Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Blaise was up at dawn as usual, but there was an undercurrent of nerves within her that she just couldn’t shake, even after a long, brisk walk with Beau around the neighborhood.
It wasn’t hard to figure out why she was feeling this way.
She would meet Brick’s son tonight and share a meal with him. Brick had begun to soften a bit, but if his son was anything like him, she was going to have to carry the conversation.
And then there was the other thing. She was setting forth on a brand-new path. Reintroducing herself to the world, as it were. Meeting with Maude was a big step toward doing that.
If Blaise was going to attempt a book deal, she had to have an online presence. More than just a secret TikTok account that she used to doomscroll. She had to be findable.
That’s why she was going to talk to Maude today. Maude was about the only person Blaise trusted to do a website for her that was exactly what she wanted, all while keeping her real motive a secret, at least for now.
Blaise trusted the rest of the Queen Bees, but she didn’t want to broadcast her intentions to the world just yet. No one needed to know, outside of her new friends, that she was going after a book deal.
Because setting that expectation and then not being able to deliver on it would be more than she could take. She’d had enough humiliation being scammed out of her savings.
She had a shower, fixed breakfast, then, at ten, texted Maude. Are you ready for me or is this too early?
Very funny, Maude texted back. I’m here and waiting. Come on over.
On my way.
Buzzing like she’d had too much caffeine, Blaise said goodbye to Beau and hopped in her golf cart.
Maude answered the door in a floor-sweeping, purple tie-dyed T-shirt dress. Her feet were bare, she had a cup of coffee in one hand, and she looked dewy. Blaise suspected she’d just moisturized.
Maude nodded, a sleepy half-smile curving her mouth. “Good morning.”
“Good morning to you,” Blaise said, entering as Maude stepped back. “Thanks for letting me come over.”
“No problem. You want some coffee? Or water? Or a diet Snapple?”
“Water would be great, thanks.”
“Grab a seat and I’ll be right with you.” Maude gestured toward the living room, which was exactly like Blaise’s, since they seemed to have the same floor plan. But the focus of Maude’s living room seemed to be a large-screen television and a big recliner that was clearly Maude’s usual spot.
Blaise took a seat on the couch as Maude went to the kitchen, which was really part of the same room.
Maude brought Blaise a tall glass of ice water, then sat in the recliner. “So what can I do for you?”
Blaise exhaled. “I need a website.”
“You’ve come to the right person then. What kind of website? Are you starting a business?”
“I guess you could say that.” Blaise took a drink, then set the glass on the coffee table. There were no coasters. “Maybe I should start a little further back. You know I’ve had some financial difficulties.”
Maude nodded, sympathy clear in her eyes.
“I have enough to live on, but my budget doesn’t allow for much in the way of extras. Not saying I need fancy things. I don’t. I have plenty of nice things, but my life would be a little easier and my son wouldn’t…worry so much about me if I was able to build up some savings.”
“Sure,” Maude said.
“The only way I can think of to do that is to get a book deal. I talked to Cece about it—”
“Smart.”
“And she seems to think it’s possible. I’ve started working on a letter to send out to some publishers, but as I was researching the idea, I realized most people have their own websites.
I don’t. I barely have social media. I’ve kind of avoided publicity for the last couple of decades of my life.
Now, I guess, I need to get back out there. ”
Maude was nodding. “I think that’s a great idea.” She paused, then narrowed her eyes. “You know, if you wanted to really make a splash, you could put yourself out there for speaking engagements, promotional work, and more modeling gigs.”
“I…” Blaise shook her head. “I’ve never done speaking engagements.”
“Could you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?”
“Blaise, you could command a pretty decent speaker fee. I don’t know how much discretionary income you’re looking for, but one or two speaking engagements a year might be all you need.”
That was news to her. “You really think so?”
“Hang on.” Maude got up, returning with her laptop. She typed away, blinking at the screen through her computer glasses. “Cynthia Senate makes a minimum of twenty-five thousand plus expenses.”
