Page 85 of Sugarlips
The good news was, business was booming.
Not just a boom… it was like an A-bomb.
The Dump Truck was selling out of our online orders every morning before eleven—Beefcakes, too. Remy was a fast learner, and I was thankful for the one day off a week—and hopeful that when Neil returned, I could maybe even havetwofull days off.
Not to mention, Chloe’s consulting business was growing exponentially. She had six new clients on top of Beefcakes and The Dump Truck.
Which was why I was back here in the kitchen after having baked hundreds of cupcakes and donuts for our website orders, toasting a tomato-mozzarella pesto panini for Chloe.
I slipped the sandwich off the press and onto a plate, and grabbed a seltzer water from the fridge before backing my way out of the kitchen.
I momentarily lost my breath at the sight of her—as I always did. She sat at her usual table by the window. A ray of sunshine beamed in, catching the light of the crystals hanging there, and casted a rainbow hue across her cheek.
A pink leather laptop bag was resting at her feet and her MacBook was open in front of her; a small lined notebook lay flat on the table with a pen rested in the crevice of the spine.
Her laugh bellowed through the bakery and Finn nearly slammed into me where I stood frozen, gawking at her beauty.
“Dude,” Finn scolded me in his childish, kid-brother way. Another laugh roared through the bakery—only this one wasn’t Chloe’s. It was shrill and high-pitched. Both Finn and I cringed at the sound.
Across from Chloe sat Tanja, sipping a latte. Her overly tanned legs were crossed above the knee, and her yellow-flowered romper left little to the imagination. “Are we allowed to enforce that whole ‘we have the right to refuse service to anyone’thing?” Finn asked me quietly.
I rolled my eyes and checked my phone. “Chloe has a meeting at one. I’m sure Tanja will be gone soon.”
I said that—but truly, I had no idea. Tanja didn’t seem to take hints all that well.
I took a deep breath, ready to invade their girl-talk. I was pretty surprised to see Tanja here. Last I heard, Chloe barely had a moment to breathe today, let alone have a coffee date with her best friend.
“So,” Tanja said, “I wasthinking, since you’re so good at the PR thing, maybe you could help me manage my career? I read once that Jude Fisher paid a hundred thousand bucks to increase his twitter followers to a million.”
Chloe tapped her pen and slid a look at her phone… probably checking on the time. “Well, I don’t recommend putting a focus on Twitter. That ship is sinking fast. But I could probably help you grow your TikTok and Instagram accounts.”
Tanja beamed, but red-hot rage coursed through me. I didn’t like Tanja… at all. She was an abrasive, fair-weather friend, and for as much as Chloe seemed to love her, Tanja only popped up when she needed something. Where was she the night Dan dumped her? Where was she after Elaina went on location with Neil and Chloe felt lost and lonely without her sister here? This “friend” didn’t strike me as ride or die—and that’s what Chloe deserved. She deserved a best friend who would give as much as she would take.
“Jude also stated in that article that it was the biggest waste of money he’d ever spent,” I said, interjecting. I should know, Neil was Jude’s stuntman in several moviesandthey were close friends.
“Hey!” Chloe cried out, slapping me sarcastically. “Are you saying my services aren’t worth it?”
“Not at all. I’msayingthat if there’s anything I’ve learned from you, it’s that growing your followers isn’t as important as organic engagement.”
She grinned and gave me a wink. “He’s a good student.”
Tanja rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. So, can you help me get moreorganic engagementor whatever?”
Chloe bit her lip, but nodded. “I can help. I’m stretched pretty thin, but I can squeeze in a few brain-storming strategy sessions with you.”
Tanja beamed and sat back in her chair. “Great! Why don’t we go to brunch again Sunday?”
“Well…” Chloe glanced up at me, wincing. “I was supposed to have lunch with Liam and his mom. But…” Not only was she supposed to have lunch with Mom and me, but I knew she also had dinner plans with her parents Sunday evening. It was supposed to be our one day off this week. I offered her a genuine smile. “It’s no big deal,” I said. “We could even see if our parents would be open to combining our plans—one big family dinner with my Mom and your parents.”
She sighed, relieved. “That would be great,” Chloe said. “My parents have been wanting to see Linda, too.”
Tanja clapped her hands together. “Great! Brunch on Sunday it is!”
“And of course,” I added, because I couldn’t stop myself, “Tanja will be treating you to brunch since you’re helping her with her social media. Isn’t that right?”
I would have bet my food truck that Tanja had no intention of paying—for services renderedorfor brunch. I’d seen it at least three times now; the way Chloe always picked up the tab. Still, she was my best friend’sotherbest friend. I needed to try to like her for Chloe’s sake.
Tanja’s returning smile was tight. “Of course. Brunch is on me.”
