Gateway to Heaven by Beth Kery Read Free Book Online Page B

fingers through his hair instead.
    “ Christ. I’m sorry. Look, I’m an ass. I didn’t expect you to sleep with me. I mean, I did , in all honesty, but not here, not now…” He took in her expression and seemed to realize he was digging himself a deeper hole. He rolled his eyes upward and his mouth drew into a hard line.
    Megan stood as if rooted to the spot when he walked past her and headed for the door. He hesitated for a second, his back to her.
    “ It was that thing you said about us being different that set me off,” he muttered.
    The silence seemingly lasted forever, but it paradoxically didn’t last the length of her indrawn breath.
    The door clicked softly shut behind him.
     
     
     
    Chapter 3
    Megan smoothed out the final touches of a clay sculpture with a metal kidney tool. Her absorption was so complete that she only became aware that someone was calling her name by degrees. Reluctantly, she transferred her awareness to the source of the voice. She regretted having to break her deep concentration. Not only was her trance-like focus good for her work, it served as an escape from her troublesome thoughts as of late.
    “ Hi, Randy. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come up.”
    Megan didn’t feel too guilty about being so distracted because Randy Rosenfeld was equally as preoccupied as he studied her latest piece. As usual she tensed with uneasiness as she watched him make a close inspection of her work. She was always self-conscious about having others view her art, but having someone look at this piece made her feel even more prickly with anxiety than usual.
    Randy was one of two owners of the Rosenfeld & Epner gallery and the studio where she taught sculpting three times per week. Earth was the shorthand name for the classroom studio, named Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Spirit . Megan thought the alchemical name was especially appropriate for the art of sculpting, since the medium utilized all of those things. But sculpting wasn’t the only class that was taught at Earth. Two other artists, including her good friend Tina, offered classes in drawing and metal sculpture. The artist instructors also had the added advantage of private studio space in which they could concentrate on their own work.
    The big bonus for Megan was that Randy and Nancy Epner let her use their kiln and furnace, both for her personal work and for the classes. Earth had been successful, mostly due to the large population influx to the near-west side, a mixture of empty nesters who wanted to live in the vibrant downtown area during their retirement and young professionals who desired the convenience of living close to their Loop workplaces.
    Randy finally met her eyes with a warm, appreciative gaze. He’d asked her out a few months ago and Megan had agreed to dinner. Initially, she’d found it appealing that Randy was from New York and that he didn’t know anything about Megan or her past. He was nice, attractive enough and very successful for his age.
    But by the end of the evening she knew that Randy was left in little doubt about the unlikelihood of the relationship. Megan was only relieved that he hadn’t asked her out again. She recalled how she’d dreaded his kiss goodnight. It hadn’t remotely resembled the experience with Christian. It wasn’t really fair—either to Randy or to herself—to compare the two kisses…
    … or the two men.
    Besides, where was Christian now? At least Randy was standing right in front of her. She hadn’t heard from Christian or seen him for days, and according to Jeff—the doorman at their building—she shouldn’t plan on seeing Christian for a longer than that, if ever again.
    “ It’s beautiful, the way you caught the emotions on her face right at the knife’s edge of longing and uncertainty. I hope you plan to cast it in bronze.”
    Megan nodded, glad to have something else to focus on besides the emotional tumult that had gone into her art. “This one is ready for wax now.”
    “