Page 9 of Enemy Crush
She offered to help so it’s not like she’s going to reject me and the business, I guess. So why am I so nervous? I push the feeling of being sick away and walk into the restaurant. The hostess is standing behind the podium and I approach her with a small smile. “Hello, I need a table for two, please.”
She nods, marks something down, and picks up two menus before saying, “Right this way.”
I follow her through the restaurant and have a seat at the table she led me to. I have a seat and let her know that my appointment isn’t here yet, so I’ll be waiting for her before I order. I give her my drink order and she goes to get my waitress.
My glass of bourbon arrives within minutes and I slowly sip at the drink while I wait. She said she may be late due to her coming here straight from work, so I expect to be waiting awhile. I finish off one drink and order another. The longer I wait the more nervous I get, but at least my stomach is now settled. Maybe I need to look at this like it’s a date. I’m never nervous on dates. I could date Stella, right? Ha, no. Thinking it’s a date makes me even more nervous because this is Stella we’re talking about.
Stella finally walks into the restaurant thirty minutes late and I let out a sigh of relief. She rushes over to the table and has a seat. “Sorry I’m late,” she says, brushing her dark hair out of her face as her big, brown eyes lock on mine. Her face is flushed and her plump lips are turning up into a smile.
“No problem. You look nice for just coming from work.”
Her cheeks turn a darker shade of pink with the compliment. “So, should we order first or get to work?”
“I’m in no hurry.”
The waitress returns and asks Stella for her drink order.
“Just a glass of pinot grigio, please.”
The waitress nods and turns to retrieve her drink.
“I’m starving,” she says, picking up her menu.
“Didn’t you have lunch?”
She rolls her eyes and snorts. “Yeah, a client brought in lunch. We had this amazing spread of appetizers, but I stayed so busy that I barely got to eat. I think I’m going with a salad, steak, and the steamed vegetables. How about you?”
I look at the menu and nod. “Steak and potato sounds good,” I agree.
When the waitress walks over, Stella orders then adds on an appetizer. I order and then we’re left alone. Stella pulls out a pair of black, plastic-framed glasses and says, “Can I see your books?”
“Oh, of course,” I say, pulling them out of my briefcase and handing them over.
She takes it and starts flipping through while I do nothing, but watch her and sip at my drink. She starts at the front of the book which takes her back years and slowly works her way up to date.
“It looks like a lot of your problems started a few years back, is that right?”
I nod. “Yeah, that’s when sales started to slow.”
She nods. “And what changes did you make to make up for the lack of sales?”
I look at her confused.
“I mean, did you shorten your hours, lay off employees, start ordering fewer new release books?”
“Umm,” I mumble, thinking. I didn’t think we’d get this detailed. “I did shorten the hours. The store used to open at eight and I’ve pushed it back to ten in the morning. I let go the one employee I had, making me the only one. As far as new books, I can only purchase a few and they don’t seem to sell.”
She nods. “So, a lot of your stock is older and outdated.”
My brows pull together. “I wouldn’t sayoutdated…”
She rolls her eyes. “Mr. Reeves, I’m not playing judge. I just need honesty so I can understand the whole picture. If your supply of books is old, that could be why people aren’t coming in. They already know what you have and have no interest in buying the same books you like. I’d suggest that you try to get rid of some old stock and order a few bestsellers.”
I frown. “Is this because I’ve refused to order all those romance books you want?”
“No, but also…yes!” She leans in. “I’ve requested several books and you’ve never ordered them, leaving me to go online. That’s a missed opportunity.”
I scoff and run my hand through my hair. “Let’s move on. What else?”
