The No Kiss Contract (Jensoo)

4

The Hoboken Art and Music Festival was blessed with a day that was sunny and warm. A beautiful June Saturday meant more business for Jennie. It was a good thing Cherry agreed to help out today with the massive number of people attending: strolling by her stall, eating street fair food, and listening to local music. For every fifteen or twenty looky-loos, she usually got one sale, which was a tremendous return on her vendor fees. She loved the citizens of Hoboken and their perpetual need to put paintings on walls.

Cherry was usually great at chatting up potential buyers. She had told Jennie she viewed it as an acting challenge. "My sister is so talented," Cherry said to a thirty-something woman who lingered over a large watercolor of Sandy Hook at sunrise. "She's been particularly inspired since she lost her foot. And you could be the proud owner of this one of a kind original by a footless artist. Isn't it gorgeous?"

Jennie stepped in and offered the woman her card. "Still have both my feet, thanks. Cherry loves to embellish. If you're interested in beach landscapes, I can do them any size, in watercolors, acrylics, or oils. You name the beach—I can paint it." She smiled at the woman as she drifted on to the next booth. "The link to my Etsy store is on there too."

Cherry flopped into a lawn chair behind the bins of pre-matted eight-by- tens. Jennie followed, pulling two cold waters from her cooler, and handed one to her sister.

"Try to keep the outright lies to a minimum. That's not going to get me many sales."

"You don't know that." All her attention was on her phone as her thumbs flew over the screen. "I'm pushing the big canvases since Mom told me you're getting evicted. I figured you'd need the money."

"It's none of your or Mom's business. And I'm not getting evicted." Cherry looked up for a millisecond. "She told me you're getting kicked out of your place."

"It's not an eviction," she grumbled. "The landlord wants to raise the rent, so he's renovating."

"So you don't have to move?"

She looked away for a moment before admitting, "No, I do. I am getting kicked out."

"Eviction has reentered the chat."

Jennie stuck her tongue out at her.

Cherry remained impassive. "So where are you and Lou going to live?"

"I don't know. I have until the end of the month to figure it out."

"That's, like, two weeks. If you're in a jam, Louie can stay with me. On the floor. Not you, though. You snore."

Jennie nudged Cherry's thigh with her foot. "I do not."

The corner of Cherry's mouth lifted in a sly grin, but she didn't look up from her phone.

She nudged her again. "Who are you texting?"

"Nobody."

Jennie made her voice all sing-songy and suggestive. "Is it Brandon?"

Cherry had paired with them in a tap routine for her school's spring revue. "No, nosy, and for the last time, I'm not interested in them."

"Okay, if not Brandon, then who has all your attention when I'm paying you to be here?"

Her fingers paused in their typing. "You're paying me in pizza."

"Well, it ain't Bitcoin, but I would've thought it was an acceptable currency for someone your age. So who?"

Cherry gave her a mulish look but relented, putting the phone in her lap.

"If you must know, it's Jisoo."