“Are you serious?”

“Absolutely”

Bette came out of her reverie and continued. “I turned down the Directorship at the CAC and went to work with Ivan. He stepped back and let me run the show with little interference but a lot of encouragement and guidance. I came up with the concept of showcasing ’Emerging Artists’ and its success exceeded both our expectations. We’ve made some amazing new discoveries. My financial investments and inheritances from both my parents afforded me the opportunity to take full ownership of the gallery when Ivan decided to retire. That was two years ago. “

“What about James what’s his background?”

“I recruited James from the Masters’ program at CU initially as a summer intern but he was such a great asset that I offered him a permanent position as gallery manager and resident curator. He’s incredibly talented. I owe much of the gallery’s success to him.”

Peggy could easily see that Bette was just as loyal to James as he was to her.

“Peggy the Porter Art Gallery is known for supporting and endorsing emerging artists but I can assure you that my expertise is consulting with an exclusive clientele to build private collections. When Ivan retired he entrusted me with his personal client list all of whom have the utmost trust and respect for him. Like you they are all affluent serious collectors and patrons of the art world. I can provide several personal and professional references to help allay your concerns in my abilities.”

“Bette I apologize if I offended you earlier. Ivan sings your praises and I’ve already spoken to several of your clients who concur. You are young but I have a good feeling about you. I can usually trust my first instincts about people. I have a major undertaking in mind and I need someone that will be as committed as I am to see it to completion.”

“I can fully appreciate that Peggy. Art is not a hobby for me. It’s my life’s passion and my life’s work. I don’t give my commitment lightly. Can you tell me what you have in mind?”

“I’m investing several million dollars to build my private art collection. My husband calls it my ‘passion project’. He doesn’t take it seriously but like you this is not a hobby for me Bette. I am very passionate about art too. Although I admit to collecting artwork more for beauty than investment my goal is to amass a worthy collection. I’m sure you can appreciate the amount of work to say nothing of the financial and emotional investment it will take to bring this vision to fruition.”