Read Online The Wives of Beverly Row 3: Lust Has a New Address by Abby Weeks - Free Book Online
Authors: Abby Weeks
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dry. She watched the waves of the Pacific rolling in onto the beach. It was an overcast day and there weren’t many people outside.
As she was sanding and smoothing the first primer layer Gabe came in.
“Hard at it?” he said.
“You’ve really gone all out,” Ariel said. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“This is going to work,” he said.
“You’ve even sharpened the brush handles.”
“Hey, I can do my homework as well as the best of them.”
It was true. He’d really impressed her with the quality of the preparations. This was what it took to defraud an art museum out of five million dollars.
“So what have you done so far?” Gabe said.
Ariel smiled. She knew he was eager. He was expecting to see an outline of the boat or something. To recreate this painting it was going to take a lot of time. There wouldn’t be much to see for a while.
“Well,” she said, “I put on the first layer of primer.”
“Oh yeah, the primer,” he said. He must have known about all that as he’d sourced the correct compounds for priming the canvas himself.
“It’s going to take a while to do this right,” she said.
“I know,” Gabe said. “I know how long it will take.”
“And then to let it all cure, it’s not going to be fast.”
Gabe nodded. “It’s going to be worth it though,” he said. “When it’s done.”
Ariel walked over to him. “If you don’t mind my asking,” she said, “what possessed you to go to all this trouble, to take this massive risk? You’re making a small fortune at the gallery right now, aren’t you?”
“It’s not really about the money.” Gabe said, “It’s about the challenge. The thrill of the chase, you know what I mean? I just want to get one over on the establishment.”
Ariel smiled. Gabe had always been a gambler. “You never were one to play it safe, were you.”
Gabe watched as Ariel put another few layers of primer on the canvas, each one progressively smoother and finer than the last.
“So how’s it going with your new girlfriend?” Ariel said at last.
She knew she was being nosy but she wanted to hear what he thought of it. After all, Lucy and girls like her were the reason her own marriage had broken down.
“I don’t know,” Gabe said. “To be honest, it’s just a fling. It’s gone on longer than I think it needs to.”
“I was surprised that you were still going out with her. What’s it been, like six months?”
“Longer. I’m just afraid to break up with her now because I’m her employer!”
Ariel shook her head. “You always knew how to make things complicated.”
Gabe looked sad then. “I should have just appreciated what I had,” he said, “and enjoyed it.”
“Yes, you should have,” Ariel said.
Gabe came up to her and kissed her on the forehead. Then he left.
Ariel watched him leave. It seemed he’d really changed in the past year. He never used to talk to her like that. He’d never been so vulnerable or emotional. She layered on some more primer and then looked at the computer screen image of the original painting. She was trying to work out what colors of paint lay beneath the surface. Often, the paint you covered up was as important, or even more important, than the final layers that were visible on the surface.
XIII
L ATER THAT EVENING WHILE ARIEL was finishing up at the warehouse Gabe called her.
“What’s up?” she said.
“I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a drink tonight?”
“Oh,” Ariel said. She was surprised. “I don’t know, Gabe.” She paused for a moment, uncertain what to say. She’d enjoyed screwing his brains out, but she still wanted to keep things slow.
Gabe spoke, just to fill the awkward silence. “I was just close by and I thought maybe you wanted to get a bite to eat,” he said.
“I don’t know,” she said again. “Can I take a rain check, Gabe?”
“Sure,” Gabe said. She could tell he felt embarrassed for calling but she didn’t know what
As she was sanding and smoothing the first primer layer Gabe came in.
“Hard at it?” he said.
“You’ve really gone all out,” Ariel said. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“This is going to work,” he said.
“You’ve even sharpened the brush handles.”
“Hey, I can do my homework as well as the best of them.”
It was true. He’d really impressed her with the quality of the preparations. This was what it took to defraud an art museum out of five million dollars.
“So what have you done so far?” Gabe said.
Ariel smiled. She knew he was eager. He was expecting to see an outline of the boat or something. To recreate this painting it was going to take a lot of time. There wouldn’t be much to see for a while.
“Well,” she said, “I put on the first layer of primer.”
“Oh yeah, the primer,” he said. He must have known about all that as he’d sourced the correct compounds for priming the canvas himself.
“It’s going to take a while to do this right,” she said.
“I know,” Gabe said. “I know how long it will take.”
“And then to let it all cure, it’s not going to be fast.”
Gabe nodded. “It’s going to be worth it though,” he said. “When it’s done.”
Ariel walked over to him. “If you don’t mind my asking,” she said, “what possessed you to go to all this trouble, to take this massive risk? You’re making a small fortune at the gallery right now, aren’t you?”
“It’s not really about the money.” Gabe said, “It’s about the challenge. The thrill of the chase, you know what I mean? I just want to get one over on the establishment.”
Ariel smiled. Gabe had always been a gambler. “You never were one to play it safe, were you.”
Gabe watched as Ariel put another few layers of primer on the canvas, each one progressively smoother and finer than the last.
“So how’s it going with your new girlfriend?” Ariel said at last.
She knew she was being nosy but she wanted to hear what he thought of it. After all, Lucy and girls like her were the reason her own marriage had broken down.
“I don’t know,” Gabe said. “To be honest, it’s just a fling. It’s gone on longer than I think it needs to.”
“I was surprised that you were still going out with her. What’s it been, like six months?”
“Longer. I’m just afraid to break up with her now because I’m her employer!”
Ariel shook her head. “You always knew how to make things complicated.”
Gabe looked sad then. “I should have just appreciated what I had,” he said, “and enjoyed it.”
“Yes, you should have,” Ariel said.
Gabe came up to her and kissed her on the forehead. Then he left.
Ariel watched him leave. It seemed he’d really changed in the past year. He never used to talk to her like that. He’d never been so vulnerable or emotional. She layered on some more primer and then looked at the computer screen image of the original painting. She was trying to work out what colors of paint lay beneath the surface. Often, the paint you covered up was as important, or even more important, than the final layers that were visible on the surface.
XIII
L ATER THAT EVENING WHILE ARIEL was finishing up at the warehouse Gabe called her.
“What’s up?” she said.
“I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a drink tonight?”
“Oh,” Ariel said. She was surprised. “I don’t know, Gabe.” She paused for a moment, uncertain what to say. She’d enjoyed screwing his brains out, but she still wanted to keep things slow.
Gabe spoke, just to fill the awkward silence. “I was just close by and I thought maybe you wanted to get a bite to eat,” he said.
“I don’t know,” she said again. “Can I take a rain check, Gabe?”
“Sure,” Gabe said. She could tell he felt embarrassed for calling but she didn’t know what
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