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“For old time’s sake?” he pressed with a grin.
“Fine,” she agreed. “Follow me. My office is this way.” She twirled around.
Cole trailed behind Leah to her office at the back of the store. She took a seat behind the espresso desk and pulled up her laptop. Cole placed the paper bag on the desk and took the chair opposite her.
Leah stared at her screen. “I like the overall style of my website, but I want the photos to take it to the next level.”
Cole drew closer as she whirled her laptop to face him. The modern design appealed to the store’s targeted clientele. He then clicked through the pages, noting the prices of her apparel though suppressing a low whistle. She was right. If she wanted the attention of more clients, her photos needed updating. Cole drummed his fingers on her desk as he pondered a strategy.
“What do you think?” Leah asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“Overall, it’s amazing. But I agree with you about updating. The clothes in the background on the website we can keep. What I’m thinking is…”
“What?”
Cole rubbed his chin. “I think you’re what’s missing, Leah.”
Leah lifted an eyebrow. “Me? How am I missing? My name is on the site.”
“That’s it though. Don’t you see? You’re the brand. Morris Style is you. You have other models wearing your clothes and that’s fine, but I think what your website needs is you modeling your own clothes. Your customers will put the face with the name and make an immediate connection.” He paused when he noticed Leah’s body tense.
She did not look convinced.
****
Leah fidgeted with the lapels on her floral print shirt. She never thought about modeling her own clothes. Something was missing from her website, but she never pictured herself modeling her own apparel. Sure, she posted a few photos of herself on social media, and she even had an “About Leah” page with her photo online. Still, Cole was onto something.
She crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. “You think that will work?”
“I think it will. If we showcase you, I can guarantee you’ll get the results you want for your business.”
Leah then reached for the chocolate muffin, needing something sweet to calm her nerves. She grabbed a small chunk between her thumb and forefinger, relishing the taste as the moist chocolate met her tongue.
“Cole, I’m not a model,” she said after swallowing.
“You don’t have to be. Besides, I’ll talk you through it. All you have to do is be yourself.”
Leah took another chunk from the muffin before passing it to Cole and then wiped her hands with the napkin as she mulled his suggestion. The thought of it all made her stomach do jumping jacks. She nibbled on her bottom lip.
“It’ll be fine,” Cole assured her.
“Easy for you to say.”
“I promise.”
Still, Leah couldn’t keep her introverted ways at bay. She truly thought to have a company logo was enough, but obviously, it wasn’t. How would she look on camera? What would others say once they saw the photos? Leah despised being shy growing up and foolishly thinking she would be past it once reaching adulthood. Now, running her own business, the old anxieties came flooding back. Yet, she swallowed the lump in her throat as Cole passed the muffin back to her.
I can do it. I can do it. She squared her shoulders. “If you think it’ll work, I’ll do it.”
“It was only a suggestion, Leah. We can come up with something else.”
Leah wanted to expand her business and didn’t want to miss the opportunity. “No, I want to. I need to do this.” She took in a deep breath and faced Cole.
His expression softened. “Leah, I believe you can do it. You’re more than you think.”
Leah smiled, allowing his words to wash over her. She took in his deep-set eyes and his stubbled jaw. He had changed so much from the boy she ate lunch with in high school. His beard matured his face. His is athletic build showed more now with his dark jeans and collared sky-blue polo shirt.
“Leah?”
