Page 49 of Reckless King

She presses her lips together to hide a smile, but the dimple in her cheek gives her away. “That’s right. Don’t you forget it.”

She disappears through the door that leads to the back, and I make my way over to a table near where Jeremy is sitting, though I’m sure to pick one that isn’t too close. He raises one dark brow at me, a slow, knowing grin crossing his face. I ignore him. He isn’t aware of the contract between Violet and me, so he’s probably delighted by the way my supposed girlfriend just bested me.

A few minutes later, Violet returns, a notebook clutched in front of her. She settles in opposite me and places it on the table. “You probably didn’t notice, but I made some changes to the front of the shop.”

“I did notice. It looks great. Much more you.”

“I—Oh.” She looks adorably flustered. “Um, thank you. I should have done it before, but it still looked the way I remembered from when Dad was here.” She swallows hard, her eyes misting over. “I think maybe I’ve been holding back on making changes because I didn’t want to lose that.”

Without thinking, I cover her hand with mine across the small table. “I’m sure your dad would have wanted you to make this place your own.”

She regards my hand with a little crease between her brows, then glances up at me. “That’s what I told myself. It’s just hard to make changes sometimes. It’s hard to erase those fond memories, you know?”

I casually draw my hand back. Idon’tknow. I have very few fond memories of my childhood. Playing with my brothers when I was younger, maybe. Before we all drifted apart, or before the truth of our family drove us apart, anyway. I don’t need to go into all of that with Violet though, so I nod, encouraging her to go on.

“Anyway, I finally bit the bullet. And it might not look like it right now,” she says, surveying the almost-empty space, “but I’ve already noticed more new customers.”

“What other plans are you working on?” I like the enthusiasm radiating from her. And even more than that, I like the way we’re actually talking to each other normally and not trying to bait one another.

As much as I enjoy it when she gets fired up, seeing this side of her, the happy, excited side, warms me in a way I’m not used to. I like that she’s opening herself up to me—trusting me with this thing that means so much to her.

We’re interrupted by Jarrod, who, after dropping off a coffee for Jeremy, sets two steaming cups on our table.

“Thank you,” Violet says, smiling up at him.

“You’re welcome.” He returns her smile, shoots me an unreadable look, then leaves.

I take a sip of the hot beverage and close my eyes in appreciation. Bad coffee is definitely not one of the issues here. It’s rich and vibrant. Possibly the most perfect cup I’ve ever tasted.

When I open my eyes, she’s watching me with a shy smile that I somehow feel in my gut. “Good?”

“Fucking delicious. Who’s your supplier?” Maybe I can get them to supply the coffee shop in the foyer of King Plaza. Even better, the one we plan to install in Genesis-1.

“An old friend of my dad’s. He and his wife spend their days traveling the world and sourcing incredible coffee. It costs extra, but people used to flock here for our range of single origins and specialty blends.” She taps a fingernail on the tabletop. “I just need to remind them of why they used to come and get others interested in giving us a go instead of going to the closest chain.” She sighs. “The cost does eat into the profits. But it’s the heart of this place, and I don’t want to change that.”

“Okay.” I rest a forearm on the table, pushing away thoughts of her supplier. “What ideas have you come up with to increase profits?”

She flips her notebook open. “I’ve updated the shop’s social media presence and uploaded pictures of the coffees and baked goods. I’m thinking about recording videos to share as well. Maybe some behind-the-scenes stuff. The art of coffee making, that kind of thing.”

“That’s smart.” I take another sip of coffee, hit all over again with the bold flavor. “Visual content is a great way to engage people. Have you thought about collaborating with local influencers or food bloggers? They could help amplify your reach.”

“That’s a good idea too.” She catches her lower lip between her teeth as she makes a note.

I focus on my coffee once more to keep myself from getting distracted by her mouth. The one I’ve just tasted. The one I’m already thinking about tasting again. What we’re talking about is important to her, so I need to focus.

“I worked out a loyalty program, too, with tiered rewards to encourage people to give us a chance,” she continues. “Once they’ve discovered how good our coffee is, that will be an incentive to return, even if we’re a little out of their way.”

“What incentives are you talking about? A free coffee for every ten bought is pretty standard.”

She nods. “It is, but I want to do something different. I’ve done somemarket research,” she gives me a little smirk, “focusing on what our returning customers have in common. What I discovered is that outside of the few remaining regulars who live close by and come here because of their loyalty to Dad’s memory, the two types of consistently returning customers are the connoisseurs, who want to check out the coffees we have available on any given day, and the environmentally conscious people who appreciate our sustainable practices. The ones who will go out of their way to support an eco-friendly, community-focused business.”

I can’t help but smile. She’s put some thought into this. “What sort of rewards are we talking, then?”

“For the people that have been coming here forever, they get every tenth cup free, but for the connoisseurs, I’m considering hosting early tastings of our new coffees once we receive them, or small events where we introduce seasonal specialties and new menu items to go with them. It can be a reward for our returning customers and generate buzz on social media at the same time.”

I rub my chin and nod. The idea definitely has merit. There’s nothing people like more than feeling like they have exclusive access. That exclusivity is exactly what the King Group focuses on, so it makes perfect sense to me. “That has the potential to be effective. What about the third group you identified, the ones interested in your eco-friendly status?”

She flips over a page. “Each time we introduce a new coffee, we showcase it with a story—about the farmers, the land, theharvesting and production processes, the farm it came from and the efforts that make their farming sustainable. It will fuel that feeling of connection—from the farmer who grew the beans to the person enjoying the final cup. People love the storytelling aspect. I think it could bring back some of that community feeling my dad cultivated.”

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