Chapter 7
“Tell Anya if she wants to come in with you Friday morning, I’ll pay her, she might want to look over the books until lunchtime, by which time most of the exhibition pieces will be out by then, and then she can get the wine and nibbles ready for the media review”
“The public opening isn’t until Saturday then?” Xander asked
“That’s right”
“Will you be here on Friday when the press are here?”
William grinned at his assistant and asked,
“Are you kidding?” Xander frowned for a second until realisation hit him.
“Wha- oh god – of course – ‘The Date’ isn’t it!” he said returning the grin
“Sure is…and I wouldn’t want to be here to see the press, just because it’s my gallery doesn’t mean I have to be here, my ego, unlike some isn’t that big!” William said
“Well I don’t think people would think it’s ego with you!” Xander said
“No? – Well I may be around…just hope nobody wants a quote on what I think of Angel Stebson and his so-called art that’s all – because I’ll tell them what I think!”
ooOOoo
“Friday – this Friday, you mean tomorrow Friday”? Buffy said
“Er, yes, yes and um yes, this freakin’ Friday, I want you to look all prettied up and I’ll collect you at 4pm” Angel said
“Nu huh, can’t got plans for Friday” Buffy said
“Yes, plans to come to the opening of the exhibition with me – you promised…the spa deal hangs on this part”
Buffy’s knuckles went white as she held the receiver tightly.
“What time will it finish?”
“Goodness knows…all the press will be there, Chas Norrington from the Arts Council……that English bloke, what’s-his-name, um…Sir Digby Fairfax-Freene from the Galleries Association…could easily go onto midnight”
“WHAT? – No way, look what have I got to be there for?”
“Coz I need somebody to look good on my arm, that’s why”
“Why not ask Cordelia then?” Buffy reasoned, she was thinking her date with this new guy could go completely up the Suwannee if she wasn’t careful…
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that – my my, anybody would think you didn’t want the spa treatments after all!”
“I’ll be there” Don’t be late picking me up that’s all” Buffy put the phone down, the line went dead
“I won’t sweetheart” Angel said to the dialling tone
ooOOoo
Friday………
“…………So you see um, William, my aunt, well, um, she er…she’s in… in hospital, I can go see her today and I thought rather than you coming all the way over to Sunnydale to pick me up, as I’m already in town, you can pick me up from, say outside the Allied American Bank on the corner, you can stop there, say 7.30pm?” Buffy said, fingers crossed behind her back.
“Okay, that’s fine, is you’re aunt seriously ill? Did you want to take a rain-check I believe is the term you use!” William asked, hoping against hope she wasn’t going to blow him off altogether, getting a table might not be so easy the next time if he had to cancel now…
“No, no, I’ll um, I see her in the early evening and then we can g-go!”
Buffy said nervously
“Great, well okay then Buffy, I’ll see you outside the Allied American Bank at 7.30 then”
“Great – thanks, looking forward to it, and um sorry for, well sorry for messing you about!”
“No problem – saved me getting lost on the way to your place!” William said happily
“Yes! – Bye” Buffy quickly put the phone down. She blew air up her face making her fringe fly, and said to herself,
“Phew…now all I’ve got to do is find a way of slipping away from the gallery where ever this exhibition is and get across town to meet William…
ooOOoo
William had felt a little guilty in taking the whole day off, but he knew that Xander was more than capable of looking after things, and besides, he needed to do some shopping – which had done, and had just arrived back home. He put his purchases on the bed, pleased with the Channel pants, black of course, and the mid-blue linen shirt set off his colouring just nice.
He took off the purchase tickets, and unfolded the shirt, made sure all the pins were out and put it on a clothes hanger to make the creases dropped out, and hung it on the outside of his wardrobe.
William had been surprised by the swift action of the company Stebson used to install his so called ‘artworks’ – they definitely knew their job, and most of it installed by just after 11 o’clock, so Xander had informed him by telephone………
“…Because I will stay the whole evening here if you want me too, I don’t mind, Anya will go home but I can be here”
Xander said
“No, just until eight o’clock, then you can get off home, I’m sure it will be fine, make sure the wine and nibbles are out, and the office doors are locked, everything will be hunky dory, we’re all covered by the insurance, and Snyder and Woods are on security, they’re spot on, so there’s no need for you to stay – besides which, I bet you’d be bored rigid!” Will said with a smile
“Oh thank god for that, I didn’t think you’d want me too, but I thought I better ask, just in case. Oh yes, and Anya said the books won’t take long, you keep every receipt in such good date order that she’ll fly through them!”
“Good…so what time will the press be there?”
