Liz followed them around for another hour as Andrea gushed over Jamie’s talent. Clay and Hayden spoke cordially about everything from the newspaper to Brady’s election to Clay’s experience at Yale to the weather. Liz interjected only when she thought that it was veering too close to talk of Brady, but Clay didn’t know that she had been with Brady over the summer, so it wasn’t like that could come up. It turned out by the end of the conversation that she had freaked out for nothing.

Andrea purchased ten of Jamie’s paintings out of a single collection, and told Jamie that she would be a collector for life. Liz couldn’t even think of ten walls in her house where she could hang artwork. Then again, Andrea had a trust fund, and was dating a man who would most certainly move on to become a very prominent attorney . . . she probably had a bigger house than the one Liz lived in.

Clay shook Hayden’s hand as Andrea started for the door. Liz moved forward to say good-bye, but Clay pulled her aside. Hayden moved to talk to Jamie and didn’t even object to his girlfriend being taken away. She figured Clay must have charmed him in a way that only the Maxwell men were capable of.

“So,” Clay said as they walked slowly toward the exit.

“So,” she repeated.

“He’s in love with you.”

“What?” Liz snapped. She hadn’t been expecting that at all. Which was likely why he had said it.

“Yeah. I’ll be in town the next two days. We should find time to meet up again.”

Liz shook her head, still dazed from his assumption. “I’m not going to meet up with you. I know what that entails.”

“But you don’t love him,” Clay said, turning to face Liz.

“We haven’t been dating that long. Ugh! Why am I even justifying any of this to you?” she asked, turning to go.

“Hey. Don’t be angry.” He grabbed her elbow. “It really is good to see you.”

“Still not going home with you, Clay.”

He smiled in that way that made his dimples appear. “Next time then.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Good luck.”

“I don’t need luck,” he said with a wink as he walked back toward Andrea.

Liz watched him walk out of the art exhibition. Her whole body trembled with the exertion of keeping herself together. Clay riled her up so easily, but she wouldn’t let him get to her.

So she didn’t love Hayden. She didn’t have to love someone she had only been dating for two months. It didn’t matter that she had fallen for Brady in a similar amount of time. She couldn’t compare the two men. She needed to stop doing it. Right. Now.

“Hey,” Hayden said, walking up behind her and whispering into her ear. She nearly jumped out of her skin and he just laughed. “Come with me.”

“All right,” she said, taking a deep breath and turning away from the exit.

“Thanks for introducing me to Clay. He seems like a good guy.”

Liz held in her hmph.

“Jamie is freaking out about his girlfriend’s purchase.”

“That’s good,” she said. At least someone had gotten something out of the day’s events.

“Will you just stand over here with Jamie for a minute?” Hayden asked.

“Why?”

Hayden smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her into a hug. She breathed into him, feeling every ounce of what Clay had said washing over her.

Christ, he loves me.

“Just trust me,” Hayden said softly. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

Liz walked over and stood next to Jamie, who was chatting enthusiastically with Meredith about the event. Liz heard Andrea’s name come up at least five times while she was waiting.

The room had cleared out already. Liz hadn’t realized it was going to be such a short event, but apparently the exhibition stayed open for a couple months. The grand opening was just the initial preview. Jamie said that she had never sold more than one piece opening night. And besides Andrea’s purchases, two other couples had each bought a painting from the collection. Jamie was stunned and excited that her work was finally gaining momentum, and she couldn’t stop bouncing from foot to foot like a little fairy.

Hayden reappeared a couple minutes later with James, holding on to a nice bottle of champagne and some glasses. He popped it open and handed out the glasses. Jamie giggled the entire time, glowing radiantly from the celebration and forgetting how badly champagne had treated her the night before.

“I would like to propose a toast,” James said, his hand shaking lightly as he held his flute out. Everyone followed his lead and raised their glasses into the air. “To my beautiful girlfriend . . . and her successful art exhibition. Just the start . . . to a long-lasting career for the . . . brilliant artist I have come to love.”

Liz smiled at the glowing couple. James had had trouble getting some of the words out; he was practically stammering. It was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. He was so proud of her that he could barely even speak. Jamie let out an aww at his speech.

“To Jamie!” the group chorused, and they all tipped their champagne glasses in a toast.

“Y’all are too sweet,” Jamie crooned.

James handed Hayden his glass of champagne and then sank to his knee right in the middle of the art exhibition. Jamie stared at him, shocked, and then looked around as if she couldn’t believe what was going on.

“Jamie,” James began softly, “I’ve loved you since the first day I met you. I have loved you every day since. And I want to love you every single day after that. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?” he asked, producing a black box from his pocket.

Jamie screamed at the top of her lungs and launched herself at him. Her glass toppled to the ground, discarded in her haste. It landed on the wood and shattered, but Jamie didn’t give it a second glance. Her arms were wrapped around James’s neck and he was struggling to stand as he laughed at her enthusiasm. Liz could see that through her excitement, Jamie’s body was shaking with tears.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God,” Jamie said over and over again. “I can’t believe this. Yes! I want to marry you. Yes!”

He laughed and kissed her full on the mouth.

Without even knowing it, Liz had moved closer to Hayden. He was looking straight at her and Liz just smiled. “You knew,” she whispered.