Page 32 of Follow Your Bliss

“Thanks,” she murmured, putting them away.

“Hey, your table video is scheduled to post today, so hopefully that’ll bring you some new followers. I posted a teaser reel this morning.”

“Oh crap, am I in it?” She opened her phone as I started out on the road.

“No, it’s just video of Strawberry Jello, blueprints, woodpile—that kind of thing.”

She shook her head, scrolling. “Every time I visit your page, I wonder how your super religious mom feels about Deck Daddy.”

I glanced back at her. How many times does Rose visit my page?

“My mom…has a love/hate relationship with it. She’s been one of my biggest customers, but she hates the Deck Daddy shtick. At least I only hear about it once a week when she catches up on my posts, or when somebody new at church brings it up. Shereallyhates that.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. That’s so unfair. You’re building something amazing here. Look at all the engagement you get. And yeah, a lot of them are just thirsty, but even more are praising your work or thanking you for your help. Listen to this one. ‘Dude you rock. Thanks for the plans for this table. It’s the first thing I made on my own and my wife thinks I’m a god now.’ And this: ‘Thanks Deck Daddy! Your advice on drying up sap with nail polish remover was a godsend—it’s been a month, and no more ooze. Hot, talented, and brilliant’ with a hot face emoji. Okay, that one was both.” She laughed. “But don’t let anyone throw shade on what you’re doing.” Her hand landed warm on my arm. “I hope you’re really proud of yourself.”

Her praise warmed my heart, and her touch heated my face. “Thank you.” I smiled at her and slipped my sunglasses down over my eyes, which were tearing up. Damn, it felt good for someone in my life to be proud of me, no mockery even in her laughter. Rose was always in on the joke, never making me feel cheap or dumb or embarrassed.

She squeezed my arm once before slipping her hand away. “Of course. Does the rest of your family give you trouble too?”

I huffed. “Dad wants to know when I’m getting a real job to use the degree he paid for. Becca and Alex make fun of me every chance they get, and Mark thinks it’s just a phase.”

“Seriously? Girl, if you get paid for doing the thing you love, that doesn’t make it less of a real job. Why would they act that way?”

I shrugged and shook my head. Her outrage on my behalf was refreshing—supportive without insulting my family.

“Okay, well what about your friends? They support you, right?”

I sighed heavily, using my mirrors to safely wedge my way into the stop-and-go interstate. “I haven’t reconnected with most of my friends, post-Kasey. I was a real ass. Just dropped everybody because they all told me she was bad for me.” Another sin confessed.

“It sucks that things happened that way. I can relate, a little. I’ve been kinda avoiding my friends since I got back.” She didn’t elaborate, but I wanted her to. “Well,Ithink your work is amazing. And I don’t just mean your work as in the things you build, but your whole business.”

She slipped her phone between the seat and her bare thigh—wearing those damn short shorts again—and dug through her purse. She picked out a bottle of lotion, squeezing some on her hands and elbows and filling the whole car with her rosy scent.

I breathed it deeply in, comforted that she came with me. It normally took over four hours to reach my parents’ condo, but today it might take twice as long. We were one car in a massive school of fish trained to swim in neat, three-lane formation, stretching out for miles.

What would Rose think about my sponsorship offer? After Mom’s scorn, I hadn’t told anyone else about it, but…

I swallowed hard and took the plunge, my heart racing. “So…the reason I’m going to Florida is to meet with a major tool company. They want to talk to me about a sponsorship and maybe appearing in their ads.”

“Wait, what?” She turned to me fully, putting both hands on my arm. The excitement in her voice made me laugh. “When did this happen?”

I pulled to a stop in the stand-still traffic. “A few minutes before I found a shady woman digging in my garden.”

“Oh my God! Congratulations!” she squealed, throwing her arms around my neck in a quick hug.

“I mean, I don’t have it yet. I have to go talk to them, and they still may not offer.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before? That’s huge! What brand of tools?”

I rubbed my beard, laughing, expecting her to laugh. “Big Dick Tools.”

But she didn’t laugh. “I fucking love the name.” She picked up her phone and tapped away. “We love a big dick. I don’t know them, but then my toolset was a dollar store special. Here they are.” She scrolled for a bit. “Jason, they look perfect for you! Huge, quality brand with just the right amount of silly.” She stopped, put her phone down to her lap, and threw her head back, laughing. “Oh my God, the names they have for their tools is the best thing ever.”

I laughed with her. “What is it with you and naming things?”

“I don’t know,” she wheezed. She looked back at her phone and laughed harder, tears in her eyes. “The Three-Way Screwdriver. Size Matters Tape Measure. Tongue-in-Her-Groove Pliers. This is brilliant.” She cackled as she scrolled. “When are you going to meet with them?”

“Friday morning. They’re about an hour from the condo.”

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