“Oh, I should say anytime after lunch, the TV lot will be here about 6 so they said – but it depends where they have to come from…hold on Will, there’s somebody knocking on the gallery front door…………no sorry were not open………what? – Oh, round the back entrance, follow the signs for the underground parking lot…yeah, okay – sorry Will, still there?”
“Uh huh”
“Looks like the last of the exhibits has arrived”
“Garbage truck?”
“Haha! Might as well be. So, are you all set for tonight?”
“Yup…went and splashed out on some new pants and a shirt”
“Great, so what time are you picking her up?”
“Seven thirty, outside the bank on the corner”
“Oh, that’s new, I thought that you were…”
“Picking her up from her house? - I was but she’s seeing a sick aunt in hospital first, so she said while she was already in town…”
“It was silly you going all that way over to Sunnydale to pick her up”
“Especially with my sense of direction!”
“Oh Will, haven’t you worked out that SAT NAV we bought you yet?”
“Well kind of, well I thought so, I put the Zip code in, and it all seems to go pear-shaped from there!!”
“Look, you’ll have to come to lunch one Sunday and I’ll – oh, sorry Will, I’ve got to go, that guy’s at the back door now, anyway not that you’ll need it, but –“
“XANDER!” Anya bellowed from the office
“Coming, cup-cake – bye Will, and good luck!”
“Thanks” smiling William put his phone down. He was going to have a light lunch, a leisurely afternoon reading holiday brochures and then a nice invigorating shower before he went out.
ooOOoo
Buffy applied lipstick from the tube, and rubbed her lips together. It seemed odd getting ready so early, she just hoped she’d be able to get a cab from where ever this gallery was to the bank so William could pick her up, she’d got her cell-phone and a cab number at the ready.
Angel pulled up outside Buffy’s house and honked his horn and revved the engine of his Porsche sports car.
Taking one last look in the mirror, Buffy grabbed her jacket and opened the front door. Angel ducked his head to look out of the window and was pleased to see that she looked nice, in fact make that VERY nice…maybe tonight wouldn’t be such a washout after all…
Buffy got into the car, and Angel leaned over to kiss her, but Buffy leaned away and frowned as she did up the seatbelt
“Don’t, you’ll ruin my makeup”
Angel thought, still grinning, boy close up she looked even better.
“Come on, spa pass” Buffy said in a business like tone, waggling her fingers
“Ah, a, a – you don’t think I’m giving it to you now only for you to do a runner on me five minutes after we get there do you?”
Gritting her teeth Buffy said,
“I want it before the night is over, I know what you’re like at these things, you’ll be drunk by ten and have forgotten all about it”
Gunning the car to the bottom of the road Angel grinned at her before pulling out onto the highway.
“You worry too much sweetheart!”
“And don’t call me that, I’m not your sweetheart!” Buffy said, going red, she looked out of the window
Looking in his driving mirror at her Angel said
“You used to be, what happened?” There was a faint something nagging at him in the back of his brain….he couldn’t quite put his finger on it…then there was a pin-head of light for him…her mother used to have a gallery
“Sore at me coz I didn’t use your Mom’s gallery, is that it?” .
Buffy positively glared at him, Angel could feel the heat of her anger coming off her in waves.
“Don’t you ever read the Artworld magazine? My mother died three years ago, a brain tumour”
Angel winced and said
“Ah, um”
“And no doubt this exhibition of yours has got to be somewhere big and bright and flash, not the, and I quote, ‘poxy little suburban gallery that sell pictures only good enough for chocolate boxes and jigsaw puzzles’ as you stated my mother’s gallery was, as soon as you were on the up mind, didn’t say that first off when they let you exhibit your junk for nothing did you?”
Angel considered himself rebuked. So THAT’S what happened to make Buffy sore at him…
“So what’s changed, why are you out with me now?” he asked
“Because – that’s MY business!” Buffy just turned her head and looked out of the window again.
As he drove towards the city centre he briefly wondered if it had been her and not Gloria that set him up the other night – he’d have to be a little bit careful with her now, not needle her, it could get nasty. All he wanted from Buffy was for her to be a bit of eye-candy on his arm, and perhaps a quick fumble last thing…looked like he’d got no chance of the latter…
As they got into the city centre, Buffy looked worried, they were coming up to the place where she sat everyday eating her lunch…
“What are we here for?”
“It’s where the exhibition is…hmm, I wonder why the banner isn’t in the window about my exhibition!” Angel said frowning, glancing across to the gallery waiting for the lights to change.
Buffy’s eyes went huge and round.
“Oh no! You’re not – tell me this isn’t the place that – oh god, oh fuck – YOU DIDN’T TELL ME IT WAS AT THIS GALLERY!” Buffy screamed at Angel
Frowning Angel moved off as the lights changed and indicated to turn left to go into the underground parking lot.
“Yes I did!”
