“But we also love a good time,” Nirina said proudly.
With a flourish, Kayla stirred the margarita mixture with a long-handled spoon. “Moment of truth,” she said, pouring directly into two glasses. She handed a glass to Maggie and took the other. “To the beginning of a beautiful, successful friendship.”
“Cheers,” Maggie said. She raised her glass and took a sip. “Oh, that’s good.”
“Kayla here is a genius when it comes to recipes of any kind,” Nirina said proudly. “Now, if one of you ladies can crane my butt out of this chair, we can take our drinks on the road so I can see the upstairs of this place.”
“You need that bed,” she announced five minutes later when Maggie opened the bedroom door. “It was made for this room. The arches in the headboard are almost a perfect mimic of the balcony doors. And you could repeat it with the bathroom entry on the opposite wall.”
It was a great idea that would add drama and personality. Plus, Dean would have a fit about custom bathroom doors. Maggie grinned and took another sip of her excellent margarita.
“I don’t know how you walked out of the shop without it,” Kayla agreed. “Is it willpower or self-deprivation? Because I could use whatever it is every time I come face-to-face with the bakery case at the café.”
“A little bit of both,” Maggie admitted. “I don’t usually—ever—stage a house until the very end.” Besides, if she bought the bed, she’d be compelled to use it. And not just for sleep. Once that line was crossed with Silas, it would complicate things. He would complicate things. She wasn’t sure if she was prepared for complicated.
“But you’re living here,” Nirina pointed out. “Why not enjoy it while you can? If you’re not going to live in a seven-thousand-square-foot mansion forever, you might as well enjoy a summer in it.”
“Actually, I am going to need two beds by the weekend,” Maggie mused.
“For staging or sleeping?” Kayla asked.
“Sleeping. My partner and our…employee are moving in.”
“Cody Moses, right?” Nirina asked.
“News travels fast,” Maggie noted wryly.
“I knew things were tough for him, but I had no idea he didn’t have a place to stay. Mama B would have stuffed him in Michael’s or Sy’s old room in a heartbeat if she’d known,” Nirina told her.
“You’re doing a great thing for the kid,” Kayla said, wandering over to the balcony doors and opening them. “He’s a really good guy. Just got caught up in family drama and bad luck.”
“Pause, please. I need to slobber over this view. This is a straight-up fairy tale right here,” Niri announced, joining her friend on the balcony and admiring the view. “Maggie, it would officially be a crying shame if you didn’t take advantage of this room while you’re here.”
And there it was. She’d been waiting for Silas to come up as a topic. “Are we talking about the bed or your brother?” she asked, joining them on the balcony.
“Both,” they said together.
“Jinx!” they said in unison. “You owe me a pop!”
“I know you don’t know anything about us beyond the fact that we have excellent taste,” Kayla began. “But if you want to talk about a certain tall, swoony landscaper, I would not be upset at all.”
“And I can give you all the insider info on the man, seeing as how I’ve known him my entire life,” Nirina said, bracing her free hand on her lower back. “But first, we really should talk business.”
“Good idea,” Kayla said, putting her margarita glass down. “Maggie, we’ve been in business for two years. Which isn’t long, but we’ve got great taste and deep community roots. We know how important both of those things are to you and your viewers.”
“We can connect you with local artisans, hook you up with our interior design expertise, and stage the entire house top to bottom for you at a significantly reduced fee, since you’re our new BFF,” Nirina said, smoothly taking over the pitch.
“We’d even be willing to work out a discount on any items you decide to purchase outright, like that big, beautiful bed,” Kayla said, blue eyes twinkling.
“What’s the catch?” Maggie asked, smiling over the rim of her glass. The tequila and female friendship were making her feel warm and relaxed.
“We’re just getting our design and staging business started,” Nirina said. “As in, you would be our first staging customer.”