George_Dennison
Experienced
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2015
- Posts
- 71
[. . .]
“Eight birthday kisses, I presume,” Josephine chuckled. “As for the rest, it’s good to see you leaned at least one practical skill at the blue-blood boarding school we sent you to.”
Turning back to Tom, Josephine still showed a wicked smile. “We simply couldn’t allow you to go to Iowa. Galena would be bad enough — though probably offer better opportunities to a starving artist — but not Iowa, surely! We won’t stand for that.”
She paused a moment, then asked, “Tell me, Tom, how much profit do you honestly hope to realize in this caper in the cradle of corn country?”
Standing near the head of the table, less than ten feet from Karen and Michelle, Tom had managed to keep his eyes on Josephine as she continued their conversation about the teenager's portrait. Now, with Michelle's moans gradually quieting to sighs, he couldn't help but return the older woman's beautiful smile.
"Well, there's not much profit in this so far. Possibly as much as five thousand, if I'm lucky. Or, I might just break even if it doen't go well. It's my first season, testing out the arts fairs, so I'm mostly just gaining experience."