Page 46 of Just a Taste
‘You’d think so.’ We’ve both shifted in our seats, turning so we’re directly facing each other and our knees are brushing against one another. ‘But we’re so ahead of the market, we’ve probably amassed enough goodwill from our target audience that people would still continue to buy our products for a good while even if that quality slips.’
Noelle’s eyes widen in understanding and she leans forward slightly, mulling over my words as she comes further into my personal space. ‘It’s all about brand loyalty, right? People already trust you to deliver quality, so they overlook the little hiccups? But there’s a limit to how far you can push them.’
I nod, impressed by how quickly she grasps the concept. ‘Exactly.’
She lets out a soft chuckle, her hand absentmindedly playing with the end of one of her long braids. ‘It’s the same for me. Imagine I started cutting corners and using subpar ingredients just to save some money – you’d notice right away, wouldn’t you?’
‘I think you’d be able to make a Michelin-star-level meal out of anything,’ I say, blurting the words out before I can even think about my answer.
Noelle’s mouth falls open slightly and she blinks at me. ‘I—’
‘But I get what you mean,’ I say quickly. ‘People trust the quality you deliver, and once you compromise that, it’s hard to win back their trust.’
She nods slowly. Her cheeks look warm, her expression thoughtful. ‘Cooking is my passion. It’s not just about making food. I don’t just do it for a cheque. It’s about creating an experience, about sharing joy through something as simple as a meal. Cutting corners would compromise that. Would compromiseme.’
I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it like that. Thought about it beyond eating as necessary for survival. But when she puts it like that? My thoughts drift to the bottom drawer of the desk in my home office, filled with the little Post-it notes she leaves me with every meal.
It’s about creating an experience, about sharing joy through something as simple as a meal.
‘Have you ever thought about taking this—’ I gesture awkwardly at her. ‘And scaling up?’
She frowns. ‘Ha, you mean like when you met me? I’ve already worked in a restaurant.’
‘No, I mean starting your own.’
She dips her head slightly. ‘It’s definitely crossed my mind. But no, I couldn’t. There are too many—’
‘There’s always a reason to say no to something. There were a million and one different things in my way when I was starting up HoxTech, but here we are now.’
Noelle snorts. ‘Not all of us were born with a golden spoon in our mouths, you know.’
It’s my turn to snort. ‘I certainly wasn’t.’
‘What? You’re not from like, some eternally rich family and you’re just the latest nepo baby to get lucky?’
‘No. God, no. Have you never read my bio?’
Noelle rolls her eyes, but her lips are twitching slightly. ‘Someone’s full of himself.’
‘It’s a perfectly reasonable question.’ And assumption. Almost every single person I’ve met has read up on me, and it never occurred to me that Noelle has never deigned to do the same.
‘No, your highness. I have not bothered to read your bio. Should I?’ She gives me a look that’s downright devilish. ‘What am I going to learn? Is there a whole section about bath bombs in there?’
‘Bath bombs…?’ Realisation dawns on me and Noelle holds her hands up in defence. Though she’s still grinning.
‘I did atinybit of snooping. Not intentional by the way – I was trying to find your room.’
‘And the bathroom was the first place you looked?’ I raise an unimpressed brow.
‘No. Your unused gym was. The bathroom was a close second.’ She wiggles her brows and nudges me with her elbow. ‘What’s the deal with that, by the way? Brand new gym, beautiful bathroom, all those hundreds of bath bombs?’
‘There aren’thundreds,’ I grumble, feeling my cheeks warm. ‘And what do you mean, “what’s the deal”?’
She shrugs lightly. ‘I just mean, you’ve got all these things in your home and it seems like you put them there for a reason, but you don’t use them.’
I try to think back to the last time I used the home gym I’d been adamant about setting up. Maybe three, four months ago? Five wouldn’t even be a stretch at this point. Work has been a never-ending series of fires that I’m apparently the only person who can put out for as long as I can remember, and my daily workouts were one of the first things to go. It’s part of the reason I hired Noelle in the first place. When you’re looking for ways to make those twenty-four hours stretch a little longer, getting rid of time-consuming things like working out and spending hours in the kitchen every day felt like a no-brainer.
And the bathroom along with the most definitelynothundreds of bath bombs? It’s probably been over a year since I last stepped in there. The thought is enough to bring a frown to my face.