“No, you didn’t!”
“Yes I did! I asked you to go in there and see if it was run by a geeky looking bloke with an almost afro and glasses, anyway, what gives – what difference does it make, or is this somebody else you’ve pissed off too?”
Buffy felt sick
“Oh YOU piss off! Oh shit! – What if he…” Buffy bit her tongue
“What if who what?” Angel asked
“Nothing! Mind your own business!” Buffy snapped, her mind racing overtime what to say to William now, he’d know she lied to him
Angel parked up and swiftly turned in his seat, he grabbed her arm and said non to kindly,
“Now look here sweetheart, I’ve spent a lot of time and money setting this exhibition up here, and I don’t want the likes of you fucking it up for me, understand-?”
“Let go of me!” Buffy hissed wrenching her arm out of his grasp. She’d have a bruise there for sure now…
“Do you understand? – You’ll come in there with me, play the dutiful girlfriend, be polite to the people I introduce you to, and then, when I think you’ve done enough, I’ll give you the spa pass, comprendes?”
Buffy nodded once, rubbing her arm.
Angel smiled
“Good, well come on then Sweet-“
“You can drop the sweetheart, my name, is Buffy”
“How could I forget…come on then Buffy, remember sweetness and light, politeness and above all, smile, look happy to be there!”
Buffy wanted to hurl.
When they got into the gallery, Buffy had a quick look around and was relieved that she couldn’t see William. Perhaps he wasn’t there, and she’d get away with it…the place was full of people with microphones, cameras and light meters.
She managed to slip into a quiet corner by the leaflet table and she tried to hide as much as she could. She did briefly see the man that had been with William that day she came in here, his assistant, but luckily for her, he didn’t look her way. She began to relax and Angel introduced her to a few people as a ‘friend’ she dutifully smiled and shook hands.
ooOOoo
William looked at the clock again for the millionth time, it was 6.45pm, allowing for traffic…he’d still get there too early if he left now. He’d do a ‘check’ one more time then go he decided. He opened his wallet, he’d got $250, his Visa card and – and where the heck was his American Express card? – he wanted that in case he hadn’t got enough cash – you never know she might want vintage champagne…William went into his bedroom and rummaged in his nightstand, then in the wardrobe where he rifled through the pockets of several coats and jackets until it came to him – of course! The relief came flooding through him – it was in the lockable draw in the office – he’d used it when he’d ordered the paint for decorating the gallery and hadn’t put it back in hi wallet! Nothing else for it then, he’d have to drop in to the gallery quickly, pick it up and be just in time to get his date at 7.30pm.
Buffy noticed just how quickly Angel seemed to be getting down the wine, and every so often she see him surreptitiously take a crafty swig from a silver hip-flask he kept in his pocket.
He’d got a little more touchy-feely with her when he introduced the last guy to her, he’d left his arm draped around her shoulder, he was unsteady on his feet until a warning dig in the ribs made him think again…
Buffy was hopping from one foot to the other, she needed the ‘Ladies’…
William parked up in the underground lot and made his way to the back door and let himself in.
Buffy found the toilets next to a door marked ‘Private’
She looked at her watch, it was just gone 7.15, she only had to cross the road to get to the bank, she’d got a little time left to get the spa pass and leg it…
William unlocked his desk and there on top of his sketchpad was his American Express card. He slotted it into his wallet and opened the office door, the same time the ladies toilet door opened…
Angel came stumbling slightly down the corridor and grinned when he saw Buffy
“Oh B-buffy – what are you doing here?” William was shocked to see her
“I-I um, I er…” Buffy’s heart thumped and her stomach flipped, her mouth went dry and she felt sick
“Buffy, coo-eee…sweetheart…come here dar-(hic) darlin’, wan you to meet som- somebody – ooh ooh I know you! Oh god –the ‘fro’s gone burr-it’s still you! It’s Willie – hey, hey – Willie the Geek – didn’t think (hic) that you was coming! Buffy it’s Willie the Geek!” Angel reached Buffy and held her hand
“Anyway, come on darlin’ (hic) somebody here knew your mom…come and meet them!” Angel’s arm stretched as Buffy didn’t move
“So, this is your sick aunt I take it?” William said coldly
Buffy loosed Angel’s hand and made to walk towards William
“I’m sorry William, please let me explain, I-“ but William took a step back, so Buffy stopped, she knew it was useless. Angel took her hand again and began tugging her towards the main gallery.
“Come ON Buffs…wan’ you to meet this guy…bye Willie…like your garra, gallerer, nice place you got (hic)!”
“Goodnight Buffy, you seem to have your hands full, I’ll leave you to it” William felt totally crushed, he turned and left, trying with all his might not to scream and slam the security door.
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