two pieces in the front. I love the bright fall colors. The accents will look nice in the waiting room.” Vitoria got lost in thought as she stared at the paintings. The darkness of them spoke to her. She could almost feel the wind blowing around her as she gazed at the cloudy skies depicted in the painting. “How soon can they be sent?”
“Whenever you want.”
“Good, can you have them delivered by Monday morning?”
Vivian pushed away from the counter and made her way over to Vitoria’s side. She handed Vitoria the pad of paper. “I need an address. If you could fill out this order form, I can start the process.”
Vitoria stopped and stared at her. Vivian looked like she couldn’t get rid of her fast enough. “I haven’t seen you in years and this is all you have to say to me?”
Vivian pursed her lips, her displeasure rolling off her in waves. Her blue eyes mirrored every emotion twisting inside Vitoria’s stomach. “What do you want from me Tori?”
“Oh I don’t know…” Vitoria’s shook her head. She walked over to her sister and waved her hands around. “A small explanation would be nice.”
“I don’t owe you one.” Anger tinged Vivian’s voice. Her was face mulish, and determination filled her blue eyes.
“I know you don’t, but it would go a long way.” Vitoria couldn’t help the frustration bubbling out of her.
“To what? Sisterly bonding? Don’t you think we are well past that?”
Some things never changed, while other things dropped on her harder than a sledgehammer on top of her head. This was the last place she ever expected to see her sister. Her attitude, on the other hand, was something Vitoria was rather used to when dealing with.
“Maybe, but I thought you went to law school.” Something she found very alarming, her presumptions being so wrong. What and when had things changed? “Why are you working in a gallery?”
“You wouldn’t understand, and I’d appreciate it if you would drop it.”
Vitoria placed her hand on her sister’s arm. “I want to—understand what is going on with you. If you would give me a chance—”
“No.” Vivian pressed her lips together into a firm line. They went from a pale pink to a washed out white. With a hard slow movement she shook her head. “Fill this out, Tori. I have a lot to do. It doesn’t include having a little bonding time with you. Our time has passed and we can’t get it back.”
“Why not? As far as I can see the only thing standing in our way is your reluctance to give it a chance.”
Vivian glared at her with heat in her eyes. “And that isn’t going to change. Go back to New York, Tori.”
Vivian was under the assumption it would be that easy to get rid of her. She was in for a rude awakening when she realized the art her sister wanted to purchase would be delivered to a local address.
“I’m not going to argue with you, but you should know something.”
Vivian looked up from her paperwork and smirked. “I don’t really care.”
Fine, if she wanted to be that way, she wouldn’t push. Vitoria grabbed the paperwork and filled it out. She wrote out a check for the amount Vivian listed on the bottom. Vivian snatched it out of her hand and placed it in the register. Not once during the whole transaction did she look at the delivery address Vitoria wrote down.
“Nice doing business with you, Sis.”
“Yeah. I’d say let’s do this again—but we’ve never lied to each other. I don’t think we should start now. The sooner you leave, the better my life will be.” An emotional quiver, barely recognizable, filled Vivian’s voice as she spoke, a clear indicator something unnatural inhabited her mind. Her cheeks were devoid of color, and she kept looking past Vitoria. She would scan the streets outside the window every thirty seconds. It wasn’t normal behavior by any one’s standards. Vivian never had a nervous disposition, and it was clear something bothered her. She was going out of her
“Whenever you want.”
“Good, can you have them delivered by Monday morning?”
Vivian pushed away from the counter and made her way over to Vitoria’s side. She handed Vitoria the pad of paper. “I need an address. If you could fill out this order form, I can start the process.”
Vitoria stopped and stared at her. Vivian looked like she couldn’t get rid of her fast enough. “I haven’t seen you in years and this is all you have to say to me?”
Vivian pursed her lips, her displeasure rolling off her in waves. Her blue eyes mirrored every emotion twisting inside Vitoria’s stomach. “What do you want from me Tori?”
“Oh I don’t know…” Vitoria’s shook her head. She walked over to her sister and waved her hands around. “A small explanation would be nice.”
“I don’t owe you one.” Anger tinged Vivian’s voice. Her was face mulish, and determination filled her blue eyes.
“I know you don’t, but it would go a long way.” Vitoria couldn’t help the frustration bubbling out of her.
“To what? Sisterly bonding? Don’t you think we are well past that?”
Some things never changed, while other things dropped on her harder than a sledgehammer on top of her head. This was the last place she ever expected to see her sister. Her attitude, on the other hand, was something Vitoria was rather used to when dealing with.
“Maybe, but I thought you went to law school.” Something she found very alarming, her presumptions being so wrong. What and when had things changed? “Why are you working in a gallery?”
“You wouldn’t understand, and I’d appreciate it if you would drop it.”
Vitoria placed her hand on her sister’s arm. “I want to—understand what is going on with you. If you would give me a chance—”
“No.” Vivian pressed her lips together into a firm line. They went from a pale pink to a washed out white. With a hard slow movement she shook her head. “Fill this out, Tori. I have a lot to do. It doesn’t include having a little bonding time with you. Our time has passed and we can’t get it back.”
“Why not? As far as I can see the only thing standing in our way is your reluctance to give it a chance.”
Vivian glared at her with heat in her eyes. “And that isn’t going to change. Go back to New York, Tori.”
Vivian was under the assumption it would be that easy to get rid of her. She was in for a rude awakening when she realized the art her sister wanted to purchase would be delivered to a local address.
“I’m not going to argue with you, but you should know something.”
Vivian looked up from her paperwork and smirked. “I don’t really care.”
Fine, if she wanted to be that way, she wouldn’t push. Vitoria grabbed the paperwork and filled it out. She wrote out a check for the amount Vivian listed on the bottom. Vivian snatched it out of her hand and placed it in the register. Not once during the whole transaction did she look at the delivery address Vitoria wrote down.
“Nice doing business with you, Sis.”
“Yeah. I’d say let’s do this again—but we’ve never lied to each other. I don’t think we should start now. The sooner you leave, the better my life will be.” An emotional quiver, barely recognizable, filled Vivian’s voice as she spoke, a clear indicator something unnatural inhabited her mind. Her cheeks were devoid of color, and she kept looking past Vitoria. She would scan the streets outside the window every thirty seconds. It wasn’t normal behavior by any one’s standards. Vivian never had a nervous disposition, and it was clear something bothered her. She was going out of her
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