Page 76 of The Affair
“But still, super proud of you.”
His smile returned, and my insides melted.
“So, I was thinking back to that day when Sawyer showed up, begging for a spot. One of the things he proposed was using some of the rental spaces for non-antiques. At first, I thought this was an incredibly stupid idea.”
“Thanks again,” Sawyer said dryly.
“But this morning, I rethought the idea and realized that it might be our opportunity to bring in more customers.”
“I believe I said that a month ago,” he added.
“I know,” I agreed. “I told you I was bad at marketing and sales!”
“So, you want to open up the store to what? Other entrepreneurs?” Candace asked, a curious glint in her eyes.
“Yes, and I want you to be the first!”
“What?” she blurted out. “Are you serious?”
“Yes! Well, technically, you’d be the second, but—”
Her arms wrapped around me, and I was nearly tackled to the floor.
“Oh my gosh, Elle! This is amazing. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes! I need your help and your koozies!”
“Yes!” she screamed.
Once I peeled her off of me, we worked on the specifics. I tried to offer her the space for free as a trial, but she wouldn’t accept. She wanted to be treated as any other renter and pay full price. It was a sweet gesture, and honestly, the store could use the cash, so I caved. After that was agreed on, we worked on how to market both their booths and additional opportunities to promote other spaces and items in the store.
By lunch, my mind was reeling with information, but I was so thrilled with our progress. When Candace left, I felt like I’d just given her an early Christmas present. I’d never seen someone so excited to rent a space in my store.
Well, except maybe Sawyer.
“That was a good thing you did,” he said as I watched Candace cross the street.
“Yeah? It feels good.”
“Why the sudden change? Spur-of-the-moment stuff isn’t usually your thing. What made you decide to do it?”
He was still in his chair—I thought he’d sat in it so much that it could now officially be called his—so I joined him, grabbing a dining room chair from a set nearby.
“It was a lot of things really, but the kick in the pants was when I forgot about the store entirely. I actually woke up this morning and didn’t even think about work.”
“That’s not always a bad thing,” he said.
“No, I know. And I want to eventually get to a point in my life where this store isn’t everything, where I can maybe hire a staff and have a day off every once in a while, but for now, it has to be.”
“Everything?” he questioned with a small smirk.
“Well, at least a larger chunk than I want.”
“Okay,” he agreed. “I can live with that. And I can also help you get there—to that pie-in-the-sky dream of days off and a full staff.”
Leaning back in my chair, I gave a happy sigh. “Ahh, wouldn’t that be the life? Having two full days off a week instead of just one?”
“Your parents would be proud of everything you’ve accomplished today.”
