“Have fun tonight,” I said. “There will be other auditions.”
“There better be. Did I tell you that Sarah got two commercials?”
“You might have mentioned it.”
“Okay. I’m going to drink till I’m in a coma.”
“You do that.” I hung up and slumped on the couch.
“Was that the kid you’ve been seeing?” Jenny asked.
“We just hooked up a few times.”
“You’re going to see him again?”
“Maybe.”
“You are allowed to have more than one relationship a decade, you know.”
“Noted.”
“Oh, before I forget. I have people coming over on Wednesday to be amazed by my work. It can be a good opportunity for you to show off some of your beauties.”
I nodded. “Sounds great. Oh, wait.” My stomach flipped. Wednesday was the day after the yearly visit. I couldn’t commit to anything right after. “I can’t on Wednesday. I’ll be taking a few days off this week.”
She eyed me suspiciously.
“It’s a family thing.”
“You don’t do family things, but I won’t pry.”
She knew me too well, but her memory wasn’t the best, or she might have remembered I’d been taking days off every year at the same time since we met. I got up and wiped my hands on my dirty pants.
“Thanks for the food.”
“Sure thing, hon.”
She left shortly after, and even though she never bothered me, I could focus better in my private realm. I slid my Prodigy CD into the stereo system and lost myself in the bending and reshaping of iron and copper. I should have spent some time making jewelry for my eBay store, but I wasn’t in the mood for brain-numbing work.
The sun had begun to descend when a casual glance at my copper woman made me freeze.Will it work?I hurried to grab a new piece of flat copper and shove it into the oven. With it boiling and softer, I carefully bent the edges to form a round, smooth shape.
Once it cooled, I carefully attached it to the woman’s neck with a soldering iron, then took a few steps back. My copper woman stared back at me through her smooth, featureless head, all hips, curves, and attitude. Under the setting sun, she was a majestic goddess—face or no face.
Content, I locked the studio and drove back to my mountain.
*
The following evening, I decided to call Nick to apologize. Even though I never sold him false promises, I had allowed things to get further than I’d planned, which could make anyone confused. I also liked spending time with him, and I wasn’t exactly drowning in friends; Jenny pretty much filled that role.
I stood about seventy feet from my house, on a ledge that could be dangerous if you didn’t mind your steps. I waited a few seconds for the reception gods to bless my phone, then dialed Nick’s number, immediately going to voicemail.
“This is Nick. Leave a message, and I’ll try to get back to you before I’m too big of a star to answer my calls.”
I snickered and decided to leave a message. “Hi, Nick. I wasn’t trying to be an ass yesterday, and I hope you had fun last night. Let’s talk soon.”
*
I awoke to a headache that threatened to shatter my brain.
