With Ethan gone, Alyssa turned to her pile of stuff on the couch and carted it back to the table.  Setting the items out, she smoothed out the wrinkled floor plans and sorted through her pages of drawing and notes. Her thoughts in constant flux.

It was one thing when she'd been drafting it alone, away from anyone seeing or knowing what she was up to. But another matter entirely now that it had been dragged out into the open, so to speak, with Ethan. He'd seen it and however much she'd tried to play it off as nothing, he knew. The man had laser vision that could cut straight through the bullshit with everyone except himself. A point she'd had to drive home last night, and smiled smugly, for the millionth time that morning, for a job well done.

Whatever it is, you should show it to Eva. Ethan's words echoed back to her and a shiver of anxiety flashed across her skin. Could she? Should she? Growing up, Alyssa had always been quick to step in with her sister, catching her mistakes, fixing her errors—always a step behind to make sure everything worked out. And as she'd come to learn since their reunion, Eva had worked hard to carve out identity and sense of independence. A fact Alyssa had to admire and respect, so wouldn't this contradict that? Impede that growth and discovery of self?

Whatever it is, you should show it to Eva...

Her phone hummed and Alyssa snatched it up to see a message from her sister.

            Angling her wrist, Alyssa noted the time. Followed up with a quick reply:

Eva's response chime a second later.

Smiling, Alyssa set her phone aside as she dragged out a chair and sat down. Perhaps Ethan was right. Sharing her thoughts and opinions with her sister couldn't hurt. Alyssa's greatest strong suit had always been a knack for assessing needs, understanding what a person wanted and figuring out how to give it to them.

She'd present her plan to Eva, and if at the end of it her sister didn't feel as passionately about the Initiative program as Alyssa believed she would, then she'd happily toss the whole thing in the garbage without a second thought.

With her mind lighter, brighter, Alyssa dove back into her notes, picking up where she left off, stream lining her proposal into a clean, cohesive document. Typing everything up on her laptop, she'd printed out three copies just as the long hand on her watch brushed the hour mark of eleven.

Packing up her things, and adding in a Tupperware for lunch—seeing as it was near that time, she loaded the items into the passenger seat of her car and dashed back inside quick to shower and tug on some clothes. She dressed in jeans and a cobalt cashmere sweater—the weather warm and soft despite the grey overcast, Alyssa drove up to Eva's place and pulled up as Jenelle slapped her car door shut, her own arms bogged down with bags and rolled tubing.

And dressed almost as impressively as any corporate executive Alyssa knew in pressed navy slacks and pale pink blouse. Her red hair, the colour deepened in a solon so it was the most incredible shade, gathered at her nape.

Casting her wave, Alyssa leapt out of the car, gathered her things and joined Jenelle on the front step. "Someone looks...rested," Jenelle said, a knowing twinkle in her eye. "What's all that?"

"A few things." Alyssa opened the front door—already unlocked by Eva and stood aside so Jenelle could scoot in first.

"Hey," Eva said, smiling as dogs whizzed around her legs, excited by the arrival of company and whatever salivating goodness they smelled oozing from one of the greasy bags Jenelle carried. "Let me get these monsters outside. Let's set up in the living room. Feels less like work if I can recline on a couch while I do it." Eva winked then shot two fingers into her mouth, whistling sharply. The dogs responded, no longer leaping and nipping at Alyssa for affection, they lobbed after Eva towards the kitchen and out the sliding glass doors to the yard.

Eva returned a few minutes later, joining them in the living room, carting a pitcher of what looked like fizzing juice. Berries floated near the top with mint leaves. She was still dressed in her pajamas—white and blue stripped bottoms with an oversize white shirt, probably Marshall's. But despite her comfy and casual attire, her face was all focus. All business.

"Marshall made this before he left." Eva poured the beverage out into waiting glasses, then lifted the takeout bag Jenelle had set down, rooting inside for her meal.  Alyssa listened with half an ear as they dissected what was who's, not that there was much of a difference aside from Eva's extra side order of bacon.

"Need any bacon to go with your bacon?" Alyssa asked as her sister inhaled her double bacon cheeseburger.

Eva wiggled her milkshake—a blend of bourbon vanilla ice cream with caramelized bits of bacon. "Got it covered."

