trying to do dawned on me.
“You need money for materials, correct?” Brock asked. “Bronze and aluminum casting shot?”
“Well ingots, but yes.”
“And you need to recast your piece first. In wax. So you’ll need that too, right?”
“I almost have enough for that,” I explained. “But yes.”
“So there you go,” said Valerio. “You already have the latex mold, so pour yourself a new wax sculpture. Buff it, sand it, prep it for the next step. You can do all that from here, right?”
“Well, yes,” I admitted, impressed that he knew so much. I felt flattered that they’d obviously been paying attention. “But after that there’s a problem,” I went on. “I can’t use the foundry anymore.”
At those words, I watched Valerio and Kade’s gaze swivel in Brock’s direction. They waited on him expectantly.
“What if we told you we got you a foundry?” asked Brock. “One that’ll allow you to cast your final two pieces, rent-free. Cost of materials only.”
Now it was my turn to look absolutely astonished. “Wait… WHAT?”
“It’s a couple hours away though,” said Valerio. “Up in Toronto.”
“Toronto?”
“Yes,” said Brock. “Just over the Canadian border. Is your passport up to date?”
Toronto. Canada. My mind was spinning with the possibilities.
A foundry.
“Holy shit!”
Valerio chuckled. “Is that a yes then?”
“How did you… I mean… they’re going to let me use their equipment, their machines? You’re sure about that?”
“One-hundred percent,” Brock smiled satisfyingly. “Turns out the guy has a loose business relationship with my father, or at least with someone that knows him. They actually need some blue-stone and fascia work done at their building. We’re going to handle that for them when the spring weather rolls around.”
“So… trading labor?”
“Pretty much,” Brock replied. “Only you’re providing your own materials and doing most of your own labor.”
“Most of?”
“Yes,” said Kade, stepping in. “We say most of, because you’re gonna have us.”
I was completely speechless. Not just from the joy of knowing I’d get to finish my work, but from the level of thoughtfulness and detail that went into what they’d just gifted me. It was unbelievable. The most incredible thing anyone had ever done for me.
“We booked a hotel too,” said Brock. “A nice one near Cliffside, overlooking Lake Ontario. We figured you’d need three or four days,” he smiled, “so we booked most of the week.”
Christmas. In Toronto.
My heart was pounding out of my chest. My face so flush I thought I might burst.
With your three hot new boyfriends.
“Oh my God,” I exclaimed. Then louder: “Oh MY GOD!”
I ran over to them one by one, kissing each of them in turn. Throwing my arms around them and squeezing them until I could barely breathe.
“Is this really happening?” I asked tearfully.
“Yup.”
“When?” I couldn’t hide my excitement now. I was so thrilled, I was practically vibrating.
“That’s the best part,” said Brock. “Being Christmas week their shop is closed for the holiday, so it’s pretty much wide open. We’ve got the place all to ourselves.”
“We could go tomorrow if you wanted to,” said Kade.
“Tomorrow?” I gasped. “On Christmas?”
“Uh huh.”
“I want to!” I shouted. “I definitely want to!”
At that, Kade laughed and pulled something out from behind the tree. Another present, wrapped in the same red paper.
“We figured you might say that,” he grunted. “So we got you this.”
He pushed the giant package my way. Somehow it even rolled.
“This last present is mostly symbolic though,” chuckled Valerio. “So I wouldn’t get too excited.”
I stared at the package for a moment, letting a thousand crazy ideas float through my mind. In the end however, I remained happily stumped.
“Well… what is it?” I asked, practically dying of suspense.
The guys looked at each other again, this time with even more satisfaction than before.
“Your luggage.”
Thirty-Six
SLOANE
“This place is enormous!”
I spun in a circle, taking in the main work area of the gargantuan foundry. The machines were newer, the technology that ran them much more advanced. But when it came down to it, they all did the same things.
“The technical manuals for everything are stacked up near the workstations, in case you need them. Plus, you can always call. If you need help, that is.”
The man who’d let us in was friendly and amiable, or at least as friendly as someone could be who got dragged from his home on Christmas Day. He put his fist to his mouth and yawned.
“And you’re doing two pieces, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Well then,” he shrugged. “That shouldn’t be too bad.”
I’d already weighed out my materials and paid for them with the money the boys had gifted me. Luckily the foundry had