Page 37 of Screwed
“Shiner Bock, please.”
“You bet.”
Mama would die if she saw her here. A grin spread over Callie’s face.
She pulled out her phone to busy herself while she waited for Kristy. Her cake photos were getting a lot more likes on Instagram. She scrolled through some other images, then switched to Facebook.
“I’m here!”
Callie lifted her head and saw Kristy coming toward her. She jumped up to hug her friend. “Hi!”
Kristy dropped onto the bench on the other side of the table and clunked her purse down. “I need a beer.” She lifted a hand and caught the waitress’s attention, pointed at Callie’s beer, then beamed a smile and a thumbs-up.
“Look.” Callie slapped her hand on the table in front of Kristy.
Kristy peered down, then her eyes shot open, and her lips parted. “Holy shit!” She grabbed Callie’s hand, then dropped it. “Sorry! Does it hurt?”
“It’s still a bit tender. It’s fine, though. What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful. I can’t believe you went through with it.”
“Cash took me to get it done. It didn’t even take long, and…” She coughed. “It hardly hurt at all.”
“I love it.” Kristy met her eyes and smiled. “Good for you. So is that what you meant when you said you were about to do something crazy? But no, you’ve already done it.”
The waitress set a full glass of the dark lager on the table. Kristy picked it up and held it out, and Callie clinked her half-empty glass against it.
“So what other crazy thing are you about to do?” Then Kristy frowned. “Please don’t tell me you’re getting back with Beau.”
“God no!” Callie burst out laughing. “Although…he was at Mama’s birthday party last weekend. And he said he wanted to talk.”
“What the fuck? Talk about what?”
Callie shrugged. “I didn’t want to find out. I blew him off and avoided him the rest of the evening.”
“Okay, well that’s a relief.”
“Okay, here it is—I’m thinking of starting my own business.”
Kristy sipped her beer. “That’s not crazy. Like what? A clothing boutique like Manon?”
“No. A bakery.”
Kristy choked. “Seriously?”
Callie resisted the impulse to pout at her friend’s reaction. “You think it’s a bad idea?”
Kristy coughed once more, then tipped her head. “Youdolike to bake.”
“I love it. It makes me happy. Here’s what I’m thinking.” She described her vision of the little boutique bakery she had in mind, the kinds of things she’d make.
Kristy nodded, eyes wide. “You know, that’s totally cool.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Hell yeah.”
“So before I get myself into buying or leasing space, I thought I’d try starting my business online and see how it goes. I’ve been doing a bunch of research, and I’m getting things together. It’ll be a sole proprietorship. I need to file the business name with the state and get a business license, and I need to get an Employer Identification Number from the IRS.”
