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Sophie looked up at me. “I think it will be, too. Gia’s proposing a one-stop shop for weddings. If the brides hire her as the planner, then she’ll have a list of vendors she recommends.”
“Is she taking a percentage of your sales?”
“She is, but I’ll raise my prices to cover it.”
“Smart.” I was proud of her.
“If I want to stay in business, I need to price accordingly.”
“I’m proud of you. This place is amazing.”
“Thank you,” she said, and then her smile faded. “I know that when you stopped in to see me at the bakery and then at the grand opening of Brooke’s Market Tavern, I was standoffish.”
“You were afraid of getting hurt.”
“I was, but I’m so glad you moved home. Being with you again is everything.” Her eyes were shiny.
“I feel the same way, Soph.” At one time, she was my best friend, my confidant, and my girlfriend. I thought she’d be my wife. And for the first time in a long time, I thought that might still come true.
ChapterFifteen
SOPHIE
Over the next few days, I spent more time conducting interviews than overseeing the bakery. I didn’t like it, but it was a necessary evil if I wanted to spend more time with Gia’s brides and grooms. It was an amazing opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
I hired someone who had no formal training but could bake. Olivia brought her concoctions for me to sample. They were good, but the question was, could she bake my recipes? There was only one way to find out.
I hired her on a trial basis. Her hours were the early mornings. I put off hiring someone so that I could have Mark in the mornings for a little while longer. But now, I didn’t have a choice.
If I wanted to branch out to weddings and have a steady influx of paying customers, I needed to be more available for meeting with brides and grooms. I needed to do more tastings. I couldn’t lock myself in the kitchen and ignore people.
I had a few weeks to teach Olivia my recipes and ensure that she’d be able to re-create them. Then I planned to let her handle one morning a week by herself. I needed some time off. I couldn’t bake seven days a week every week. It wasn’t sustainable.
I hoped Olivia could deliver the same quality recipes my customers had come to expect.
Today was the first meeting with one of Gia’s wedding couples. For the first time in years, I went to work in a dress and heels instead of a T-shirt and leggings. Outside the kitchen, I felt a little out of my element.
My genius was working with flour and sugar. What if I couldn’t work one-on-one with clients? I’d done a few weddings over the years, and I enjoyed making cakes, but this was different. I’d be putting myself out there.
I walked from the bakery to Gia’s office on Main, which boasted large windows with purple lettering, Happily Ever Afters. When she’d opened, she’d handled all the events, birthdays, engagements, and grand openings for the local businesses, but she’d since sharpened her brand to wedding planning.
She believed the best business model was a focused one. I smoothed my sweaty hands on my dress and pulled open the wooden door.
Gia sat at the large front desk. There was the same purple and black lettering on the wall behind the receptionist’s desk with the company name, Happily Ever Afters.
“Sophie, I’m so glad you could make it.” Gia crossed the room and pulled me in for a hug.
I returned it, a little surprised at her gesture, but then she’d always been friendly.
“I’m so glad we’re partners now.”
“Me too.” I got swept up in her energy.
“Our first clients should be here any minute. I invited Abby and Lily, too, so you can go over the available packages.”
I lifted the book I’d tucked under my arm for the short walk over. “I brought everything with me.”
The door opened, and Lily and Abby walked inside together. They greeted Gia, and we followed her into her office.
