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Christopher tipped his head to the side. “Any way we can leverage it to our advantage?”
“I’m still thinking.” Visiting her store gave me a look at Brooke and how she ran her business. Not so much how to take her customers. I felt a twinge of guilt as I remembered how she’d taken her nephew to baseball practice and how sweet she was with her customers. She was a nice person. She didn’t deserve what I would plan.
Christopher resumed wiping down the tables in the seating area. “I think we should hold a grand opening party.”
I leaned against the counter, crossing my legs at my ankles, watching him move around the room. “Parties aren’t really my thing.”
Christopher straightened. “There’s an event planning business in town—Happily Ever Afters.”
“That doesn’t sound like what I need.” It sounded more like a company that planned weddings.
“They plan all kinds of events. They just did the grand opening for Harbor Garage, and it was a success. Brought more awareness to the new business. The paper even ran a feature on it in the lifestyle section.
“I’ll think about it.” There was no question I needed to capitalize on the newness. Customers would come because they were curious. The challenge would be to keep them coming back.
Christopher met my gaze. “I’ve heard Brooke’s selling books now—local history and folklore, even guidebooks. It’s perfect for tourists and locals.”
“Hmm,” I hadn’t actually looked at the title of the book I picked up. My brain was too full of Brooke. For the first time, I’d let a woman distract me from my goal. I’d be an idiot to let it happen again.
“The website offers opportunities for groups wanting to be involved in book trivia and story times.” There was no question Brooke was trying hard to increase business. It was probably her way of countering my opening.
“But you’ll bring them in with your coffee beans,” Christopher said, gesturing at the large glass jars on the shelves. Each one was labeled with the origin and unique flavors. The seating area contained a historic coffee grinder. An antique my grandfather had collected at some point. It was the one thing that had given me the idea for the coffee shop.
“We’re part museum, part coffee shop. We can’t exactly form coffee interest groups.” But how else could I draw in customers?
Christopher nodded. “You’ll have good Wi-Fi, which will encourage people to work with their laptops.”
My stomach sank. “That’s what every good coffee shop offers.”
I wanted to do something different, and I thought offering unique coffee beans would be the answer. But now that I’d seen Brooke’s business model, I wasn’t so sure. How would I sell coffee beans to people when I wasn’t exactly a people person?
Resolved to continue with my original plan, I said, “I want to stick with the basics. We’ll be known for selling good quality coffee and procuring whatever bean the customer is interested in. Brooke is trying to do too much. She’s diluting her brand with books and trivia nights. I don’t want to confuse my customer.”
Christopher’s brow furrowed. He disagreed with my conclusion, but I was the one with an MBA. I’d stick to what I’d learned in school and ignore the doubt, the voice that said Brooke had more real-time experience running a business.
“What do you think about a grand opening?”
“Can you see how much they want for planning it?” I asked.
“Sure thing, boss.”
Pride filled me at his words. Being a boss was a dream of mine. It was everything I’d worked for since I was a kid running a lemonade stand. I just had to stick with my original plan. Open a successful business and be home more for Cammie.
“Daddy!” Cammie called when I entered the kitchen at six on the dot.
“Just in time for dinner,” Mom said.
“Good,” I said, relieved I’d met my goal of being home earlier. In Philadelphia, Cammy had a nanny who stayed with her after school, made sure she ate dinner, and got to bed on time. Between my parents’ help and my goal of being around more, I hoped to avoid that.
I washed my hands in the sink. “Can I help?”
“I got it,” Dad said, grabbing the casserole dish and setting it in the middle of the table.
Cammy sat on her knees at the table. “Daddy, Daddy. You’ll never believe what I did today.”
I kissed her cheek. “What’s that, baby?”
“We went to a splash pad,” Cammy said to me before gazing at my mom. “Can we show him the pictures?”
