43. Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Two
Jackson
I walk back into Lisette’s living room as she gets dressed, and I find Sire doing her pile of dishes.
He doesn’t say anything as I walk into the kitchen. I lean against the counter as I watch him.
“What is she doing with her art?” I ask. While I want to hear it from Lisette because she seemed really excited, I’m simply trying to make conversation.
“She got the idea to sell them, and like every idea, she’s going full send with it,” he mumbles.
I glance into the living room, and with all the pretty packaging from pink bubble paper and thank you stickers she got, she definitely went full send.
I almost choose to leave him alone at his tone, but he speaks up again. “She’s having a really high high day.”
“High high day?” I push off from the counter, but he shakes his head like I shouldn’t be concerned.
“She’s sober,” he reassures me. “That’s just what we call it for, well, you know how she gets…” he trails off before pulling in a breath. “This one is just more manic.”
I feel my brows furrow before I take a second to think of his words, looking back at her other good and bad days. “She’s bipolar?” I voice as the thought enters my head.
His head snaps over to me. “Keep your voice down.”
I glance over my shoulder for what he’s looking at, but we’re alone.
He lets out a sigh as he looks back at the dishes. “She has bipolar depressive disorder, but don’t bring it up and don’t mention the words bipolar or mania around her,” he warns. “It’s genetic and she hates that she got it from her. It’s a huge trigger, so please don’t tell her I told you. I thought you knew.”
I nod in understanding, assuming he means her as in her mom.
“She has really low lows and really high highs,” he explains. “I’ve been waiting for this one to hit after she relapsed. It’s why I stayed up with her all night, keeping an eye on her and stuff. Waiting for her to plummet.”
“What does she need?”
Sire glances over at me and simply watches me. “When did you start making a move on her?”
I falter at the sudden change in topic, but I guess he actually thinks I was moving in on her when she was vulnerable. “A few weeks before we went to the park with Athena. I was going to tell you that day.”
He nods, clearly remembering.
“Is this the part where you apologize for thinking that low of me? As if we haven’t been best friends for seven years?” I accuse, but he ignores me.
Instead he turns back to the last few dishes. “She just needs us close. She’s extra impulsive and oblivious, and that mix can be dangerous. She just thinks she’s having a good day and she is… only she thinks she’s unstoppable. After we got breakfast yesterday, she was super happy with her ideas about moving and selling her stuff, talking about how it’s the best day ever. It carried on all night into today. Nothing can knock her down, but the lack of sleep isn’t good for her. I’ve been trying to bring her down to Earth, but she just thinks I’m kidding, so when she tells you about her plans, remind her to be realistic.”
“I’m not going to take her joy away.”
“I’m not asking you to. I just—” He lets out a breath. “Forget it.”
“No. What is it?”
He sets down the plates in his hand before turning to me. “Bringing her down to Earth will help when she feels down in a few days. It won’t feel like everything good is suddenly gone because it was never there. She’s just seeing everything through rose-tinted glasses right now.”
I simply nod in response because I don’t want to agree. He said she needs us to stay close and keep an eye on her, so I’ll do that, but if she’s having a good day, we should let her.
Sire puts the plate into the cabinet and he really does look exhausted.
“You should get some sleep.”
He doesn’t respond and I don’t add anything else.
A few minutes later, Lisette walks into the living room with a bright smile on her face, and Sire’s words about her having a high high ring in my head.
“This dress is expensive as shit.” She runs her hands on the silk. “I love it.”
I stifle a laugh as I close the distance between us to steal a kiss. “You’re beautiful.” I pull off the tag I forgot.
The dress fits her frame perfectly as it drags down to the floor. Like I thought it would, it looks perfect against her blonde hair.
“How’d you know my shoe size?” She lifts her foot back, smiling at her YSL heel.
I kiss her pretty face again. “I looked at your shoe the other day. Are we ready?”
“Let me curl my hair and we can go.” She turns before I can reply, but I follow close behind.
I sit on the toilet seat and watch her intensely as she rambles on about how she found Piglet. She sounds so happy as she speaks, jumping between topics rapidly and it’s… weird.
I’ve seen her happy, but this is too happy, and I start to believe Sire is right and she is not just having a good day.
I don’t say anything though, and when she finishes her hair, we pass by a sleeping Sire on her couch before heading down to my car.
I open the door for her, and as soon as I’m in the driver seat, Lisette turns to me. “Okay, I’ve been holding my tongue until we get in the car because I need your full attention,” she exclaims and I bite back a laugh at how animated she is. “So I decided I needed to move. My apartment makes me depressed, but I need money, duh.”
“Duh,” I add and she rolls her eyes at me with a smile.
“ So I decided I was going to sell my paintings. Now, I already had a Famoura account for my art and had like one viral video, but, ” she pauses for dramatic effect as she takes out her phone. “I told Sage I wanted to sell my art, so she reposted a few of my posts and told her followers my pieces were up for sale, and look .”
She turns her phone to me and I look over at the stop sign. I scan her profile and she has nearly two million followers along with over six million views on her three pinned videos.
“Holy shit.” I knew Sage was insanely famous and had a ton of followers, but that’s a lot of people for something she simply reposted.
“Right?”
“When did she repost your stuff?” I turn back to the road.
“Yesterday morning.” She’s literally bouncing in her seat as she scrolls through her phone. “I’ve been getting so many requests. I already packed a shit ton of orders to send out tomorrow.”
That explains why she started packing so many of them.
