Frankie, using her gentlest tone, said, “Maybe you should start getting up at that time now. Might help you adjust faster.”
Willa’s lip curled. “Mom, please. Let me enjoy what’s left of my summer. In fact, I’m going back to bed.”
She took her coffee and went upstairs.
Frankie rolled her lips in to keep from laughing, but Harper didn’t hold back. She looked at Frankie. “I guess she’s not going shopping with us.”
“That’s all right,” Frankie said. “We’ll have a nice sisters day out.”
“Oh! That reminds me,” Harper said. “I have news. I completely forgot to tell you what Mitch told me last night.”
“What?”
“He hired Beryl to be Ruthie’s nanny. Isn’t that awesome? She’s going to be moving here permanently!”
“Joyce must be thrilled. That’s great!” Frankie gasped as a new thought occurred to her. “Lucas will be thrilled, too. He thinks those two could have their own show. He’s already dying to have them on again.”
“But their episode hasn’t even aired yet.”
“It will Friday. Doesn’t matter. He’s convinced they’re going to be very well received.”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
“Same here.”
Harper set her cup down. “I’d better take Archie out before he starts crossing his legs.”
“I’m going to check email, then shower and get ready to go. You don’t mind leaving early, do you? I have a lot to do today.”
“Not a problem. I’ll get ready when I get back in with him.” Harper went to her bedroom.
Frankie took her coffee into the office and sat down at the desk. She pulled her email up and found quite a few waiting for her.
There were sales from her shop, about thirty dollars’ worth, which was nice to see. Just a T-shirt and a coffee mug, but sales of any kind were great. Adding a new design wasn’t a bad idea, though. The more the better.
Which brought to mind the designs she was working on for Stacy. She’d finished up the final three last night while they’d been watching the movie. She still needed to refine the designs, something she was eager to get done so she could get them in front of Stacy. With the shopping trip ahead of her, it wouldn’t happen until later this afternoon. Or possibly even tonight.
Maybe she should send the two she had ready right now. Or maybe she should send them all, despite the last three not being completely polished. That way she could get some feedback from Stacy and Frankie would know if she was going in the right direction. There might not be a reason to finish those last three.
Either way, whether Stacy liked them or she didn’t, it would be good for Frankie. If Stacy liked them, Frankie would know she was going in the right direction. If Stacy didn’t like them, Frankie would have some new designs, after making a few tweaks, to offer in her shop.
Decision made, Frankie wrote a quick email to Stacy and attached the designs. She hit Send and went back into her inbox to see what else was there.
She found an email from Allan Westmore in response to the one she’d sent telling him she was definitely interested in doing book covers for him. He wanted to talk later today. She didn’t quite know what her schedule would be, so she replied asking if she could text him when she was free.
Also in her inbox were several requests that had come through her website’s contact form. Two were asking about pet portraits, and one was a request for a customized bridal invitation. She found that interesting, as it was something she’d been thinking about offering.
She sent a few quick responses, then took her coffee and went upstairs to get ready for the day.
She jumped into the shower, taking some extra time under the hot spray. It felt good.Shefelt good. For the first time in a while, money wasn’t an issue. The thousand dollars that Jack had given to Harper for her would easily take care of all the painting supplies she needed to buy.
It would also let her contribute to groceries and gas. The feeling of not having to worry about money, at least for a few days, was really something.
It felt like freedom. The kind she hadn’t experienced in a while. Of course, the money Buck had given her was a big deal, too. A huge deal, honestly. Not the kind of gift she would ever really get over. But now, with the rest of the money from this portrait of Arlington, she’d be able to pay off the remaining debt to her attorney.
Not having that monthly bill would be a huge step toward financial independence. She would still be careful with her money. That was never going to change. Being frugal was just too ingrained in her. There might come a day when the illustrating jobs petered out.
Things looked good right now, but she knew how quickly circumstances could change. She wanted to be prepared for that possibility. But it was nice to breathe easy.
