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Shelly’s wasn’t technically open, but the front door was unlocked. The barback was setting a case of liquor onto the bar and said, “Hey, sorry we’re not open yet.”
“I’m Willa. I’m meeting Mia here.”
“Oh, sorry. Boss is in the office.” He hitched his thumb over his shoulder.
“Thanks.”
I headed in the direction of the office and even though the door was open, I knocked.
Mia was behind the desk and she lifted her head. “Awesome, you’re here. Come in.”
“I feel like I’m about to get a lecture,” I said, sitting in the chair in front of her desk.
She set her pen aside and closed a three-ring binder. “Not at all. I wanted to discuss the redesign of Shelly’s website with you.”
“You’re not serious,” I said.
She frowned. “Of course, I’m serious. Why wouldn’t I be serious?”
“Because you know I’m all but flat broke,” I said baldly. “Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you’ve done enough. Really. The rental was more than generous. You don’t have to offer to hire me.”
“I don’t know what you think, but I’m not offering to hire you out of charity,” she admitted pointedly. “You’re a damned good web designer. I love what you’ve done with Brooklyn’s website. It’s fresh and easy to navigate, and it handles the insane traffic from all the custom orders and inquiries she gets.”
I stared at her. “Duke didn’t ask you for this?”
“No.”
“Savage?”
“Nope. I swear. This is something I’ve put off for a while. It needs to get done. I know you; I like you and I respect your work. This is one of those moments where I’m sayingShut up and take my money. So Willa, shut up and take my money.”
“I’m sort of afraid not to,” I quipped. “You’re small but mighty.”
“Good, glad that’s sorted.”
“You want me to do what I did for Brooklyn? Create a few homepage templates so you can choose one and tell me what you want built out?”
“Sounds perfect to me.”
“I’ll charge you exactly what I charged Brooklyn. I’m sure she already told you my rate.”
“She did, but from one business owner to another, it’s time for you to increase your rate.”
“I’ll do that,” I said. “But I don’t feel right about charging you more than I charged her. It would feel like gouging.”
“You deserve to be paid for the work you do. It’s not gouging. It’s about knowing your worth. But it’s your choice. There is another lesson here; I’ll pay you what you’re worth if you ask, but if you don’t listen to me, I won’t throw more money at you just to be nice. A deal is a deal,” she said with a laugh.
I laughed along with her and then stood up and headed for the door.
“You might want to consider getting business cards made,” she said. “I have a feeling your business is going to boom.”
“From your lips,” I stated. “Add it to the list of things I need to do.”
As I headed out into the parking lot, I couldn’t help the smile that stretched across my face. My savings account had been sorely depleted by Angel’s abandonment, and I’d had to wait on purchasing a monitor to design on. Now, it looked like I’d be able to afford it.
I drove to Waverly’s school and sat in the parking lot. While I waited for the final bell to ring, I texted Duke, telling him that Wednesday I was taking him to dinner to celebrate my turn of fortune.
I could do this. I could get my sister to graduation, I could grow my business, I could have Duke. My life didn’t have to fall apart just because circumstances had been hard in the past. The tides were turning.