"You know shit like that's going to kill you one day?"

Unrepentant, Eva smirked around a greasy, messy mouthful. "Don't hate me because you're munching on rabbit food."

Alyssa looked down at her Tupperware of quinoa, grilled halibut and sautéed kale. "I'll have you know this is delicious."

Eva turned up a nose, a child frowning at steamed broccoli. "Not as good as this burger."

"You'd think with all the calories she burned last night she could afford to indulge with us today," Jenelle tossed in with a wink. "I know a woman who's been through an all-nighter when I see one." 

Eva shifted smiling eyes to Alyssa, licking grease and sauce off her thumb. "So, I take it things went as planned last night with Ethan?"

Warmth rushed through Alyssa's body and her smile was too bright, too full to suppress. "Oh, it went better than planned. So much better. You should have seen his face when I came out of the room wearing the dress—and when he thought I was going on date? He was equal parts aroused and murderous."

Jenelle snickered. "He's always had a bit of a competitive streak, though he'd deny it with his last breath. When he wants something he hates the thought of losing it to someone else. All those years of being the shy nice guy, I guess—always finishing last and all. Now, as much as I love gossiping about sex and boys, the honour roll student in me can't relax until my responsibilities are dealt with. Let's deal with the necessary and save the fun bits for later," Jenelle vetoed.  Unlike Eva, she was drinking water and had opted for sweet potato fries instead of the regular variety. 

"Business first," Alyssa agreed.

"Kill joys." Eva snorted. Her gaze scored over the items both Alyssa and Jenelle had hauled in with them. "Alright, business—what's the update on the lease agreement?"

Cleaning her hands thoroughly with a wet wipe before lifting her satchel onto her lap, Jenelle rooted through for the required paperwork. Pulled out a sheaf of documents clipped together with colourful 'sign here tabs' flagging along one side. "I got the paperwork back from the lawyers and we've extended the lease to include the office space upstairs. So now you can get in and out without getting trapped in the chaos of the gallery. You just need to sign here," Jenelle tapped a polished finger against the pages.

"Hallelujah." Eva moved from the side chair and flopped on the couch, making a point of playfully colliding against Alyssa as she did so. Smirking, Alyssa tossed out an elbow, scooting her sister over an inch or two so she didn't end up in her lap.

Reaching for the wipes Jenelle held, Eva first cleaned her hands before plucking up a pen to scrawl her name with an uncomplicated flourish that was about as no-nonsense as her haircut. Straight to the point. 

From there they moved on to discuss inventory and the latest collection Eva planned to debut at the re-opening. Everything posted online earlier in the month was snatched up within days and even though her sister could have made a fortune, capitalizing on the demand—Eva insisted on maintaining her standards. Quality over quantity. Art couldn't be rushed, and neither would she. The next collection would be ready for the re-opening and not a day sooner.

And since the matter was to be all business, Alyssa decided that perhaps now was as good a time as any...

"If you guys don't mind shifting focus for a second, there's something I want to share with you," Alyssa said, setting aside her empty Tupperware on the floor. Standing, she cleared off their mess of empty wrappers and wadded napkins, bagging it all up neatly to be added to the trash in the kitchen before laying out the floor plans she'd copied from the gallery along with the drafted proposals she'd finished that morning.

A copy to each of them, and much like Jenelle, she'd flagged pages with colour-coded tabs for organization and easy reference.

"Over the last couple of weeks," Alyssa began, still standing as she would in a management meeting, "I've had a thought about not only expanding the square footage but the very concept of the gallery."

Her fingers wanted to knot themselves together, to pinch an twist and pull on something—a nervous tick she hadn't experienced since her days of high school. Presenting at the head of the class, doing the best she could to keep her voice and hands steady when they desperately wanted to shake. She'd worked hard to overcome that fear of stage fright, but here now—under the gaze of her sister and her best friend, Alyssa was having second thoughts.

Wondering if perhaps she was wrong to have listened to Ethan's advice? Irritated by her own insecurity and self-doubt, Alyssa wrangled it down to the pit of her stomach. Ploughed on. 

"Jenelle was right—you're doing so much more than selling art. You're creating real changing—influencing people and perceptions for the better. We can build on that. Tie it in to the gallery by creating a non-profit organization inspired by your activist art. Proceeds would be donated to various charities like Because I am a Girl or various refugee relief aid efforts, or to even combat local issues of youth homelessness and violence against women. I have a contact who specializes in pixilated panels—photography with moving components."

