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“But where would I even begin?” she asked. “I can’t just set up a booth at the farmer’s market every weekend and hope for the best. I’d need to think about my art like a businesswoman, turn it into something that could grow, something I’d be able to live off one day.”
“All good stuff to think about. You’ve got a good head for this, Dream. Plenty of people think they can drop everything and chase their passions and that it’ll all work out in the end. You, on the other hand, know it takes more than that.”
She smiled, glancing down for a moment before turning her attention back to me.
“Thanks. I mean it. Having you and Jay and Duncan all believing in me the way you do…it’s really something.”
“And you know we’d call you out if you were talking nonsense,” I followed this up with a smile. “Like if you said you wanted to drop everything and join the WNBA.”
She was confused for a moment. Then her eyes flashed with indignation when Dream realized what I was getting at.
“You guys can never pass up a short joke, can you?” she said after giving me a playful shove.
And I could’ve been imagining things, but it really seemed like her hand lingered on my arm for longer than normal.
I put it out of my head. Talking about Dream’s future was a hell of a lot more important than my attraction to her.
“Hey, you can make fun of us for being tall whenever you want.”
“Tall jokes don’t hit the same,” she said. “Besides, what is there aside from ‘how’s the weather up there’?”
I laughed. “Good point.”
The waiter arrived, placing a plate of sambusas on the table. Dream and I happily dug in.
“But seriously,” I said. “You don’t have to come up with your business plan all at once. You can start small. Like…” My eyes flashed as an idea occurred to me. “Like, you could start a website!”
She cocked her head to the side in consideration as she chewed her sambusa.
“Are you serious? A website?”
“Yeah! You could put something up and advertise your services, have a place for your work. Then you could get in touch with other festivals in the area and give them a spot to check out your stuff. Trust me, once they see what you can do, they’ll be begging to have you work their fairs.”
Dream took another bite, the words having an effect.
“Think about it – you made good money at the farmer’s market in town, right?”
“Very good money.”
“Now, imagine it in the summer you could have all kinds of fairs lined up. Maybe one on Monday, another on Tuesday…you get the idea. You could drive around the state making cash, take breaks whenever you want.”
She set down her sambusa, appearing to be so involved in what I was saying that she didn’t want to eat.
“But outside of Charmed Bay, are there a lot of festivals and fairs in the fall and winter? Farmer’s Markets are all usually on the weekend, in most cities, and I can’t be at all of them at the same time. There’s only one of me.”
She had a good point. “You don’t need to have your business model worked out right now,” I said. “Work the summers all over the state, work the local Farmer’s Market in the fall and winter, then get the rest planned out down the road. You don’t want to focus just on the future or just on the present. Do a little of both and guaranteed you will be able to succeed.”
She popped the rest of her sambusa into her mouth, chewing it thoughtfully.
“You know, you’ve got a pretty good mind for business, Evan.”
I chuckled and shrugged. “It’s all about attitude, you know. Stay positive, and don’t let things get you down. If, and when you come across a bump in the road, don’t let that distract you, learn from it and move on.”
“That’s how you’ve always been,” she said. “Always looking on the bright side of things.”
“I try. Jay likes to bust my balls about being naïve, but I don’t think this way because I haven’t been through things – I think this way because I have. Life’s going to throw some crazy stuff your way. And if you can take it with a smile, not let it wear you down, then you’ve got a major advantage.”
She said nothing at this, instead smiling at me as if I’d said something she’d been waiting to hear.
