It was starting to feel impossible when I wished I could press rewind so I could do it all over again.
‘So I did a social media plan for the retreat today,’ I said, deliberately changing the subject. I needed to stop thinking about Mr Orgasm Giver.
‘Great!’
‘I know you said you hadn’t decided about the frequency yet, but I was thinking we could start with doing three a month?’
‘Sounds perfect!’
‘And I thought I could set up a Google Form or something where we can invite readers to start registering their interest in attending now.’
‘I like the sound of that too, but won’t they want photos of the finished place, so they can see how it all looks?’
‘In an ideal world, yes. But I think a lot of readers will already trust the Romance Library brand and be willing to sign up without photos. They won’t have to pay or anything at this stage, just register their interest so we have a list of warm leads to market to once the retreat is complete.’
‘Okay, great.’
‘I’ve asked Stella to make some tweaks for the dedicated web page and the marketing materials. And I was also thinking that once the retreat is almost finished, we can offer our best members a free one-night stay in exchange for feedback, photos and reviews to help with the marketing to paid customers too.’
‘Excellent idea!’
‘So that’s where I’m at with the retreat marketing, but I also had a few other ideas for simple ways we could boost revenue.’
‘You know I’m always going to like the sound of that. The money we got from the investors will only go so far, and I want tobe able to demonstrate that we’re showing initiative to earn that money back.’
‘Course,’ I said, waking up my computer and tabbing to the page where I’d written down my brainstorm notes. ‘So firstly, I was thinking we could start offering a bookish afternoon tea experience in the café and the bar too once it’s open.’
‘I love that!’ Jess’s eyes brightened. ‘We could do a selection of our bookish cakes and the cock cookies as well as scones and other stuff.’
‘Exactly! I can speak to Maddie and see what’s possible.’
‘Perfect! I’m sure it won’t be an issue and I bet the margins are great for afternoon tea. The ones in London charge a fortune for what’s basically a couple of sandwiches cut up and a few little cakes. I’m sure we could do better than that.’
‘Definitely! And we could include a book in the price or something that we could get publishers to donate for free or something to introduce readers to new authors.’
‘Oh my God, yes!’ I added. ‘And the other thing I thought we could do was to start offering bookshop challenge packages for birthdays or special treats where we encourage boyfriends or girlfriends to treat their loved ones to a one or two-minute dash where they get to pile as many books as possible into a trolley in that time. Great for us as we get to sell a load of books in seconds. And we can offer extras as a bonus to everyone who books, like a free Romance Library T-shirt or other swag.’
‘That’s genius! I don’t know what you had for lunch today, but you’re on fire!’
‘Thanks!’ I said, my heart swelling with pride. ‘I think I was just blocked before. I’ve been so worried about making sure I did a good job here and stressing myself out that you’d think I wasn’t good enough and you’d made a mistake by hiring me to work full-time that I got in my head too much and it stopped me thinking clearly. I doubt it was what I had for lunch. I reckon allthe amazing sex I had this weekend freed my mind and helped me to relax a bit more.’
‘Multiple orgasms will do that to a girl!’ Jess laughed. ‘In all seriousness, though, I’m glad you’re feeling more relaxed.’
‘Me too! I didn’t want to let you down.’
‘You could never do that! You helped us get this library off the ground. You’re an important part of the team. You always have been. And you’re brilliant at what you do. I wouldn’t have given you the job otherwise.’
‘Thanks, hon.’ I smiled, feeling so grateful that I had not just a fantastic boss, but a brilliant friend. ‘Love you.’
‘I love you too.’
‘Speaking of love, how’s the wedding planning going?’
‘It’s still not,’ Jess sighed. ‘It’s all so complicated. I just want something simple. Low fuss, just me and Theo and a few close friends witnessing us declare our love for one another. I don’t need a fancy expensive venue or a big meringue wedding dress. Just something that reflects us. Is that too much to ask?’
‘No, it isn’t. Adrian’s wedding was lovely. It was small and low-key, just on the beach. It was so them.’ I paused as a light bulb went off in my head. ‘I’ve got it!’ I jumped out of my chair. ‘It’s perfect!’
‘What is?’
