Chapter 11
STERLING HEAVED a sigh of relief as he sent the requested email and made the call. “Lucille, can you look at the mock-up I sent you?” He waited as she opened the email.
“I have it.” She hummed as she opened the file. “Oh…,” she breathed.
“Yeah. What I need you to do is check over the attributions. I need to make sure that the ladies credited for the flowers are correct. I have double-checked the models and verified the spelling of all their names.”
“Okay. Hold on.” She set down the phone, and papers rustled. “I have the list of who provided what.” She went through each month and verified the name and the spelling. Sterling corrected a few misspellings in the file and confirmed them with her.
“That’s perfect, then. Go ahead and delete that file. It’s not any good. I’ll send you a new one as soon as I’m finished. I ask that you don’t share it with anyone. I don’t want electronic versions of the images out in the general public. That way we can build some anticipation and they won’t be leaked.”
“Very well, but….”
“Lucille, I want to caution you. I am allowing the garden club to use the images provided on their calendar, but they don’t own them. You can’t reproduce or share them other than on the calendar. No one can make or distribute copies of the images. They are copyrighted. Do you understand that? I will provide images that can be used for promotion.” Sterling was adamant about that. He needed to keep control of his work. “The use of them has been donated. The pictures themselves are still my property.” He hated to be a dick about it, but she had to understand.
“Very well. I’ll make sure the ladies in the club know that. It’s what we already agreed.”
Sterling was grateful there was no issue. “Great. I’ll finish this up and get the files sent to the printer. After that, you need to order the printed copies and take it from there. Have you thought of how many you want to start with?”
Lucille chuckled. “I’ve taken orders from some of the ladies, and I already have fifty sold. I was thinking that if we sell five hundred total, we’d make almost three thousand dollars, and the club could be well on its way to a sound financial footing. That’s all I ever wanted.”
“Good. Then we will have accomplished what we set out to do. I suggest that you get some businesses and bookstores to sell the calendar.”
“Way ahead of you. I have two bookstores in town, an antique store run by a member, and a couple of art stores that will sell it for us. I’m also working on a few bookstores in Mechanicsburg and even Camp Hill. There is some real interest, which is a little surprising to me. We’ve had a number of businesses who have declined to carry the calendar because of the subject matter, but no one has been nasty about it.” She cleared her throat. “Well, one person has been. We approached the Downtown Gallery, and they weren’t particularly nice. But then that’s the outgoing mayor’s business, and he’s always been a self-righteous asshole of epic proportions.”
“That’s okay, I guess.”
“We also have a booth arranged for the Harvest Festival in the fall, and I’m hoping we can sell some there, as well as at our Christmas sale. We have outlets and opportunities for sales.” She really seemed to have a plan.
“Do you really think that people here in Central Pennsylvania are going to welcome this kind of calendar?” Now that it was done and ready to go, Sterling was worried. This area wasn’t seen as progressive, usually. But Lucille seemed confident, and she would know the people of this area and the potential customers better than him.
“Yes. I’ve already sold fifty, and there are plenty of ladies who will want a little extra heat in their lives.” She chuckled. “We’ll be fine, and regardless of what happens, we’ll have folks talking about the club, and that’s something we wanted as well.” She seemed excited. “Is there anything else you need from me?”
“Not right now. I have all I need, and I just have to put the finishing touches on the files and I’ll send them off to the printer.”
“Excellent. I’ve already left instructions with them to go ahead and print as soon as they get the files.” He could almost see her rubbing her hands, ready to move ahead. Connor’s Aunt Lucille was really something else. He had seen his father making eyes at her. While he wasn’t sure how he felt about it, he knew he needed to make damned sure that Lucille wasn’t going to end up just another notch on his father’s retirement community bedpost.
“Then I’ll get the files sent and let you know when they’re there.”
“Perfect.” The way she drew out the word had him wondering if there was something else. “While I have you on the phone—are you and Connor still seeing each other?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I don’t know if he’s told you, but Connor has spent most of his life in school, one way or another. He’s a good, kind, gentle soul, and I don’t want him hurt.”
“I know—”
“But I think he needs someone who is going to take the lead. All I’m saying is that if you’re interested—and from what I saw through that camera lens of yours, you are—just be willing to go after what you want.”
“Are you saying Connor won’t?” Because that hadn’t been the impression he got. But Connor tended toward hot and cold, and Sterling had to try to figure things out. It wasn’t like Connor was a tease. After their photo session, he had stayed the night and the two of them had steamed the old wallpaper down.
“No. He knows his mind most of the time. I’m saying that when things get a little unsure for him, he retreats to work and his classes. Those are safe and predictable. We all know that life and the rest of what comes with it is anything but predictable.” Sterling couldn’t argue with that. “I think I’ve said enough, and Connor would snatch me bald for talking to you….” Sterling could see that and let the subject drop. There had probably been too much said already.
They talked for a few minutes more about the calendar arrangements. Then they hung up, and Sterling got to work doing a final check on all the information before sending the files to the printer.
As soon as that was done, he sent a copy to Lucille to let her know the ball was in her court. The printer got right back to him to say that they were prepping the files and would be moving forward. Sterling had done his part, and the project was complete from his perspective. Now all he had to do was sit back, wait for the results, and figure out what to do about Connor. One thing was for sure—he wasn’t going to just walk away. But how was he going to keep Connor from retreating to his work and pushing him away?