38. Theo
38
THEO
I stand on the front porch of Mia’s almost-ready bed and breakfast. I can see that she’s made some updates to the curb appeal since I was last here. There are a couple of rocking chairs on the front porch and a very artistically done sign made of shells that welcomes her guests. The place is really coming together, and I can see how much it means to Mia.
“Hi,” Mia says when she opens the door. Her tone of voice might not give anything away, but the twinkle in her eyes does. Last night on the beach changed things for us, for both of us.
I reach for her hand, and she draws me inside, shutting the door behind me with an ominous thump.
“Oh no, Mia wants me inside where no neighbors can see me. What does that mean?”
“That means I want to get finished, and you said you would help me! Maybe, if we work hard, then we can have some time to relax later.” Mia teases me with her eyes, looking up and down my body. I remember last night in the ocean waves and feel something stirring inside me.
“What about right now and later?”
“What about you behave yourself?”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you look like that. ”
Mia blushes, but she quickly turns away from me and marches down the hall. I follow her.
“I’m trying to finish up with the decorations for the sunroom. Take a look at what I’ve got.”
“I said I could help you with marketing the place, not decorating. You really don’t want me in charge of that—I promise you.”
But I take a look anyway.
“Do you think this plant should go here or closer to the window?” Mia asks, holding a potted fern and looking between two spots. “I just don’t want it to be in the way, and I could see it being a tripping hazard if it’s right here.”
I smile, enjoying the sight of her so focused and happy. “Definitely closer to the window. It’ll get more light there.”
“This whole room is going to be filled with light,” Mia says, motioning all around her.
“Well, yes, but closer to the window means stronger lighting. And, let me tell you a secret.”
Mia looks at me with confusion for a minute. I motion her closer. She raises an eyebrow but moves closer to me. “If you don’t like it, you can always change things around. Tomorrow. The next day. After your first guest.”
Mia purses her lips at me, but not in an annoyed way. Well, okay, maybe she’s annoyed but only because she didn’t realize the obvious.
She places the huge plant by the window and steps back. “You’re right. It looks perfect there. And, yes, I can change things around, but I want the pictures online to match the place perfectly. I don’t want anyone to feel disappointed.”
“Because you moved a plant?”
Mia laughs when she realizes how ridiculous she is being. “Okay, yes, you’re right. No one will be disappointed by that, but I just want to find the best arrangement for everything and stick with it, you know?”
“I’ve got some pretty good ideas on arrangements.”
Mia has just picked up a throw pillow, but she lets her arm hang down her side as she turns toward me. “Like what?”
“Like this.” I step toward Mia and pull her flesh against my body. “This is a pretty good arrangement, but there’s also this…” I turn Mia around and push her upper body forward so that her ass is pressing against my groin area. “This is also a recommended arrangement.”
Mia presses her ass backward against me so that she has to feel what she’s doing to me. Then, she straightens up and swats at me with the pillow. “Alright, sir. Let’s stay focused.”
I stay focused as Mia has requested for the next hour and a half as I help her move a few things around and neaten the rooms so that she can update the pictures online.
“Okay, time for some updated pictures,” Mia says, grabbing her camera from a nearby table. “I want to make sure everything looks perfect for the website.”
I follow her as she moves through the rooms, snapping pictures of the beautifully decorated spaces. Each room has its own unique charm, and I wouldn’t mind staying in a place like this myself if I wanted to have breakfast at a table with a stranger.
“Hold on,” I say, stepping in front of her camera. “Before you take that picture, make sure you’re capturing the best angle. Try moving a bit to the left. Right now, the window light is going to shine in and wash out the whole room.”
She adjusts her position and looks through the viewfinder again. “Like this?”
“Yeah, exactly. And don’t forget to highlight the features that make each room special. Guests want to see what sets your place apart from others. Close-up pictures of this tray at the foot of the bed will set the stage for what your guests can expect.”
Mia smiles, lowering the camera. “Thanks, Theo. Your advertising expertise is really helpful.”
“Anytime. You’ve got a lot to offer, and you don’t want to miss highlighting your best features.”
I can’t help it. My eyes travel down Mia’s body, lingering on her best features. But Mia doesn’t notice. She’s busy taking pictures.
“Send them to me, and I’ll work on uploading them to the website along with some descriptions of each one.”
I get to work on Mia’s laptop as she continues to snap more pictures of the other rooms. I take my time carefully editing the pictures as needed before uploading them.
After a while, I stand up to stretch and check on Mia’s progress. A quick search of the house leads me to the back porch where Mia is setting up a shot of the quaint seating area overlooking the garden.
“It’s so windy today,” Mia comments as she tries to take a picture of the chair surrounding the firepit. She has fairy lights hanging around the edge of the back patio area. They are dancing animatedly in the wind, and I know it’s going to be hard to get a good shot without them coming out blurred.
“You’re right. You can either try zooming in a bit so that none of the surroundings are in the picture or you can wait for another day.”
“No, I really want to get the pictures uploaded today. I’m eager to get a booking, and I think this back patio is a good amenity.”
I wrap an arm around Mia’s shoulders and plant a kiss on her cheek. “This place is amazing. People are going to love staying here.”
She leans into me, her smile radiant. “I hope so. I’ve put so much into this place. I just want it to be perfect.”
“It already is,” I assure her. “You’ve done an incredible job.”
“Well, I’m almost done with the ones you’ve sent. I’ll go back inside but keep them coming.” An especially eager gust of wind blows Mia’s hair into my mouth, and I pull it back out. “And if you meant that when you said you would feed me, please keep the food.”
Mia giggles as she tries to keep her hand steady for another few shots. I head inside, and Mia joins me a few minutes later. The computer dings loudly as she sends picture after picture of the patio area.
I upload them and look through the rest of the description. “Look, you should highlight that you have different rooms on the same property,” I advise.
Mia looks up from her phone. Then, she comes and peers over my shoulder to the section of description I’m highlighting. “Some people may want only one room, but there may be families who would like two; one for the teens and one for them. Highlighting and linking them to the rooms that are beside each other will be a good way to reach a wider aud?—”
I almost finish what I’m saying when a loud sound interrupts the peaceful morning. It’s a crashing noise, like something breaking. We both freeze, exchanging startled glances.
“What was that?” Mia asks, her voice tinged with worry.
“I don’t know,” I reply, already out of my seat. “Let’s check it out.”
We rush through the house, our footsteps echoing on the wooden floors. The sound had come from the direction of the back of the house, and my mind races with possibilities. Did something fall? Did someone break in?
As we reach the hallway leading to the back of the house, my heart pounds in my chest. I glance at Mia, who looks just as anxious. The last thing I want is for something to go wrong. I wonder if one of my contractors wasn’t careful enough and damaged yet something else on her property.
“Stay behind me. I’ll handle this.” Just in case it’s an intruder, I grab the broom as we pass through the kitchen.
Mia nods, her eyes wide with concern. I push open the door to the back porch, bracing myself for whatever might be waiting on the other side.