Page 100 of By Rude Strength

Brandon grinned and then cleared his throat. “Sorry to break up the party, but uh, I gotta go make a special announcement.” He nodded at LA. “You might wanna be sitting down for this.”

“Totally not concerning at all,” LA muttered, his pulse fluttering wildly.

“Here, let’s get you back in your chair, sweetheart.” Cass offered his arm to lead LA back into his seat and then stood beside him, his hand on LA’s shoulder. “I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful news!”

LA grumbled. “How can you be so sure?”

“Well, certainly he wouldn’t be going over there to make someawfulannouncement, would he?” Cass kissed the top of LA’s head. “He did say it was special, after all.”

LA grimaced.

Brandon whistled loudly as he stood in front of the gallery, Georgina at his side. He cleared his throat, speaking up as he said, “Hey! Could I have everyone’s attention, please? Hi!” He grinned, waiting for the chatter of the crowd to die down. “First of all, I want to thank you all for coming out and making another Community Art Night such an awesome success!”

Everyone cheered and clapped.

Brandon waited politely for the applause to die down. “I also want to thank our artist for the evening, LA Holmes. He’s been out of the world for a while, but I am so, so happy that he’s back and that he shared his incredible art with us.”

More cheering.

LA waved awkwardly and then clung to Cass’s hand, wishing it was a big furry paw right about now.

“Now, most of you know Georgina.” Brandon gestured to her with a grin. “And you know what an awesome supporter she is and how much she loves our community here. So, I’ll let her take it from here.”

Georgina waved to everyone, laughing when she got applause too. “Come on now!” she scolded lightly. “Please, let’s have another round of applause for Brandon and Kevin, without whom this wonderful evening wouldn’t even be possible!”

LA clapped as hard as he could, whooping along with the rest of the crowd.

“Now!” Georgina smiled slyly. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m afraid to say that I have purchased the entirety of the gallery. So, if anyone wants to see the art of Mr. Holmes again, they’ll have to come to one of my little parties until he blesses us with some new work.”

LA’s hands dropped along with his jaw, and he stared dumbly.

Cass squeaked and the air was instantly filled with bubbles.

Luckily, no one seemed to question it.

The applause was deafening, but Georgina still had more to say. She waited again for the noise to quiet. “Also, I am thrilled to announce that one of his works, that stunning one with the trees, will be a permanent feature of the Upcycled Art Collection at the Schumacher Art Museum.”

Cass squealed and even more bubbles appeared.

LA thought he might throw up.

Or scream.

Maybe both.

He should probably stand. Something. He should probably say something. Everyone was staring at him now and he gulped, unsteadily rising to his feet.

Cass was right there to help him and wrapped a supportive arm around him. He leaned in to kiss LA’s cheek, whispering, “This is your moment, sweetheart. It’s yours to do whatever you want with. You can just wave and sit back down if you’d like.”

“Thank you,” LA whispered back. “Don’t worry. I got this.”

Cass grinned and rubbed his hip. “Heck yes, you do.”

LA took a deep breath, raising his voice so everyone could hear him as he said, “Wow, thank you! Thank you everyone! I am seriously stunned by your kindness and support for my work. Thank you to Brandon and Kevin for dragging me out of my cave and being better friends than I deserve. I love you both so much. Thank you, Georgina, for your incredible generosity. I…” His eyes burned a little but he smiled. “Thank you.”

There were a few aw’s mixed in with the applause and LA quickly sat back down, wiping at his face before any tears could escape.

“That was perfect, Elly.” Cass nuzzled the top of his head.