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Audrey crossed her arms. “What would’ve happened if Wade hadn’t been there to distract the dogs.”
“I would’ve figured it out.”
London reached over and patted Nikki’s arm. “It’s okay to admit he helped you. You don’t have to do everything alone.”
“I’m not. I rely on Audrey routinely to get me into places, and I count on you to give me fabulous artwork. See? Not alone.”
“We’re all a work in progress,” London said.
“So I guess you’ll be my distraction,” Nikki said as she plopped on the couch beside her. “Security will want to check my ID, so while I’m fumbling with my bag, having a meltdown because I’m going to lose my new job because I’m such a fuck-up, you’ll come in and cause a scene, drawing them away from me. They’ll let me pass because I’ll seem harmless compared to you.”
London laughed. Anyone who’d ever met Nikki wouldn’t think of her as harmless. “What kind of distraction am I supposed to make?”
Nikki squinched up her face. “Play drunk. Men are always suckers for drunk women. Then run the gamut of emotions—angry, sad, flirty, whatever. Even better if you could get some tears going. Theyneverknow what to do with tears.”
“Easy. I can fake just about anything. But how do I get out? Won’t it be suspicious if I just leave?”
She and Audrey both looked at Nikki for an answer.
Nikki threw up her hands. “I don’t know. I usually wing it.”
“Maybe I could pop in and rescue her. You know, be the good friend who lost track of her drunk buddy,” Audrey offered.
“I need you in the van running interference with cameras.” She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Then she huffed. “I can have Wade do it.”
“What?” Audrey and London both said.
“He wants to help, and he can con his way into or out of any situation.” She pulled out her phone and sent a text.
“Are you sure?” London asked. “You said you wanted to keep him out of this.”
“I do. But in all honesty, I think part of him is missing the action. If giving him a small part keeps him out of the real trouble, I can probably live with that.” She reached for the beer on the table. Then her phone buzzed. “Wade’s in.”
“When are we doing this?”
“We think tomorrow night is our best bet,” Audrey answered.
“I have a thing tomorrow night. What time?”
“Cleaning crew comes in around nine.”
“Oh. That’ll work. My thing is later.”
“Your thing is a late-night booty call,” Nikki said in a sing-song.
“I wish. I’m going to the studio to start working on the tree topper.” She snagged Nikki’s beer and took a swig. “It’s a lot more than I thought it would be, so I’ve enlisted help.”
“Who?” Audrey asked, setting her tablet on the table and joining them on the couch.
“Bronte Fisher runs the place with her brother. I took a class last night to check it out and offered her a big payout for letting me rent studio time. I need her expertise and hands. But I have to work around her brother’s schedule. He’s the master glassblower, and he doesn’t want strangers in his space.”
“How’d you convince them to do this? The guy I talked to was pretty rude,” Audrey said.
London thought of Ezra and figured he was probably the one who talked to Audrey. Rude. Gruff. Not that much different. “As far as they know, I’m making a special gift for my mom. The way Bronte’s eyes lit up at the amount of money I offered, she wants the cash. And it’s not like I showed her the real deal. As long as I can get the shape, I’ll add the fake diamonds after the fact.” She finished off Nikki’s beer.
“Hey, I don’t mind sharing, but damn, girl. You drank it all.” Nikki took the empty to the kitchen and returned with two fresh bottles. “It’s not like you to be this wound up. What’s going on?”
London shook out her shoulders and tried to loosen up. “I’m restless. I don’t like not being able to handle the art you guys need. As much as I think I’m up for the challenge, I’m not sure I can do it. Mia never mentioned glassblowing when she hired me.”
