Page 27 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
When Daisy told Candace she’d tried social media, she’d been lying; she never got traction because she refused to post. She hated everything about it. Candace, though, had no such qualms.
Post after post, memes, daily affirmations with bagel themes, andso manycustomer interactions that were just… wholesome. And, yes, the so-called ‘Memorial Day Bagel Bonanza’ ridiculous promotion that just wiped what was left of their inventory. The scale of it made Daisy dizzy. Did the woman never sleep? The timestamps for her posts and messages were all over the place. She supposed she now knew what the woman had been up to all those times she was glued to her phone.
In a nervous rush, Candace explained that this was all a part of her plan that was detailed in the binder.Herplan, which hinged on a strong online presence.
A feeling nagged at Daisy. So dusty from being buried away, she did not recognize the hope bubbling inside her as she read comment after comment from people excited about her bagels. Instead, it made her nervous. She felt the pressure building, and with it came anger. She was supposed to be grateful? TothankCandace for making her feel this way?
Fuck that.
Through gritted teeth, Daisy asked, “You didn’t thinkanyof this was worth running by me, the owner of this place? Shit, Candace. You just do whatever you want, don’t you?”
“But I didn’t—”
Daisy thrust up a finger, cutting Candace off.
“I never approved any of this.”
“C’mon, Zee,” Rio urged. They pried their phone back and continued scrolling themself, saying, “I’ve been begging you to let me run some profiles for years. She’s already got a ton of followers.”
Daisy snatched the phone back.
“Of course she does when this is the kind of thing she’s posting!”
Eye-rolling puns about filling holes.
Hashtag “BagelBoobs” under the image of a two pack that… yes, looked surprisingly like boobs with a single sesame seed nipple planted just so. But that was not the point. They were a bagel stand, not some kind of joke. Worst of all was the picture that seemed to garner the most attention becauseof courseit did.
Thirst traps were pretty popular.
While Daisy’s face could not be seen, it was undoubtedlyher. Taken from behind as she stood before the counter, she wore her usual Bagel Bombs! branded tank top, athletic shorts, and flip flops. Her arms were raised in mid-pull, drawing up the metal security cord as they opened for the day. The black and white filter Candace applied to the photo pushed contrasts to their most extreme, highlighting a side of Daisy even she had never seen.
She looked strong. Cool. Sexy, even. And Candace had noticed. So, too, had a parade of commenters under the photo.
It was too much.
Too much like back then, with the messages, the eyes, the attention. Daisy could feel the blood pounding in her temples, the bitter dryness stinging her throat. She thrust Rio’s phone back into their hands.
“This isn’t okay.”
Candace said nothing, but looked guilty as hell. Frustratingly, Rio shrugged. “It’s good. You can’t even tell it’s you. Honestly, it looks like a model promo.” To Candace, they praised, “Well done. Professor Oak would be pleased.”
“I can’t take any credit. Daisy… I mean, Zee, is the perfect subject.”
Daisy’s nostrils flared. She tore her apron off and popped the counter up so that she could escape the confining place. If Candace wanted it so badly, she could take care of it for a while.
Chapter 9
Candace
Candace messed up. She knew it as soon as Daisy started scrolling. All at once, she was sure it was… a lot… seeing the scale of what she’d managed to build in a couple of scant weeks. Even she was impressed by herself. However, she had years of experience managing her college cafe’s social media pages. With some recycled memes and bagel-themed puns, she’d been able to get engagement going with no trouble.
But Candace realized that she had overstepped, especially with the picture of Daisy.
It was an accident. She had been checking her notifications while the woman’s back was turned, and happened to look up as she hauled the chain open. A single moment that seemed suspended, waiting for Candace to open her camera app. She snapped the picture, then almost deleted it just as quickly to avoid feeling like a dirty old man.
Rio said it, though. It was too good to relegate to the trash bin’s ether. Candace had told herself she could use the shot because of how prominent the Bagel Bombs! logo was on Daisy’s tank top. Loose, with long, wide arm holes that showed a tantalizingly large amount of the woman’s toned side, if she turned the angle of the shot just a little more… Commenters were asking where they could get their own Bagel Bomb! apparel, or the blonde in it. Candace tried to delete and ban the creeps, but a few slipped by. All of which Daisy saw.
Again, Candace let her down. Maybe this was as awful an idea as Demi seemed to think after all. She sniffled, but refused to cry. Instead, she gathered her things. Rio watched, arms crossed.
