The Proverbial Mr. Universe (38 page)

“You could never disappoint me. I just want to see you happy.” He smiled, his eyes glazed. “There is nothing in the world that I love more than you. I am so proud of you.” He removed his glasses to wipe his eyes. “My darling, what am I going to do without you?”

She’d wondered the same thing.

Peter was the one to pick her up at the airport, driving her to her parents’ home, where she received a warm welcome, feeling like a superstar. Being back home seemed so foreign to her.

“What?” Olivia looked up at her sister Nina sitting in a chair beside her. Olivia had her legs pulled to her chest. They were under the gazebo in their parents’ backyard.

“You look so grown up, your hair … your clothing … you seem like a different person,” Nina said as she ran her hand through Olivia new, much shorter hairstyle.

“You like what I’m wearing? Wait until you see what I brought back for you.” She smiled

Nina hugged her again. “I’m just so happy you’re finally home.”

“You missed me that much, hey?”

“You have no idea, little sis.”

“How’s Mom doing?” Olivia gave her a sideways glance.

“You know Mom. She’s built like a tank, but soon she’s going to need someone to help her with Dad.”

Olivia knew her mother had refused the idea of sending their father off to a home.

“Maybe I could help you find someone before I go back.”

Nina nodded.

“Hey … uh … I know you told me you didn’t want to talk about Nick, but since you’ve been gone he’s been coming around quite often.”

Olivia shook her head, perplexed. “What for?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he missed you as much as we did.” Nina shrugged. “He’s been good with Dad, helping Mom out. We don’t mind having him around.”

“Mommy?” Olivia’s nephew called out from the patio door.

“Yes, Anthony, I’m coming.” Nina got up from her chair. “I just thought you should know.”

“Mommy …”

“Go, I’ll be in soon,” Olivia said, looking up at Nina, who was smiling like she was trying to hide something. Before Olivia could say anything, Nina had turned and walked across the grass, going inside the house. As Olivia leaned back further in her patio chair, her eyes settled on a red card sitting on the coffee table across from her with her name written on it.

Olivia looked around, but she was alone in the yard. She glanced back at the address and realized why it was familiar. It was located in Griffin Town.

O
livia stepped out of her father’s black Mercedes onto Notre Dame Street. She took a second glance at the address and realized it was close by. She tucked her black clutch under her arm and began to cross the street. She followed the addresses up until she finds it. It was an art gallery with a sign in red block letters: The Proverbial Mr. Universe Atelier.

Olivia smiled. She knew where she was. This spot was the space where Nick once told her he would open his gallery one day.

A crowd of people flowed in and out of the front entrance. Gray stone framed the entrance and big windows where tinted, not allowing her to see the inside.

“Olivia?”

“Jessica, what are you doing here?”

“I was just leaving. I didn’t know you were going to be here.” Jessica turned back as though she was looking for someone.

“To be honest, neither did I. What’s going on in there?”

“It’s the gallery’s grand opening,” Jessica said, but before she could say anything more, a tall guy came right up behind her, wrapping his arm around Jessica’s waist.

“Hey, I know you. Luke right?” Olivia smiled. “I didn’t know you two were together.”

Jessica raised her left hand.

“What? You’re engaged? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to surprise you tomorrow at lunch. We’re still on for tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course.”

“You should go in. He’s waiting for you,” Luke said.

“We’ll talk more tomorrow.” Jessica blew kisses at her as she and Luke walked down the street.

T
he gallery was open-concept, modern with high ceiling’s that exposed the plumbing and heating system. She only took a few steps before being greeted by uniformed women holding a tray of champagne. Olivia took one and continued to scan the room. Though she felt she was being watched, there was no one she recognized. No one wearing red.

She walked into the next room. The walls were white and filled with art, and sculpture stood in the center of the long room. As she got closer to the far back of the space, there it was. The canvas hanging on the wall. Of course it was familiar to her, it was her face. At the bottom of the plaque, written mavourneen was the title and artist:
My Love
by Nick Montgomery. It was the painting Nick started long ago that she never got to see finished.

“So, what do you think? Any resemblance?” a familiar voice said.

A tall man stepped right beside her. Her heart began to race faster. It seemed her heart had recognized him before her eyes did.

