Page 75 of The Affair
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” he countered.
I gave him the evil eye before stepping forward to greet Candace. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Of course. I was honored you thought of me.”
I must have piqued Sawyer’s interest because rather than make himself busy, he took a seat in his wingback chair, intent on observing our meeting.
“What are you doing?” I asked, giving him a keen stare.
“Being nosy.” He shrugged.
Cadence and I gave each other an amused look and followed his example, shrugging in turn.
“I guess he’s honest at least,” she replied.
“I would have just told him anyway. Plus, he might have some good input.”
“Some?” he barked.
“You don’t even know what we’re talking about,” I countered, giving him a side-eye.
Putting the palms of his hands behind his head, he let out a heavy sigh. “I always have good input, no matter what the subject.”
I really wanted to argue with him, but honestly, he wasn’t half-bad at the advice-giving. The taking of it however—that he needed to work on.
“Okay, so here’s what’s going on. I’ve had this store for a month or so now, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a pretty terrible business owner.”
Both of them began to protest. At once.
I held up my finger to silence them. “Nope. No. Don’t. I’m not looking for encouragement or a rebuttal. I’m just stating a simple fact. When this was my parents’ place and I was strictly an employee, I was good at what I did. I could knock off a to-do list like a boss. But now, I am the actual boss, and it’s freaking hard. I’ve realized I suck at things like marketing and sales. I don’t know what makes a person buy one thing over another. I don’t know how to solicit customers, and if I don’t do something to change all of that, this place is going to fail on my watch.”
“So, what do you have in mind?” Candace asked, getting right to the point, before adding, “And by the way, you don’t suck. Not at all.”
“Thanks, but I do. Or at least, I definitely lack strength in certain areas. I do recall that someone smart once told me that change is something that should not be looked at with fear, and I should be willing to try new things, so that is exactly what I am doing. I’m going to try something new. Well, semi-new, I guess.”
“Semi-new?” they both echoed.
“Sawyer came into my store a month ago and bargained for one of the rental spaces we offer to sell his furniture. At the time, I flat-out refused him.”
He gave me a wink, making me blush.
“But eventually, he talked me into a trial run for three months. So far, it’s not going well. In fact, it’s been a pretty dismal endeavor.”
“Thanks, Elle.” He laughed. “Much appreciated.”
“Let me finish.”
Candace turned to Sawyer. “Not sure if you know this about her, but she tells incredibly long stories. You kind of just have to sit back and take it; otherwise, she gets cranky.”
Pressing my lips together, I tried not to grin, knowing it would only egg them on further. “Anyway, as I was saying, so far, Sawyer hasn’t sold anything.”
“I sold a piece yesterday!” he chimed in.
“Yes, but not in the store, and that was based on your mother’s recommendation to a family friend. It doesn’t count.”
“Okay.” He pouted.
