Bring Me Fire by Emily Stone Read Free Book Online Page A

leading her away. A secret room. She couldn’t help but wonder what was in there. Could it be memorabilia from his Hollywood days? Maybe things like pieces from various sets, or different outfits he had worn. She could only imagine how much her sister would flip out if that were the case. But as Sky followed Conner back down the hallway, away from the room, she decided that it probably wasn’t. Because if he really despised acting as much as everyone said he did, then it wouldn’t make sense that there would be a secret room dedicated to something he didn’t like.
    Conner had been saying something, Sky realized, her attention floating back to the present. She shouldn’t space out like that; there’d be time to think about what might possibly be in that room later.
    "I’m sorry," Sky said. "What did you just say?"
    Conner pursed his lips and frowned. "I was saying I don’t like having to repeat myself because someone’s head is off in the clouds," he replied with a wry smile.
    Sky felt herself blush. "I’m sorry," she said, silently scolding herself for already not acting as professionally as she had planned. So her boss had a secret locked room. Its contents didn’t matter; it wasn’t a concern of hers.
    " What I was saying," Conner continued, "was that Josh has had a computer program designed which is basically going to allow you to catalog all of this art. It’s pretty straightforward. You’ll photograph the piece, upload the photos, create a file for each one. They can be grouped by artist, by type, by location, even, I think. That’s going to take you awhile, I’m sure you’ve figured, seeing the sheer amount of what he’s got, but it’ll be good because it will allow you to get totally familiar with it. And once you’ve finished with the database, that’s when the fun part starts: the arranging. Of course, you’re not going to entirely have free reign or final say in how everything’s displayed, but, depending on how good you are, your influence and input will definitely be there."
    " Okay," Sky said. "I can definitely work a camera and a computer, so I think I’ve got the database part covered." She looked to her left, then right, at the bare walls, like blank canvases themselves. "And I think the arranging part will be a lot of fun."
    " Good. Let’s go down here and I’ll show you where the computer is you’re going to be using, and you can check out the camera, which is a Canon 70d."
    Sky whistled. "Nice."
    " Yes, very nice. So do make sure you’re careful with it. I noticed you can be a little shaky on the legs at times, shall we say." He raised an eyebrow.
    " Are you calling me clumsy?"
    " Nooo, maybe gracefully-challenged?"
    " That sounds like an insult."
    " It’s not; you’ve got those long-ass legs. Quite enviable, actually. Anyway, let’s keep this tour moving."
    He led her further down the hallway, toward the office where the computer was that she’d be using. She glanced over her shoulder once before stepping into the room, still curious as to what might be in that room, even though she knew it was really none of her business.

Chapter 8
     
    She didn’t see Josh again until several days later. She was in the front living room, taking photos of several large pieces done by the French painter Miriam Deschamps. Sky knew her work - she’d written a paper on her in college, in fact, and that she now had the opportunity to work this closely with the original artwork seemed like a dream come true. She was so engrossed in what she was doing, and studying the various colors of that particular watercolor she was photographing, she didn’t hear Josh enter the room until he cleared his throat.
    She straightened quickly, fumbling with the camera. It slipped through her hands and would have crashed to the floor if it hadn’t been attached to the strap around her neck. Some sort of expression between a wince and a grimace crossed his face.
    " I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come into the