaghetti noodles are covered in red marinara sauce, and two thick slices of cheesy garlic bread rest to one side. There’s a salad bowl full of lettuce and tomatoes to one side of his place setting, and in the middle of the table, a small dish full of grated Parmesan cheese awaits. She hates the stuff she calls shake cheese available at the store. “That’s not real,” she’s always said.
Gavin’s argument was, “Cheese is cheese.” But he has to admit the freshly grated stuff tastes much better. He douses his spaghetti with it liberally, then stirs the sauce, twirling the pasta onto the fork to dig in.
Now, as she sits down across the table, she gives him a pointed look.
With a guilty start, Gavin pauses, the fork halfway to his mouth. “What? Do you say grace now?”
“No, I said I want to meet him,” Marian repeats.
Gavin chews his spaghetti as he tries to formulate an answer. “Well, if you’d thought of it sooner, I could’ve invited him over tonight.”
“You can come over again,” she suggests. “I sort of want to see the guy who’s stolen my daughter’s heart…and her father’s.”
Gavin isn’t sure if Brody will want to meet Marian, but he keeps that thought to himself. If he’s going to be in Gavin’s life—and Evie’s—then he really should get to know the mother of Gavin’s child. Things could get awkward between them, though. What will Marian think of all Brody’s tattoos? Of his punk hairstyle, or his Goth clothes?
Why do I care what she thinks?
Gavin’s in love with Brody, not her. However she sees him isn’t going to change the way Gavin sees and feels about him. Let her meet him. Let her see the man who makes Gavin happy.
The man he loves.
With a shrug, Gavin says, “Sure. Let me talk to him and I’ll let you know what he says. What dates work for you?”Part 8: Brody
40
At ten o’clock on Monday evening, Brody sits on his bed with his knees up to his chest, a sketchpad open and leaning on his thighs. There’s a photograph clipped to the top of the pad—someone’s pet Shih-Tzu, tongue hanging out. The dog appears to be grinning broadly because of that goofy tongue. The owner’s name and address is written on the back of the photo; it was one of the many customers who stopped by his booth over the weekend and wanted to commission a sketch of their own. This lady must’ve lived nearby because, after Brody quoted her a price, she came back with the photo and a check for half the amount of the drawing. He’ll get the other half when he sends her a scanned image of the finished sketch. Then he’ll mail it and the original photo to the lady.
He has half a dozen other photos in line to be sketched next, and six more addresses that need to be followed up on. He can’t say the art show wasn’t profitable. Even after calculating his costs—entry fee, frames, gas, food and board—and giving Gavin and Evie a little something for their help, he’s still in the green. It makes him wonder what other sort of shows he might could do. There have to be some in Richmond, right? He just has to get out there and start looking.