“What are you looking for in a computer?” Grace asked as she took another hefty bite.
“Nothing much. I just need to get on the internet and maybe do some typing.”
“What do you do?”
“I used to do social media marketing. And I want to get back into it. I love Deb and The Busy Bee, but I need more income.”
Grace’s eyes lit up. “Really?! Can I be your first client?”
Maggie blinked. “Of course.”
She bounced in her chair. “There aren’t enough hours in the day to come up with new recipes, bake the current ones, and run the business. If I could outsource my marketing that would be a dream.” She squealed. “Okay, let’s get out of here. I’ll just grab my coat from the office.”
Maggie laughed as she took their empty plates and handed them off to a kid behind the counter, then disappeared behind a door. She reappeared quickly and slid her arms into a pink coat. “Have a great rest of the day, Bobby. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you, boss!”
The bell over the door rang as they walked outside. “Are you okay driving? I can navigate.”
“Sure. You don’t drive?”
“I would, but I don’t have a car.” Grace shrugged. “The ex got it in the divorce and I don’t need one living here.”
“Grocery shopping must be a pain.”
“Nah,” Grace said as Maggie led her back to The Busy Bee, where she’d parked. “Felix takes me.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you were dating.”
Grace shook her head. “Nope, never. We’ve been friends forever.”
“I see.” Maggie unlocked the car, and they jumped in. “Okay, where’s this computer shop?”
Three hours later, and a hundred dollars poorer, Maggie and Grace returned to Hawthorn Hills. She was brimming with excitement as she pulled up in front of Too Sweet.
“You should come up to my place! I’ll order a pizza from Tony’s and we’ll talk rates.”
Maggie blinked. “You were serious?”
Grace bent over and peeked back at her through the open door. “About being your first client? Dead serious.” She shut the door and rounded the car. “Now come on up. I live in the apartment over the shop.”
“Alright.” Maggie pulled herself out of the car and grabbed her new laptop bag from the backseat. She slung the strap over her shoulder and followed Maggie as she unlocked the darkened shop.
“We can get into the apartment through the bakery,” she explained as she locked the door behind Maggie. “Come on back.”
She followed Grace behind the counter into the industrial kitchen. A stainless-steel counter bisected the space, with a sink and commercial refrigerator on one side and ovens along the back wall. Huge racks on wheels stood empty in the corner. Another door at the back of the kitchen opened up to a hallway.
“That’s my office,” Grace pointed to a closed door on the left. “This is where we take deliveries.” She tapped an exterior door in front of them. “And this is how we get to my place.”
Maggie followed Grace up a winding stairway. “How did you ever get furniture up here?”
“Very carefully. And usually in pieces. I had to put them all together once it was upstairs.” She unlocked another door at the top of the stairs. “Come on in.”
A sunny living room greeted them, with a small kitchen off to the side. Grace gestured to her kitchen table. “You can set up here. The wi-fi network is ‘Too Sweet For Me,’ no spaces, and the password is ‘cupcake’.” She peeled off her coat and hung it on a hook on the back of her door, then did the same with Maggie’s. “What do you like on your pizza?”
“I’m not picky. Just no anchovies.”
“I’m feeling like pepperoni and sausage.” Grace winked. “I don’t get a lot of meat now that I’m divorced.”
