“I’m guessing that you’re not a fan of Uber.”
He scoffed before walking around the car and taking his seat next to her. “Absolutely not. Do you know how insecure that outfit is?”
“Not really. I don’t think about those things much anymore.”
“I doubt I’ll ever get there,” he said, shaking his head.
It was a short drive to the gallery, and once inside, Lynn was excited to spot a few of her friends. She asked Mike if he was okay with being introduced. To her surprise, he said yes.
She didn’t know what to call him, so she went with saying he was “an old coworker.”
“Oh, are you also an artist?” asked one of her friends.
Mike shook his head. “No, unfortunately not. But I’m a great admirer.”
“What do you do?”
“I just retired. I worked for Social Security.”
When they walked away from the group, Lynn asked him how long he’d been using the Social Security line.
“Oh, years. No one’s ever asked a follow-up question.”
She laughed. “I believe it.”
They walked around, taking in each of the exhibits. Mike had a lot of questions about style, and form, and medium. Lynn was happy to answer them. He’d always known a lot more about art than the rest of their coworkers, and he was as willing to learn as ever. He liked to say, “I’m not just another grunt, you know. I’m aculturedgrunt.”
That made her laugh, but there was truth to it. His genuine interest in art was another piece of the Mike Grady mystery. He had so many unique components to him, it was hard to tell what was real and what came from his undercover personas. Perhaps that was part of his charm.
It was getting busy, so they decided to take a break outside and have a drink. As they approached the front door, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up.
“Oh, this should be good,” Lynn said in a low voice. “Definitely someone who thinks that the sight of them at the gallery is the most spectacular exhibit.”
Mike cocked his head. “Do you know who it is?”
“Not yet…” Lynn watched as a woman in a silk suit stepped out of the car. “Oh, yes I do. She’s become quite an aficionado in the past few years. That’s Lorraine Benzini.”
Mike didn’t respond, and after Lorraine walked past them, Lynn turned to whisper something, only to find that he was gone.
She frowned. Now where had he disappeared to?
After Lynn looked for him inside the gallery, she pulled out her phone and found that he’d sent her a message. “Apologies. Did not expect the complications with that car.”
Ah, of course. Even though he hadn’t come in a disguise, Mike couldn’t help but find trouble wherever he went.
She dialed his number and he picked up right away. “It’s very rude to leave a lady hanging, you know.”
“I do know, and I’m sorry. There’s a great sushi restaurant around the corner. Would you like to join me?”
“Maybe. But first, do you want me to introduce you to Lorraine? She’s an interesting person, and you seemed to like her. I’m surprised that she didn’t bring her dog with her – ”
“Thank you, but no.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not dressed appropriately,” he quipped.
Lynn smiled. “I see. Well, send me the address and I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. I have to say my goodbyes.”