Opening her laptop, Alyssa pulled up the pages she'd book marked and swung it around for Eva to see. "They look like clear, thin sheets of glass until activated. It's all new, cutting edge stuff, but he'd be thrilled to collaborate on a project like this."

The main image on the page was one of Eva's, featuring a young girl. The image had been sharpened and tones were more saturated than her usual style. The lighting almost pulled the freckles out of her skin, gave a three dimensional quality to the picture, but it was her hair, matted and stringy—it moved in soft, tugging motions, like a breeze floated across the screen, disturbing it.

Eva's breath caught, Jenelle's eyes widened and both women leaned forwards, drawn in.

"It's like she's alive. Like the art is alive. He brought her to life."  

"I thought we could have panels installed in the gallery and cycle in these electronic images to provide dimension between the static art. For the opening we could bring out five of your most influential and have them attend the gala. Provide a tangible face to your art. Make it real. Accessible."

"I wouldn't know how to get in touch with most of them," Eva said, still absorbed in the electronic images.

"Most," Alyssa agreed, "but your recent subjects all signed media releases indemnifying you from future suits, contact details were listed in the paperwork." A wise adjustment to her business model as advised by Eva's lawyer, Declan Mackenzie. "I've compiled a list of a dozen prospects in the proposal, including that couple from the Morning Song feature of the Down Syndrome man from last month."

"You've put a lot of thought into this."

"I have." Alyssa rolled out her plans. Spread them across the table. Sat down next to Eva. "I was thinking we could call it Eva's Initiative—creating art, shaping lives."

"I like it." Jenelle's smile flashed, full wattage. "It's got punch, and more importantly, it's got personality. We can blow out this wall here," she said, tapping a nail on the blueprint. "And push the gallery straight across. All this open space. Imagine! Large-scale prints and those panels guiding the eye and body like signs in a maze. It'll be incredible." Jenelle's phone came alive and she glanced at the screen. "Hold on, I've got to take this." And popped out of her seat, answering the call in the foyer. She was back a second later, a dazzling grin on her face that split her face from ear to ear. The woman was already impossibly gorgeous, as were all the Davies Alyssa had come to know thus far.

"Sorry about that. Where were we?"

"All in favour for the Initiative program?" Eva asked.

Jenelle's hand shot up. "I say 'Yay' to that."

"I second the motion."

Alyssa's heart clutched. "You really want to go ahead with it."

"Absolutely. "We're a team. We're in this together." Eva took hold of her hand. Held on tight. "How long for those panels to be ready?"

"A week at most," Alyssa said, blinking back the urge to happy cry. "Another two to ship, and he can be onsite to install. I confirmed with him last night, and the quote is listed with the green tab. He's marked it down considerably because this opportunity would create a massive amount of exposure for him. He's willing to take the hit for the sake of exposure."

Jenelle hummed approvingly. "We can absolutely afford this."

"What about the additional alterations?" Eva shifted her gaze from Alyssa to Jenelle. "Would this throw us off our timeline?"

Jenelle angled her head, pursed her lips. "No, that modification is minor and Nader bought us a couple days since we switched suppliers for the glass installation." 

Eva's body seemed to ease at that, whatever tension she'd been holding on to siphoned out of her pores. "Good. I can confirm with Marshall about his media contacts. He's pulling out all the stops there. CBC, CTV and any other acronym you can imagine are going to be there."

Alyssa stroked a hand over her sister's back. "You deserve this, you know? This moment in the spotlight."

Eva smiled weakly. "Its still strange. I know there's no risk anymore, but being in front of all those cameras...speaking, engaging. My stomach gets in knots thinking about it. I keep wondering—what if he sees me? What if, what if, what if."

"It's the what if's that'll kill you," Jenelle said, "not that bastard Randy Kincaid. He's gone. Long gone. The furthest thing from being a threat to you now or ever again."

"I know." Eva nodded. "But still. All those years of being so afraid...the reaction is kinda knee-jerk. I can't stop it. I thought by now I'd feel safe, but I don't. Not quite. Not yet."

"You will. One day, you will. I promise."