“It’s good to remember the pecking order around here.” Pushing off the chair, Krista opened the box, then put the cheaters back on to take a close look.
She’d gone with small prints, wildflower studies, a series of four of the inlet, one of the marina, another set of nurse logs.
“They’re beautifully matted and framed. You do that yourself?”
“Part of the process, yes.”
“I can sell these.” She propped a pair against the box, stepped back, nodded. “Yes, we can sell these. In fact, with the tour, we can sell some of these as soon as we get them on the floor.”
She took off the cheaters again, tapped them against her hand. Then named her price point. “Standard sixty-forty,” she added.
“That works for me.”
“Good, because I really want them. And I can take more, especially of local flora and fauna, local water scenes, town scenes. I can sell them as unframed prints, too. We can think about that. I’d love the inlet and marina shots as postcards.”
“I can do postcards.”
Turning, Krista wrapped an arm around Jenny’s shoulders in an easy, unstudied way that told Naomi they were good friends. “She can do postcards. Do you know how long I’ve wanted classy postcards?”
Jenny grinned, slid her arm around Krista’s waist. “Since you opened.”
“Since I opened. I’ll take two dozen postcards right off, as soon as you can get them to me. No, three. Three dozen. I can sell a dozen to the B-and-B in a flash.”
“A variety of shots?”
“Dealer’s choice,” Krista confirmed. “Jen, get these priced and out on the floor. Pick your spot. She’s my right hand,” she told Naomi. “Even if she’s planning to leave me in the lurch.”
“Not for months yet. I know just where to put these.” Jenny stacked them back in the box, hefted it.
“If you’ve got a few minutes, Naomi, I’ll print out the contract for what we’re taking.”
“Sure.”
“Don’t leave without seeing me,” Jenny said, and went out to work on the display.
“I’m going to do an order sheet for the postcards while I’m at it. How’s work going up on the bluff?”
“Really well, which is why I need those candle stands, the sinuous ones. They need to be in my library. I think the mirror’s for the foyer. But . . . it needs to be in there somewhere. And whatever smells so damn good out there.”
“That’s mock orange in our diffusers today.”
“I’m told I need thosethe plants. I think I need them in the diffusers, too.”
“Tell Jenny you get oneon the house. We’re going to make some money together, Naomi.”
She left with more than she’d taken in, justified the purchases. The house needed things, and Krista was right. They’d make some money together. No question of it, as four of the framed prints sold before Jenny rang her up.
“We’ve got work to do, Tag.”
She clipped the leash on him when he was too distracted with joy to object, loaded her purchases in, got her camera and backpack out.
“Let’s take that walk and make some postcards.”
By the time she got home, the crew was knocking off, again proving the advantage of men in the house. The tile team carried her groceries in while Kevin grabbed her gift shop finds.
“I guess you saw Jenny.”
“And it cost me. But I also now have art displayed by her handsand a contract for more.” She stopped in the living room, felt the satisfaction of a day well spent kick up another notch. “You finished the crown molding! It just makes the room.”
“It’s a busy day. Why don’t we go up, and you can see what else we finished?”
“If you’re talking about my bathroom, I may break down in tears.”
With a grin, he tapped her arm. “Grab some tissues.”
She nearly needed them.
“You can’t walk on it until tomorrow,” he warned.
“It’s okay. Actually going in might bring me to my knees. It’s beautiful, Kevin. It’s beautiful work. Everything.”
She’d wanted muted and restful, heading toward Zen, and had it with the stone gray tiles, the soft pearly gray of the walls, the gray veining in the white granite counter. She’d added rustic with the big claw-foot tub, gone indulgent with the oversized glass-walled steam shower.
“The brushed nickel was the right choice,” he said. “Chrome would’ve been too shiny. And the open shelving’s going to work, too, because you’re a tidy soul from what I’ve seen.”
“I’m going to bring some blue inwith towels, some bottles. I saw some old blue bottles at Cecil’s. And some green with a plant. Maybe one of those bamboo deals.”