Page 22 of Raise The Bar
“Sugar?” he asks, seemingly moving on from the previous conversation.
“Yes, please.” Fine. That will be a line of questioning for another time.
He spoons some sugar into the large mug. “More?” I scrunch up my face, holding my thumb and index finger up to indicate just a little bit. He chuckles, shaking his head and adding another spoonful.
“Isn’t this where you tell me I’m sweet enough already?” I tease reaching to take the mug from his outstretched hand.
“You forget that I witnessed what you did to that poor, defenseless cinnamon roll.”
“Ohhh,” I groan. “Why did you have to bring that up? I forgot to eat breakfast.” His face lights up from within.
“Well, we can’t have that.” He backs away from me and disappears into the kitchen. He returns a moment later with a large, square pastry box. Its bright pink color tells me it came from Batter Up, a bakery not far from Fenway Park renowned for their pastries.
I know that “jump for joy” is a very common expression indicating a person is excited, but when I say that I jump for joy, I mean that I literally jump for joy. My feet leave the floor and I clap like a toddler watching Sesame Street for the very first time. I should feel embarrassed, but Callum’s smile at my reaction is so broad and so boyish that I’m temporarily speechless. There is a beauty in this man that goes much deeper than his symmetrical features. The joy he’s exuding because he knows how happy he’s made me speaks to that.
“You went to Batter Up!” I marvel, lightly running my hand over the smooth box.
“If that’s the reaction I get, I will start going every day.” His voice is low. He holds my gaze for a few moments before looking away. “I didn’t know your favorite, so I got a bit of everything.” He pulls back the lid revealing a dozen different pastries: Pain au chocolat, Danishes, croissant, a cinnamon roll, and a few other things I don’t recognize. It all looks divine. My stomach growls again and I’m certain he hears it this time. “Dig in.”
“I should use a plate. I don’t want to get powdered sugar everywhere.” I delicately remove a lemon Danish from the box, careful not to make a mess.
He shrugs, reaching for the croissants. “We don’t need plates. We’re not fancy.”
I snort in the most unladylike manner, bringing my hand over my face in embarrassment. “Not fancy?” I gesture to my surroundings. “This is the fanciest place I’ve been since I stayed at a boutique hotel in New York City a few years ago.” My words seem to confuse him.
“That’s all my decorator. I told her to go for minimalistic.” He glances around. “I figured she’d know what she was doing. Interior design is not my thing.” The self-deprecating smile is supposed to make me lose my train of thought, but I won’t be brushed off so easily this time.
“What is your thing, Clark?” I ask before taking a small bite of the Danish. Omg, it’s incredible. It’s so good, I could die. I want this Danish to be my cause of death so we’ll be linked forever. That is how much I love this Danish. Still blissed out from my first bite, I look up to find Callum staring at me.
“I’m not sure I follow,” he says, suddenly serious. Oh, how I’d love to pepper him with questions and find out what makes this guy tick. He presents himself like an open book, but I have a feeling there is much more under his surface, if anyone were to get close enough to peel back his layers.
“Never mind,” I place the Danish on the marble countertop and nervously dust my hands as I prepare to make my pitch. “Did you know that I make all of my own soaps?”
“Umm, no, no I didn’t.” He recovers quickly from my complete change in topics. “That’s really cool.”
“A lot of my clients have various skin conditions and I match everyone’s skin with a product that meets their individual needs.” I swallow nervously but plow ahead. “I’ve been told for years that I should expand my product line and sell it online, but I’ve never attempted it. There is so much conflicting information about how to run an online business and I don’t want to get in over my head.”Deep breath, Maggie, you’re almost there. “I was wonder–”
“Yes. One hundred percent. Count me in.”
I stare dumbfoundedly at Callum and he stares back. “I haven’t asked you the question yet.”
“You want me to help you successfully build and launch your business,” he grins, looking genuinely excited. “And I’m in. Let’s do it.”
Chapter 13
Maggie
“He said ‘let’s do it’?”
“He was referring to helping me build a business plan, Betty,” I roll my eyes as I lean over her. “You know that.”
She’s lying on my treatment chair as I thread her eyebrows. Even though we live together, she continued coming to my office for her services after I moved in simply because it’s easier. All of my supplies are here and the lighting is far superior to what we have at the apartment. I learned threading several years ago as an option for my clients with more sensitive skin. Not only is it cheaper, it’s also a less painful alternative to wax. It’s Friday afternoon and my first real opportunity to talk to Betty about the events of last weekend. I didn’t bring it up before as Josh had always been around and I wanted to be able to speak freely. Don’t get me wrong, I love Josh. He’s a great friend and he worships the ground Betty walks on. But he’s Callum’s friend, too, and I don’t want anything I say getting back to him.
“I’m just saying.” Her sing-song voice echoes in the small treatment room as she looks smugly up at the ceiling. “The man is practically a business mogul and he’s dropped everything to help you set up an online soap shop.”
I know she’s right, but I’ll never let her know that. Was I surprised by how quickly Callum came on board? Absolutely. But I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. If he can walk me through expanding my business, maybe the process will seem less overwhelming.
“And I’m just saying that in my current position, I can drastically change what your face looks like.” This gets a giggle out of her.
