the phone against her heart and looked over to Jacob still holding Suzy. âExcuse me, Jacob. I need to take this call. If you need me, Iâll be in the classroom.â
He nodded.
Walking slowly out of the office, she replied, âItâs so good to hear from you.â
âIâm so sorry I couldnât come to the funeral. That stained glass conference was a breath of fresh air. Well, except for one dolt. Anyway, Iâm completely inspired to try some new techniques. Luckily, the financial grant I just snagged covered the entire expense. Anyone who tells you that New Orleans has a recovered infrastructure hasnât actually tried to use that infrastructure. It was miserable. Even worse, my cell phone went belly up after the second day so I had no coverage for the whole week.â
âI miss you. Itâs good to hear your cheery voice.â
âBull. You miss our apartment and your glass studio. Hovel would be a better description, but it is ridiculously quiet around here without you and your Ken drama.â
Savannahâs stomach sunk into a black pit at the thought of her ex-boyfriend. âI am not a drama queen. You know that.â
âI know. I just couldnât resist riling you. Sorry. I shouldnât have done that. You already know I have no sense of social awareness. Anyway, I am truly sorry about your dad and the funeral and all that stuff. Really.â
Savannah choked up. âYes, I know.â
âWhat?â
âYes, youâre right as usual. I miss Seattle.â Savannah wandered around the classroom and perched on one of the student stools.
âSo how is selling the business coming along?â
Savannah sighed deeply. âThings have gotten complicated.â
âWhat? How?â
âDadâs long-time associate, Hugh Trevor, was found dead in the custom workshop this morning.â
âOh no. Savannah, thatâs horrible. Thatâs unspeakable. What can I do? Do you need me to come out there andââ
âHold on.â Savannah took a long breath. âIâm okay for now. Itâs a shock and Iâm not sure if Iâm thinking straight.â
âYou? Youâre the straightest-thinking person I know.â
âApparently not when I lose my dad and Hugh in the space of a week.â
âOh, right. Didnât you leave a message that Hugh was going to stay on? At least during the ownership transition?â
âYep. He wanted to keep on teaching so I was going to symbolically hand over Dadâs keys to him tonight after class. I really thought I would be on my way back sometime tomorrow.â
âThatâs crap in a handbag.â
Savannah shook her head and rolled her eyes. Only Ivy can get away with using phrases like that .
âIâve got a lot more to figure out now. How to sell the shop. How to teach this weekâs workshop. How to . . .ââ figure out if my dad was murderedâ âNever mind. As you say, crap in a handbag. The list is getting longer.â
âWell, if anyone can juggle all that without getting a hair out of place, itâs you. Hey, Ken was asking me today if I knew when you were coming back. Are you two in the falling-out or falling-in phase at the moment? It does get confusing.â
âWe are most definitely in the falling-out phase and well planted into the never-getting-back-together- ever phase. Trust me. Itâs over. We will have to act like real grown-ups and cooperate professionally since our exhibit opens in two weeks.â
âJust because a guy looks good doesnât mean he is good. Anyway, call him. Heâll want to know why you wonât be back this week to set up the show and I canât lie. You know that. Iâll spill the beans in a New York minute.â
âSorry, sorry. He shouldnât be bugging you. Iâll send him an e-mail right away. Thanks for calling, Ivy.â
âNow, I really mean
Learning to Kill: Stories