Blaise’s jaw unhinged. “I know Cynthia. We walked in a few shows together. Todd Oldham, Vivienne Westwood—anyway, we were friends, once upon a time. She makes that much? What on earth does she talk about?”
“I guess whatever the topic at hand is.”
Blaise shook her head as she realized something. “But Cynthia stayed in the public eye. I haven’t. Her daughter models now so I suppose she had a reason to, but I’m not sure that’s a fair comparison.”
Maude looked up from the laptop. “Okay. Who do you think might be a better equivalent?”
Blaise thought, scrolling through her mental files and thinking about the women she’d seen in those videos on TikTok. “Maybe…Leigh Bishop. She disappeared before I did. She married some European prince, and it ended badly. I’m not sure where she even is these days.”
Maude’s fingers flew across the keyboard. A minute later, she said, “She’s in L.A., working as a wellness coach, and she charges ten grand for a forty-five-minute talk.”
Blaise had no words for a few beats. Was this something she could do? She ought to at least find out. She took a breath. “Clearly, I could be doing more. I just never had any desire to get out there. Especially not after losing Jay and getting scammed.”
“I totally get that. But if you want to make some money, the opportunities seem to be there. I’m not saying offers will be piling up, but with a good website, you’ll at least be out there. Findable.”
Blaise reminded herself this was why she’d come to Maude. “You’re right. I still don’t love that I’m doing this. But I have to do it.”
“I’m sure your agency will vet people. It’s not like you’re going to end up speaking at a flat-Earth convention or something like that.”
“I don’t have an agency. Haven’t for years. I don’t really want to get one, either. They’ll run my life. And take a significant cut of my earnings. I’ve done that before. I don’t want to do it again.”
Maude’s mouth bunched to one side and her eyes narrowed as she disappeared into her thoughts. “So…maybe you don’t need one.”
“How?”
“I can set up some different emails for you that will make it look like you have a rep, then you can just handle them on your own. If you feel comfortable reading through the contracts on your own. You can always hire an attorney to read them for a fee, too. But that would let you be in charge of everything.”
Blaise nodded. “Cece and I talked about something similar. I think that would be fine to start with.”
“Great. Let me start making some notes.” Maude typed away. After a moment, she looked up. “All right, tell me what sort of website you want.”
At least Blaise had thought about this. “Something simple, but modern and sophisticated and still approachable.”
“Like you.”
Blaise smiled. “It does need to represent me.”
“I’ll need your most recent headshots, or whatever images you want to use.”
“Oh, headshots.” Blaise sighed. There was one more thing to spend money on. “I haven’t had those done in ages.”
“You really should have something current. People are going to want to know what you currently look like. Sorry, but that’s the truth when it comes to something like this.”
“No, you’re right. I’ll have to get some taken.” Blaise felt a slight tension headache coming on. “I just didn’t budget for that. I’m going to end up spending more than I realized.”
“Maybe not. Maybe you don’t need to spend anything on pictures,” Maude said.
“We have a great backdrop right outside our doors. We can take some shots on the beach if you want. I can do great things with Photoshop. Touch them up, smooth things out. They won’t be professional, but they’ll be decent.
I can promise that much. Plus, they’ll be free and they’ll get the job done until you can swing hiring a pro. ”
“That is incredibly kind of you.” Blaise was touched. Maude’s kindness meant a great deal. “Thank you. I guess I should ask what the website is going to cost, too.”
“Why don’t we worry about that after you book your first gig?”
Blaise tipped her head. Was Maude really suggesting that Blaise not pay her until she made some money? “Maude.”
“I mean it. Besides, being able to put your website into my portfolio is not exactly bad for me.” Maude smiled. “I’m happy to help. I really am. There was a time that I wanted to be you when I was a kid. The fact that we’re friends now blows my mind. And friends help each other, so let me do this.”
Blaise put her hand to her chest, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. She’d felt alone for so long and now…now she had friends who were going above and beyond for her. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. And then start telling me what other info you want on the website.”