Picture Perfect

Chapter Thirty - Elliot

There was a lengthy pause, and then Andrew laughed uproariously, so much so that Colin stuck his head around the door to ask what on earth had set him off. When Colin learned the news, he simply gawked at us.

"You've got to be kidding," he said.

"We are not," I said. "Pretty sure we heard them banging it out last night."

Tyler added, "It's the fastest I have ever put on noise-cancelling headphones."

"Good Lord," Colin replied, and disappeared back to helping Saskie pack up her stuff.

"Otherwise, dinner was good," I added, sipping my coffee. "Food was great, I'm glad we listened to Fiadh on where to go."

Andrew nodded. "So, the opening is two weeks away. Nervous?" When he clocked Tyler's face, he tentatively said, "We don't have to talk about it if you are nervous, mate, I don't want to make it worse."

"No, it's fine, it's just Sorcha's panicked that we're going to have a disaster happen," Tyler grimaced. "And she's said it so many times, it's started to worm its way into my own head."

Andrew laughed a bit and said, "Classic nerves. Happens to the best of us. I have a ton of experience in event management, though, if you want me to write you out a checklist of things to go through, and a back-up plan for some of the things that often go wrong?"

Tyler perked up. "That'd be great, actually. You sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all," Andrew replied, leaning over to grab his laptop from where it was charging on the countertop. He clicked the trackpad a few times, and brought up a spreadsheet. "Go through this and highlight anything that's relevant for your event. I'll send you the checklist later."

Tyler took the laptop and started examining the spreadsheet, clicking occasionally to highlight cells that said things like 'canapes or small plates offered', 'live music', and 'drinks confined to a specific area'.

"What kind of events did you manage?" I asked Andrew.

"All sorts, it's what I did during university to support myself," Andrew replied. "Mostly catered business-related things - it's actually how I got into modelling, in a weird way. Someone spotted me and said I'd be fantastic for their next shoot, and I organised it there, and then it just kind of built up from there."

Well, he was ridiculously attractive, so I could see how that would have happened. I had become more used to it, so it didn't floor me every time, but it did truly feel like you could see sparkles bouncing off him. I had no idea how Colin stood it; it was like staring directly at the sun.

"I'm looking forward to the opening," Andrew said. "Although that said, I know nothing about art, so I may be utterly useless."

"Each piece has information about it on a placard next to it," I said. "But honestly, I think that while knowing things about art and different techniques adds to the appreciation, you don't need to know it to appreciate art."

"True," Tyler chimed in, and handed the laptop back to Andrew. "That's everything, it's not a particularly large event or anything, but it's got more components than Sorcha feels confident with."

Andrew set the laptop aside, promising to get the document to him by the time we'd flown back to England. We chatted for a bit, but mostly sat in a companionable quiet while scrolling through our phones, until Colin and Saskie returned victoriously with her suitcase. While Saskie didn't pack loads, she did have a habit of leaving everything strewn about various places in the house, making it difficult to find everything later.

"Ready to go, kiddo?" I asked her.

Saskie looked a bit sad, and I felt for her. Leaving Colin was hard for her, especially when it meant leaving Ireland too where her grandparents and old friends were. Tyler clearly recognised that, and said, "Awny's going to drive us to the airport, and Sorcha's got something for you!"