Page 9 of All You Need Is Macchiato

"She might have tried a few on me too." Kathryn adjusts her market bag, and I catch the scent of wildflowers and something warm, like vanilla. "Though mine was about mountain streams finding their path."

"That's a new one."

"I suspect she has an endless supply."

We share a smile, and for a moment I forget why I'm supposed to be keeping my distance. Then I spot Cam Prescott across the square, heading toward his German sports car, and reality crashes back.

"Well." Kathryn must see something change in my expression. "I should get these in water."

"Right. Wouldn't want to delay your market reconnaissance report."

"Oh, absolutely." That challenging smile returns. "Corporate's very interested in Beth's apple butter techniques. Could be franchise-changing material."

I watch her weave through the market crowd, her ponytail swinging, those wildflowers peeking from her bag. She stops to help an older lady pick up a dropped apple, chats with the honey vendor, high-fives a kid selling painted rocks.

"She's not what you expected, is she?" Marie starts wrapping up her leftover flowers.

"She's exactly what I expected," I lie. "Corporate charm in casual clothes."

Marie hums noncommittally. "You know what your mother used to say about?—"

"Don't you start too."

Chapter Five

Kathryn

"Look at these numbers." I slide my tablet across Cam's cluttered desk. "Community events at our Wilmington location tripled foot traffic in under two months."

Cam barely glances at the screen. "Local events are messy. Take up space. Interrupt the flow of regular business."

"They create regular business." I pull up another chart. "See these peaks? Farmers’ market Saturdays. And these? Live music nights. People come for the events and stay for the coffee."

Annie, the most experienced barista, pokes her head into the office. "Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help overhearing. The Callahans do amazing events at the lodge. Maybe Nolan could?—"

"Absolutely not." Cam's chair scrapes against the floor as he stands. "We don't need the Callahans' help."

Annie flinches at his tone. "I just thought since he does such great work with their marketing..."

"That's all. Thank you, Annie." Cam's dismissal is clear.

She shoots me an apologetic look before disappearing back to the counter. Through the office window, I watch her greet a customer with a warmth that's completely missing from this room.

"Local partnerships are key to?—"

"To what?" Cam interrupts. "To making this place as quaint and inefficient as it was before? We're a franchise, not a community center."

"We're both." I stand my ground. "That's Coffee Loft's whole model. Being part of the community while maintaining consistent quality."

"Quality means standardization."

"Quality means understanding your market." I pull up one more set of numbers. "Look at your customer retention rates. They're abysmal. People come once, maybe twice, but they don't come back. You know why?"

"Enlighten me."

"Because there's nothing here that says 'Elk Ridge.' Nothing that makes this place special."

His jaw tightens. "And you think some local events will fix that?"

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