“Yes, I will. I’m going to protect your shit even if you don’t want to. Got it?”
“Yeah. You definitely need to come here for a few days,” I said.
“Around the fourth all right?” she asked.
“Yep. That’s just fine.”
“You don’t sound fine.”
I honestly wasn’t. With everything swirling around this project and the risks I was taking just hiring Bryan for this was enough. My head was spinning every night when I rolled into bed, and I knew my sister would be able to pinpoint it the moment she saw me. I’d have to do some serious prep work in order for me to cover my tracks and emotional states before she got here, and right now, just thinking about it made me exhausted.
“Oh, I see. I know what’s going on here.”
“You do?” I asked.
“And it’s about damn time you came clean,” she said.
“What?” I asked breathlessly.
“What’s his name?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“His name? The guy you’re hooking up with. You don’t want me there because it means staggering your fun little evenings, doesn’t it? Damn, I’m so glad you got out and found yourself a little piece. You’re too cooped up in that apartment.”
“I’m not hooking up with anyone, Anna.”
“Oh, you can tell me. It’s fine. What does he look like? What’s his name? Does he have a nice ass? I know you’ve always been an ass woman.”
“Anna. I just moved to San Diego. I don’t have a ‘piece of ass’ already. Yikes. You need a vacation,” I said.
“Which is why I’m so excited to be coming to see you.”
“Maybe we’ll get you laid while you’re down here,” I said.
“The project manager isn’t homeless, is he?” she asked.
I froze at her statement as Bryan’s face popped back up into my mind. Why was I so unwilling to answer her question?
“Oh, shit. It’s a woman, isn’t it? Oh well, better luck next time.”
“You’re the most insane human being when you’re pushed to your limits,” I said.
“Love you, too, sis. I can’t wait to see you. Thanks for letting me come down.”
“Anytime, Anna. Love you.”
“Get yourself laid,” she said.
“Get yourself a massage so you don’t murder pe
ople at your job,” I said.
I hung up the phone and groaned. If she was going to come here and badger me about how good looking Bryan was the entire time, it was going to be a long Fourth of July holiday. With construction starting at the beginning of June, Anna knew damn good and well she wasn’t coming at the beginning of the project. She was going to want to stick her nose in everything and make sure all the inside layouts were absolutely perfect. She was going to use these few days to try and live the free life I knew she wanted to live deep down.
Only she was going to control this project as a way to try and do it.
But even with my mind swirling the way it was, all I could do was lay on the couch and close my eyes. I only had a few more days until construction officially began, and that’s when I’d have to stay out of their way and trust they were doing the right thing for my gallery.