“Okay. Okay, but you’re killing me here.”
“Unless he agrees,” Mandy smiles. “In which case, I just made you a shit ton of money.”
Debra glares at Mandy, and I know she doesn’t think Dr. Bel will buy it.
Rory, Mandy, and I all stare at Debra walking toward Dr. Bel. We can’t hear anything they are saying from the other side of the room, but we see Dr. Bel nod. His head snaps up to look in our direction, and the three of us break our formation to pretend we were talking the entire time.
Debra walk-runs to us in the most comical way, a huge smile spread on her face. “He said yes!” she squeals.
Mandy’s jaw drops. “What?”
“He said yes! He’s buying it.”
“We didn’t set the price high enough?” Mandy asks, her brows creased.
“I honestly think he would have bought it no matter the price. He really wants it.”
“See, that just makes me angrier. I just validated that he can get anything he wants,” Mandy hisses. “And he gets to keep the one painting I didn’t want to part with. It feels a lot like losing.”
I nudge Mandy’s arm. “Hey, you just made a shit ton of money. You can certainly be happy about that. And he paid a ridiculous amount for it. You have the upper hand here. Twenty thousand dollars, Mandy.”
She smiles. “You’re right. I can do a lot with that money.”
Witnessing my friend’s success shifts the mood of the evening, and I feel lighter now. I’m dreading the end of the night when Rory takes me home, but the rest of the time in the gallery is lighthearted. The gallery announces the sale of the untitled landscape and toasts Mandy with champagne. Within the hour of the announcement, the landscapes sell out, as well as a good portion of the portraits. Mandy’s face must be in so much pain from all the grinning as she walks from patron to patron, explaining her artistic choices and thanking them for their support. I couldn’t be prouder of her.
“Are you getting tired?” Rory asks, and I’m not too fond of the concern on his face.
“A little. Do you mind if we go home?”
“Don’t ask me stupid questions, Valentina.”
“I’m sorry. Yes. Please, take me home.”
“Would you like to say goodbye to your friends?”
I shake my head. “Mandy’s busy, and I don’t want to distract from her happiness. Let’s just go.”
The drive to my apartment is short, and we don’t say much. This is the moment of truth. I have to tell him. I sneak a text to Chema so he’ll help me up to my apartment when we arrive. I don’t want Rory to go into my building once I leave this car. I can’t see him anymore. My pride can’t take it, for one, and I can’t part this world knowing I’ve broken his heart. I’ve let this go on far too long. I never considered myself a selfish person, but what I’m doing here with Rory—it takes the cake for selfishness.