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I flushed. “I think so too. She needs some work, though.”
Remi waved a hand at me. “Jake and Ryan will do right by you. They’re good guys.”
I sucked in a breath, wondering if I could confide in these women. If Jake’s sister, Hailey, had been present, I might have thought twice about it. But these women seemed genuinely nice, and I didn’t think I’d need to worry about the conversation getting back to him. “Jake wants me to do more, but it’s expensive. I can’t afford everything she needs right now.”
“She?” Zoe asked.
I shook my head. “Sorry, I meant my van. She was my grandmother’s, and she named her Berta. It stuck.”
Zoe tipped her head back and laughed. When she recovered, she said, “I love that your van is named Berta.”
I smiled widely. “It suits her. She’s large and clunky and a bit of a pain. At least when she’s broken down.”
“What did Jake say about the repairs?” Remi asked.
Pleased that these women were genuinely interested in my life, I said, “I need to restore her, or at least do more regular maintenance. She’s all I have for transportation. Plus, I use her for flower deliveries. I’m partnering with Gia at Happily Ever Afters. She wants assurances that I’ll have a more dependable source of transportation soon.”
“You can write it off as a business expense,” Zoe offered helpfully.
“That’s true, but I can’t justify it yet. The shop isn’t doing as well as I hoped.” Most of my money went to lease the space for the shop. Then, like my mother had so lovingly pointed out, the taxes on Grandma’s house were expensive. It was a lot of property in a sought-after location. Hence the high tax bill.
Remi canted her head. “Are you doing anything to involve the community in your shop? I offer meditation classes. Jake and Ryan offer free classes on oil changes and tires.”
“I haven’t.” I hesitated, wondering if I should mention wanting to partner with the yoga studio. If I wanted to make it a reality, I needed to put myself out there. To Remi, I said, “I know you don’t own the yoga studio, but I was hoping to do more collaborations. Do you think the owner would be interested?”
“Possibly.” Then to Zoe she explained, “I took Colton to a yoga class on Lily’s farm when we first met. It was my attempt to loosen him up.”
From the way Remi shook her head and laughed, I suspected it didn’t work.
Zoe shook her head. “I can’t even imagine Colton doing yoga.”
“Colton’s a police officer. When I met him, he was uptight and grouchy,” Remi said with affection.
“Sounds like someone I know,” I said with a smile.
“Jake?” Remi guessed.
I nodded. “First, he was pissed that I wanted him to fix Berta. Now he’s mad that I’m not doing more to restore her.”
“From what Hailey said, Ryan and Jake love restoring old vehicles. But it’s expensive,” Remi said.
“Tell me about it.” I swirled my drink, remembering the large number at the bottom of the estimate. “He mentioned starting on some of the smaller repairs. I’m thinking about doing that so I’m not stranded on the side of the road again.”
I couldn’t ignore that Berta needed regular maintenance. I’d have to find a way to afford it. Hence, one of the reasons I’d gone to yoga. Instead of possible business associates, Remi and Zoe seemed more like old friends.
“That’s smart. When you start out, you need to invest your profit back into the business. I can’t think of a better investment than a delivery van.”
“You don’t think it would be smarter to buy something newer? Something that is more reliable?” My stomach sank as I repeated Gia’s and Jake’s sentiments to me.
Remi rested a hand on my forearm. “What do you want? What do you see for your business?”
A thrill shot through me. I loved making plans for the business, but I didn’t have anyone around me who supported my endeavors. “I see the farm and the shop as connected. I’d love to rent the grounds out for events. Whether it’s yoga, kids’ classes, or even weddings.”
I took a deep breath, examining each of their faces for any sign that they weren’t interested in what I had to say. “This is silly, but I see Berta as part of my brand. People will see her around town and know she belongs to Petals without even putting a logo on her.”
“I love it. What do you need to get started?” Zoe asked thoughtfully.
Encouraged that no one had laughed at my ideas, I continued. “I need more cash for the van repairs. The farm needs landscaping and plants. It’s a big project, and I can’t afford to hire anyone. At least not yet.”
