Red Bullets in June

Chapter 29: Jealousy

Arthur has just finished his extensive tour of all the art exhibits at Woodmere Art Gallery while chatting up all of our visitors along the way. He's now giving me an in-depth training on the computer programs used to catalogue each piece in each exhibit. It's Tuesday, June 26, 2018. My first day on the job.

"Our registrar, Aria, maintains the records of all our pieces and the artists they belong to, so she does most of the cataloguing. She's the one you want to go to if you get a new piece. I just want to make sure you understand how everything works, for times she's gone and you need to record the pieces yourself."

I nod. "That's perfect. Thank you, Arthur."

His striking bluish-grey eyes light up with an honest smile.

I like Arthur. He's perfect for his job; cheerful, bubbly and kind.

"You'll also be working closely with Brad, our Gallery Educator. He plans tours of the museum and will work with you to develop exhibits. His office is right next to yours. Come on. I'll show you to your office."

I trail behind Arthur to the back of the building and he stops in front of a door labeled, 'Curator, Charlotte Evansen' in black lettering on a golden plaque.

Woah. It feels so official now.

"Let me know if you need anything, Charlotte and welcome to the team."

I smile. "Thank you, Arthur. For everything. You've been so helpful."

"My pleasure." His eyes glisten with open and inclusive salutation before he retreats back to the front desk.

I open the door to my office and bathe it all in. A rectangular, cedar desk, the latest Dell Inspiron 24 5000, a phone, a filing cabinet and a bookshelf.

I'll have to bring in a few decorations to make it feel more homey. Maybe a photo of Jaxon and I?
Speaking of Jaxon, I should text him.

I glance at my phone screen and it's flooded with texts from Jaxon.

9:00 AM
Hey Charlotte, Hope you have a good first day. I'll miss you. Love you. ❤️

10:32 AM
Did you make it to work okay? You didn't crash on the Ducati, did you?

11:47 AM
Charlotte, I'm worried about you. Text me back when you get the chance.

Oh Jaxon. You love to worry about me, don't you?

It's 12:00 PM, lunch time.

I'll warm up the Ham Fried Rice that Mr. Kim was kind enough to make for me and text Jaxon while I wait.

I trek down a few halls to the kitchen that Arthur showed me upon arrival. It's empty at the moment. I remove my container of food from the fridge and pop it into the microwave for 1 minute. Whipping my phone out, I snap a selfie in my white sun dress speckled with pink blossoms.

This is one of my favorite dresses.

It reminds me of the cherry blossoms at Central Park.

And the man that I love...

I text the photo to Jaxon with this caption:

Your G-rated version. 😘

He responds within seconds.

Charlotte! I'm so glad you're okay! I was about to come down there myself if you didn't respond. I love it. ❤️ Thank you.