On the day of the show, Taryn was a bundle of nerves. She tried to relax when she went to get her hair and makeup done. It felt nice to be pampered. When her appointment was over, she barely recognized herself. Her hair was piled on top of her head with a few ringlets hanging down. Her makeup accentuated her blue eyes and sharp cheek bones. She felt truly beautiful when she saw herself in the mirror.
Taryn was too nervous to eat anything before the opening. She rushed home and changed into her gown. She had to admit, she looked amazing compared to what she usually wore. The gown fit her perfectly and she felt like a debutante ready to go to a ball. She couldn't wait for Gideon to see her like this. Maybe he would ask her to dance. That would be like a dream come true.
When Taryn arrived at the gallery, the first thing she did was ask Kim if Charlie had heard from Gideon.
"He's supposed to be flying home tonight," Kim replied. "You look stunning, by the way."
Taryn looked down at herself, not used to receiving compliments.
"Thank you," she replied. "How are things going?"
"The musicians will start playing in about fifteen minutes," Kim replied. "Would you like a glass of wine?"
"No thanks," Taryn answered. "I haven't eaten much today and it will go straight to my head."
Kim shook her head.
"Come over and grab some appies," Kim said, pulling Taryn over to the food table. "You're going to need to keep up your strength."
Taryn sampled a few of the goodies.
"These are great, Kim," she said appreciatively. "You've done a great job getting this ready."
"Thanks. The guests should be arriving soon," Kim replied.
Taryn lost track of time once people started arriving. She made a point of talking to every individual so that she could answer questions and receive feedback on her work. Most of the feedback was positive so far.
Taryn kept her eye on the door for Gideon's arrival, but he was late. She hoped he would make it.
Gideon finally showed up near the end of the evening. And he wasn't alone. There was a woman with him. Taryn's heart sank.
Kim welcomed Gideon and his guest to the opening.
"Hi, Taryn," Gideon said, smiling. "This is my co-worker, Kate. She flew back from Toronto with me."
Taryn could tell that Kate wasn't too impressed with the exhibition.
"Nice to meet you," Taryn said politely, shaking Kate's hand lightly.
"Likewise," Kate sneered. "I hope you don't mind me showing up like this. When Gideon told me where he was going, I just had to see it for myself."
Taryn nodded, looking at Kate eye Gideon in his rumpled business suit. He looked tired.
"Thank you for coming," she said, looking into Gideon's eyes. "I know how tired you must be after your trip."
"The paintings are amazing," Gideon said, returning her smile. "I'm so glad I was able to make it."
Kate took Gideon's arm and said, "Why don't we take a closer look at the art?"
The way she said 'art' made it sound like it was weeds in a garden. Helplessly, Taryn could only watch as Kate let Gideon through the gallery.
"Don't worry about her," Kim said, coming to stand beside Taryn. "Gideon is just being polite."
Taryn nodded and went to talk to the few remaining guests.
After the final guests left, Kim locked up the gallery and they prepared to go to a hotel lounge nearby for drinks.
Taryn didn't want to see Kate fawn over Gideon, but it looked like she didn't have much of a choice. Kim, Charlie, Kate, Gideon and Taryn found a table upstairs in the lounge of a nearby hotel. Charlie ordered a bottle of champagne to celebrate Taryn's success.
"I heard you sold a few pieces tonight," Charlie said. "You must be thrilled."
"I'm just grateful for all of Kim's hard work," Taryn said humbly, smiling at her friend.
"Your gallery is very classy," Kate said, grinning at Gideon flirtatiously.
"I'd say the works of art also make it classy," Gideon responded, focusing his attention on Taryn, trying to ignore Kate's flirting.
When their champagne arrived and everyone had a glass, Charlie raised his and said, "Here's a toast to Kim and Taryn, two very talented ladies who deserve all the success they can handle."
"Aww, you're too sweet, honey," Kim said to Charlie, kissing him lightly.
"Hear, hear," Gideon said, raising his glass in Taryn's direction. Blushing, Taryn took a sip of her drink.
Kate tried to distract Gideon by asking him to dance. Not seeing a polite way to refuse, Gideon accepted.
Charlie asked Kim to dance, too.
"I don't want to leave Taryn by herself," Kim stated.
"Don't worry about it," Taryn replied, shrugging. "Go enjoy yourself. You deserve it."
Taryn watched as Kim and Charlie went to the dance floor. They danced cheek to cheek; it looked very romantic.
Taryn felt like a failure as she watched Gideon dance with his co-worker on the dance floor. She couldn't believe how much could go wrong in one evening. She had such high hopes for her exhibition. She had no idea how late Gideon would be nor how jet-lagged and tired he would be. She had hoped he would be awed by her appearance, by her work. She wanted him to sweep her off her feet like she could have been at her prom years ago.
Writing a short message on a napkin, Taryn told Kim that she was tired and was going home. Tired of feeling like a fifth wheel, Taryn left the napkin on top of Kim's purse where she would see it.
