The Deception (5 page)

B
y the time Carrie arrived at Hanson Sisters Fine Art, Louise's show was well underway. It took some time for her to find Louise in the crowd. She finally spotted her standing near the bar.

"There's my Sweetness." Louise walked up to Carrie and hugged her. "Come, let me introduce you to these two folks."

Louise made the introductions as Carrie graciously said hello and shook their hands. The man then pointed to something on the wall at the opposite side of the room.

"You know, Louise, I think my wife and I have made our decision on which of the prints to buy."

"Really? Which one?"

"One of the female nude. The one of her lying next to the swimming pool."

"Good choice," said Louise with a smile.

Carrie stood by, nonplussed, as the couple stepped away. At least they hadn't recognized her. Louise turned back to her.

"Well, thank you, Sweetness. You must be my good luck charm. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Just a club soda, thanks."

Louise turned to the bartender and ordered Carrie's drink. While he was pouring it, she mentioned she'd had a much bigger turn out than she'd expected. Many of the people who had come were old business associates whom she hadn't seen in years.

"It's been like old home week," she said as she sipped her cocktail, "and hopefully they'll spend lots of money while they're here."

Before Carrie could reply someone else approached Louise and started talking. After a brief introduction, she took her drink and excused herself. She walked around the room. The walls were lined with black and white and color photos, all hand numbered, signed and beautifully framed. Louise had presented a good variety of subject matter. Her show included urban street scenes, landmarks, and breathtaking panoramic landscapes taken all over the state of Arizona. She'd even thrown in a series of humorous photos featuring her cat. The ones attracting the most attention, however, were the five nudes.

Carrie worked her way toward that part of the gallery. She took her time, stopping here and there to chat with people and exchanging business cards with potential clients. She made a mental note to sign the guest book before she left. Artist openings could be a good place for her to network. She eventually arrived at the display of her images. The five photos they'd selected had all been printed in black and white, emphasizing the contrast between the light and shadows. She checked the hand-written numbers on the lower corners of the prints. Louise was offering each as a limited edition of fifty. Along with the one of her by the swimming pool was the one of her standing in the bathtub with foamy bubbles running down her body. The other three had been taken in the guest bedroom; one of her backside, along with the one of her kneeling on the bed, looking up toward the ceiling. The last one was the most sexually suggestive. She was leaning back in the leather chair and the lighting illuminated her breasts and lower torso. She was positioned with her knees spread apart, her head turned sideways and her eyes closed, making it appear as if she were napping. There was a small crowd admiring the photos. Carrie remained off to the side so she could listen in on their conversations. Much to her relief, all the comments she overheard about the photos were favorable. Everyone was either remarking about the use of the light and shadows, or about how well Louise had incorporated all the elements in the scenes to complement the shapes of Carrie's body. A few even mentioned how pretty the model was.

"Well, look who's here." She heard a woman's voice behind her. "I see you've returned to the scene of the crime."

"Steve! Allie!" Carrie greeted her friends with hugs and kisses.

"So these must be the notorious photos." Allison paused for a moment while she looked them over. "My, my, my. You weren't kidding when you said they were provocative."

One of the men admiring the photos turned around. "Well, hello there, Allison. I thought I recognized your voice."

"Scott! Fancy meeting you here." The two shook hands and Allison made the introductions. "This is Scott Andrews. He's one of the other volunteers for the children's reading program at the library. Scott, this is Steve Hudson, my significant other, and this is Carrie Daniels. She's been my best friend since high school."

The two men shook hands before Scott turned to Carrie. She noticed that he was quite handsome. He was tall, with salt-and-pepper hair and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. As his eyes met hers a puzzled expression came across his face. He looked back and forth at Carrie and the photos.

"Yes, it's me," she finally admitted and blushed. "I was the model."

"Well, I don't know what to say." He shook Carrie's hand once again. "I've never met a nude model before."

"Carrie and Louise go way back," explained Allison. "Carrie's a photographer as well. In fact, Louise was her mentor. So when Louise needed a model, Carrie decided to return the favor. You know, professional courtesy and all that. Carrie really doesn't make her living by posing nude for photos. It was just a one-time thing."

"Well, you'd never know it by looking at them." Scott returned his gaze to the display. "The camera obviously loves you, and you look very natural."

"Thank you," replied Carrie. "I was once a child model so I'm quite used to working in front of the camera. That's also how I met Louise, but that was some twenty years ago." She went on to explain that her early work as a model was what got her interested in photography, and she talked about how Louise had helped her get her career started. Scott seemed to be very interested in everything she had to say.

"So, what's your story, Scott?"

"I'm a software developer. I work for Morton-Evans."

"That big defense contractor?"

"Among other things. They make other products too. I'm involved with writing some of their educational software; the programs that schools use to help teach kids the basics. You know, reading, writing and arithmetic."

"Is that why you volunteer at the public library?"

"Yes. Helping to teach youngsters how to read helps create the best reading software. So, do you have any kids, Carrie?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Her smile faded from her face. "I'd love to have them, but so far it hasn't happened. I've just ended a very long-term relationship."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

As Carrie and Scott continued their conversation, Steve and Allison decided to step away. Both were pleased to see that Carrie had taken an apparent liking to Scott. When the time came for the show to end, they were still talking. Steve and Allison came back to say goodnight. Once they left Carrie decided to call it a night as well.