“This one guy offered me ten grand for a painting I did of a girl killing herself.”
“ What ?” I turn to her again.
“I know right? Isn’t that a lot of money for something I did in just three days?”
“No, I meant what to the painting. That’s pretty graphic. When did you paint that?”
She waves me off. “It was a few weeks ago. It’s not that bad. It’s just her drowning. I actually love that painting and a few other people asked for it so I might go live and bid it off. I’m going to be rich by the end of the week . ”
“Okay…” My brows furrow at how excited she sounds. “I don’t think you’re going to be rich that quick.” I try to bring her down a few notches like Sire suggested because it’s clear now it’s necessary.
“Are you worried I won’t want you anymore when I have my own money?” she teases and I bite back a laugh.
“Yes. I like poor girls who are too depressed to brush their teeth.”
She breaks into a laugh before shoving my arm.
“So what’s the plan here? Are you going to make this a full-time job?” I ask, trying to get a feel for what’s going on here.
She shrugs as she thinks. “I think it’ll be cool. I don’t want a nine to five and I like teaching, but I don’t want to go back. I love painting, though, and I didn’t think anyone would want my paintings, but they do.”
A smile touches my lips. I’ve only seen a few of her pieces, but they’re all incredible. “You should do it then. You need to make a plan and—”
“Ughh, you and your plans . Is that an OCD thing?”
I roll my eyes at her. “No, it’s a me thing, rude .”
“Hey, I was just asking.” She rests a hand on my leg. “I like knowing all of your OCD tendencies. It’s not bad if it was.”
A smile touches my lips but then she lets out a loud gasp, I nearly stop the car.
“I could get an art studio,” she exclaims, grabbing my arm in excitement.
“Okay, one step at a time, sweetheart.”
“Oh my god. This is great, that way I can have more space.” She gasps again. “What if I open an art store and sell my prints there? I can have the grand opening the week before Christmas so people can get gifts . It’ll be a cute two-story place and I can even put my prints on like tote bags and—”
“Lisette,” I cut her off. “How about you ship out the orders you got today first?”
I steal a glance at her and she rolls her eyes at me. “You and my brother are being such Debbie downers.”
“I’m being realistic. I think it’s great to have that goal for some day, but to have this up and running in three weeks? That’s not happening, love.”
“I can make it work,” she says confidently.
“In three weeks?”
“I’m getting ten grand off of one painting,” she says as if that explains enough.
“Do you know the logistics of opening a business or even renting out a space?”
She hesitates now. “Sire and August have a whole batting cage. If they can do it, anyone can.”
“Right… and how long did that take them?”
“Well, I’m not going to have as many renovations as them.”
“Okay, so let’s say you find a space that needs no work, which is highly unlikely because I’m sure you don’t want white walls in your art store. What’s your credit score? Will you be approved for this space? You just said you want two stories, that’s not a small space.”
She doesn’t answer.
“Do you know what kinds of permits you’ll need for your store? You don’t want to work all day. Will you hire staff? Do you even have enough paintings? Are you going to be able to make all these prints and tote bags to fill a two-story store in three weeks ? Do you understand what an exit clause is? Will you hire someone who understands that and runs things with you? Who will you hire? How—”
“Alright alright, I get it. I’m not getting my art store.” She sinks in her seat and it crushes me to break it to her.
I rest my hand on her thigh. “You can get your art store, reina. Just not before Christmas.” I steal a glance at her and she’s pouting.
Biting back a laugh, I squeeze her cheeks.
She rolls her eyes before turning to me. “Do you know what an exit clause is?” Her words come out muffled since I’m still squeezing her face.
I nod before stealing a kiss and turning back to the road.
“How about you do the logistics for me, and I make the paintings and sit with a pretty face at the cash register?”
My laugh fills the car. “It’s a lot of logistics. Are you planning on paying me?”
“You’re rich .”
“You’re not a charity case.” I bite back a smile as I steal a glance at her and she’s narrowing her eyes at me. “You’re the one who said you’ll be rich by the end of the week.”
“I have ten grand. Take it or leave it.”
I break into another laugh. With the way she plans things, she’d probably lose three thousand dollars every month at her store and see no profit, yet, I’ll gladly run the logistics for her and fund this shit show if it’ll make her this happy.
“If you find a space and find staff to help you run the place, I’ll take care of the rest.”
I see her sit up in her seat beside me.
“Really?”
“You have to hold actual interviews and find good people so you don’t have to keep rehiring every three months.”
“Deal!”
“But—”
“No, I already said deal.”
“We’re negotiating.” I turn to her at the red light. “You need to have enough paintings and other merchandise to fully stock the store for two months and you have to get the money for that on your own. When you get all that, I’ll loan you the rest and you can have your grand opening.”
She looks like she’s thinking. “So we’ll basically be going half and half?”
“Sure.” I let her believe that. “Everything will be in your name, though, unless you don’t qualify for some reason, then you’ll need a cosigner. I might not be able to since I just got my house and already own two other properties, but your brothers only own one and Sage doesn’t have a house, right?”
She nods in response. “With the ten grand I’m paying you to do the logistics, I’m technically giving you the money you’re loaning me to open the place.”
“Sure.” I also let her believe this is only going to cost that much.
“Deal.”
We shake on it and another smile is on her face.
“This is the best deal ever. I’m basically paying nothing.”
“Okay.” I don’t know what kind of math she’s using, but she’s happy and that’s all that matters in life.