As Taryn made her way to the elevator, she stole a glance at the dance floor. She saw Gideon dancing a slow dance. She wished it was she who was in his arms like she had imagined so many times.
Taryn couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks as she stood in the elevator. Why was she so disappointed? She supposed it was because she thought Gideon had cared for her. She wanted Gideon to care about her the way she cared for him.
When she got off the elevator, Taryn was crying too hard to be able to drive home safely. She asked the front desk clerk where the restroom was. With a look of concern, the clerk directed her toward a side hallway off the main lobby.
Taryn went inside a stall inside the restroom to try to clean herself up. She was so disappointed with her evening. She had spent so much money on her outfit, her hair, her makeup. What a waste of time it had all been.
Sniffing, Taryn finally felt capable of driving so she opened the door to leave the restroom.
When she started to walk, she noticed Gideon waiting for her in the hallway.
"Gideon? How did you find me?" she asked, shocked to see him.
"The desk clerk told me where you went," Gideon answered, looking concerned. "Why did you leave without saying 'good-bye'?" he asked, a note of fatigue in his voice.
"I don't know, I just felt like a fifth wheel all of a sudden," Taryn answered, feeling an errant tear roll down her cheek.
"Hey, why are you so upset?" Gideon asked, walking closer to her.
"I just...I wasn't expecting the evening to turn out the way it did," she replied in a small voice.
Gideon rubbed his right eye before he said, "I'm sorry I was late, Taryn. I wasn't expecting Kate to accompany me. I hope you aren't jealous. You have no reason to be."
"I know, but I just can't help it," Taryn replied, feeling more tears come to her eyes. She couldn't believe how emotional she was getting.
"I went to so much trouble. I thought you would notice, but it was a failure."
"You didn't fail, Taryn," Gideon said, grabbing her by the shoulders. His touch was gentle yet firm. "I noticed right away how beautiful you looked in your dress. But Kate was with me and I thought it would make her feel awkward."
Taryn looked down, feeling foolish for her outburst.
"I'm sorry, Gideon," she said contritely. "I know how tired you are and this must be the last thing you expect to deal with."
"Just tell me what's bothering you," he said gently.
"You're going to think it's silly," she responded, trying to stop crying. She never cried. What was wrong with her?
"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" he murmured, rubbing her shoulder.
Feeling distracted by his touch, Taryn blurted, "I never went to my prom."
After a moment, Gideon repeated, "Your prom? You mean, in high school?"
Nodding, Taryn said, "I know it's stupid. Back then, I couldn't afford a dress and I didn't have a date. I guess I just wanted to dress up and feel special for just one night. Just once..."
She couldn't continue.
"Oh, Taryn," Gideon said softly. "I'm so sorry. And I ruined it for you, didn't I?"
"I shouldn't have expected so much," she whispered, feeling foolish.
"Hey, listen. You're special all the time. Not just tonight. I can see how important tonight was to you. Please, allow me to make it up to you."
He kissed her softly on her cheek, surprising her. He'd never kissed her before. It felt nice.
"You don't have to," Taryn said, shrugging. "High school was a long time ago. I should just get over it."
"But why should you have to?" Gideon persisted. "It's an easy dream to fulfill. Let me make your dream come true for you, Taryn."
He looked deep into her eyes. His gaze took her breath away.
"Are you sure?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"Positive. I'll need a couple of weeks to plan it, though. Okay?"
Taryn nodded, surprised by his attitude. The fact that he would take time out of his busy schedule for her touched her deeply.
Trying to suppress a yawn, Gideon said sleepily, "I sent Kate home in a taxi. Do you think you could give me a ride home?"
Realizing how tired he must be, Taryn replied, "Sure, I'd love to. Let's get you home before you fall asleep."
Chuckling, Gideon grabbed her hand and held onto it. "I'm on Toronto time, which means it's about 3:00 in the morning for me."
"All the more reason for you to sleep in extra late tomorrow," she stated, walking through the lobby with him. She liked holding his hand. She didn't want him to let her go.
"How about I make you dinner tomorrow night?" Gideon suddenly asked, once they were in her car.
"Are you sure you won't be too tired?" Taryn responded uncertainly.
"Positive," he replied, squeezing her hand.
"Okay, then," she agreed. "I'll bring some pie for dessert."
"Sounds great," Gideon answered. "I look forward to sampling it."
When they pulled up in front of Gideon's apartment building, Taryn said, "What time would you like me to come for dinner?"
"How about six o'clock?" he replied, undoing his seat belt.
"Sounds good," she said, already looking forward to it.
Gideon leaned toward her and kissed her cheek. It felt tingly.
"Thanks for the ride," he said huskily. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night," she murmured, not wanting their time together to end.
Gideon got out of the car and waved to her as he went into his building.
Taryn drove home carefully, not wanting to get into an accident so late at night. By the time she got home, she realized that she was exhausted. After hanging up her gown in the closet and quickly removing her makeup, she crawled into bed and immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.