Blaise had no words for a few beats. Was this something she could do? She ought to at least find out. She took a breath. “Clearly, I could be doing more. I just never had any desire to get out there. Especially not after losing Jay and getting scammed.”
“I totally get that. But if you want to make some money, the opportunities seem to be there. I’m not saying offers will bepiling up, but with a good website, you’ll at least be out there. Findable.”
Blaise reminded herself this was why she’d come to Maude. “You’re right. I still don’t love that I’m doing this. But I have to do it.”
“I’m sure your agency will vet people. It’s not like you’re going to end up speaking at a flat-Earth convention or something like that.”
“I don’t have an agency. Haven’t for years. I don’t really want to get one, either. They’ll run my life. And take a significant cut of my earnings. I’ve done that before. I don’t want to do it again.”
Maude’s mouth bunched to one side and her eyes narrowed as she disappeared into her thoughts. “So…maybe you don’t need one.”
“How?”
“I can set up some different emails for you that will make it look like you have a rep, then you can just handle them on your own. If you feel comfortable reading through the contracts on your own. You can always hire an attorney to read them for a fee, too. But that would let you be in charge of everything.”
Blaise nodded. “Cece and I talked about something similar. I think that would be fine to start with.”
“Great. Let me start making some notes.” Maude typed away. After a moment, she looked up. “All right, tell me what sort of website you want.”
At least Blaise had thought about this. “Something simple, but modern and sophisticated and still approachable.”
“Like you.”
Blaise smiled. “It does need to represent me.”
“I’ll need your most recent headshots, or whatever images you want to use.”
“Oh, headshots.” Blaise sighed. There was one more thing to spend money on. “I haven’t had those done in ages.”
“You really should have something current. People are going to want to know what you currently look like. Sorry, but that’s the truth when it comes to something like this.”
“No, you’re right. I’ll have to get some taken.” Blaise felt a slight tension headache coming on. “I just didn’t budget for that. I’m going to end up spending more than I realized.”
“Maybe not. Maybe you don’t need to spend anything on pictures,” Maude said. “We have a great backdrop right outside our doors. We can take some shots on the beach if you want. I can do great things with Photoshop. Touch them up, smooth things out. They won’t be professional, but they’ll be decent. I can promise that much. Plus, they’ll be free and they’ll get the job done until you can swing hiring a pro.”
“That is incredibly kind of you.” Blaise was touched. Maude’s kindness meant a great deal. “Thank you. I guess I should ask what the website is going to cost, too.”
“Why don’t we worry about that after you book your first gig?”
Blaise tipped her head. Was Maude really suggesting that Blaise not pay her until she made some money? “Maude.”
“I mean it. Besides, being able to put your website into my portfolio is not exactly bad for me.” Maude smiled. “I’m happy to help. I really am. There was a time that I wanted to be you when I was a kid. The fact that we’re friends now blows my mind. And friends help each other, so let me do this.”
Blaise put her hand to her chest, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. She’d felt alone for so long and now…now she had friends who were going above and beyond for her. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. And then start telling me what other info you want on the website.”
Chapter Eight
Being sore after bowling was nothing like being sore after fifty minutes of Slimercize with Betsy Vintner.
In Cece’s estimation, Betsy was entirely too perky for someone inflicting that kind of pain on other women. No one should be able to smile that long. It was just unnatural.
And despite the fact that Cece’s day had started with a large coffee, two Motrin, and alonghot shower, she was still moving like a woman who’d misplaced her walker. She needed breakfast, but after what she’d put herself through yesterday, she wanted to eat something sensible.
What shereallywanted was a couple of waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, but she couldn’t imagine a diet where that qualified as sensible.
With a sigh, she stood in front of her refrigerator and contemplated her choices. Peanut, who’d been fed first thing, came to look in the fridge, too.
