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‘I’ve really missed you all. I just … there’s a lot going on.’
Denise nods kindly, a little twinkle in her eye. ‘Just know that you’ve got a lot of support around you. Your family, me and Jim, my Joe … he’s very fond of you, Sophie.’
I can feel my bottom lip wobbling so I bite down on it, hard.
‘He’s a good egg …’ I falter. And then I get a grip of myself. Today is about business.
If there’s one Sophie-patented way to get myself out of a dither, it’s to focus on the stuff I’m good at.
I rally. ‘How do you feel about talking business?’
Denise pushes a mug of tea towards me and smiles.
‘Okay, love, let’s do that. I was intrigued by your message mentioning a business proposal. It all sounds very exciting. But I’m not sure I can help you much in that department.’ She chuckles.
‘Oh, but you can.’ I grin. ‘I’ve been working on a proposal for you.’
‘For me?’
I pull up the presentation on my laptop. Denise watches with increased surprise as the slideshow scrolls by and I find myself chewing on a fingernail in anticipation.
‘My word,’ she says when it finishes. ‘Are you suggesting that we set up a cookie-making business? With my recipes?’
‘Yes! You make the best cookies I’ve ever tasted, you’ve got the vegan and gluten-free markets covered, and I feel very strongly that the people of Bristol and beyond should be allowed to sample them.’
‘But I don’t have a café … or any premises!’
‘That’s the beauty of this plan.’ I tap the screen. ‘Our niche will be postable bakes, delivered straight to your door. With some clever branding and targeted marketing, you could be baking from home and posting your cookies out to customers in no time.’
‘I don’t know anything about branding, Sophie.’
‘But I do! We’d make the dream team. I’d take on the business side of things and you’d be whipping out these incredible bakes, just like you always do, but this time earning some real cash too.’ I scooch round to her side of the kitchen table. ‘A while ago, you told me that you wished you’d had a career when you were younger and a mum friend of mine said something similar. Like you, Celeste has put her work life on the backburner so that she can raise her kids. I mean, Celeste perhaps isn’t the best example because she’s wildly wealthy and they have a nanny and I’m rambling. The point is, there’s no age limit on starting a career, Denise.’
Joe’s mum looks both bright-eyed and baffled at the same time.
I give her hand a squeeze. ‘You have a talent and I can help to channel that. I feel very strongly that women shouldn’t have to choose between motherhood and a career. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. I think this is your chance, your time! It’s just a working brand name at the moment but with The Cookie Box, I’m hopeful we could be a big success. Your kitchen will need some adapting for health and safety but none of that is insurmountable. I can schedule a meeting with Tara, a client of mine in the food industry, to talk about how she set up her seafood truck. I bet she’ll want to stock your cookies at Hook and Bait because she doesn’t have any sweet offerings right now.’
Denise sits back in her chair.
‘You really think so?’ she asks excitedly.
‘So much so that I’d like to put some money into the business to get us going. Look, it’s a lot to take in, so please take as long as you need to mull it over. I will not be offended if you decide against it, I just had to give it a shot.’
Denise is tickled by this. ‘A cookie business? Well! I can’t wait to tell Jim.’
‘Any questions, please shout,’ I say, gathering my things up. ‘I’m going to leave you to have a think, but thanks so much for seeing me today. It’s been really nice.’
And it has. It’s so homely here.
‘You too, love.’ Denise is still beaming as she shows me out.
Later that night, not long after I’ve put Lila to bed, Denise sends me a message.
Hello love! I’d be mad not to take you up on this offer.
Cookie empire, here we come!
Oh my god! I’m so excited I squeal, bursting with excitement for the new project. Then Joe’s name appears on my phone – the first message I’ve had from him in a long while.
