She folded her arms over her iPad. “For how long?”
“For good.”
Jensen gave me a salute. “I’ll leave you guys to it. Cool sculptures, man. You made me want to try metal work. Turns out I’m better with spray paint and a pen.”
“It’s easier on the body.”
Jensen gave a sharp laugh. “Nice one.”
Lyric’s eyes widened. “Since when did you have a sense of humor?” she asked when the guy disappeared around a display case.
“I have one.”
“No, you don’t.”
I rolled my eyes. Macy and Dahlia must’ve been rubbing off on me. “I just wanted to check in on you.”
“I send you my monthly reports. Which I’m pretty sure you don’t open.”
“What makes you say that?”
She cocked her hip. “Because I ask for a million Red Hots every month.”
“I’d probably eat them. Speaking of, I could use a refill.”
She sighed and pointed me in the direction of the wall on the other side of the room. “Retro candy is over here.”
“Ouch.”
“Does surprisingly well.”
I grabbed a bag and filled it with the spicy candy, tossing a few in my mouth before using a twist tie to close it up. “I bought the old Barrows mansion on the lake.”
“No. You did? How did I not hear about that?”
“Just did it. You don’t need me in here to run things. You’re doing just fine, but I wanted to let you know I was back in town. And I wanted to look around, make sure everything was good after the fire.”
“You couldn’t warn a girl?” She glanced around. “We’re in serious restocking session from a field trip. Seniors were bored and descended.”
“Sounds like a good problem to have. But honestly, it looks great in here. You don’t need my input. I just wanted to make sure the place was still standing.”
“If you actually looked at your email, you’d be aware of what was going on.”
“Lyric, that was exactly why I hired you. I couldn’t hold a regular job. What makes you think I can run this place?”
“Then why did you buy it?”
“I had my reasons. You’re doing great.”
“I have some expansion ideas.”
I snorted. “Of course you do.”
“I’m serious.”
I was itchy to get out of the space. Having all my sculptures staring at me left me out of sorts. A different me had created them. One I wasn’t sure would ever come back. Maybe he didn’t deserve to.
“Tell you what. Schedule in a time where we can do a long lunch. I’ll listen to what you have to say and we can make up a game plan.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. You’ve been running this place for years, Lyric. If you have ideas for some new expansions, I’m willing to listen. You’ve proven yourself.”
“I...” She swallowed. “Thank you.”
The fact that she was so taken aback told me I’d been woefully out of pocket when it came to support. Shocker. I was failing at every turn. “We’ll talk.”
“Okay. I’ll be in touch.”
I nodded and strode for the door.
“And Nolan?”
I turned back.
“Answer your damn phone when I call.”
I grinned and left without a reply. I was willing to listen to her proposal, but that didn’t mean I was miraculously going to answer my phone. But we’d figure it out.
