She pouts. “I think you loved thememoriesin the store. And so did I. But those memories haven’t gone anywhere, Jade. Lucky for us, they’re fire-proof.”
“I know.”
“Is there something else you think you could enjoy doing as much?” she probes.
If we get the insurance money, we could rebuild and reopen Quinn Brothers, but the store was struggling long before the fire. Who’s to say we wouldn’t end up back in another financial hole?
I rest my elbows on the counter and heave a sigh. WhatdoI love doing?
“I like running a business,” I say. “Although, I wouldn’t mind running one that’s profitable.”
Ruby chuckles.
“And you know I love Still Springs. I don’t want to leave this place.”
Her lips curve up. “The old man lucked out there. He gets to keep the little one close by.”
I glance at the hallway leading to Dad’s bedroom, where he’s having a nap. “Dad and I can look after each other. It’s a win-win.”
“What kind of business in Still Springs?” Ruby asks, folding her arms. “Another Quinn Brothers? Or a QuinnSisters?” She arches a brow.
I smile because I know she’s kidding. But when I give some real thought to the store and the parts of it that have been working well lately, it’s really only two things: the online orders and the local artisan goods. Particularly Magnolia Sloane’s macabre sculptures.
“You know how the Quinn Brother’s website is still up and running?” I say, thinking out loud. “I wonder if I could keep selling the arts and homewares stuff online but get rid of all the groceries that take up mountains of space and need refrigeration. Plus, there are higher profit margins on the artisan stuff, and I only really scratched the surface for creatives in this area.” Maybe thereisa way to keep the business alive after all. Just in a different way that suits the times we’re living in. In college, we called it “pivoting.” It’s considered good business to make a fundamental change to a company’s direction when it’s no longer meeting the needs of the market.
Ruby’s eyes are sparkling. “That’s actually a really good idea. The overheads would be super low.”
“They would,” I agree, a jolt of excitement striking my chest. “As long as I could find space at home to store the pieces, there’d be no shopfront to rent, no extra utility bills, or having to open on weekends.”
“And don’t forget about the insurance money. You’d be able to buy heaps of stock.”
“No, I’d want to see how it all goes first. That’s always the smart thing to do before investing in something new.” I’d start with a few key collections and see how they sell. Plus, we need to pay off the commercial loan and what we can of Dad’s hospital fees first.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Ruby says with a smile.
I reach for a third brownie, and she swats away my hand. I pout while she scoops up the tray from under my nose and carries it off to the pantry.
“So, there’s another ‘big’ question I wanted to ask you before I go,” Ruby says, padding back over to me. “What’s going on with you and Dylan? And don’t tell me that your stay in his cabin was a ‘friend thing’.” She makes air quotes.
My stomach jumps into my chest, stirring everything up. “Fine, yes, we’ve been seeing each other. But I think it’s ending.”
The disappointed expression on Ruby’s face matches mine. “Because of Hayley?”
“No, Hayley’s actually okay with it. It’s Austin who’s being a jerk.”
“Who’s Austin?”
“I mean the city. Dylan’s going back home. Although, after the fire, he did say something to me like, ‘What if I stay here and we try something out?’”
Ruby’s eyes widen. “He said that? So, what’s the problem?”
“He sounded really uncertain. He was all, ‘What if this’, and ‘What if that’.”
Her brows bunch. “And you were expecting what—a marriage proposal?”
If I had a brownie in my hand, I’d be tempted to toss it at her. “Why does it sound like you’re on his side? I thought you’d be happy to see the back of Dylan.”
She leans her elbows against the counter, a trace of guilt in her gaze. “I won’t lie; his reputation did scare me at first when you two started getting close. But then I thought about how people assumed the worst of me recently and how wrong they were. Plus, the few times I’ve been around Dylan, he’s seemed so sweet and caring, especially towards you. I mean, gosh, the way he looked after you in the hospital. And then how he took you to his cabin so you could recover?” She sighs wistfully, and a tingling warmth spreads through my chest.
