Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
I look up and down the street but don’t see another soul on either side of the road. There aren’t any cars either this early in the day, but I know with everything inside me, there are eyes on me at this very moment. I give the car one more glance before I decide I may have worn out my welcome on the Row.
When I make it to the gallery, I’m about a half an hour early. Lilith is standing at the front desk looking at something when she hears me come in. She actually gives me a surprised smile when she sees I’m already here and ready to work.
“You’ve beaten Gemma,” she says, and there’s a smugness to her voice, and her Spanish accent is thick.
“Oh, is that a bad thing?” I ask, now unsure if I should have come so soon.
“She’s going to really hate you now,” Lilith says, and lays a stack of folders on the desk in front of me. “Since you’re here I’ll give you these myself. I’ve got a conference call with Germany in five minutes, and I was about to leave a note for Gemma to give them to you. This saves her the trouble.”
“Thank you,” I say, taking them from her. It’s a thick packet and I can already tell my day is going to be full.
“Remember, if you need anything with those clients, come to me directly,” she says, nodding to the folder. “Anything at all.”
“Will do,” I answer, but I really would like to avoid asking her for help.
I watch Lilith click-clack down the hall and notice for the first time she’s in all black again, and still covering almost every inch of her skin. Her face is flawless, and I can only imagine her body is the same. But she’s so severe that I can’t picture her in a floral print or even something simple like sweats.
Asking her for help would be admitting defeat. I’ve got flaws and my own insecurities, but I absolutely hate to lose. If there’s a challenge I’ll meet it, and she’s given me a hefty one.
Going to my small office area, I drop the folders on the desk and close my door, clicking the lock. I change quickly in here, because I didn’t see much of a private space in the warehouse, and the bathrooms are co-ed. It’s just the three of us ladies that work in the gallery, but the guys in the back sometimes come in and I didn’t want to chance it. After I’ve got my work clothes on, I make my way back to where I’ll be spending most of my day.
When I get there, the room is already starting to get warm, and I switch on the fans to circulate the air. I’ve got my coffee, though I wish it was iced, and I begin to go through inventory.
As I work my way through the crates that have been here the longest and cross reference those with what I have on file, I find a couple that are either missing in the system or on a paper invoice I haven’t been given yet. I mark all of them down with their corresponding crate numbers and make a note to ask Lilith later. I don’t want to slow progress at this point and I don’t want to break them open either.
Most of the art out here is in large wooden crates. They’re in all shapes and sizes, but the heavy wood boxes are made especially for each piece and to protect the art. Some of the boxes are made right here in the warehouse by a few of the guys that work here. I met some of them yesterday and when they come in this morning, I say hello to them again, making small talk and trying to be friendly.
If I had to open a crate, I’d have to get a couple of them to help me, and if Lilith can identify them for me, then opening them up won’t be necessary.
There are about a dozen pieces that are overdue on shipment because they’ve been mislabeled or put in the wrong place. I sort out which ones we can do immediately and take care of as many as I can at one time, taking as many notes as possible so as not to mess anything up.
When my stomach rumbles it startles me and I glance down at my watch to see it’s after one already. I packed a bunch of snacks in my bag last night, but I left them in my office. The foreman comes over about the same time and tells me they’re taking lunch. Well, at least someone around here does.
I decide now is as good of a time as any and I’m going to take a break myself. If I happen to see Lilith on the way, I’ll ask her about the crates. Otherwise, I’ll wait. They’re not an absolute rush at the moment, and I don’t know if there are more. It’s better to give her all the ones I’ve found at one time than piece by piece.