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“Stop it,” I whisper, swatting his hands away. “You want coffee?” I ask as I pull down three mugs from the cabinet.
“Sure. What’s for breakfast?” he asks, looking around my kitchen.
“Pancakes!” Jack calls from the couch.
“Pancakes?” Clay replies jokingly. “You know how to make pancakes already? You’re only seven.”
Jack giggles loudly. “No,youmake pancakes!”
“I’ve got bad news for you, buddy,” Clay replies as I hand him a cup of coffee. “I’ve never cooked a day in my life.”
“I guess it’s time to learn,” I reply with a smile.
“Yes, Madame,” he mumbles under his breath. Then I show him where the skillet is as I pull the mix from the pantry and the milk and butter from the fridge.
I show him how to stir the ingredients together and heat the stove. As I watch him attempt to flip his first one, making a mess of batter all over the pan, I can’t help but laugh. Then I take over as he stands by my side, watching me work.
It’s not exactly as I envisioned, but nothing ever is.
That doesn’t make it any less perfect.
Rule #52: Savor every moment.
Eden
One month later
“Well, I’m telling you, if female sign-ups are down, then it doesn’t matter where the retention numbers are. Getting them in the club should be our number one priority.”
Emerson Grant furrows his brow at me on the other side of the conference table. “Any ideas then?” he asks as he leans back in his chair and crosses his leg over his knee.
I take a deep breath and roll back my shoulders. “Yes, I do.”
“Hit us with it,” Garrett says from the side of the table.
“Well,” I say, hitting the button on the computer to show this quarter’s numbers on the slideshow. “As of right now, our main female demographic is being pulled through mediums geared toward single, childless, wealthy businesswomen. And I believe we’re missing a huge target.”
“Who?” Emerson asks.
“Moms.”
“Moms?” Hunter asks, looking up from his laptop.
“Yes. Mothers. Wives. There is an entire demographic of women underrepresented in this community. The married ones won’t come without their spouses, and their spouses won’t come without them. The single ones have no outlet and wouldn’t feel welcome, so I think we should extend an invitation.”
Garrett chuckles. “What do you suggest we do? Drop flyers at the library during story time?”
I glare at him as I roll my eyes. “No, but they’re online. If we target our ads and pull in a few of their trusted influencers, I think we can entice them to visit the club. It’s not like I’m suggesting we open a day care. But I know these women. They are no different from the ones we already serve. Just because they spend their days at home with kids and cartoons doesn’t mean they don’t have the same dirty, kinky desires the rest of us do.”
The three men at the table are all staring at me, and they’re making it very hard to read their expressions. Part of me feels like I did just suggest we open a day care because it feels insane, but since coming out to them as a mother myself, I feel like I have an obligation to speak up for others like me.
Emerson is the first to crack a smile. “I like it.”
Hunter nods as he contemplates the numbers on the screen. “What about a casual night at the club where we lay off the dress code to make it a little more inviting and less intimidating?”
A smile creeps across my face. “That’s a great idea.”
“And we can get Mia in here to show us what she knows about social media influencers to reach out for this. We can offer them a free month membership for an outreach collaboration.”
