Page 54 of Secrets Bared
“I’ll make some mock-up posts; you convince her to let me do this.”
“She’ll want to pay you.”
Maggie shrugged. “With everything you guys have going on, I’m not taking her money. I have other paying clients, and I can afford to help until we know what’s going on with her health-wise.”
“How about I cover your rates for now, and we tell Mom it’s a gift from me?”
Maggie sat up straight, pulling away from his arm. “I don’t know how I feel about taking your money.”
“Mom and Dad always taught me the workman is worth his — or her — hire. Please?”
She chewed on her lip, but she agreed. “I’ll bring my laptop over tomorrow. Now—” she turned to his brother. “—how about we show your brother what he’s missing withJujutsu Kaisen?”
Aaron shrugged. “Sure.” He brought up his Crunchyroll account on the television and they settled in to watch.
With Maggie under his arm, Luke would watch just about anything, but he found he enjoyed the anime about the high schooler fighting cursed spirits.
Maybe if the diner started bringing in more business, Aaron would see that he could make money legally.
Chapter 15
Maggiemadegoodonher promise to Luke the next day, after staying up late to work on some ideas for The Busy Bee social media profiles. The two of them spoke to Deb about the possibilities, and she agreed quicker than Maggie thought she would.
“I knew I needed to change with the times, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day. I’d love for you to take this on.”
Deb of course didn’t want her to work for free, nor did she want Luke to pay for her services, but Luke got her to agree to letting him cover the first couple months as an early Mother’s Day present.
God, he was the sweetest.
Spring was starting to peek its head out from behind Winter’s chill. While she needed her coat in the morning, she’d shed it in the afternoon.
Maggie drove over to Too Sweet, to sit at their tables and chat with Grace when she got a lull while she worked. Grace of course plied her with breakfast pastries just as decadent asher cupcakes. At least she’d eaten some scrambled eggs at the Haven.
The social media accounts were taking off, Grace’s confections doing all the work for her. And the homestyle cooking at The Busy Bee was starting to gain traction as well.
“How’s the online ordering coming?”
Grace sighed and put her elbows on the table to prop up her chin. “Slowly. I need to find someone who understands web design.”
“Doesn’t Felix have online ordering for Underhill?”
Her brown brows furrowed. “I don’t know.”
Maggie brought up the website on her laptop. “Yep. And he has to keep track of the inventory;youcan bake to order.” She wagged her eyebrows. “You should ask him how he set it up.”
“I’ll do that.” Grace didn’t take the bait. Maggie suspected the tension she’d seen between them at game night was one-sided. Joe had a family obligation, so last Tuesday Luke, Maggie, Felix, and Grace played a rousing game ofRed Dragon Inn. Grace told her once Felix was just a friend, but Maggie had been able to tell from the way he watched Grace that he wanted to be more.
Poor Felix.
Around noon, the bell over the door rang and Luke stepped inside, carrying a wicker hamper. “Hey Maggie. Ready to go?”
She looked up from her screen and grinned. “A picnic? Is it warm enough?”
“He’ll keep you warm.” Grace teased from the counter. “Did you pack dessert, Luke?”
“Why would I pack dessert when I could pick it up here?”
“Smart man.” Grace packed some treats into a box while Maggie shut down her laptop and put it back into its bag. She had everything put away by the time Luke finished.
