Love in Jeopardy

Chapter 3

Over the next few days, Taryn was busy finishing her last few paintings for the gallery exhibition. She did not hear from Gideon, but she was preoccupied so she figured he must be, too.

Kim was making the final arrangements for the catering and music for the opening night. She always booked live music for the opening night because she believed it helped create the perfect ambiance for the art displays. Kim was determined to make Taryn's show a success. Taryn was glad she had someone like Kim to promote her work because she was quite modest for an artist. Her style was distinctive in that she focused on one primary feature: eyes. She painted huge images of different coloured eyes. She enjoyed painting eyes because she believed they were the windows to the soul and she focused primarily on the emotions they could express. Taryn had a few clients who already loved her work and had started collecting some of her pieces. She was looking forward to seeing her clients at her opening night.

Kim called her to the gallery one morning to work on the invitations for her show.

"What do you think of these?" Kim asked, showing Taryn what she had come up with. It was bordered in black with one of Taryn's paintings in the background.

"It's beautiful!" Taryn exclaimed. "It looks just like the posters!"

"I'm glad you like it," Kim smiled enthusiastically. "I'm going to send out a bunch in the mail tomorrow."

"Can I have one to give to Gideon?" Taryn asked, blushing a bit.

"Of course," Kim replied, handing one over to Taryn. "You and Gideon are seeing each other now, right?"

"Well, we just met for lunch, but I'm hoping to see him this weekend."

"That's great!" Kim said happily. "I knew you two would hit it off."

"I hope he can come to my show," Taryn said hopefully.

"All you can do is try," Kim said. "I'm trying to make it a really classy evening. Have you given any thought to what you'll be wearing?"

Puzzled, Taryn answered, "No. I have no idea what to wear."

"Why don't you wear something bright with sequins?" Kim suggested.

"You mean, like a ball gown?" Taryn asked.

"It doesn't have to be that fancy. How about a nice evening gown?" Kim offered.

"You're going to help me, right?" Taryn asked, feeling like butterflies were already in her stomach.

"Of course," her friend replied. "Any excuse for me to go shopping is perfect. Especially if I get to help somebody."

Giggling, Taryn said, "It doesn't take much for you, does it?"

"You betcha, sister," replied Kim, giggling.

Taryn helped Kim address the invitations and then they went shopping after lunch. Taryn wasn't used to shopping for fancier clothes. She was glad Kim was with her because she could just hang out in the fitting room and Kim would bring her outfits.

Taryn tried on lots of different dresses. She had no idea what looked good on her because she had never worn a formal gown before. Kim had a great time showing Taryn different dresses.

They finally decided on a deep fuchsia gown with a tight, sequined, strapless bodice and a multi-layered tulle skirt which fell just past Taryn's knees.

"It looks beautiful on you," Kim exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "You have the perfect figure for it."

Taryn felt like a princess as she twirled around in the dress. She couldn't wait for Gideon to see her in it.

"Are you going to get your hair and makeup done for the opening night?" Kim asked, after Taryn had purchased the dress and they were leaving the store.

"Do you think I should?" Taryn asked.

"Getting it professionally done will take a lot of worry off your shoulders," Kim pointed out. "And you'll get pampered at the same time. I'd say it's a win-win situation."

"I guess you're right," Taryn replied. "I may as well go all out since I've never done it before."

"Why not?" Kim answered. "You deserve it. You've worked really hard the past few years."

Taryn went home after shopping all afternoon and collapsed on her couch. She reflected on her past and how far she had come since she had finished art school. She couldn't wait for Gideon to see her all dressed up. She had not really dressed fancy before, but now she had a really good reason. She was excited about seeing Gideon again.

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They went to a movie together that weekend. It was a comedy and Taryn had a great time. She and Gideon laughed at the same things during the movie, which meant they probably had similar senses of humour. Taryn was glad. The more time she spent with Gideon, the more she liked him. He seemed to relax a bit more when he was with her. She also got to see him in blue jeans instead of a suit. He still looked handsome no matter what he wore.

Taryn made sure Gideon had an invitation to her opening. He seemed to be excited about it. He had to work out of town in Toronto that week, but he was supposed to be back on the Friday of her opening. They planned to go out for drinks with Kim and Charlie after the opening was over.

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The days seemed to go by quickly when Taryn was doing the final preparations for the gallery opening. Kim tried to help Taryn stay calm by keeping her busy with planning and arranging the paintings. Taryn tried hard not to feel nervous about seeing Gideon on the opening night. She hoped he liked her work. And her, of course. She tried not to dwell on that too much.