Read Online For the Love of You by Donna Hill - Free Book Online Page A

actually scared. Her personal assistant, Mai Ling, had spent the better part of the day convincing her that the fans and the critics would love it.
    â€œYou’re a brilliant artist, Jewel,” Mai said. “You’ve carved a solid reputation for excellence, and one show is not going to change that. The work is phenomenal, and anyone with a grain of sense will see it. So stop worrying. It’s going to be fine.” She gave Jewel a reassuring hug. “I put your outfit on the bed. The car will be here to pick us up at six. You have an interview with Art Digest and the reviewer from the Times . Then it’s on to the after-party.”
    Jewel pushed out a breath. She didn’t know what she would do without Mai. Efficient wasn’t a word that did her justice. “Great. And you have the car to pick up my father from the airport?”
    â€œOf course. I don’t want you to worry about anything beyond looking beautiful and talking about your work.”
    â€œI’ll try. Is Simon coming?” she asked with an edge of doubt in her voice.
    Mai’s lashes fanned her eyes. “He didn’t RSVP,” she said softly. “But you know Simon. He never was one to follow protocol.”
    Jewel knew that Mai was attempting to ease her angst, but the truth was her on-again, off-again relationship with Simon Devareau had been switched to the off mode for weeks. Simon was a writer and arranger for some of the biggest names in the music industry, and his time and talent were always in demand. He was a temperamental musical genius who could go for weeks, sometimes months without seeing or talking to her when he was in the throes of composing new work.
    They’d met on the beaches of Rio two years earlier and had hit if off almost instantly. She was magnetically drawn to his brooding good looks and his passion for his work. They shared many things in common, the arts being one and mind-blowing sex the other. They spent endless hours discussing their work, sharing ideas, sparking others. But Simon always maintained an invisible wall, one that she was never able to penetrate. She wanted more. He knew it, and the wall grew thicker and higher. Their times apart became longer, the silences louder. Jewel wanted it to work. She believed that there was room in their lives for each other and the work. Simon didn’t say it in so many words, but his actions spoke volumes—his work took priority. Period. And the harder she tried to make him cross the line, the harder he pulled away. She knew it was a mistake to hope that he would be there for her big night, but she couldn’t stamp out her need to want him with her.
    â€œI’m going to head over to the Guggenheim and make sure that there are no last-minute glitches, then I’ll meet you back here no later than five so that I can get ready.”
    â€œThanks, sweetie. Call me if there are any problems.”
    Mai gave her an are you kidding me look, shook her head and walked out.
    * * *
    When the limo pulled up in front of the Guggenheim Museum, it was a scene right out of Oscar night. The red carpet led from the street up to the front entrance to the museum. Reporters and photographers lined the roped-off entrance, and the instant Jewel stepped from the limo behind Mai, the flash of lights from cameras and cell phones and the shouting of her name rose in a cacophony of light and sound. The reception was overwhelming, and Jewel’s stress level skyrocketed. She did her best to keep her smile in place as she walked the carpet, stopping every several feet to take a picture or answer a quick question. Finally they made it inside.
    The Ronald O. Perelman Rotunda designed by the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright could hold fourteen hundred people for a reception and three hundred for a sit-down dinner. Even Jewel gasped at the opulence of the space that was strategically lined with her latest work, set off by the polished glass and chrome of the