Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Her mojo has definitely returned,” I say. “Those vases are spectacular.” I point to the shelves in the corner where Cora’s latest creations are stored. They’re colorful and exuberant. Exactly the kind of thing I’d have imagined the girl in front of me would create.
Today she’s wearing ripped denim dungarees and a lime-green cropped shirt that reveals the skin at her waist. On her feet are custom Converse that she’s painted to match the designs on her vases. She’s a walking explosion of color, which is in total contrast to me.
My work is stark and metal, polished and harsh, monotone and dramatic. I live in black. Black jeans and shirts. Black combat pants and tees. At most, I have a few gray items.
Cora’s my antithesis, my opposite in so many ways. But that seems just to make my stepsister more intriguing.
Is that gross? I know there’s a whole genre of porn associated with stepsibling relationships, but we haven’t grown up with each other. And none of us are referring to the fact that our parents are getting married. She’s just another woman, as far as I’m concerned, but she could feel very different.
Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.
I’m the oldest in this family, and I have to be the one that keeps us on the straight and narrow. Cora’s a temptation that needs to stay just that.
“Just keep going,” Cora says. “Spend another five minutes refining what you have while I use the bathroom, and then I’ll show you what we need to do next.
As soon as Cora disappears, I leave my skinny, sculptural vase and grab my phone, heading to the storage area. “What are you doing?” Mark asks, his eyes narrowing.
“Taking some pictures. Don’t say anything, but I’m sure I can get the buyer I work with to take a look at these, maybe even stock them.”
“Are you serious?” Tobias says.
“Absolutely.”
“You should definitely do that.” Mark stands to watch me take as many shots as I can while Cora’s out of the room. He turns to Naomi and Charli. “Can you keep this under wraps? Just until Alden finds out for sure if his contact is interested in talking to Cora?”
They glance at each other, sharing some unreadable communication. “I guess,” Naomi says.
She obviously doesn’t like the idea of keeping secrets from Cora, which makes her an awesome friend in my book. “I’d rather not make promises I can’t deliver,” Alden says from where he’s kneeling on the floor, working on getting the best angles for the images.
“I get that,” Charli says. “Anything you can do to get her work out to a wider audience would be awesome. I hate seeing her struggle so much. The longer it goes on, the more confidence she loses in what she’s doing. But she deserves all the recognition. Her stuff is way cooler than most of the stuff in the department stores.”
“It is,” I say, standing quickly, conscious that Cora could return at any moment.
And I’m right because I’m only a few steps away from the storage shelves when she reappears. “Everyone finished?” she asks breezily.
“Yep,” we all say, except Danny, who’s still frowning at his disappointment of a pot.
“Great.” She smiles and nods as though she’s happy at an afternoon well spent. I, for one, have had an awesome time working in a new medium, and it’s given me some ideas about juxtaposing clay and metal in my future work. “Now, I’m going to show you what happens next.”
We’re back home before three pm, and I head straight to my room, hooking up my phone to my computer and downloading all the images I took at Cora’s studio. I spend some time altering lighting and cropping the pictures to ensure the ceramics look their best. Then I open a new email, typing my contact’s address at the top and attaching all the images.
Hey Siobhan,
I’ve discovered a new talent who hasn’t yet been scouted by any other mainstream retailers. I thought you’d like an opportunity to view her work before she gets snapped up by a competitor. Her style mixes vibrant colors with unusual form to create exuberant works that draw the eye and is pleasing to the observer.
I’ll be happy to introduce you to Cora once you’ve taken a look.
Regards,
Alden
I send it before I have a chance to internally debate whether it’s a good idea or not. Naomi and Charli were on board, and they are Cora’s friends. Still, a small nagging doubt hangs in my mind. What if she feels that I’m interfering? What if she hates that I’ve gotten involved?
I guess I’ll have to face that possibility if Siobhan gets back to me with as much interest as I’m expecting. Cora deserves success, and I hope she’ll accept a helping hand to get there.
15
DANNY
The excitement of the past few days has been contagious.