Jenna laughed. "Don't worry. The guys competing are, too."
"And you're doing the rolling thing you told me about? So if a guy doesn't win, he gets to compete for the next month if he wants to?"
"Yup. Which is good, because we have a few local celebrities signed up for January. So if they don't win, they'll still be pushing the contest on their social media accounts come time for the Mr. February contest."
"What other publicity's in the pipe?"
"We've got television coming for Mr. January," Jenna said, completely giddy over that recent coup. "Honestly, I've been working almost nonstop since we started this project. At least it's paying off. I just hope it pays off enough to keep the bar open next year."
"Positive attitude."
"I know. And I am. I mean, I do. It's just a little frustrating. I mean, I barely see Reece, and I'm living with him now. Well," she added with a devious grin, "I do see a lot of him at night. But the days are just a blur and a wave." She shifted on her chair, enjoying the way her muscles ached from last night. They'd been sharing his apartment for almost two weeks now, and the transition had been almost seamless. In fact, the only time it had been awkward at all was when he found her vibrator in her bedside table when he was looking for the television remote.
But the moment had shifted from uncomfortable to deliciously inventive when Reece assured her that she didn't need to be embarrassed...so long as she demonstrated for him exactly how she used it.
"I guess it must be going well," Maia commented, her voice tinged with laughter. "Honey, redheads shouldn't even try to keep a secret. Your cheeks show way too much."
The blush burned deeper, and Jenna focused on the table top as she ran Maia through the rest of the plans that were in place.
"Amanda set me up with a woman who does small business renovations. There's no way it'll get done by the first contest--we're less than a week away--but I'm hoping that if they can work during the night and in the morning, they can get the renovations done by the Mr. February contest."
"That would be great. When are you meeting her?"
Jenna glanced at her watch. "Any minute. She asked to meet me at night because her schedule is crazy. In fact, I bet that's her..." She trailed off, glancing at the door where a tall, curvy blonde had just entered.
"And that's my cue," Maia said, standing up. "Good luck," she added, then disappeared toward the back of the bar as Jenna waved to Brooke and hurried to her side. "I'm Jenna," she said. "Thanks so much for agreeing to talk with me. Amanda says your work is amazing."
"I love what I do," Brooke said with a wide, easy smile that revealed perfect teeth. Beside her, Jenna felt positively drab in her simple business suit, her red hair pulled back from her face with a single clip.
"Well, we're excited about the possibility of you working with us." She indicated the table, and they both sat down, with Brooke occupying the chair that Maia had just abandoned. "I'm not sure how much Amanda told you, but we're basically doing a facelift on The Fix. We're stepping up an already awesome menu, and we're getting the word out to draw in new customers. And then, in about a week, we're launching what is going to be a truly amazing contest for twelve hot men to be calendar models, and we're organizing an entire ladies' night theme around all twelve contests."
"And as part of that, you want to give the building a bit of a facelift, too."
"You got it. Not too much, but enough that folks notice the improvements. Plus, we want to make the stage a little bigger. Possibly shift the angle so we can get more tables in. More capacity means more income."
"Well, I'd love to work with you."
"It's your rates that I'm concerned about," Jenna admitted. "To be brutally honest, we're trying to do all of this on as limited budget as possible. You see, this whole calendar contest is part of a fundraiser. The bar's mortgage comes due at the end of the year, and..."
She trailed off with a shrug, hoping Brooke would get it. Apparently, she did, because she nodded sagely.
"Normally, I'm a little pricey, I'll admit. But I have a proposal for you. If you agree, it could work out great for both of us."
Jenna leaned back. "Amanda mentioned you were looking for a high profile project."
"I was. I am. And to tell you the truth, The Fix is exactly what I'm looking for."
"Okay. I'm intrigued. Shoot."
"The downside is that I can't get started on the work until after your launch, but we should be underway by the second contest, with renovations on the stage completed by the time you're holding the contest for Mr. June, and full renovations on the interior by the time the contest wraps."
"Oh." Jenna tried not to show her disappointment. "We were hoping for a faster schedule than that, honestly. Maybe if you have a crew willing to work during the night at overtime pay, you could finish before the second contest?"
"I'm afraid not. But,
" she added quickly, "if you agree to that schedule, then all the work--materials and labor--would be free."
Jenna blinked. "Come again?"