“Hey! So, question. How do you feel about me coming to visit soon?”
“Funny, I thought you were calling about the business,” I said, grinning.
“Well, I thought I’d plan my visit around the time the construction started. You have any idea when that’s supposed to take place?”
“Some guys have already been around there, making notes and getting equipment set up, so they should start any day now,” I said.
“Perfect. Fancy a sister weekend?” she asked.
“Well, I’m going to be pretty busy with the gallery. I’ll be spending a lot of time there, especially once they start on the interior decorating part of things.”
“Which was why I wanted to hit this at the beginning. You know, when they’re still updating shit you’re clueless on.”
“Oh, a cuss word. Something’s gone down in Anna’s life. Talk to me, sis. You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Work’s kind of getting to me, I guess,” she said.
“You know what might help with that?” I asked.
“What?”
“Singing lessons.”
“Or I could get laid.”
“Yep. Work’s really getting to you then,” I said. “When were you thinking of coming?”
“I figured maybe around the Fourth of July? Just for a few days, nothing long term. We could do a little cookout, maybe feed the workers on the site or something.”
“They won’t work. It’s a federal holiday,” I said.
“Then we could cook for them or something beforehand. I don’t know. Something fun.”
“Feeding a bunch of sweaty construction workers is fun?” I asked.
“Sweaty, you say?”
“Most of them will be homeless men,” I said.
“Wait, what?” she asked.
“Yeah. That was one of the stipulations to hiring B.D. Construction. That’s how they do community outreach. They hire a homeless person or two to come work. Give them a paycheck. Clean them up. Get them some work experience. It’s really awesome. I’ve hired someone who holds sort of the same morals I do,” I said.
I heard the rustling of papers in the background as I sighed into the phone.
“Anna.”
“Hold on. I’m just checking the paperwork,” she said.
“Anna. It’s not a big deal.”
“Yes, it is. If one of those men steals some of your artwork, I want to make sure they’re liable for the price.”
“Anna, come on. Seriously?” I asked.
“I just want to protect you as much as possible. Ah. Yes. It’s in here. There are no explicit protections against stuff of yours they might steal or ruin, but I can talk with the project manager about that when I come down.”
“No, you won’t,” I said.