“Web page.” Pursing her lips, Dana nodded. “Youre way ahead of me.”
“Pays to plan. You rememberTod .”
“Sure. Really cute guy you worked with at The Gallery,” Dana supplied.
“Right. Hes a good friend, too, and hes great at computer design. We could ask him to fiddle with looks and features for a Web page. Actually, Im hoping to be able to offer him a job here. Down the road a little, but being optimistic, Im going to need help. We all will.”
“I havent thought that far ahead,” Dana admitted. “But yeah, Ill need at least one part-time bookseller who can handle brewing tea, serving wine. I guess I might need two people, realistically.”
“Ive got feelers out for a stylist, a nail consultant. Some others.”Zoe pressed a hand to her jumpy stomach. “Jeez. Were going to have employees.”
“I like that part.” Dana lifted her champagne glass again. “Its good to be boss.”
“Were also going to need a tax consultant, office equipment, signage, an advertising budget, phone systems… I have lists,” Malory finished.
Dana laughed. “I bet you do. Now what else is in the briefcase?”
“Okay. For the logo. This is just something I did from an idea I had.”
She pulled out a folder, opened it, then set the drawing on the table.
The figure of a woman sat in a salon chair, tipped back in a pose of easy relaxation. A book was open in her hands, a glass of wine and a single rose in a bud vase on the table beside her. All this was inside an ornate border that framed it like a stylized portrait.
Above the border was the single word: INDULGENCE.
Below the name, it read FOR THE BODY, THE MIND, AND THE SPIRIT.
“Wow.” Managing only the single word,Zoe put a hand on Malorys shoulder. “Its just a thought,” Malory said quickly. “Something to unify what were all doing. Since were using the one name for everything. Then we could have this sort of thing on our individual cards, letterheads, invoices, whatever, with something like—I dont know—„Indulgence. For Beauty. Indulgence. For Books. Indulgence. For Art. And that would differentiate each aspect while keeping it under one umbrella.”
“Its wonder
ful,”Zoe exclaimed. “Its just wonderful. Dana?”
“Its perfect. Absolutely perfect, Mal.”
“Really? You like it? I dont want to box you in just because—”
“Lets make a pact,” Dana interrupted. “Any time any of us feels boxed in, she just says so. Were girls, but were not weenies. Okay?”
“Thats a deal. I can give this toTod ,” Malory went on. “He could make up a sample letterhead. Hed do it as a favor. Hes better at the desktop-publishing stuff than I am.”
“I cant wait!”Zoe let out a hoot and did a little dance around the room. “First thing in the morning, were going to start some serious work around here.”
“Hold on.” Dana spread her arms to indicate the walls. “What do you call all this painting weve been doing?”
“The tip of the iceberg.” Still dancing,Zoe grabbed her champagne.
* * *
DANA had never considered herself a slacker. She was willing to work hard, insisted on pulling her weight, and she got the job done. Anything less was unacceptable.
Shed always viewed herself as a woman with high personal standards—both personally and professionally, and she tended to sneer at those who skimmed over work, who complained that the job theyd agreed to take on turned out to be too hard, too involved, too much trouble.
But compared toZoe , Dana decided as she dashed into the market to pick up a few supplies, she was a malingerer. She was a wimpy-assed crybaby. The woman had worn her out in the first twenty-four hours.
Paint, wallpaper, trim samples, light fixtures, hardware, windows, floor coverings—and the budget for all that and more. And it wasnt just the thinking and deciding, Dana realized as she pondered a bunch of bananas, that was enough to make your head explode. It was the labor as well.
Scraping, hauling, stacking,unstacking , drilling, screwing, hammering. Well, there was no doubt about it, she mused as she picked through the oranges. When it came to the organization, delegation, and implementation of labor,Zoe McCourt was in charge.