“Okay? You told me when you left that you’d only be gone for a few days. But now it’s a month.” She grumbled. “This is Bea, right? Do I have to fly out there to fix things? Because I will. I’ll give her a piece of my mind that she’ll never forget.”
“Whoa, Wanda. Chill. It’s complicated, but I’ve got it under control.”
I had to force myself not to laugh out loud at that statement. I’ve got it under control, indeed. I didn’t have anything under control. But Wanda needed assurances, and this was the best I could do.
“Are you sure, Dee? We need you. Let me tell you a little something that happened this morning. . .” I settled in for what I knew would be more than a little something. “Some guy came in and asked if you did commissions. He’s building a fancy home and wants you to make two huge urns to flank the entranceway. It would be so cool to do work on that scale, and I know you’re intrigued by the idea. I mean, how amazing would it be to paint monster urns that filled your studio? They’d probably need a crane to deliver them through the skylights.” She let out a short giggle, clearly taken by the thrill of it all. “Anyway, I got his card and promised you’d get back to him, but if you aren’t going to be able to do this, you have to tell me so he can make other arrangements.” She stopped and took a breath. “Tell the truth. Do you really have it under control?”
Oops, busted. I gave her an appreciative chuckle. Wanda could wear anyone down with talk; it was one of her skills. I’d even seen her make things up on the fly, spinning tall tales like a true con artist. That might be the reason we’d become such close friends—fellow tricksters.
“Yes, Wanda. It’s all under control. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Sorry, girl. At least Roman won’t be upset.”
“Roman won’t even notice you’re gone.” She shot out a brief laugh, then fell into a long, exaggerated breath. “But I do. Looks like I’m in mourning now. I’m going to have to wear a dark veil tomorrow.” Wanda liked to express herself with hats, so tomorrow’s veil would be her secret way of telling everyone that I was temporarily lost to her. She always posted her hat of the day online, and I couldn’t wait to see this one.