Page 61 of A New Year In The Presidential Suite

She told him of her ideas.

He grinned. “I like what I’m hearing. Let’s go talk to Rosie.”

When they entered the office space in the tower wing, Rosie was sitting behind a desk. At dinner, the one night they met, there wasn’t much time to get to know one another. But Lori remembered how welcoming Rosie had been. She was a pretty woman with long, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and wide green eyes that shone with kindness.

“Hello,” said Lori as Rosie stood to welcome them. “I’ve come to learn what you are doing with the reception area.”

Griff gave them a little salute. “I think you two will get along well. I will leave you so I can attend to some business of mine. However, I hope you will discuss ways to improve this area and develop potential solutions. We haven’t paid attention to it before now.”

“We’ll be happy to be truthful,” said Rosie. “I’ve got some ideas, and I’m interested to know what Lori thinks.”

The two women exchanged smiles.

After Griff left, Rosie said, “It should be quiet because the tasting room is closed today. Let’s grab a cup of coffee in the kitchen, and we can talk.”

Rosie led Lori to a small, well-equipped kitchen reserved for staff.

After they’d helped themselves to coffee, they sat at one of the two tables there.

“This room serves the employees. We can store some of the food we have catered here, as well.”

“Are you talking about the charcuterie boards I saw? Where did those come from?” asked Lori.

Rosie gave her a sheepish look. “Actually, they’re from my parents’ gourmet store in town. My family has owned and run ‘Taste Treats’ for a number of years. We have not only the store, but also a thriving catering business. I’m able to get special pricing for the winery through them.”

“I like the idea of the winery being part of the town’s businesses,” said Lori. “I went into the shop here and briefly looked around. It needs work.”

“Oh, yes,” said Rosie. “I’ve told Griff and Pete they need to budget more money for the shop, but I think a complete upgrade of the shop could easily recapture any investment. In the past, it received little attention, except from the person who ran the tasting area. She’s very happy to have me take over that job.”

“That gives you the chance to take it up a notch or two,” said Lori. “In addition to my required courses for teaching, I’ve taken marketing courses and one semester of merchandising. Now, I’m not only teaching but also working as a virtual assistant to two authors and three small businesses. I think there’s an opportunity for the winery to grow business online.”

“I agree,” said Rosie. “Let’s go look at the shop and talk about the changes I want to make.”

They went to the store’s doorway and stopped.

“At first glance, tell me what you’d change,” said Rosie.

Lori’s gaze swept the area from one side to the other and the back. “If I’m being honest, it looks like someone was afraid of shoplifters and wanted to protect the merchandise. Some of it should remain on shelving, but a lot of it needs to be laid out on display tables to allow shoppers to get an enticing look at it.”

“I agree,” said Rosie. “But what else do you notice?”

Lori studied the area again. “Nothing stands out to me. Nothing draws me in. It all seems ordinary.”

“Exactly,” said Rosie. “Suggestions?”

“More color, more variety. Wine and food go together. I’d have kitchen items, cookbooks, especially from the region, and kitchenware available. Maybe Sarita would be willing to put her recipes into a small cookbook. We could include a short history of the vineyard.”

Rosie turned to Lori and gave her a quick hug. “Yes! Yes! That’s what I’ve been thinking.” She elbowed Lori. “Did you realize you said ‘we’ not ‘you’, when you were speaking? I wish you didn’t have to go back to New York. Is there any way you could stay here?”

Lori shook her head sadly. “My family is there.”

“No matter what, I want to keep in touch and continue to work with you on the changes,” said Rosie.

“That I can do,” said Lori, feeling better. She was excited to think she could be part of this, even from a distance.

“Okay, come back to the office with me,” said Rosie. “I want you to go through a list of items I’d like to add to the store. But first, I want you to look over the new design of the space and tell me if I’m missing anything.”

Thrilled to be part of Rosie’s plans, Lori eagerly followed her back to the office.