“Yes, in business.”
“Well, that should come in handy with Parker’s and the cafe.”
“It sure has so far. I should be finished up soon and finally have that degree in my hand.”
He looked over at this hard-working woman. A businesswoman, a mother, and a student. He was a bit in awe of her and all that she juggled.
She seemed oblivious of his admiration as she promptly changed the subject.“So, how about you? Did you speak to Delbert yet? Emily said that he was thinking of hiring you to overhaul their online presence.”
“I did talk to him and he hired. Looks like I’m going to stick around Moonbeam for a bit. I can work from anywhere, so that’s no problem. I’d like to be here to get The Cabot all set up and train Emily on how to post things, what to post, and help make a social media calendar. Plus, I’m still working on Jesse’s site.”He took a breath and plunged on.“And…if you like…I want to work on yours too.”
“Sounds like you’re busy with paying jobs and I…I don’t think I can swing any more expenses right now. Even if online ordering would be great.”
He frowned.“We could work something out. I’m sure we could.”
“I can’t ask that of you.”
He grinned, hoping to win her over.“You didn’t ask. I offered.”
“No, I just…can’t.”
He was going to have to find a different way to approach this. He could see the pride in her eyes. She didn’t want to accept help. Even if he wanted so badly to give it to her. And he wasn’t sure why he wanted to help her out so much. Jesse was probably right—he was just a lifelong helper person. It was just who he was. If his knowledge could benefit someone else, he loved to lend a hand.
Okay, he did like his paying gigs, too. They paid for his nice condo in Denver and all his techie toys like the newest computer and latest model phone. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t make time to help Livy. He’d just have to figure out a way…
“Well, I’m here to help if you want me to.”
“Thanks.”She smiled, but the expression didn’t leave much hope that she’d accept his aid.
He decided to change the subject.“So, Delbert threw in a sweetener to hiring me. A room at The Cabot for while I’m in town.”
Her eyes lit up.“Really? That’s wonderful. I love how it turned out.”
“Evidently he has a two-bedroom suite that some of the furniture for the second bedroom had to be returned and he’s waiting on delivery. So, he’s letting me stay there in the bedroom that is furnished. It has a small kitchenette, and the main room has a nice large desk. I’m going to move over there tomorrow.”
“What did Jesse say about that?”
“He offered to let me stay with him as long as I wanted, but I know it’s hard. He’s lived alone forever, and I’m always underfoot. This will work out better.”
Their dinner was delivered, and they ate and chatted. It was fun getting to know her better, and she asked him a million questions.
“So, where are you from?”she asked.
“I live in Denver. Well, out of Denver a bit. Just on the mountain side. Grew up in Michigan, though. Ended up in Denver for a job, then stayed there when I opened my own business. It’s close to the mountains and I love to go hiking.”
“I’ve never been to Colorado. The photos of it look beautiful, though.”
“It really is a beautiful part of the country. I love living there. Though, I’m out of town quite a bit for business when I get new big jobs. I always like to go to the client’s main office to get a feel for the business.”
“How did you get into this whole social media business?”She dipped her hushpuppy into some melted butter, popped it into her mouth, and grinned as she wiped her hand across her mouth.“I love the hushpuppies here.”
“They are good,”he agreed.“And I got into the social media aspect at my second job in Denver. Social media was growing, and the company was young and hungry. The owner was intent on using all aspects of social media and their website. I learned a lot from him. Sharp guy. But the company was bought out by this big conglomerate, and they let go about half the people. I was one of the ones let go.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it was a blessing in disguise. I was worried at first. Bills to pay and everything. I was stupid, and I’d been spending everything I earned. But I decided there was no time like the present to start up my own company.”He grinned sheepishly.“I know it was crazy. But I was lucky enough to get a large client right off the bat from a recommendation of someone I’d worked with before. I started saving my money after that. Didn’t ever want to be out of a job with no savings again.”
“I hear you on wanting to have some safety savings in the bank. It was a couple of years after I had Emily before I could start saving. And that was with living at Mom’s. Finally saved up some, and Emily and I moved out to our own place. Though Mom helped with the down payment on that. I’ve paid her back now.”She paused and took a sip of her drink.
