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I struggled to find a reason for her not to worry. “It might be okay; we have, like, five ice cream and fudge shops.”
She gave me a wry smile. “This is coffee, though. How many coffee shops can one tiny town hold?”
“Is it one of the big chains?” My stomach clenched painfully. It would be impossible to compete with them.
She pursed her lips. “It’s not supposed to be a franchise.”
I reached over to pat her hand. “Try not to worry until you know more.”
She sighed. “I’m already planning ahead, assuming cash might dip this winter when it’s open.”
“Do you know anything about the owner? Is it a local or an out-of-towner?”
“All I know is that it’s someone from Philadelphia. I wish they would have just stayed there.”
I wasn’t sure how to placate her. It could be really bad for her business. “At least you’re on the north end, and they’re on the south. You might be serving two different sets of customers. Just like Sophie’s Sweets and Ava’s Treats in the marketplace.”
She smiled affectionately. “Ever the optimist.”
I wasn’t known in our group of friends as the positive one; that was Remi, who owned a juice shop and had recently begun to offer meditation classes at a local yoga studio. But I hated to see Brooke worry about her shop. It had been steady for her since The Coffee Bean had closed.
New shops and restaurants frequently opened and then closed a few months or years later. There was a lot of turnover. That’s why some of the shop owners formed the Shops on Main group. They met once a month to support each other.
I hoped Brooke’s coffee shop was one of the exceptions. That the locals would be loyal to her. “You can go with the angle that you’re a local. Maybe they’ll eschew the big city business owner.”
Her brow furrowed. “I don’t know if that will be enough. Do people, and especially tourists, even care who owns the store? As long as they have their coffee and it’s convenient?”
She was probably right. Tourists just wanted to know where the closest coffee shop was located. “Is there a way to bring more people in?”
She already sponsored local book and knitting club meetings. During the day, she led story time for children. She never minded if people worked in the café during the day if there was room. And in the evenings, she had games for groups of people to play at the tables.
Brooke chewed her lip. “I can’t think of anything right now.”
“You need to relax. It’s not opening tomorrow. Maybe something will come to you.”
She offered me a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m sure you’re right.”
I couldn’t imagine not being able to stop in, grab a latte, and talk to my friend. The pressure on my chest increased. Both of our futures were hanging in the balance. Everything seemed so uncertain.
She shook her head. “Enough about me. How are things going with Corey?”
I straightened in my seat, happy to be off the topic of our businesses. “He’s a hard worker and is almost done painting the living room.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow.”
“He’s on time, works without much supervision, and cleans up at the end of the night.” I didn’t mention that Ryan’s gentle reminders to clean up hit me square in the chest.
“That’s great.”
“Yeah, it really seems like he’s trying.” I hoped it wasn’t just because he was worried about how it would look to a judge.
Her lips tugged up at the corners. “It doesn’t hurt that you get to see Ryan every night.”
“Yeah, he picks him up.” I’d begun to savor those few moments we had to ourselves. Each time, the rush of attraction and desire to be around him increased.
It touched me that he was interested in the workings of the spice shop and took some home. I didn’t think he was just being polite. He seemed genuinely interested in the shop.
“I never really knew Ryan before. Sure, he hung out with Jake, but I didn’t talk to him one-on-one. So, it’s nice to get to know him better.”
