Her mouth twisted to the side, and even though she wasn’t looking at me, I could tell by how rapidly her eyes were blinking that she was fighting back tears. It didn’t take a genius to know she left to avoid her feelings, so I couldn’t imagine how hard it was for her to be back. The only thing that kept me from losing my mind after losing both Zina and Lianne was actively sitting in my grief. I gave myself no choice but to sit in that shit. Otherwise, it would have consumed me.
Zoe gently lifted it and took a bite. Her cheeks lifted as she smiled. A tear slipped down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away with a giggle.
“That girl would find any way she could to add extra cinnamon or nutmeg to a recipe. I taste her in the cinnamon.” Her breath came out shaky as she set the pastry down. “Damn. My sister’s really gone. I haven’t just . . . been ignoring her for a decade because I was mad at her about leaving me. She’s really not here.”
“Zoe—”
“It’s fine,” she said, voice cracking. Her head shook as she licked the corner of her mouth. “Um, let’s just get started.”
She opened her notebook as she sniffled.
“Hey,” I called softly, covering her hand with mine. “I won’t let you do that.”
“Do what?” she asked with a chuckle as she avoided my eyes.
“Ignore how you feel.” Turning her head in my direction, I wiped her tears. “Good and bad.” Her eyes closed, and she pulled in a deep breath as I cupped her cheek. “Take a moment, and then we’ll start.”
When she shifted her head slightly and kissed my palm, it reminded me of Zina’s repast.
“This is why you’re dangerous,” she almost whispered, opening her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“You calm my anxiety. Help me breathe.”
“Why is that dangerous?”
As her eyes softened, she licked her lips. “Because it makes me feel safe with you.”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“Seeing as I’ve never felt that way with anyone else, . . . yeah. It is.”
I lowered my hand, and that time, I allowed her to open her notebook. The first thing she covered was a rebrand. Not to redo what Zina started but to remind the town of it. She wanted to zero in on a target audience of college students and office workers. Then, she’d let them promote through word of mouth and a loyalty program.
“You’ll need to hire a social media manager and promoter,” she continued. “With Jasper Lane being a small town, I would suggest appealing to people traveling through the town to get to Memphis and Rose Valley Hills as well, so you’ll need a stronger social media presence.
“Once you get the new customers in, you’ll keep them with the loyalty program. They’ll drive in traffic with referrals. Outside of that, I also recommend hosting events and doing cross promo with other small businesses in the neighborhood. And I know it might not be in your budget right now, but it wouldn’t hurt to look into getting a small coffee cart to havein the office district a few days out of the week. A lot of your business will come from there and the college, so you need to actively go there to find your audience.
“I made a list of ideas for the events you could host. Don’t think of this as just a coffee shop. Offer more. Karaoke and open mic night would be a great place to start. Host author and book club events. Take coffee totes to hospitals and other traffic heavy locations. Let them try the coffee, and they’ll come back for more.”
“Speaking of which . . .” I bobbed my head toward her coffee cup.
“Oh yes.” Zoe lifted the coffee and sniffed it. “Well, it smells better than the coffee I get at the grocery store.” I watched as she took a small sip, and then two more. “Okay, wow.This is really good, and I’m not just saying that. This is the best coffee I’ve ever had. And the fact that it’s not a latte loaded down with milk and sugar allows me to not only savor the flavor but not feel so guilty about having a second or third cup too.”
“That was what your sister wanted,” I shared. “She wanted her customers to actually taste the grounds. The coffee. The unique flavors in each blend. She exchanged her coffee grounds for their love, and when they loved what she made, it made her day.” A smile lifted my cheeks as my eyes shifted toward her bell. “Zina would ring that bell when a customer tried something new and loved it. She celebrated every time with everyone. A lot of people came in and tried something different, just to have that moment with her.” Zoe looked at the bell and released a shaky breath. Not wanting her to get back in her feelings, I swallowed mine down and continued. “Anyway, the coffee will give them the same energy as espresso with less calories and not as hard of a crash because of all the syrup.”
“This is the brand,” Zoe said, setting the coffee down. “People need to be reminded of that. Of how good this tastes. Mm.” She clapped her hands softly. “I’m excited!”
“Good. I am too. Your ideas are really amazing, Zoe. Thank you for agreeing to help.”
“It’s truly my pleasure.”
A customer coming in kept me from replying. Business was so slow I only had one cashier and barista on the clock today, and since the cashier was on break, it was up to me to take the orders until she came back.
By the time I was done, Zoe had started writing out social media manager referrals. My heart warmed at the possibility that we could potentially pull this off. Not just keeping Grounds open but positioning it to be a success again. Knowing we could do that for Zina filled me with pride. And for the first time in a long time, I had something positive to look forward to.
9
