Page 133 of For the Love of Art

“Exactly, and she thinks she’s getting fired.”

“She might be,” Nathan said. “She was sitting in the back drinking a bottle of champagne instead of working the floor. I don’t mind you both having a drink, but that was completely unprofessional.”

He had me there.

“She’s young, and she’s going through a break up. Cut her some slack.”

The revelation seemed to stop Nathan. His face became softer as he looked around the room, likely for Dori.

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t worry. She’s working again. And don’t worry about firing me because I quit.”

Nathan blinked. “You quit?”

“Yeah. Of course I quit. It sucks being around you, and it’s worse now that you’re back with your whore.”

“My–”

“Hey!” Gloria protested.

Nathan looked down at the floor and chuckled. Gloria looked pissed at his reaction.

“What’s going on here?” the dark haired man from earlier appeared.

“Just a misunderstanding, Garrett,” Nathan’s eyes were on me as he spoke to the man.

My face burned as the man wrapped his arm around Gloria.

Oh my God.

“I thought we were leaving, sweetheart.” He looked down at Gloria with affection.

“We are. I was waiting to say goodbye to Nathan, but–” She looked at me, and I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

“Was she calling you a whore?” Garrett asked.

“Well, in my defense, she and Nathan touch a lot.” I put my hands on my hips. “Doesn’t that make you uncomfortable?”

“My wife has always been a touchy person, especially with people she views as family,” Garrett said.

“Family?”

“Yeah, Nathan and I grew up across the street from each other, and he helped me with my cosmetics line. Just recently, I won an award, and I needed some models for a new ad campaign. I asked him about you, and that’s how I found out you two broke up,” she explained much more calmly and nicely than I deserved.

I thought back to the morning I heard her in his office. “Oh.”

“And when I’m out of town, she accompanies Nathan to things like openings,” Garrett added.

It was all making sense. There were many women in magazines with Nathan, but I’d never seen Gloria.

I looked at Nathan. He wore a smug smile.

“Okay, well– good night.”

I turned and walked away.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Nathan said behind me. “Hey, Isla, wait up.”

Nope. No. I needed to end the night with some kind of dignity.