Page 21 of Sugarlips
“Right.”Elaina told her.“Anyway, these ideas are incredible… but I don’t have the time or energy to keep running Beefcakesandimplement them. We can afford to pay you and maybe working for us will help open some doors for other Maple Grove businesses who could use your consulting.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re serious?”
What was I doing? This was Chloe Dyker. My brother’s ex-girlfriend’s sister. The girl who I’d thought about more times than I’d like to admit since our make out session in high school, and I was inviting her to come work for me? Yeah, it was probably a crazy idea. And yet, I found myself nodding.
Shit.Neil didn’t even want to give her the damn leftover donuts. He was going to kill me for hiring her without consulting him first.
“On one condition…” she said.
I wasn’t sure she was in a position to negotiate when we hadn’t talked anything of contracts, fees, or hours yet. But I couldn’t help but wonder how her curious mind was working. What could her ‘one condition’ possibly be this early on?
“On top of helping you market Beefcakes, I want to help you develop a plan for your food truck.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’syour one condition?”
“My sister mentioned something the other night… and it gave me an idea. She said that she wished there was a food truck that delivered junk food when you were dumped. Things like donuts…” she lifted the donut in her hand. “And cheesecake. And maybe even the infamous Beefcakes cupcakes.”
“A food truck that serves junk food…” I repeated her, skeptically.
“To the specific target audience of people who’ve been dumped.” She spread her fingers into jazz hands and swept them across the air in front of my face like an invisible scroll. “Imagine…The Dump Truck.” She grinned at me. “What do you think?”
“I think… I think you’re kind of crazy.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s a given. But the idea is good. Admit it.”
I closed my eyes, imagining it. The Dump Truck. Not the most appetizing name. But it was funny. And cute. Much like Beefcakes, it would be catered to women, I’d imagine. Overhead would be lower than a traditional food truck because I wouldn’t have to cook anything in the truck. I could bake here on the premises and simply serve food out of the truck. It was… huh. I was surprised to admit, it was actually a pretty good idea.
I shook my head. “I can’t just steal your business concept, Chloe.”
“You won’t be stealing it. We could be partners,” she said, as though the thought only just occurred to her.
“Moments ago, you were talking about interviewing for marketing positions and maybe having to move out of Maple Grove.”
“That was before this idea hatched!” She stood pacing the bakery and tapping a cotton-candy-pink painted fingernail to her bottom lips. “You would handle the baking. I would take care of marketing and publicity. We would share the business work, like selling and accounting and taxes and stuff.”
“A working, used food truck or trailer is at least twelve thousand dollars,” I said. Even though I sounded doubtful, I could feel myself growing more and more excited by the prospect.
“Are you telling me that with the six-figures your brother won on the show, Beefcakes doesn’t have twelve thousand dollars to spare?”
I licked my lips, looking at the door where Neil had stormed out not all that long ago. “He’ll never go for it,” I said. “He was barely on board for Beefcakes as it was.”
Chloe shrugged. “Then he doesn’t have to be a part of it. We can do this ourselves. Co-owners. Partners.Yourdream for once.”
It did make it awfully convenient that he was leaving the country soon. The perfect time to start a new venture while not under the standard Neil Evans scrutiny. “Okay,” I said, holding out my hand for her to take. “I’m in. At least to consider it.”
She took my hand firmly and pumped it once. “You’re not going to regret this.”
As a matter of fact, I alreadywasregretting it.
7
Chloe
“Okay, it’s official,” I said, wandering around the furniture store. “Shopping on a budget sucks.”
Elaina snorted and linked her arm into mine. “Well, maybe next time you’ll think twice before going all Edward Scissorhands on your reclining chair.”
“Dan’s recliner. Not mine. And I hated that chair. It deserved a slow death.”
