Page 66 of Bad Luck Club

His eyes widened, and he sat back in his chair a little. She felt a spurt of defensiveness.

“He’s a very wealthy man,” she bit out, thinking again about those calls Remy had made. He could be relentless…and her mind kept pinging to her sister, Hattie, and to her father’s family. What if something had happened with them? Of course, Hattie hadn’t said anything in her Facebook messages, but then she wasn’t sure her sister would. She kept things casual, for the most part, and never mentioned their father. She made a mental note to message her and ask if everything was all right. “It was nothing to him. A drop from the bucket. But it allowed me to start my life again. To get back some of the things I’d lost.”

“We know that,” Adalia said. “My brother wouldneverjudge you for taking what you were owed.” She gave him a look that suggested she’d shank him if he disagreed.

It was impossible to tell if he did. He was looking at her with an intensity she couldn’t interpret.

“But my resources are dwindling. I need to start being profitable. Reliably profitable.”

Adalia wiggled in her seat, as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve. “I made an arrangement.”

“Arrangement?”

“Part of your issue is that you need to get out word about you and your art. The Asheville Art Display helped with that. A little. But the way Lee’s been driving around, peddling our beer”—Lee rolled his eyes in a way that was pure big brother, and Blue felt a rush of affection for him—“it got my gray matter moving. You need to get word out. The gallery that’s putting on my show in New York…I got in touch with the owner with some pictures of your weavings and the octopuses. Not her thing, but she could tell you’re a total genius. She sent the photos to a few galleries in New York, in case you’re up for taking some meetings while you’re there for my show, and she also sent them to a friend at the Alternative Expressions, a gallery in Greenville. The owner got back to her immediately. She’s super interested in seeing more of your work and talking to you in person. She has an opening on Monday afternoon, and I kind of, sort of accepted.”

The information came at her in a rush, and it took Blue a moment to process it. She had a lot of questions, but somehow the least of them was the one that made it out of her mouth. “But, Addy, Greenville is an hour and a half away. I can’t keep closing the studio when it’s supposed to be open. I’m already opening late today.”

Adalia gave her a gentle look. “Blue, we both know there won’t be many pop-ins on a Monday. That’s kind of the point. I can help anyone who shows up.”

She glanced at Lee, only to see he’d shifted his intense look to Adalia. He seemed a bit pissed, with maybe a slight edge of bemusement.

“This is the kind of upper-level manipulation even Dad would be proud of, Addy.”

What did that mean? Nervousness wiggled through her, like it had earlier, when Adalia had sent her back to the kitchen. Hadn’t Adalia told her she had more tricks up her sleeve?

Adalia shook her head. “Pure coincidence. But it works out pretty nicely, doesn’t it?”

“What are you guys talking about?” Blue asked, looking from one of them to the other, her gaze sticking on Lee.

Some of the anger had leaked away, leaving only an edginess, an intensity. “It looks like you and I are going on a road trip together.”

Chapter Nineteen

Lee wasn’t exactly happy about being roped into this, but he wasn’tunhappyeither. When it came to Blue, his feelings were a mash-up of extremes. “I’m going to Greenville on Monday for some sales meetings. I can take you, but I plan on staying late.” He shot Adalia a pointed look. “I’m hoping to finagle a tasting with our previous best customer there, and those can run until nine or ten.”

“Blue doesn’t mind waiting,” Adalia said sweetly. “She can hang out with her mother.”

Blue looked less enthusiastic about the suggestion. “I have my own car. I’m not a child. I’m perfectly capable of driving myself.”

“It’s called being green,” Adalia said. “It’s the responsible thing to do.”

Which would matter to Blue. She narrowed her eyes, opening her mouth to say something, but Lee blurted out, “I want to take you. We’ll figure out the details later. And while it’s great that Addy found someone to possibly sell your creations, that’s only one part of your business. Do you have a business plan?”

Blue’s eyes widened slightly.

He grimaced and shifted in his chair. “Okay…I’ll take that as a no.”

“Idon’t have a business plan,” Adalia said defensively.

Lee turned his pointed gaze on her. “That’s not something to boast about, Addy. You need one too. In fact, we really can’t plan anything until we sort that part out.”

He rose from his seat.

“So that’s it?” Adalia demanded, her eyes blazing with righteous anger. “She doesn’t have a business plan, so you just get up and walk away?”

“Calm the hell down,” he grunted. Did she really think he was that much of an asshole? He didn’t like the apparent answer to that question. And sure, maybe if it had been someone else, someone like Augusta or Nicole from the club, he might have just walked away, but this was Blue, and for better or worse, he couldn’t leave her floundering. Not when he had the ability to help her. “I’m getting my laptop.”

Adalia’s face fell. “Lee, I’m—”

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