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The Hallmark Channel's 'Chesapeake Shores'
"Megan at the Met"
Mick and Megan O'Brien
By Annette Zoaps
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Chapter 1
"Andre, I need you to come and take my picture next to a painting in the Undiscovered Artists' room before our guests arrive."
Megan beckons the official event photographer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"Yes, ma'am, Ms. O'Brien."
She poses with her own painting, a serene watercolor seascape.
"How about a profile, Ms. O'Brien?"
Megan turns, effecting a pensive expression befitting a serious artist.
"Excuse me, lady, but I think you hung that painting upside-down," a familiar voice pipes up from behind the two.
"Mick, you …!" Megan laughs. "You act like you're an such an art-illiterate."
She places one arm around his neck and gives him a loose, A-frame hug, while he squeezes her shoulder gently.
"Who says it's an act," he counters with a chuckle. Pointing to Megan's painting, he says, "Hey, I like it. I even recognize the place. Good job!"
They face the painting side by side and take in the details, to the sound of clicks from the photographer's camera.
"Ms. O'Brien?" Andre interrupts.
"Oh, Andre. Sorry, this is my — my dear friend, Mick O'Brien."
She glances at Mick, who gives her a confused look in return.
"Nice to meet you, sir. O'Brien? Are you related?"
"Yes," she confirms quickly. "We're also family."
Mick offers his hand, which Andre shakes before walking into the main gallery.
"You don't want people to know you were married to the likes of me?" Mick looks a little crushed.
"It's not that," she says. "It's the words — ex-wife, ex-husband. They sound so negative. Dripping with drama." She pauses. "Filled with sadness, and loss."
He nods slowly.
"But we're beyond that now, aren't we?" she says brightly. "We seem to be in a good place these days."
"That we are, my friend." He puts an emphasis on the last word and smiles to remove the sting. "It's good we can be friends after our history."
"I'm sure your mother would say it's a miracle, bless her heart. How's she doing, Mick?"
He puts his hands in his pockets. "Your greatest champion sends her love. Oh, she also sends you this." He retrieves a silver Irish fairy charm from his pocket and hands it to her.
"She's a dear! Please tell her how much I love her and miss her. So, what brings you here, Mick? The Met — it's not your usual stomping grounds."
He pulls a pamphlet from his coat pocket. "I'm in town on business, and what did I find in my hotel room but a brochure with your picture on it! You couldn't keep me away." He grins. "Even if you tried."
He hands it to her.
"I'm surprised you recognized me with all the Photoshop work they did."
She holds the thumbnail photograph to her face and strikes a similar pose.
"Perfection. Always." He looks at her, not the photo.
She smiles shyly and returns the brochure.
"Are you just stopping by, or can you stay for the gala?"
"Am I invited?"
"Yes. Please stay. It'll be fun to have a — friend — with me tonight. It'll feel less like work and more like a party."
"Then let's get this party started! And I'll try not to embarrass the queen of the Met." He winks.
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Megan introduces Mick to the artists, coworkers and guests they encounter, always with the "dear friend" moniker. For his part, Mick toys with different accents with each person he meets, despite subtle jabs from her elbow.
"Apparently I need to fill your mouth so you can't talk," she scolds with a smile. "Have some shrimp."
She hands him a heaping plate, and only then does he spy a familiar glint on her ring finger.
"Megan, your wedding ring?" He takes her hand for a closer look. "Yes, it's the one I gave you." He looks at her curiously, setting his plate on a nearby side table.
"It's my suit of armor. I hope you don't mind that I wear it. It's a layer of safety for a woman living alone in New York City. Even though we're divorced, it serves a useful purpose. In fact, having you by my side tonight gives me another measure of security."
He squeezes her hand tighter, understanding what she means.
"I'm sorry you feel you need it, but I'm glad if it can help." He pauses. "Megan, let me take you home after the event. Please?"
She nods.
Still examining the ring, he suddenly laughs. "The jeweler who inscribed it, remember him?"
"Oh, yes!" She slips it off so they can both read the script inside. "Instead of 'M&M,' he inscribed 'M dollar-sign M!' You were mortified!" She sighs. "But I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Mick gazes at it tenderly and after a few seconds, he slips it back on her finger, holding her hand a moment longer than necessary.
Recovering his composure, he quickly finds his plate, and she scans the room to make sure that the guests and artists are happily mingling.
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See Chapter Two
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If you love Mick and Megan as much as I do, be sure to check out my other stories:
NEW! Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, The Whiskers of Machu Picchu, 2 chapters
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Come Let Me Love You
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Fear of Flying, 3 chapters
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, The One That I Want
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Where the Wind Blows
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Once a Promise
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Mother of the Bride, 2 chapters
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Love Song
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, First Kiss
The Hallmark Channel's 'Chesapeake Shores' — Mick & Megan O'Brien, 9 chapters
Chesapeake Shores — Megan at the Met — Mick and Megan O'Brien, 6 chapters
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I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has been reading and making positive comments about my stories!
I appreciate it more than you know!
Annette Zoaps
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