“Again, don’t think of it so…big picture. If a chapter feels intimidating, think of it as a collection of stories. Can you write up that first story today? Then if you want, I can read it over and help you polish it up. You could be sending all of this out tomorrow.”
That was exciting to think about. “I can certainly try.”
“Good. That’s all you have to do. Try.”
Blaise’s phone chimed. Beau’s ears perked up but only for a moment. She glanced down. “Hang on, Maude texted me.”
She read the message, hearing it in Maude’s voice.Your website is LIVE! Take a look and let me know what you think! If you have any changes, I’ll take care of them when I get home. Off to the hospital for my first day of volunteering.
Thank you so much and you’re going to do great,Blaise responded.
Then she exhaled and looked at Cece. “Oh, my gosh.”
Cece’s brows lifted. “What? Did you think of another genius story already?”
“No.” Blaise bit her lip as she put the phone down. “Maude. She got it done. My website’s up.”
Cece’s face lit with delight. “Well, then, open it! Don’t leave me hanging. I want to see it.”
Hands suddenly clumsy, Blaise typed in the domain name Maude had gotten her. For a moment, there was nothing but a blank page. Then it appeared.
Her homepage. Blaise exhaled.Wow. She smiled.
Her name was at the top in clean, elegant typography. Three of the photographs Maude had taken on the beach on Sunday were arranged in soft, sunlit panels that contrasted beautifully with the black and gray. Maude had done something to them as well. Put some kind of filter on them that made them look slightly dreamlike.
Beneath her name was the tagline they’d discussed:Grace, Grit & Glamour.
Blaise’s throat tightened. “What do you think, Cece?”
Cece scooted in closer, almost shoulder to shoulder. “Oh, Blaise. It’s beautiful. This looks like you. The real you. It’s strong and classy and I don’t know how Maude did it, but there’s something vulnerable about it, too.”
“Those are the pictures she took.”
“Maude took those?” Cece leaned in. “Is there anything that girl can’t do? Then again, Beau could probably take a photo of you, and it would be stunning.”
Blaise laughed. “I don’t know about that.”
Her fingers hovered over the touchpad, scrolling slowly. The portfolio page showcased her past modeling shots, curated tastefully. Another tab featured the brief bio they’d worked on, now polished and glowing on the screen. And on another tab, the part that mattered most to her future,Book Blaise
She clicked on that and it took her to a page that said she was available for speaking engagements, modeling, and other promotional work with more photos of herself.
Cece inhaled sharply. “Oh, girl. This is legit. Anyone looking for a speaker or a model or a brand ambassador is going to take one look at this and hit that button to contact you. This is awesome.”
Blaise felt her eyes start to prickle with unshed tears. The kind she hadn’t cried in a long time. Her friends were so good to her. “I really hope you’re right.”
“And it’ll give weight to your query letter. You need to include the link to your site in your email signature.”
Blaise’s brows went up and she gave Cece a look.
Cece smiled. “Don’t worry, I can show you how to do that.”
“Thanks.”
They sat there for a moment, looking through the site again. Blaise had lost so much. Not just her husband and her money, but her security and confidence, too. But this? This website? It made it feel like all of that was about to change. Like real change was possible. Jay would have been so proud.
Cece bumped her shoulder gently. “I’m proud of you.”
Blaise let out a shaky laugh. “I might actually cry, but really, this was Maude’s doing”
