“Harper! So glad you made it.” Bette says with a warm smile.

“Of course, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

“Where’s Shane?”

“She’s off getting us refills.”

“Oh good. Would you mind if I stole Tara for a moment? There are some people I’d like you to meet.” She smiles at Tara.

“Sounds great.” Tara says excitedly.

“We’ll talk more next week.” Harper hugs Tara. “And congratulations, this is wonderful.”

“Thank you. Tell Shane it was nice meeting her.”

“I will.”

Harper turns her attention back to the massive painting before her. She feels the presence of someone standing very near her, but can’t see who it is out of the corner of her eye. The painting quickly draws her back in, taking all of her attention.

“Captivating, isn’t it?” The British accent registers in Harper’s brain but not the words.

“I’m sorry?” Harper turns her head to see the woman addressing her.

“The painting,” The elegant looking brunette smiles and points at the art. “It’s rather captivating.”

“Yes, it is.” Harper looks back to it. “The colors are so rich.”

“They are.” The brunette agrees.

“The depth of field and texture are incredible. It… it looks like a photograph.”

“You sound quite knowledgeable on the subject. Are you a connoisseur or artist?” She moves a little closer to Harper.

Harper looks at her with a polite smile trying not to be bothered by the near invasion of her personal space. “A little of both I suppose.”

“Really? What kind of artist are you?” The brunette says.

“I do graphic art, mostly album art and posters. I used to do a lot with photography too.”

As Bette works her way through the crowd she catches sight of Helena talking to Harper. She pauses to watch for a moment just as an oblivious Shane walks by her. She notices her just in time to grab her arm and stop her.

“Hey, what’s up?” Shane asks with surprise.

“Look.” She points in the direction of Helena and Harper.

“No ***** way.” Shane starts to leave, but Bette stops her.

“Give it a minute, Harper’s a big girl. She knows what she’s doing.” Bette has a twinkle in her eye.

What Shane doesn’t know is Harper heard all about Helena on the day she and Bette went to visit Tina in the hospital.