Page 15 of Fast Currents
Fuck that.
“I… I shouldn’t have said anything. Chaz is my boss.”
“And a royal prick.” I forced a smile. “I’m sure you’re wonderful with the artists. You’ve always taken great care of me.”
Janine flushed, making me sad that such a small compliment had an impact on her. “Thanks, Lucy. I enjoy working with you.”
“Liar.” I snorted, adding a smile to soften my denial. “You’re sweeter than I deserve. I know I was a pill about the staging for my last chandelier.”
She lifted her shoulder. “It’s all part of the job.”
“Well, you do yours very well. If we had more traffic at my studio, I’d hire you in a flash.” I shuddered. “No one really wants me interacting with the public.”
“I don’t buy that for a minute.”
“Last week, I was five pieces of candy from leaving a trail to my oven for the twin girls and their tourist parents who tramped around for a solid hour, I kid you not, putting fingerprints on every piece on display. Those Brothers Grimm must not have liked trespassers either.” Janine hid a smile behind her hand. I scrunched my nose. “Or, pardon me – art connoisseurs.”
I set my groceries on the belt. “Anyway, I hope you stay busy at the gallery. If you’re really bored, we should talk. I might not be able to afford full-time help, but for the summers at least, I’d love a part-timer.”
Janine smiled, the kind that said she didn’t think I was serious.
“I – I shouldn’t have said anything about Chaz or the gallery. You won’t tell him, right? He doesn’t like it when I talk about the business side of things. Says it’s all confidential. Please, just forget I mentioned A.A.” She laughed, but it sounded forced. “He always says mystery sells.”
Her words didn’t sit right.
I’d always chalked Chaz up as a little eccentric – flamboyant and a little obsessive, sure, but not dangerous. More quirky than creepy. But Janine looked genuinely nervous, like she’d said too much. Like even bringing up A.A.’s name might get her in trouble.
I wanted to press, asked her more about their anonymous artist, but something in her expression stopped me. Her smile had gone brittle, hands fidgeting with her reusable tote.
Maybe I was reading too much into it. Janine was sweet.Toosweet sometimes. The kind of person who apologized when you bumped intoher.
Was I overreacting? Seeing shadows where there weren’t any?
“See you around, Lucy.”
I swiped my card and grabbed my bag but couldn’t shake the image of Janine behind me, fiddling with the hem of her shirt like she wanted to disappear. If Chaz really didn’t want her “scaring off the artist,” maybe the artist wasn’t the one who needed protecting.
Chapter 8 – Lucy
Vi’s text Saturday took me a moment to decipher. I’d just finished adding new pieces to inventory, complete with pricing and tags.
Vi: Ahoy! Come o'er fer grub 'n we'll celebrate Natter Like a Pirate Day. Thar will be a forfeit fer failin' t' TLAP.
TLAP? Oh.Talk Like a Pirate. She and her gaming friends must be on a 7thSea gaming kick. Either that, or this was Gran’s influence. Boozy violence and theft seemed right up her alley.
Either way, it was likely to be an entertaining evening. I was tempted to text Rae and make a side bet on how long it would take Lee to forfeit. My guess was two-point-five seconds. Then again, it was Vi. If it made her smile, he might be willing to adopt a funny dialect.
Lucy: Aye, I’ll be thar.
Vi: Arrrr.
An elderly couple wandered in five minutes before closing. As much as I wanted to turn them away, sales paid my bills.
“Can I help you find anything?” I asked, painting on my customer smile.
“Just browsing at the moment,” the woman said.
The man walked through the aisles of the showroom before taking up residence in the corner and pulling out his phone. His wife proceeded to inspect each and every glass ornament, paperweight, and vase, asking questions.How long did this piece take to make?About an hour.Had I ever burned myself?Loads of times.Is glass blowing dangerous?Only if you do it wrong. My answers got shorter and shorter, my smile tighter. She lingered, one hand on the sculpture of a fat cat with a decidedly Cheshire smile.
