“Thanks.” He went into his office and put the pen and journal into the top drawer of his desk, then sat. He had emails to answer, so he fired up his laptop and had a look at his inbox.
Lucinda had sent along the offer forThe Light Within. He’d need his attorney to go over it as well, but he read through it anyway. It was a good offer and included all the things he’d asked for, including creative input.
Harper would be pleased. He was. He loved the idea of working with her on this project. He loved working with her in general.
He crafted a response to Lucinda, telling her that he’d be sending it to his attorney as well, and to let the producer know that things were moving forward. He was about to hit Send when Joyce knocked on the door.
“Breakfast is ready.”
“Thanks. On my way.” He skimmed the email once more, then hit Send.
Coffee cup in one hand, phone in the other, he went out to the kitchen and saw his plate on the table. There was more to the omelet than just cheese. He peered at it.
Joyce brought a second plate over with two muffins on it. “Mushrooms and a little leftover steak. With Swiss cheese. That all right?”
He nodded. “That’s great.” He sat down and tucked in. He took his phone out and read some news. None of it was good. He didn’t know why he bothered.
He went to Instagram instead and looked up Addison’s profile. For a while she’d been showing more scenes and fewer selfies. Pretty countryside, a great sunset, flowers, some fabulous meal or, often, a product she was shilling. Occasionally with part of her face. Or her hands. Sometimes just her painted toenails, showing off a pair of sandals.
But in the last few weeks, she’d started doing more full-body shots. Lots of party dresses and summer looks.
And, interestingly enough, no signs of Kyle.
Mitch found that curious. For a long time, Kyle had been her favorite accessory. Was Addison growing tired of him? Had they been fighting? Or was it just not fashionable to show off the man in your life anymore?
He had no idea. Trends escaped him.
He did a Google search for the best running dogs and was about to scroll through the results when the doorbell rang.
It was still early. He had no idea who it might be. The yard guys, maybe, with a question or a delivery for Joyce. Anything was possible. She’d probably get the door, but he stood up anyway, mug in hand. He could always use more coffee.
Joyce appeared, laundry basket in hand. “Just a second,” she called out in the direction of the front door.
Mitch set his mug on the table. “You’re busy. I’ve got it. You do what you need to do.”
“You’re sure?”
He was already moving toward the stairs. “Yep.”
He went down the steps and opened the door, fully expecting to see one of the landscapers. Instead, shock filled him. “Kyle?”
“Hey, Dad.” Kyle had dark circles under his eyes, several days’ worth of stubble, and looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
But the reason for that might have been the baby in his arms.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Frankie showered, dressed, and raced downstairs for coffee, her laptop under her arm, her phone tucked into the wide waistband of her leggings.
She had so much to do, she didn’t know where to start. It was overwhelming in the best possible way. Mostly, she had all of those emails to answer, but before she did that, she needed to research logo design to see how other businesses set things up. What they charged and all of that. She also planned on adding some new products to her shop.
She had to dig into payment options, too. She needed to know how to integrate them and she still hadn’t invoiced Lucas.
Which brought her to the matter of her pricing. Not for the shop items, but for the work she did. Her custom illustrations, the logos, the pet portraits, anything like that.
Could she charge more? Not a lot, but maybe an additional ten or twenty percent? She knew she was cheaper than a lot of other illustrators, because she’d been meaning to increase her prices for about a year.
Funny how quickly time got away from you. Life just never stopped.
