Fairy Tales and Cappuccinos (Everyday Love #1) - Taylor Rylan Page 0,16

up to be an online retailer, we can start cataloging the books and you can sell online. Trust me on that one. There are tons of people that love to support small business instead of big box. It’s a must.” Sawyer went back to clicking, dragging, and dropping, and doing whatever it was that he did. I stood there, completely enamored at his screen, and watched as he built a perfect sign for the front of the store.

“But why is there a coffee cup on it?” I asked.

“Because I’m going to talk you into setting up a small coffee counter. You need it. It will get more people in the store and when they have a cup of coffee in their hands and see attractive displays leading them farther into the store, they’ll browse. And browsing customers tend to pick up things, and then they buy.”

I shook my head. There was no way I could afford to get a coffee shop added to the place. I’d have to get a permit and hire a crew. It would take months and cost a small fortune.

“I’ll never get that finished in time. I need permits, estimates, a crew. It’ll be next summer at the earliest.”

“Naw. I’ll take care of that. It’s what I do. Well, I know someone that does that stuff. As for the crew, you just need a few of those friends and a trip or two to your local home improvement store. The coffee machine is going to be the biggest expense. But it’ll pay off in the end. Trust me on this.”

I was going to think about it, and I was certainly going to run it by Ford and see what he thought about the changes. I had to look at this as having hired a PR and marketing consultant. I didn’t really need one. I was a small bookstore in a small tourist town. But I had to admit that Sawyer’s ideas sounded good. They were ideal, and even I wasn’t stupid. Having more foot traffic in the store would be nice.

The town went all out starting in November, and sadly, I’d not yet gotten my display or decorations out. I just didn’t know what to do. I could pull out Grandma’s tried-and-true Thanksgiving and fall decorations, but even thinking about that made me cringe. I loved Grandma with all of my heart, but I wanted to bring Fairy Tales forward, not leave it in the past.

“Okay. Tell me about how long you think things will take, and we’ll discuss it more. For now, let’s see what we can come up with for getting this place in the holiday spirit. For starters, we need a window display,” I said.

“Yes. I agree. And some exterior decorations. It’s November. You need some pumpkins or gourds at the least. Maybe some square hay bales. You have a nice storefront; it just looks plain right now. It won’t take long to change that. And even better, it won’t break the bank.”

I sure hoped so because I didn’t want to blow my budget on displays that did nothing for the store. I had to trust Sawyer, even if I hardly knew him. This was what he did, and no matter what, I could always say no to something. That made me feel a little better.

5

Sawyer

I’d somehow done it. I’d convinced Hudson to add a coffee bar to the store. Permits were already in place though, and that was confusing because Hudson said he had a license for the bookstore, but beyond that, he didn’t have anything.

“Hudson?” I called out as I entered Fairy Tales after having just come back from the local field office for the state’s permits and licenses.

“Back in the young adult section.”

I veered off to the left and went to the back corner of the store. We were still working on rearranging things, but that took time because books had to be moved in certain order. I located Hudson and had to bite my fist to keep from making any noise. The man had an ass that if I were a top, I’d definitely want to tap. As it were, I still fantasized about the man’s body and what it would be capable of in a bed. Or against a wall. Or on the floor. But with him bent over like he was, it would be so easy to just reach out and grab it.

“You in there?”

I focused on Hudson, who had stood up and was staring at me