"It was nice meeting you, Carrie." Scott extended his hand once again. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to take you to dinner sometime. That is, if you think you're ready to start dating again."

"I'd be honored to have dinner with you, anytime." She handed him one of her business cards.

"All right, then I'll call you, sometime soon. In the meantime, I'm going to buy one of your photos."

"Which one?"

"Hmm... I'm not really sure." He looked them over again. "You really are a beautiful woman, Carrie. It's hard for me to decide. I'm really torn between the one of you kneeling on the bed, and the one of you seated in the chair."

"Why not get both?"

He thought it over for a minute. "I guess I could."

They shook hands once more as Scott stepped away to complete his purchase.

"I'll call you, Carrie, soon."

"I look forward to it."

As soon as he left, Carrie went to look for Louise. She soon found her, once again standing near the bar.

"Goodnight, Louise," she said as she gave her a hug.

"Goodnight, Sweetness. I'm so glad you came. Sorry I wasn't able to spend that much time with you, but I noticed you were spending a lot of time talking to a nice-looking man. Who is he?"

"A friend of Allison's. He seemed like a nice guy."

"Did he ask for your phone number?"

"He sure did." Carrie's face was beaming.

"Good job, Sweetness, I'm proud of you. See, I told you that other men would find you attractive."

"I know. So, I guess we'll have to wait and see if he calls me or not."

"If he does, he does, and go out and have some fun. If not, it's no big deal. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. Just remember, the first one after a big break up is never a keeper. Enjoy it for what it is, but don't get too attached. Okay?"

"I won't, Louise. It's going to be awhile before I'm completely over Doug, but it feels nice knowing another man finds me attractive."

"That's my girl."

Carrie exited the gallery and got into her car. Waiting for the engine to warm up, she sent a text message to Allison.

"Is Scott by chance single?"

By the time she returned to her apartment Allison had replied. "He's single. Known him for years. He's never once mentioned a wife."

S
cott pulled into the driveway, pressed the remote, and waited as the garage door slowly rolled up. He was a
bout to step on the accelerator
when he noticed the bicycle in his path. Annoyed, he let out a loud sigh as he threw the car into park and stepped into the garage. Bicycle moved, he got back in his car and pulled into his space. He shut down the engine and pressed the remote again. Once the garage door closed, he came into the house.

"Damn it, doesn't anyone know how to leave a light on around here? Someone could trip and fall over who knows what in the dark."

He felt along the wall for the switch, flicked the light on and went into the kitchen, where he spotted three large pizza boxes stacked on the counter. All were still warm, and each still had several slices of pizza remaining. The bottom box held his favorite--pineapple, ham and bacon. He reached into one of the cabinets for a plate.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey there, Ben. So, how was school today?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Just okay, huh?"

The boy shrugged.

"So, how's Mom?"

"Okay, I guess," repeated Ben. "She says she's feeling better, and that by tomorrow she should be up and about."

"Until you or your sister bring home the next bug that's making the rounds at school."

Ben stood and watched while his dad fixed himself something to drink. "So how come you're home so late?"

"I stopped by an artist's opening tonight at one of our favorite galleries and I bought a couple of black and white photos."

"Where are they? Can I see 'em?"

"Later, son." Scott took his seat at the table. "They're still at the gallery, being framed. Meantime, your dad has had a long, hectic day, and he needs to kick back and take a breather. So where's your sister?"

"Upstairs. She says she's doing her homework, but she's probably hanging out on Facebook. So where are you going to hang the pictures, once you get 'em? It's not like we have tons of wall space left, you know. I swear, our house is turning into one big art gallery."

"Your mother and I are art collectors, Ben. And who knows, maybe someday we can sell off some of our collection to pay for your college education."

"Gee, Dad, why don't you let a guy get through the fourth grade first." Ben reached for a slice of the pepperoni pizza and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"To watch some
TV
, if that's okay."

"As long as it's Disney Channel or Nick at Night."

"I know, Dad."

Ben disappeared. Scott listened to the sounds from the television set in the family room while he enjoyed his pizza. Finished, he put his plate in the dishwasher and headed upstairs. He walked down the hallway, softly tapping on one of the doors before opening it.

"Hey, Sarah. What's up?"

"Hi, Dad. I'm busy doing my homework."

"No Facebook," Scott bluntly announced.

"But Dad." He heard the whine in her voice.

"Don't 'but Dad' me. You know the rules, and don't think for one minute that just because you're fifteen now I can't spank you. No Facebook for you young lady until you're homework is finished. Period. That means all of your homework, too. And yes, I will be going over your Facebook wall later on tonight, just like I do every night."

Sarah began to grumble, but Scott stood his ground until she exited Facebook and opened the files with her homework assignments.

"I'll be back to check on you later, and I'd better not be catching you on Facebook."

He closed her door and headed down the hallway, walking into the master bedroom. "So how are you feeling?"

Maggie Andrews had been bedridden with a bad cold for the past three days. He could see that the color had finally returned to her face, but her nose was still bright red. Her fair complexion and short blonde hair made it even more noticeable.

"I think I'm slowly returning to the land of the living." The sound of her voice revealed that she was still heavily congested. "So how was the show at Hanson Sisters? Was it as good as the last one?"