No Weddings (No Weddings #1)(19)

I nodded.

“Nice.” She got this faraway look like she’d already begun planning out the cake.

Pulling my feet down, I straightened in the hard chair, glancing left and right. “And yes, I’m giving you invaluable advice. Do you see customers beating down your door? I don’t.”

Glaring with narrowed eyes, she strode over and took the seat where my feet had just been. “Okay, Mr. Hotshot Business Man, what would you do if you were me?”

I made a show of scanning the room, pretending to take in the place through a fresh set of eyes as if I’d just walked in. And even though I had plenty of ideas without having to take another look, I ran through what came to mind anyway.

The display case was perfectly arranged with a rainbow of cupcakes decorated in unique themes. She had classic black-and-white photographs on the walls in tasteful, matted frames. Large potted plants occupied two corners. An open credenza along the far wall held a few perfectly stacked books. The place looked nice but didn’t invite you to sit down and stay awhile.

“Who’s your target market?”

A blank look on her face told me she hadn’t done her homework.

“Who are you baking all of this for?” I clarified in layman’s speak.

She shrugged. “People who like cakes and cupcakes.”

“And you’re just waiting for them to show up?”

A confident nod.

While I liked her rose-colored-glass enthusiasm, it was misplaced. She’d been open for an entire week, and I’d been there at different times in between classes. Not because I’d had nowhere else to be, but because I found something calming in her store that I didn’t find anywhere else. It had become my own personal study library of sorts. Hannah popped up front every hour or so to keep me stocked in free Pellegrino, and she gave good Wi-Fi.

An occasional stray customer would wander in, and after seeing her assorted temptations, would always buy at least one. One customer ordered a dozen. But I’d never seen more than one or two people an hour walk through her door.

“Do you want to cater to an adult clientele or to children?” Please say adults. I cringed to think what might happen if my study sanctum transformed into a sticky playground.

“Adults, I think. I don’t mind kids, but I need calm up here to be able to create in back.”

Thank f*ck.

On a deep breath, I let my mind race. “Okay. Here’s what you do. Make this a haven for those looking to escape. Like me. Make it like a home library. You’ve started along that vibe, but you have all this empty space up front. Utilize it. Get rid of the plants and put in a few more comfortable furniture pieces.”

She leaned forward, absorbing my rapid-fire suggestions.

“Think about serving coffee. Maybe not everything a coffee bar offers, but a gourmet choice or two. Are you considering hiring help anytime soon?”

“Yes, but with this amount of business it hasn’t made sense yet.”

“Put an ad out and start interviewing while you beef up your marketing efforts. Our sidewalk attack might’ve been a good initial blast, but you need to keep up the momentum. People can’t buy your cakes if they don’t know about you. The location is good for pedestrian traffic, but you can’t rely on it.”

I tapped my chin. “Oh, and think about serving wine.”

She furrowed her brow. “What?”

“Don’t you girls ever go out for each other’s birthday parties? Imagine fifteen women in here all eating cupcakes and drinking wine. You need to get some board games. Plenty of room on the bottom shelf of that wall unit over there.”

“Won’t I need a license for the wine?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a contact down at the liquor licensing department.” I furrowed my brow, trying to remember the rules for establishments other than bars. “I’m not sure if you can get one for just wine. Maybe it’s a beer license I’m thinking of. Oh, hell. There’s an idea. Serve beer.”

Her face screwed into an indignant scowl. “With cupcakes?”

I leaned back, crossing my arms over my chest, thinking. “Bacon. Make a rich chocolate cupcake with bacon. There’s a cigar lounge I know not far from here. Team up with them and serve cupcakes laden with bacon and whatever else tastes good. Ask for Roy. Tell him I sent you. He’s the manager, a friend of mine, and an old friend of my father’s.”

A sudden spark in her eyes caught my attention and I paused. Those luscious pink lips curved into a lazy smile. Her intriguing demeanor made it seem like she had a secret.

Whatever thoughts I’d had in my head fell away as I leaned forward, sliding my forearms onto the table. My gaze held hers. In casual jeans and that little tee, her hair clipped up off her long neck, she looked like the best thing in her shop to eat.

Without breaking our eye contact, she slowly rose off her chair. After she stood for long seconds, her smile widened.

“Thanks for the ‘invaluable’ business tips, Cade.”

She turned and broke the spell I’d fallen under. Then I got a long look at her fine ass in jeans that gripped her hips like they were painted on.

With a quick glance over her shoulder, she caught me staring at that glorious asset. Her smile twisted into a smirk. “Oh, and Cade, who exactly is your target market?”

I blinked.