Chapter 7
Peyton smiled at the checks that sat on her desk. She sold eight paintings last night, two of them belonging to her. When she heard that there was a buyer interested in one of her pieces, she was floored. When she found out that they actually bought it, she lost her ability to speak.
"Tell me again why I'm the best assistant?" Sam said as she barged into Peyton's office with two tall vanilla bean lattes in her hands, "Is it because I'm here bright and early on my day off? Or is it because I bought caffeine?"
"It's cause you come bearing caffeine. Thank you." Peyton said as she carefully sipped on her latte.
Sam shot a sarcastic grin. After working with Peyton for a year and half getting the gallery up and running, Sam had grown accustom to Peyton's sarcastic humour and was known to dish it back. "Yes and a thank you to whoever thought of the petty cash box."
Peyton laughed, "Remind me later to take that key away from you."
"Yup and this is me making a mental note of that right now," she smiled and sipped on her latte. "Alright, so I understand you want to go over inventory tonight and get the paintings shipped out to the buyers ASAP, but I didn't drag my overhung butt out of bed this morning just to do work. I want details."
"Details?"
"Yes, details. About Dr. Hottie."
"Michael is fine. You saw him last night."
"Yeah, I know he's fine. Anyone who has had the privilege of laying eyes on him knows he's fine, but what inquiring minds want to know is, have you decided yet? Are you going to take up his offer and move in with him?"
"Wait, how did you know he asked me last night?"
"Minor details...so, did you say yes?"
Peyton shook her head, "No. I can't give up my brownstone. I love it too much."
Sam was beyond shocked. "Peyton! Seriously. It's a building, but Michael, he's a hot doctor. He's sweet, considerate and he's…"
"I said I can't give up my brownstone," Peyton interrupted, "So he's moving in with me. He surprised me, you know, when he asked me. But as we walked back to his place, it just made sense. I couldn't think of a legitimate reason to say no."
Michael Carter wasn't perfect, after all he was a man, but when it came to the people he loved, Michael just seemed to make the right choices. His decision last night to attend Peyton's opening over his shift at the hospital was testament to that fact. In Michael's eyes, Peyton came first, something that rarely happened in her life. Throughout her life, Peyton felt as though she came in second; her father always chose his job over her; Jake, rightfully and responsibly chose Jenny over her; and then there were Lucas and Haley who chose Brooke over her.
"Michael's been everything I've wanted for a long time."
"I think he's everything every girl wants, honey," sighed Sam, "You're one lucky girl, Peyton Sawyer."
"Yeah," she agreed "Alright, now back to work before I have to fire you."
"Riiight, I'm too important to you to fire me. Besides, if it weren't for me then who would take your messages?"
Sam handed Peyton a few slips of papers that held her phone messages.
"Which by the way leads me to ask; why didn't you tell me that there was going to be a news article on the gallery?"
Peyton shrugged, "When it was published?"
"Seriously, Peyton. I'm your assistant slash secretary slash best friend and I don't even get to know that we're being written up in the New York Times? The New York frickin Times! Do you know how many people will read my name in that paper? You did mention me, didn't you?"
"Of course I did. Your real name and my band name."
"Peyton, honey, you just made my day. Do you know how good it's gonna feel to rub that in my mother's face?" Sam imitated her mother's voice, "'Art isn't going to get you anywhere, Sam.' Ha, I bet her name was never in the New York Times."
Peyton laughed, "Come on Sam, your mom isn't that bad."
"You clearly weren't raised by her. Anyways, apparently the reporter from last night failed to get the names of some of the paintings so they're sending someone over this afternoon."
"This afternoon?" Peyton looked over her planner, "Well, looks like you'll have to give them what they need. I'm meeting Michael for lunch."
"Mmm… no you're not," Sam pointed at the messages, "He tried calling your cell, but couldn't reach you. His surgery was rescheduled and now he can't meet you."
Peyton nodded disappointingly as she flipped through her messages. "Well, then I guess you and…Lucas?"
Sam raised a brow. The curly blonde seemed to be frozen in her seat with her mouth slightly ajar in surprise. One of the messages clearly got her attention.
"The name," Peyton stuttered, "The message you took this morning from the Times."
Sam raised a brow, "Yeah? The guy from the New York Times – the fact checker."
"Are you sure you got the name right?"
"Well that's the name he gave me. What's wrong Peyton? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"Lucas Scott?"
