Bette stopped her gentle stroking of Tina’s hair.  The blonde drew her head back slightly to look up at Bette, “Tried to clear things up with her.  William had been worried that our stiff exchange during the after-party a few nights ago would affect the discussions about the product placement, and had his assistant arrange a lunch with her.” 

She paused, and then sighed, “I was going to tell you all about it tonight.” 

They fell quiet. Bette resumed stroking Tina’s hair, occasionally kissing the top of her head. 

“She said your metaphor about the sun and the earth was poetic,” Tina murmured, smiling as she did. Bette was smiling also.

After a few minutes, Bette said softly, “You know nothing would have happened … or would ever happen … between her and I.” 

“I know, I know,” Tina responded.  “At least from your side, Bette.” 

“What do you mean from my side?,” Bette asked.  “I thought …” 

Tina sighed heavily. “Whatever that was … that crossed between you two  in her apartment – I’m betting got to her, Bette.  When I saw her in her kitchen she was pretty shaken up.  And even at lunch, at times she looked pretty distraught.  Plus, she indicated that much during our lunch.” 

Tina shook her head, remembering what she and Marissa talked about during the mostly liquid lunch. She continued, “So, yeah, she says she’s talked it out with Wendy, also, and that they’re getting back on track. They seem to be serious about having that baby.  She’s focused on all that right now.  At least that’s what it seemed like, to me.”

Bette wrinkled her eyebrows, “But what about the art collection?  What is she going to do?” 

Tina shrugged, “She doesn’t seem to have prioritized that, right now.  She’s gone in a completely different direction.  Whatever was seriously worrying her before, she’s just totally tuned it out.  I think she’ll just have it all moved to the Luxembourg facility … wherever that is. Then she says she’ll just revisit it after the baby.” 

Bette sat back, stunned.  She continued to stroke Tina’s hair, but her thoughts were on the art collection.  It had never been displayed in its totality, but there had been some key pieces that been lent, on occasion, to various museums around the world, including several that formed the anchor paintings for blockbuster retrospectives on Monet and another on Van Gogh.  Even a recent major sculpture retrospective of Calder had featured several holdings from the Wheeler collection.  Marissa’s own acquisition of street-based and video art showed that the collection had expanded to encompass a broader range, with the incorporation of masterpieces of up-to-date art forms by Marissa.