“Teddy,” I greeted him. “Come on in.”
“Thanks.” The sound of soft jazz music playing filled the silence. Teddy glanced around, his gaze stopping first on the cooler and then the antique glass bakery display case.
“Would you like something to drink?” I offered, gesturing towards the small seating area where we could discuss the project.
“Uh, sure. Coffee would be great,” he replied.
“Black or with milk and sugar?”
“Black is fine, thanks.” He followed me to the seating area, settling down at one of the small tables and spreading out a group of sketches and scribbled notes between us.
“All right, let’s see what you’ve got,” I said, my curiosity piqued as I slid into the seat opposite him. I reached for the top sketch, eyebrows raised in surprise as I took it in. I was shocked by how similar it was to my own ideas. “You’re really familiar with this building, huh?”
“Harmony Grove has always been home,” he explained, his voice thick with pride and nostalgia. “My dad worked in construction when I was growing up, so I’m pretty familiar with most of the buildings on Main Street. Something always needed to be fixed or renovated.”
“Clearly,” I replied, impressed by the level of detail in his drawings. It was as if he’d somehow crawled inside my head and transferred my visions for the bakery onto paper. “These are good, Teddy.”
“Thanks.” He sat a bit straighter, leaning forward as he pointed out various details in his sketches. “I don’t want to come in here and bulldoze you, though. I’m sure you have your own ideas about what you’d like when this is finished.”
Was it normal that my stomach did a little flip simply because he made it clear he realized this was my project and I wouldn’t be pushed to do something I wasn’t onboard with? Probably not, but this wasn’t the time to psychoanalyze myself.
“I do, actually. Hang on.” I excused myself and quickly retrieved my own doodles, which were nowhere near as detailed as his. As soon as I returned to the dining room, I said, “There’s a lot in my ideas that echo some of yours, which is a good thing. It means you understand a bit of the look and feel I’m going for here.”
“I just based that on what you already have,” he explained. “You did a great job blending the historic feel of the building this modern accents. I figured you aren’t looking to throw all that out just because you’re getting more space.”
“Yeah, exactly.” I couldn’t help but be taken by his piercing blue eyes and the lines that had started to form around them. His scruffy beard was peppered with grey, making him look both weathered and wise. He had an air of toughness about him, but he also seemed gentle in a way I hadn’t expected. “The decor wasn’t intentional at first but now I love it. Every penny I had went into function instead of form.”
“There’s nothing wrong with trying to save money. I’m a big fan of estate sales and flea markets because I don’t see the point in paying full price for something mass-produced when you might find a hidden gem.” Somehow, that didn’t surprise me in the least. I could imagine him getting into the big ol’ pickup he drove around town early on Saturday mornings and returning late in the afternoon with a truck bed full of treasures others would see as junk.
I pulled out another sketch, handing it to him. “I really want to make sure the new space has an area for kids. Lacey’s mentioned a few times that there aren’t many places where parents can hang out and let their kids play when the weather sucks. I thought I’d find some easy to clean toys, maybe put in a bookshelf, and then they could meet up here.”
“That’s a great idea.” Teddy’s pencil hovered over the edge of the paper. “Do you mind if I make some notes?”
“Not at all.” I sucked in a sharp breath as he scribbled right over my sketch. Maybe I minded a little but I was being silly. I couldn’t expect he’d take a look at what I suggested and declare my plans perfect. I tried to tamp down my annoyance as he erased lines and drew over others.
When he slid the paper back across the table, I cocked my head to the side as I compared my original idea with his tweaks. Nothing I’d envisioned was gone, he’d simply improved on my ideas. “If you put the kids area on the west wall, you can have a window where they can watch you work. They’ll love it, and I’d be you will, too.”
Yeah, I wasn’t so sure about people watching me as I worked. But I knew other places had features like that, and they were a draw for customers.
Teddy and I continued going back and forth a while longer, passing various drawings between us until we had a clearer picture of what an expanded bakery might look like.
“All right.” I leaned back in my chair with a thoughtful expression. “I like where this is headed. You’re clearly passionate about preserving the history of the building, and I trust you to bring my vision for the bakery to life. Get me some numbers and I’ll see if I can swing it.”
I really hoped I could. While I was still nervous about the huge investment, Teddy had me excited about what the future might hold. And even if it was totally inappropriate, I was looking forward to spending more time with Teddy. He was an intriguing man.
“Thanks, Shiloh,” he responded. “I won’t let you down.”
Over the next few days, I found myself deep in conversation with Lacey about the expansion plans whenever we had a few extra minutes. She was just as enthusiastic about the idea as I was, and as we discussed the bakery’s future, the possibilities seemed endless. She’d been so excited about the new kid-friendly area I’d had to swear her to secrecy so she wouldn’t tell all of her friends.
“Shiloh, we’re going to need more staff if we stay this busy,” Lacey pointed out as we sipped coffee one morning. It was a welcome reprieve following a chaotic breakfast rush. “And if we’re going to have more seating and an expanded menu, there’s no way the two of us will manage on our own.”
I nodded in agreement. “You’re right. We’ll need at least one more baker and some additional front-of-house staff. And I might even need a manager to handle the day-to-day operations.”
Lacey raised an eyebrow. “You’re thinking about hiring a manager? I thought you enjoyed being hands-on with everything.”
I sighed. “I think what you were too sweet to say is that I need to micromanage every aspect of the business. Some of the administrative tasks drive me crazy but I’ve felt like I needed to do everything I could for as long as possible to save money. I want to focus more on the creative side of things—developing new recipes, interacting with customers, and growing the business. I think bringing someone in to handle the nitty-gritty details would free me up to do what I actually enjoy.”
Lacey nodded thoughtfully. “I’m proud of you. And it would definitely help you maintain a better work-life balance.”