Sam thought for a second, "Yeah he's the one who's coming this afternoon to verify some stuff so that they can publish it for Monday's paper."
"No, it can't be. It hasn't to be a coincidence…" Peyton whispered to herself.
"What is?"
Peyton sighed. She knew that eventually that her past would catch up with her one day but when she woke up that morning, she never thought that day would be today. Her mind raced with thoughts of Lucas's reaction when he sees her as the woman behind Anna Silver's Arts. But no matter what scenario that played through her head, they all told her the same thing – she wasn't ready to see him – she would never be ready to see him again.
"Peyton, k, you're really starting to freak me out, now. What's wrong?"
Sam snapped Peyton out of her thoughts. She was about to explain when a solution came out of nowhere. Peyton smirked at Sam. Sam knew that smile all too well and it suddenly made her feel uneasy.
"Uh-uh, no way, Peyton. I love you, but I know that look."
"Sam, just one favor."
"Yeah, the last time I heard that, I ended up changing my phone number because you couldn't give some desperate guy your own number," Sam folded her arms across her chest. Evidently still upset about that predicament, "I couldn't sleep for weeks because he kept calling in the middle of the night."
"Ok, so I still owe you for that. But this, I will owe you my life if you do this."
Peyton's desperation perked Sam's interest. "You really don't want to see this guy do you? Is he an ex?"
"Something like that."
"Hey, if you want me to do this favor for you, you're gonna have to do better then that."
"He's just someone from my past that…that I want to forget."
"You mean the past I know nothing about?" Sam sighed. "Wait, he didn't harm you did he?"
"Lucas? No. Never. He's a pretty great guy, actually."
"But he still hurt you pretty bad."
Peyton shrugged an answer, "It's complicated."
"Alright, I'll do it, whatever it is, but only if you explain that complicated past to me."
Peyton nodded and quickly gathered her papers and shoved them into a folder.
"Where you going? Don't you have some explaining to do?"
"I will. I promise, Sam. But he's coming here and I don't want to take the chance of running into him. Close up after he leaves and come over to my place. I'll order take out and we'll have some beers."
"Already thinking about alcohol and it's not even noon yet. This guy must have really done a number on you."
Peyton took one step out the office door when she saw him. She froze in her tracks. Her heart skipped a beat. Through the front glass windows, she saw Lucas Scott outside walking towards the front the door of the gallery. He hadn't changed one bit, except for his hair which was a bit longer than what she remembered.
She ran back into her office and shut the door behind her. Peyton closed her eyes and leaned against the door. Her palms sweaty. Her breathing rapid. This was not happening.
"Peyton?"
Peyton jumped and opened her eyes to see a concerned Sam standing in front of her.
"Geez, you scared me."
"Me? You're scaring me. What's going on?"
"Hello? Anybody here?" Lucas called out from the other side of the door.
"I thought you said he was coming this afternoon!" Peyton hissed.
"That's what he said on the machine." shrugged Sam.
"Well, He's here already," Peyton said. "I can't go out there."
It would have been so easy for him to confirm the paintings through email or even by phone, but when he saw the pictures of the paintings, Lucas had to see them for himself. There was something about them that seemed familiar to him. They reminded him of a simpler time and not of New York. It reminded him of home.
His footsteps against the wooden floor echoed through the open gallery. There were paintings hung with care on the walls and other pieces of arts display on pedestals. Lucas was alone in the room, but he didn't seem to mind. It gave him the chance to take a closer look at the paintings. He was in awe of them.
Her heels clicked softly against the wood, giving away her presence in the room. Initially, she wasn't going to be very pleasant with Lucas, since he apparently hurt Peyton in the past, but Sam couldn't help but smile at him. He was cute. His eyes were also kind and warm. Lucas was nothing like she had pictured him.
"Hi, I'm Lucas Scott. I'm sorry I'm a bit early but I just couldn't wait to see your work in person."
"Thank you, Lucas. I'm Anna," Sam greeted, "Welcome to my studio."
Lucas studied the woman for a moment.
"Expecting someone else?" she asked when he hesitated.
Lucas shook his thoughts, "Sorry, it's just your name. Anna Silver, right?"
"No," Sam unintentionally slipped-up but quickly recovered, "I mean well, it's my band-name."
"Band-name?" his eyes narrowed. The term was oddly familiar to him.
"Yes, I just like to keep my anonymity, you know in case the critics hate my work." Sam joked.
"Oh, ok. It's just that," he said with embarrassment, "I lost touch with a good friend a while back and Anna Silver was her mother's maiden name and well, I know she's here."
