Kiama smiled when she saw Madeline admiring a painting on the wall of the gallery. She approached the older woman and offered her a warm smile. “We have the same taste in art,” Kiama remarked.

Madeline turned to the young woman, then looked her up and down. “You seem to be in higher spirits than when we first met.” She smiled. “I do hope I was of some assistance with that.”

Kiama giggled. “Somebody with your taste, openness and pleasant demeanor? How could that not better my mood?”

Madeline gave a subtle nod to the voidborn woman. She appreciated her light sense of humor and tact with sensitive topics. “How are you doing with your breakup?” Madeline asked.

“My ex is no longer the man on my mind,” Kiama answered.

“Good. A smart, sophisticated young lady such as yourself should be focused on the present and the future. Never the past.” Madeline turned toward Kiama. “Take it from me. The past is good for learning, but the excitement of tomorrow will forever inspire.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Kiama replied with a nod. She folded her arms. “So are you here to see the new pieces on display?”

“I am here to pick up my painting,” Madeline answered. “I do enjoy looking around at what the local artists bring to the gallery. It always feels so quaint, but welcome.”

“I do like that myself,” Kiama said. “We are looking to have art shows more frequently to showcase local artists and to give students an idea of what the world of art is really like. The same gala type events with catering, press members, showing off some restorations and traveling exhibits…”

“I know where I’m getting my date for the next event. I assume you do as well?” Madeline asked.

Kiama blushed and averted her gaze. “I-I don’t think I could bring one of them to a show here,” she said meekly. She imagined needing to explain Leander to her friends and how they met. He was charming and fun but admitting his profession could feel awkward. More importantly, it would beg questions about her use of the agency.

“Why not? That is their job, too,” Madeline reasoned.

“W-where would I say I met my date?” Kiama asked.

“Generally you work that out yourself and tell them what to say,” Madeline answered. “But for a starting point, you can tell them that a friend introduced you. Not entirely untrue, no?”

Kiama shook off her embarrassment, then smiled, “I suppose not,” she conceded.

“You may want to start picking your date for the next event. Somebody attractive who you can also have conversation with throughout the night,” Madeline suggested.

Kiama sighed and shook her head. “I-I don’t know. The staff don’t need to have dates, do they?”

“Need to, no,” Madeline replied. “But it is nice to not need to find somebody else in attendance to talk with, right?”

Kiama shrugged. “That is true. I may need to really like the caterer otherwise.”

“You’re in charge of refreshments?” Madeline guessed. Kiama answered with an affirmative nod. “Then definitely get a date from Exotic Exports. Most of the time, caterers are too busy to converse about the finer points of art.”

Kiama sighed. “I suppose you have a point.”

***

In bed that night, Kiama looked through the various images from Exotic Exports. She had given Madeline’s suggestion sincere thought since there was at least a chance Remy would attend some of the events that would involve the museum. She was starting to get over him, but there were still the intrusive “what if” questions that weighed on her about her ex.

“I suppose I could always try out a few of them and see how conversation goes,” Kiama mused. She pulled up an image and moaned dreamily. “Oh this will be a fun way to pass the time…” She could only imagine the various attractive men would be somewhat comparable to Leander, and she intended to find out their appeal.