Free Fangs And Fame by Heather Jensen Page A

really.”
    Kacie ’s trip to Miami seemed to be paying off. She’d taken my portfolio to some big corporations there to see if they’d considering displaying my pieces in their offices and lobbies. Four of the five businesses she’d visited had already agreed. “The best part is,” Kacie rambled on, “Their clientele can afford the price tag for your pieces.”
    “ And you’ve got the brochures and business cards to be delivered along with them?” I asked.
    “ They’re all packaged up and ready to go. The shipping company will be here first thing in the morning to pick up the pieces for both of the banks, and the other two businesses are all lined up for deliveries late next week.”
    “ Sounds perfect,” I said.
    She and I spent the next four hours coming up with a specific schedule and plan for everything that needed to happen once I left town again. I didn ’t want to overwhelm her, and so the schedule was a great way for me to know what was happening, and when, without giving Kacie too much to do on any given week. She was still keeping the studio open for me four days a week, and while she could accomplish a lot while she was there during those hours, I didn’t like the idea of piling too much on her at once. When we felt like we had a good plan that worked for both of us, I thanked her again for her loyalty and hard work. She responded by hugging me and telling me that she was happy to be doing it all. I gave her the rest of the night off and found myself standing in the loft alone when the moon made her presence known in the Florida sky.
    I turned on some music, enjoying my old playlist , and the Catalyst songs that popped up on it randomly, and I varnished several paintings. I was overcome with memories as I worked. In just a short time, Trey had managed to leave an imprint on every part of my life, including my time here at work. I could see him vividly, sitting on the floor with his guitar and writing songs for Until Sanity . In the moment, I’d realized I was witnessing something special, but I couldn’t have known exactly what would come of those nights I’d spent painting while he wrote hit songs. Now I was seeing first-hand what had come of it. Thousands of fans were singing those words right along with him each night the band performed them live. It was surreal to think about, even after having witnessed it over and over on the tour. I guessed that was what Trey meant when he said there are things you never get used to. Things you never take for granted.
    As if on cue, my phone rang , and I pulled it from my pocket to see Trey’s face smiling up at me from my screen. I grinned and turned the music down, answering it with a slide of my finger.
    “ Hey,” he said. “Miss me yet?”
    “ Are you kidding? I missed you the moment my cab drove away.”
    “ Same here,” he said.
    “ It’s good just to hear your voice,” I told him. “How was the show?”
    “ Great,” he said. “The crowd was really into it.”
    “ Aren’t they always?” I teased. His laugh made my heart soar, and I clutched the phone closer to my ear to enjoy it.
    “ You got me there,” he said. “Did you get any work done, or has it been nothing but manicures and girl talk all day?”
    “ We got in our fair share of both,” I admitted. “Minus the manicures.”
    “ When is your lecture tomorrow?”
    “ After lunch.”
    “ You’ll do great,” he said, encouragingly. “How long do you think you’ll need to get everything else sorted out?”
    “ A couple of days,” I said. “Although now that I’m saying it out loud that sounds like an eternity.”
    “ We’ll manage,” he said, and I could tell he was trying to make it easier on me. “Just no surprises on my end,” he added. “I need to have plenty of warning so I can let all my girlfriends know to take off before you get back.”
    “ Funny, funny,” I said, grinning.
    “ Sleep good tonight,” he said.
    “ Fat chance.” I sighed. “But