"Have you got permission from parents to use photos of your students for marketing purposes?" Luc asked.
Adam guessed their parents shook their heads, when only silence answered.
"Okay, I'll draft up a form for you. Get those permission slips in as quickly as you can and then I'll come into lessons and take some photos. Maybe some video too. It'll be good to put up on social media, to get people interested in what you do. Do you have a flyer already designed?"
"Yes, hang on," Deborah said. The legs of her chair squeaked across the tiles and then her slippers made a slap, slap, slap noise as she wandered out of the kitchen.
"Adam, sit down," their dad said.
"I've got stuff to do."
"Sit down."
Adam did as he was told. There it was again: feeling like he was a kid, rather than a grown man. He knew it didn't help that he was acting like one.
"You two need to sort things out, for your mum's sake," their dad hissed.
Adam folded his arms and leaned back, glaring at Luc.
"I'm sorry," Luc mumbled.
"For what?" Adam asked.
"For being mean to you when we were kids."
Adam hissed out a breath. That wasn't all Luc had to apologise for.
"Adam?" their dad asked.
"Apology accepted," he grumbled.
"I want you to let Luc teach you about the social media stuff."
Adam started to shake his head, then bit his lip. "Fine."
"Let me get things set up first," Luc said, looking down at the table. "Until we get those permission slips in and start taking some photos, there won't be much I can do." He cleared his throat. "I'll need your class list and prices, too."
Deborah wandered back into the kitchen, brandishing one of their flyers. It was very similar to the website in look and feel, so Adam doubted that Luc would be impressed by it. Not that they'd bothered with flyers in a long time.
Luc took the flyer and gazed at it for a few seconds. "I'll get Jane to redesign this, too. Maybe put an offer on it of a free introductory lesson."
They parents gaped at him.
"You're supposed to be helping us make money, not give things away for free," their dad grumbled.
"An introductory lesson is a great idea," Luc assured them. "It gets people through the door without them having to spend anything except their time. Then it's up to you guys to show them you are the best dance teachers around."
Deborah put her hand on their dad's shoulder. "We agreed we'd give all Luc's ideas a try. He knows what he's doing, Ken."
Their dad inhaled deeply. He raised his hand to Deborah's and patted it. "I know." He nodded. "But one thing at a time, okay? Don't thrust too much on us at once."
Luc grinned, which made the dimple in his chin more pronounced and, for a second, his face looked a little less harsh and angular. "Let's get the web side of things sorted out first." He dropped his hands to his lap. "Right, I'm going to take my suitcase upstairs and get freshened up. Am I in my old room?"
"Next to Adam's, yes," their mum said. "It's all ready for you."
Luc smiled at his parents but seemed to avoid even glancing in Adam's direction. Then he stood and scurried out of the room with surprising speed.
"I'm going down to the cellar," Adam said, standing. He needed to dance. Needed to work some of the frustration out of his system. "Come get me when it's time to head to the studio."
