Chapter 1
After an argument with her mother, Sherri Darnell accepts an offer from her Aunt Lilly of a place to stay where she can complete her art projects. It seemed to be the perfect solution, but a new neighbor presents a whole new challenge.
…
Mom and I had been at odds with each other before, but nothing like this. I wanted more control over my life, but to her way of thinking, since I lived at home, I was still seventeen.
This last one was a beaut. I walked out in disgust and anger and did it so well I wasn’t sure if she’d let me back in.
I’m no teenager. I’m a third year art major with a minor in elementary education. I’d been getting enough commercial work to pay the bills, but lately, the jobs weren’t large enough to pay all that well Mom was pushing hard for me to spend the summer working for Elliot Tarkington, otherwise known to every woman in Pine Springs as the letch. He has a large gallery and he hires young artists during the summer months but his gig is that he tells them how good they are and how he would be willing to hang some of their art, and if they run a little short on money, he is willing to help in exchange for...yeah, you’ve got it. Mom says that I am strong enough to resist his threats and I say I don’t want to give him the chance. I won’t make as much elsewhere, but I don’t have to worry about my reputation.
I was sitting in the coffee shop, trying to decide what to do, when in walked my cousin, Jillian. She’s older than I by a little over a year, and usually travels for a major information technology company, so. I was shocked to see her in this little coffee shop.
I asked her why she was in town and how she knew where I’d be. She told me she came in to see her mother, my Aunt Lilly, and attend a conference that started on Monday. Evidently Mom had called Lily and dumped on her and of course, she would know where I’d be. It had been our favorite place for a long time. .
So, I poured my guts out to her and she totally agreed with me. “You need to talk to Mom,” she said. “She’s not afraid of her sister and she will most definitely agree with you.”
Well, to make a long story shorter, I did talk to Aunt Lilly. Then she and Mom got into a long drawn out bitch fight and mom declared that I’m not welcome there unless I come on hands and knees and beg, and THEN go to work for Elliot. It ain’t gonna happen.
We left the coffee shop to go to O’doule’s Irish pub where we met Lily. Jillian had a pint and Lily and I had some white wine. Once we’re settled down, Lily started asking me questions about my plans.
“I have my heart set on teaching at a particular art school but in order to do that, I’m going to have to be able to demonstrate that I’m comfortable with all media. How can you teach what you can’t do? So, I’ve been working on a portfolio that will do that, but I’ve got a lot to do on it and in the meantime, I’ve got a shot at the new Magnunson Corporate logo thanks to Professor Whitlow. It would pay enough to carry me for while even without any other work. Almost anything would be better than working for Elliot and spending half my time naked and on my back.”
“So basically, you need a place to live and work until you get your portfolio and this commercial stuff done?”
“Yeah, but when I was home, I had the whole attic as my studio and since nobody goes up there, I could focus completely.”
“I see, and what more do you have to do on the portfolio?”
“I’ve got pieces ready in most of the genre, but I need to do a sculpture of some kind. I’ve done some work with clay so that’s what I’ll use for that. For the painting part, I have three pieces that have to be completed. I have to do two figure studies in my choice of two media, and one of what Professor Whitlow calls his version of Interpretive studies, which are basically swirls of color that can be about anything, although I’m doing mine based on one of the figure studies. They don’t have to look like anything exactly, but through the use of flowing color patterns, I have to reveal enough of the figure to suggest what it is without it being obvious. I pretty well know what I’m going to do, I just have to do it.”
“Then you don’t have a problem,” Lilly said.
“How do you figure that?” I asked.
“Lake Wanderlee,” she said.
“I don’t follow you.”
’You can have the cottage at Lake Wanderlee to work in. There is no one even close to you and the place is perfect for a studio. Great Lighting, and lots of space. Jillian and I are going on a one month cruise and no one else in the family is going to use it this year. Everyone’s going to Jason’s new place up on Lake Michigan.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Absolutely. It’s yours.”
“That would be so great,” I said. “I remember going up there. It sure is isolated if you want it to be, and It’s really quiet, especially now, because the tourists won’t be there for another two weeks or so.”
They went with me to get my clothes and art supplies. Jillian about had a cow when she grabbed the box of clay for my sculpture. I tried to tell her it was heavy but she insisted so what the hell. Lily and Mom fought like cats and dogs, but that kept Mom too busy to mess with my head. With Jillian helping me, we had the car loaded in short order, signaled Lilly and we got out of there. The car was literally jammed and poor Jillian got stuffed into the back seat.
“There’s one important thing you need to know,” Lilly said. “We have a neighbor now, but she doesn’t bother anyone and she does not want or appreciate visitors. I can’t tell you who she is, but she’s quite famous in her own right, but very, very private when she’s at the cottage, and she doesn’t use her real name up. When she goes out, she wears colored contacts and a wig. Don’t bother her, and she won’t bother you, ”
I almost wished she hadn’t told me because now I knew I’d do whatever I could to see who she was without getting caught. It’s just the curious nature in me.
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