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A tuxedo-clad usher greetsa seat And boy did I need help There were at least two hundred chairs lined up in front of a e, set in front of a baythat was essentially the entire wall, and alle chair was taken

I squeeze into a center row, between a ish light-blond hair to his jeans and a blazer, and a fifty-so woman who is more than a little irritated to have to let ood looking and I’ve never been one to be easily impressed I know too well that beauty is too often only skin deep

"You’re late," thehis lips, his green eyes crinkling at the edges, ure hies, and good at reading people My kids at school often found that out when they were up to no good

I s instantly comfortable with him when, aside froers "And you forgot to pick up your tux, I see," I tease In fact, I wonder how he pulled off getting in here dressed as he is

He runs his hand over his sandy blond, one-day stubble that bordered on two days "At least I shaved"

My smile widens and I intend to reply but a screech fronize froe and stands next to the sheet covering a display, no doubt his newest masterpiece Suave and James-Bond-esque in his tuxedo, he is the polar opposite of the man next to me

"Welcome one and all," he says in a voice richly accented with Hispanic heritage, as is his work "I aAnd so I give you what I call Chiquitos, or in English, Little Ones"

He tears away the sheet, and everyone gasps at the unexpected piece of art that is nothing like anything he’s done before Rather than a landscape, it is a portrait of three children, all of different nationalities, holding hands It is a well-executed work appropriate for the occasion, though secretly, I had wished for a landscape where his brilliance shone

The man next to me leans an elbow on his knee and lowers his voice "What do you think?"

"It’s perfect for the evening," I say cautiously

"Oh so diplomatic," he says with a low chuckle "You wanted a landscape"