Chapter Four

Some time later

“Hi, Tina, it’s Ian.”
Why had Tina expected it to be Bette anyway? She told her not to call her, she would call herself. Only, she had no idea when and how she had to do it.
“Hi, Ian. How are you?”
“Fine, I’m fine, especially now I’m hearing your voice.”

Oh crap. Be nice Tina, be nice.

“Oh, well, that’s good to hear.”
“How are you yourself?”
“Fine, I’m just fine.”
“Great. Look, I don’t know if you’re into art?”
“I don’t know, I guess it depends.”
“Well, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of the Porter/James Gallery?”

Tina’s heart went in overdrive hearing Bettes last name. She tried to keep cool and said:
“Of course, why?”
“Well, they’re having this exposition of art by Vincent Carlisle. I’d really like to check it out and I was wondering, why don’t I ask a beautiful woman with me?”
“Well, wrong number then,” Tina tried to joke. Kennard, you sound like a teenie.
“Not at all. So, are you coming?”
“Sure, uhm… when?”
“What about tomorrow night? The opening?”
“Of course!”
“I’ll pick you up round 7.”
“Great. See you then.”
“See you.”

The first thing Tina did was cancelling Stephanie. She could party without her. If it wouldn’t be at Bette Porters Gallery, she wouldn’t have gone there in the first place, but now she felt like she had no choice.
She knew she had told Bette she would call her, but she simply didn’t have the guts for it. Grow up, Kennard. Calling someone doesn’t immediately mean dating her. Not that I’d mind. Wait, you WOULD mind if she’d think that. She has a relationship, and you are dating Ian. Well, dating… you can date others, right? Yes, others, but not Bette Porter. Not. Bette. Porter.

Stephanie was understanding, she was just glad Tina had started seeing someone again.

The rest of the day, she was thinking about what she would wear. Dress to impress or just the I’m – going – to – a – gallery – opening wear. Or was that the same?

She didn’t feel like it, but she did it anyway. She took her phone after work and dialled Ians number. He sounded very happy to hear her and she was already afraid she was giving him wrong ideas. Maybe he saw this as a good step, she calling him. It had always been the other way round.