Stroke of Love

Chapter 6: Getting to Know You

Cheryl was pleased by the mellow chime of the doorbell. Very English.

The housekeeper was straight from a book. Elegant, well-spoken and so clean!

Mrs. Brown led Cheryl Pickert to Karen's room with a smile. Cheryl was delighted by the decor all around her, the entire way to the guest's floor.

She loved the striped detail, the handsome staircase- because a solid wood like the one under her hand could only be described as handsome. Everything tastefully spoke of wealth. It was in excellent condition and Cheryl couldn't have picked a better place for her friend to convalesce than this stylish haven.

Karen's door was ajar and Mrs. Brown knocked softly.

"Come in!"

Cheryl grinned at the sound of her friend's southern sigh. Mrs. Brown ushered her in and left the two young ladies alone.

"Darling, you should get your arms broken more often! This room is beautiful..." she said enthusiastically while carefully hugging the smaller woman.

Cheryl was tall and her dark brown hair fell down her back in layers, framing her oval face in which dazzling blue eyes sat under fine, straight eyebrows. Right now, her naturally pink lips were spread in a naughty smile.

"When do I get to meet your handsome British villain?"

"He's not my anything!" protested a laughing Karen as Cheryl flopped onto the bed. "And he's certainly not a villain!"

"Evidently not," Cheryl murmured, appreciating the fine linen. Then she looked up and patted the bed next to her. "Come on, don't keep me in suspense! Tell me about Jay Madison."

So Karen told her how they'd met, how horrible missing the interview with Madeline Cabot had felt and how Jay had come in handy for accommodation.

Cheryl listened attentively, making sympathetic noises in all the right places, chuckling about the water problem, but by the end of the account she was all but dancing on the bed with excitement.

"This is exactly what you need!"

Karen knew that her friend could only mean one of a few things so she decided to venture a simple question. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing he's an art dealer and he owns one of the classiest art galleries in North America, with an awesome selection of modern artists work."

Karen had thought of that. "Yes, but-"

"Wait. And he obviously takes you seriously if he wants to see your stuff- or at least willing to see if you're worth taking seriously. You could get some great exposure." She ticked the points off on her long fingers. "Secondly, now that you're not house-hunting, you can finish all your works in progress. I am dying to see the legendary studio by the way. Thirdly, my lovely southern belle, he's a hell of a lot more interesting than Harry!"

"But-"

"I know you're not dating Harry, but you need to live a little more, meet new people."

"I meet people all the time, Cheryl."

"Ha! Of course you do- your speechless students don't count. You haven't even accepted a single of my invitations."

"Because I'm always busy!" she protested laughingly.

"Well, thank God for Mr. Madison because all the time you used to spend commuting has been cut in half, although your Daddy's beautiful gift will get even less exercise," she finished with a sniff, thinking of her friend's car.