Free Back to Me by Wanda B. Campbell

she thought necessary.
    â€œNo,” he answered through that perfect smile. “But at least now we can have a cordial business relationship.”
    She observed him as he prepared to leave, and felt the need to say something to prolong the visit.
    â€œThank you for giving me another chance,” she said and handed him her business card. “For the most part, I’ll be contacting you, but just in case you ever need to reach me, all my numbers are on there.”
    He held the card in the palm of his hand. “I look forward to doing business with you, Paige.”
    This time, instead of watching his back, Paige walked beside him back to the reception area. With each step, she had a feeling her life was about to change. For better or worse, she didn’t know.

Chapter 9
    â€œWay to go, ladies! We are on our way!” Paige exclaimed with more excitement than she’d felt in years.
    DWAP was officially up and running, and during its first week it had had enough sales to cover production expenses and to purchase more supplies, with a little profit left at the end. The marketing ploy of having the varsity football and basketball players wear the necklaces was ingenious. After one week nearly half of the student body was sporting DWAP originals, and according to the girls, even the geeks were wearing them. Although pleased, Paige wished the idea had been Seniyah’s instead of Jasmine’s.
    â€œCheck this out,” Jasmine said, waving a handful of purple order slips. Another one of Jasmine’s ideas. “Purple represents royalty, and DWAP ladies are definitely royals,” she had said while trying to persuade the group to select that color. “I have orders for at least fifty more, and this doesn’t include what everyone else has done.”
    â€œVery good, Jasmine. Now you need to work on increasing your orders every week,” Paige told her. Paige wanted to encourage her, but she didn’t want to give her a false sense of ease. Running a business was hard work.
    Jasmine smacked her lips. “Whatever, Miss Paige.” Paige ignored the teenager’s attitude. Jasmine was always angry about something. “Divas, let’s hear your reports on how you’re doing, and then we can start production and do inventory control.”
    For the next twenty minutes, Paige stood in the back of the room while the divas stepped up to the podium individually and reported on their progress and outlined their goals for the following week. Paige felt like a proud mother as she listened to them identify selling opportunities and cost-saving measures. They effectively applied the principles she’d taught them, but what made Paige feel like dancing in the spirit right there in the classroom was their appearance.
    During the first meeting, Paige had emphasized how important it was to look professional in the business world. At the time she didn’t think the girls were paying attention, but tonight’s display proved otherwise. They weren’t fans of long skirts and sleeves, but at least the tattoos and body piercings were covered. Most importantly, Jasmine’s hair was one color, blue, and it was pulled back and held together by a clip.
    Paige squeezed her long frame behind a student desk when her protégé took the podium. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about hiding her excitement about Seniyah’s brilliant ideas. She couldn’t jump up from the small desk if she wanted to. She smiled as Seniyah opened her notebook and began her presentation. She looked confident in the wool coat Paige had given her, although Paige thought it fit more snugly than it should. She’d purchased a larger size purposely to accommodate Seniyah’s fuller frame, or so she’d thought. Paige attributed the fit to the thick sweats the girl wore underneath, and then gave Seniyah her full attention. On her next shopping trip, she’d purchase Seniyah some dress