Page 74 of The Seven Rings
“I’m going up, getting out of it.”
“I’m doing the same, since I don’t want to wear this to go on the hunt. Did we miss anything?”
“Nothing from our resident lunatic,” Sonya said as they walked toward the house together. “But we found Owen and Agatha’s wedding invitation.”
“Big score. I want to see it.”
“And the vanity I saw Catherine sitting at, plus the chair, and the hairbrush her mom used that night.”
“Saw what, where?” Owen demanded, and opened the front door.
“I didn’t have time to fill you in on yesterday. I’ll do that while we change. You’ll want the vanity back where you saw it, and them. We’ll need to rearrange some to make that work.”
“I do, and we will. Meet you back up there when you’re ready.”
Before Trey and Sonya reached the third floor, Cleo came running.
“You have to see this. It’s Pye. I found it on the bed.”
She held out the sketch for Sonya. “Jack. What a sweetheart. She looks appropriately slinky.”
“And regal. The way she’s stretched out in the window of my studio, he got her proportions, and the perspective. But he really got her ’tude. I love it.”
“Me, too.”
“We’ll be up in five. I swear, I love this house.”
“Me, too,” Sonya said when Cleo dashed away. She looked at Trey, then took his hand again, squeezed. “How could I quit?”
Clover serenaded them with Freddie Mercury’s powerful voice as they climbed past the third floor and to the attic.
“The Show Must Go On.”
Chapter Ten
July rocked with storms and streamed with sun.
Sonya welcomed both.
Once the Ryder Sports team had approved and chosen the new photos, she selected some for the website, others for digital ads, television ads, billboards, in-store posters.
She mocked up a split screen. A girl in a Ryder bathing suit caught by Corrine in mid-leap off a diving board into a backyard pool, and a man on a ski slope, Ryder skis, parka, pants, gloves, helmet, boots, in the snow-drenched Alps.
Added a tag.
Then she got up, walked away, walked around, watered Xena, looked out at the sea.
Walked back.
“Yes. Yes. Yes. It works. It’s right.Anyone, anywhere, anytime. Ryder’s got you. It frigging works.”
Sitting, she pored through the other shots for more. One with a photo representing each season. Snowboarding, Trey fielding a ball, Owen and Cleo sailing, a couple of teens playing touch football.
Whatever the season, whatever the sport, Ryder’s got you.
And another split, sweaty Owen pumping iron and Trey playing fetch with Mookie.
At work or at play, Ryder’s got you.
