I’m having a crazy cupcake sale to draw in customers!Claire wanted to exclaim, but it didn’t seem like the time to tell her friends that she’d managed to finagle an ad in tomorrow’s newspaper—or the more exciting plans she had to arrange to make the sale come to life. Guilt gnawed at her stomach. Jane had asked for the get-together, and she was there to support her, not to steal the spotlight.
Never one to be the center of attention, Jane turned the conversation to Claire. “How was business at Sandcastles today?”
“Nothing from the usual except Sandee came in just as I was about to close.”
Maxi made a face and sipped her drink. “Talk about a terrible way to end your day.”
Claire couldn’t help but laugh. “Tell me about it. What did you do this afternoon?”
Maxi made a face. “Nothing. It was a boring day, all told.”
The waitress stepped up to take Claire’s order. Jane and Maxi both ordered another, though Maxi still had half of hers to finish.
Maxi turned to Claire. “Are you feeling any better about the bread store now?”
Since Maxi had asked, Claire figured she could share her plans. “Much better, actually. I have a plan for how to deal with their grand opening sale.”
Maxi frowned. “Their sale?”
“This Saturday. They put out an ad in the paper today. One of my regulars told me about it.”
“What’s the plan?” Jane asked.
“I’m going to have a sale of my own.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Jane said with a smile of encouragement.
The waitress had returned and was placing three pink fruity drinks onto the table. “What’s this about a sale?”
“A cupcake sale,” Claire explained. “At my bakery on Saturday. I’m having a three-for-one sale.”
The young woman’s face lit up. “All day?”
Claire nodded. “Until I run out. But don’t worry, I’m going to be prepared and have plenty of stock on hand in multiple flavors.”
“I’ll be there.”
A man in the corner lifted his hand to hail the waitress. She apologized and bustled over to him.
Maxi was studying her skeptically. “Three-for-one? Why not two-for-one?”
Claire shook her head briskly. The ocean breeze teased a strand in front of her face. She brushed it aside impatiently. “Bradford Breads is having a two-for-one sale. I have to do better if I’m going to attract customers to me instead of them. That means three-for-one. I’m hiring a couple of students temporarily to help me bake them all. I told Sandee I’d be making at least six flavors, and I’ll want to have five dozen of each at least.”
Maxi choked on a sip of her drink.
Jane cast a sideways glance at Maxi and fiddled with her straw. “That sounds great. If you have a flyer, I’ll leave it in the gathering room of the inn to drive customers to the sale, and I’m sure I can carve out some time to help you make them. But, Claire, don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?”
Claire blinked. “No. I have to get on top of this.”
“Bradford Breads is having a sale on bread. You’re selling cupcakes. You don’t have to outdo them. They’re entirely different things.”
“Maybe. But it doesn’t hurt to establish myself, and besides, this isn’t just about me. Hailey’s worried too. What if my business is impacted and I can’t afford to pay her? Jennifer is depending on her, and Hailey is a hard worker and smart. She hasn’t gotten a lot of breaks in life, and I would hate to see her without a job,” Claire said.
The looks on Jane’s and Maxi’s faces softened. All three of them had a soft spot for Hailey and Jennifer.
“I understand how you feel,” Maxi said. “But maybe six different flavors is putting a lot of pressure on yourself? How will you make them all?”
“I can make them ahead of time, actually. They can be stored in airtight containers, and they won’t go stale.”