A version of Nick Montgomery she had never seen before. His hair was much shorter, and he was clean shaven, smartly dressed in gray pants. He wore a matching vest and a white dress shirt underneath with the sleeves rolled up. Their eyes locked, and he smiled at her. It felt as if no time had passed.

“I was hoping to see you,” he paused. “I’m glad you came,” he said with his hands in his pocket, as though he didn’t know what to do with them. It was funny to Olivia that so much time had passed, but things felt the same between them. His hands in his pocket and her hands on her clutch … they didn’t know what to do with themselves.

“So this place is yours?”

“Half mine. George is my business partner.”

“I’m so proud of you,” she said. “Really happy for you that you are finally living your dream.”

“And you look … wow …” He paused. “Beautiful.”

“My hair is a lot shorter than you’re used to seeing,” she said, passing her hand through her hair.

“I like it.”

“You do?” He nodded his head in confirmation. “And look at you! You don’t look too shabby yourself.” She smiled.

“You like the change?” He ran his hand down his vest.

“I do, but to be honest with you, I kind of miss the old Nick,” she said as he placed his hand on his jaw. “Well, one word from you and he can come back, lame shirt and all.” He gave her one of his goofy smiles that she had missed.

Her eyes softened and she looked back at the painting, wondering if things could ever go back to the way they were.

“I figured you would never shave.”

He shrugged. “People change for the ones they love.”

She didn’t know what that meant. Did he have a new girlfriend? He was willing to change his appearance for someone else, but not for her? Now, she thought she was going to be sick.

“Where’s Dan and Amanda? Are they here?” Olivia’s eyes looked around.

“No, they’re on their honeymoon,” he said.

“Right, they got married last weekend. Did they receive my gift?”

“Yes, they wanted me to thank you.” He looked at her, and she shyly looked away.

“I’m sorry I missed it. I got the invitation, but I—”

“Olivia, you don’t need to explain.”

She nodded.

“Guess what!”

“What?”

“I’m trying to work on my relationship with my dad.”

Olivia’s eyes snapped up. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, well, at the wedding we started talking. In a couple of weeks, I’m supposed to fly to Calgary and stay with him and his family.”

“That’s great, Nick. I’m happy things are finally coming together,”

“You think they are?”

“Of course.” She smiled. “You’re painting again. You have this place and now you’re talking to your dad …”

“I promised myself that the next time I saw you I wouldn’t let it show how much I missed you, but now that you’re here, that’s all I want to tell you.”

Olivia saw a shadow cross his face, like he was hoping she might have felt the same way, and she did.

“You know what I miss the most about you?” He looked around the room before his eyes met hers again.

“What’s that? My smart mouth?” Olivia smiled.

He laughed. “Yeah that too, but no … it’s your brilliant eyes, the way they can find mine in a crowded room. How they can make me feel like I am the most important person in it,” he explained as her smiled faded. She never thought it would still be difficult to be around him.

“Want to get out of here?” he whispered.

“Shouldn’t you stay? I mean …” She looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

“Yes, I should…” his eyes scanned the crowd “…but that’s what partners are for.”

Nick took the champagne glass out of her hand and placed it on the table behind him, picking up his suit jacket from the chair beside it. Olivia didn’t flinch when his hand slid into hers—a perfect fit. It was natural, like it had always been between them.

N
ick had been waiting for this very moment when he saw her again, a moment he was sure he would never get. When she first walked in his gallery, it was as though his eyes were starving. He wanted to take in every inch of her. She wore a knee-length black dress, her hair straight down to her chin and much lighter then he remembered it to be. A year apart might have changed her, but she was still his Olivia.

He had taken her up on the roof of the gallery, and there they were under a clear night sky. A gentle summer breeze lightly danced on Nick’s freshly shaven face. He couldn’t remember the last time his face was bare. They stood side by side, neither of them wanting to break the silence, neither of them knowing what to say next. He gazed up at the sky and felt some premonition, like something extraordinary was about to happen.

“Look at the stars.” Olivia wrapped her arms around herself.

Nick thought she might be cold, so he brought his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders. Her eyes focused on the red pocket square. She brightly beamed up at him.

“It’s finally nice to meet you, Mr. Universe. I was secretly hoping it was you.”

His smile widened.

“But there something I need to know. Why would you go through the trouble?” she asked.

“I guess it was a way to reach out to you. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it other than doing something nice for someone else.”