Helena giggled, obviously finding their banter entertaining. “I told him he needs to find a better tutor.” She looked at Neo. “And you should also find some more people to practice with.”
“That’s how I became fluent in Greek,” Jordan proudly announced. “By talking with anyone and everyone I could. Even when I knew I sounded ridiculous…”
Helena sipped her wine and nodded. “It’s the best way to learn any language. I improved my English by working as a tour guide for the British and American groups in Athens. And for Mandarin, I would watch Chinese soap operas, then chat with people online about all the different story lines.”
“Oh, that’s right up Neo’s alley,” Raph teased. “He was always watching ‘As the Earth Spins’ and ‘The Best Days of Our Lives’ with mom when we were growing up.”
“Don’t forget about ‘The Old and Hideous’.” Tele quipped.
Jordan rolled her eyes and leaned into the sofa’s side arm, sipping her wine as she surveyed the spectacle unfolding before her.
“Laugh all you want,” Neo said coolly, soaking his bread in olive juice and feta. “What they won’t tell you, Helena, is that I recently secured fifty-million dollars in financing after a lively debate with an investor’s wife about whether or not Julie should have stayed with Christopher now that Kelly is back in town after she disappeared to have Mark’s baby and then gave it up for adoption.”
“Oh, Julie was never going to stay with him!” Jordan baulked. “After his affair with her stepmom last year? Not a chance in hell.”
“Oh, come on, Mom. He thought Carol-Ann was Julie!”
“The first time, maybe…” Jordan muttered, taking another swig of Chardonnay.
Raph elbowed a thoroughly amused Helena. “See what I mean?”
“So, Helena,” Tele piped in, eager to change the subject. “You essentially hunt down priceless art for wealthy collectors?”
“I connect artists with enthusiasts who can appreciate their vision,” Helena corrected. “They can be wealthy collectors, yes, but sometimes I represent galleries or museums, or even individuals from modest backgrounds who are trying to recover stolen artifacts. And you’d be surprised how many fake pieces are circulating. Sometimes I’m called to verify authenticity.”
“That sounds like very rewarding work,” Jordan said. “But I imagine challenging at times.”
“Very, but that’s what makes it fun. For example, last month I spent two weeks tracking down a painter in Manila, who’d suddenly decided he wasn’t going to sell his work to anyone outside of Asia. The fact that my U.S. based client was Indonesian didn’t seem to matter.”
“It sounds like he didn’t want to give up control,” Neo offered.
“No, he did not. Few artists do, but I can’t always blame them. Too often their vision is cut and copied and interpreted within a context that does not honor its original intentions. My own mother was very protective of her artistic expression…and very selective about how her work was shown, so I could understand his position.”
In that moment, Raph clocked each member of his family watching Helena with wonder in their eyes, and imagined––no, hoped––they were falling in love with her, too. Her beauty, intelligence, thoughtfulness, and bright spirit had captivated Raph from the start, and it appeared to be having the same effect on his mom and brothers.
“Did you finally convince him to sell?” Neo mumbled with a mouthful of crusted bread.
“Eventually. It took nearly two bottles of his homemade lambanog and a promise that if my client ever wanted to part with the piece, she’d sell only to him or to another Asian buyer.” Helena’s smile turned mischievous. “Of course, I didn’t mention that my client is in the process of opening a gallery in Indonesia, specifically to house her collection when she eventually retires. The best deals are the ones where everyone thinks they’re getting exactly what they want.”
Tele laughed, the sound rich with appreciation as he reached for a handful of salted peanuts, tossing them into his open mouth as though he were at a ballgame. “You’re either incredibly brilliant or just refreshingly honest.”
“Can’t I be both?” Helena shot back, and Raph watched his youngest brother’s face light up with delight.
“Oh, I like her,” Tele announced, raising his wine glass to Raph. “Finally, a woman who can match our family’s finesse.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?” Neo asked dryly, over the rim of his glass. “Finesse?”
Tele nodded emphatically “Like when thirteen-year-old Raph told our mother he was ‘expanding his scientific worldview’ instead of admitting he was going out to play poker with a group of fraternity brothers who’d rented the neighboring estate.”
“You didn’t!” Helena turned to Raph with eyes wide.
“Oh, yes he did,” Jordan confirmed with a chuckle.
“I was studying probability theory,” Raph said, his tone deliberately serious. “The poker was just practical application.”
“And the fact that you won three thousand dollars that night?” Jordan asked.
“Happy accident.” Raph grinned as Helena dissolved into laughter, the sound rippling through the room, infecting everyone in its wake.