Peyton froze behind the office door, where she was eavesdropping.
Lucas continued, "She's here in New York. Where? I'm not sure, yet, but I'll find her. Anyways, when I saw the name Anna Silver and the art work in the report…"
"You thought you found her. Sorry, the name must be a huge coincidence for you to hear."
Lucas uncomfortably laughed, "Yeah."
"So, this good friend of yours, does she have a name?"
"Yeah, Peyton Sawyer," he smiled. "She's an artist too. Or was. To be honest, I don't know anymore, but I hope she still is. Her work was inspiring."
"Inspiring?"
"Yeah, I know it was a long time ago, but it gave me the courage to step out from behind my father's shadow and start finding out who I really was."
Sam took note of his smile and glimmer in his eye when he spoke about her. Something definitely went on between this Lucas and Peyton, who was cowering in her office. Whatever it was, Peyton wasn't talking and Sam knew she would never get it out of her without prying some teeth. Lucas, on the other hand, seemed more willing.
"Would you like a little tour?" Sam suddenly asked.
"Sure."
Sam started to show Lucas the paintings in the middle of the room and made their way to the back of the room, towards where the office was also located.
"Your work, it's amazing. Are all of these yours?"
Sam shook her head, "No, the statues on display and some of the paintings upfront are done by some local artists."
Lucas continued to look around the room. There was one that caught his eye. It hung alone in the back of the room. It seemed to draw him over. "This one is…I don't know…is this one yours?"
For a split second, Sam forgot that she was impersonating Peyton, "Oh no…I mean yes. Yes it is."
Sam knew this piece well. It was one of the most popular works in the gallery. So many people had inquired about buying it the night before, but Peyton refused to sell it. She always said it had sentimental value and couldn't put a price on it.
"How much is it?"
"Oh, it's not for sale, yet."
"Would you mind me asking what your inspiration for this was?"
"It was inspired by a time in my life when nothing made sense…my world was turned upside down…but at the same time everything just made sense because I found…love" Suddenly it struck Sam. Her eyes left the painting and darted between Lucas and the office door behind him. "And then it just faded away."
"It's funny you should say that, because that's exactly what I thought of when I saw it. I mean, I had something like that one summer back in high school. So what do you call this painting?"
"Fading Summer,"
A silence fell. Sam stared at the office door. Lucas stared at the painting.
"I want to draw something that means something to someone. You know, I want to draw blind faith or a fading summer or… just a moment of clarity. It's like when you go and you see a really great band live for the first time, you know, and nobody's saying it but everybody's thinking it- "We have something to believe in again." I want to draw that feeling. But, I can't. And if I can't be great at it then I don't want to ruin it. It's too important to me," Peyton admitted before walking away from Lucas
"Yep. Me too," Lucas said softly.
Peyton looked at him as she got into her car, wondering what he meant, but her tough girl act took over. She looked away and started up her car.
"Hey, about your sketchbook?" Lucas called after her.
"What about them? They don't mean anything to anybody, do they?"
"And you drew this painting?" Lucas asked again. There was strange feeling that he just couldn't shake. It was too much of a coincidence.
"The one and only Anna Silver," Sam replied without lying completely. "So was this thing that you had that summer, was she your high school sweetheart by any chance?" Sam asked as she raised her voice.
Lucas looked at her strangely and didn't understand why she was practically yelling even though he was standing right next to her,
"You could say that."
Her voice seemed to get louder as if she were yelling to someone in the next room, "Was this the girl you were talking about earlier, Peyton Sawyer?"
Before Lucas could answer, a loud crash came from behind the office door. Both Sam and Lucas looked in that direction.
"Oh, that's probably just my assistant." Sam laughed. "She can be clumsy sometimes,"
"Should you check to see if she's ok?" Lucas started towards the door.
"NO!" Sam lunged into his pathway.
Lucas was taken aback by her reaction.
"It's just that, um, I'm working on some paintings back there and I don't like anyone seeing them until their done." she lied quickly.
Lucas nodded, "Ok, well I think I got everything I need here,"
"Great, if there is anything else, just give me a call or drop by anytime you like."
"I will. It was nice meeting you."
"You too, Lucas. I hope to see you again."
As soon as Lucas was out the door and out of sight, Sam smiled and headed back towards the office. She always knew that Peyton had a juicy past and whether Peyton liked it or not, Sam was finally going to learn it.
