Page 28 of The Magic of Sea Glass
“What was your fiancé’s name?” Mary asked.
As the sun dipped behind a cloud, Lauren turned toward the woman. “Mason.”
“And what do you think Mason would say to make you feel better if he were here right now?”
A tear escaped down Lauren’s cheek and she wiped it away, the answer coming to her instantly. The first time she’d heard him say it was when she’d had a bad day at work. She ordered the wrong bouquet for a client and they let her have it. He’d taken her hands and pulled her into the living room, sitting her down on the sofa. She could hear his words as if he were there with them right now. “He’d say, ‘Come on, kid, the sunshine’s stronger than the storm. Know how I know that? Because if it wasn’t we’d all have drowned by now.’”
Mary grinned at her. “I like Mason.”
Lauren wiped another tear. “Me too.”
Just then the sun came back out from behind the cloud. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but in that moment, she felt like Mary could be right and he might be sending her a message.
EIGHT
“I don’t know what to do,” Mary said, her eyes on the budget displayed on Lauren’s laptop. “We’re barely breaking even.”
“I’m so sorry, but I felt I had to tell you,” Lauren said. She’d spent the rest of the afternoon inputting all the expenditures and profits into her program. The numbers after her calculations weren’t promising.
“I shouldn’t have bought all that wood to replace the deck,” Mary said, worry etched on her features. “Brody chipped in, but it was still too much to spend.”
“I don’t think that was a bad idea at all,” Lauren countered. “The boards were weathered and replacing them is a matter of safety for your guests.”
“I know. We just can’t compete with the newer accommodations in the area—they’re all so beautifully decorated and spacious. Adding a new deck and evening cocktails is nowhere near enough to entice people to come.” She moved a stack of papers on the desk and folded her hands. “I’m hopeful about the wedding bringing people in, but there’s not enough here to keep them coming back.”
Lauren clicked a few numbers on the program’s spreadsheet, thinking. When she and Andy started Sugar and Lace, they had a very tight budget. The wedding venues they could afford at the beginning were dreary, and they had to work their budgets and prioritize what would be their best investments. “I’m thinking you could save a little money here and there by making just a few small changes,” she said. “If you’d like me to, I could come up with a plan that might allow you to make some improvements that will help attract new guests.”
“What kind of improvements?” Mary asked.
“Well, you mentioned that the newer inns are decorated differently and more spacious. We could look at how we can achieve that with the least amount of money.”
“I have no idea how,” Mary said, shaking her head.
“Well, for example, the colors that make a room look large are simple and basic. White paint is cheap, right? We could start by giving the interior of the inn a fresh coat of paint. Then we could slip-cover all the sofas to give them a new, more luxurious feel. It’ll be much cheaper than buying new furniture. I know a girl in New York who makes them.”
“You do?”
“Yep. I used to use her to redesign event spaces. She probably has enough on hand that we could buy her out and re-cover every sofa and armchair in the Tide and Swallow.”
“But how would we afford even those things?”
Lauren, in her element, clicked on the “Miscellaneous” tab on the screen and scanned the inn’s extra expenses. “For starters, let’s look at your costs at the farmer’s market.” She tapped the screen. “Wedding catering deals with this all the time. What if we saved money by getting the basic food items from a wholesaler instead? You can still get the star ingredients from the local markets, but for the big items—flour, sugar, salt, spices—it might be more economical to buy in bulk.”
“I wouldn’t know where to start looking,” Mary said.
“I do. Working in weddings, I have tons of contacts. I could even write out the inn’s needs in a pitch and we could get bids. They’ll lower their prices if they know they have competition.”
Mary brightened a little, although Lauren could tell that her apprehension remained. “I’d love your help with that.”
“I’ve got tons of ideas already,” she said, the swell of purpose filling her as her ideas started flowing like the tide. “For instance, what about raising money for the inn for further renovations?”
“Who do you have in mind that would donate money?”
“You don’t need a specific person. We could raffle off a free room for twenty dollars a ticket. With a little investment in marketing, we could raise some serious cashandpromote the Tide and Swallow.”
“I don’t have any marketing money, though,” Mary said, suddenly seeming overwhelmed.
Lauren looked into her eyes. She knew that Mary wasn’t used to doing all this. She wasn’t savvy with computers, so she couldn’t research any of it, and she probably wouldn’t know what to begin searching if shecoulduse one. Fiddling with her sea glass bracelet, Lauren considered how kind Mary had been to her and how comfortable she was beginning to feel helping the woman. The truth of the matter was that Lauren knew absolutely what to do, and what a fantastic investment it could be. Plus, she also had the money she’d received from selling Sugar and Lace to spend.
