‘Kinda.’ I smirked.
In the end I’d given him a hockey romance novel that had loads of decent reviews, so there was no way he could slate it.
But this was Ben I was talking about so anything was possible.
I was hoping that the sports angle might appeal to him more than a ‘traditional’ contemporary romance. Then again, I knew diddly squat about his interests (apart from trying to shag every woman with a pulse, of course), so I could be completely off base.
‘Let me guess…’ He scrutinised the front cover, then flipped it over to the back to skim the blurb. ‘Because I’m a guy, you thought I’d like a sports romance?’ he said as if reading my mind.
‘It’s a good book!’ I replied, deliberately avoiding answering his question.
‘We’ll see. So, shall we discuss the bar today, then?’ he said, abruptly changing the subject.
‘But we didn’t finish the retreat discussions yesterday!’ I replied.
‘I got the gist. We have enough to work with for now. The main thing is that, based on what you suggested, we don’t need to make any major changes that weren’t already in the plans. Using a room for reading just requires decorative changes and the right furniture, for example. I’ve spoken to Theo about whether or not an open-plan kitchen diner will be possible, so I’ll keep you posted. There’s still many more stages to go through, but the bar is more time-sensitive because we’ll need to get that open before summer.’
‘Makes sense,’ I replied, thinking that Ben actually sounded like he knew what he was talking about. And he’d gone a whole five minutes without saying anything insulting or inappropriate.
I had to take the wins where I could get them.
‘So what kinds of things do you think the target audience will expect from a bar? Any thoughts?’
Did I have any thoughts?
I could talk for hours, maybe even days, about what my dream book bar would look like.
‘Well, of course, we’d need a space where readers can get a clear view of the beach. So maybe there can be like a viewing point with clear glass and high stools so they can take in the panoramic sea views. And a long table or window ledge where they can rest their books and their drink,’ I added and Ben nodded. ‘Oh, and it’d be a good idea to have charging points or plugs, so if they’re reading on their Kindle they don’t have to worry about the battery running out. Then again, Kindle batteries last forever, so maybe it’s not important.’
‘No, I think it’s a good idea. They might need to charge their phone to take selfies of the view too.’
‘That’s true,’ I said, stunned that we actually agreed on something. ‘But it’d also be good to have beds or sun loungers.So that people can lay down and relax in the sun with their book, like they’re on holiday.’
‘Got it.’ Ben typed some notes on his iPad.
‘And again, they’d need somewhere to rest their drink and book, so they don’t spill it on the loungers. Oh, and we’d need blankets for the nighttime.’
‘Of course. Those can be added later. We’ll also invest in patio heaters and we’re looking into the costs of a retractable roof, because the British weather is unpredictable.’
‘Good,’ I said. This was so much easier than I thought. He was actually being civil.
‘At some point we’ll also need to discuss how much to charge for access too.’
‘Charge?’ My mouth dropped open. ‘We can’tchargepeople to come!’
‘Of course we can!’
‘No! It should be free for members.’
‘In case it’s escaped your attention, Jeffries, we’re running a business here. Not a charity.’
‘Can’t you just get the money from the cost of the drinks?’ I protested.
‘It won’t be enough. We run the risk of people coming to the bar, buying something cheap like water or tea and sitting there all day reading. That won’t pay the bills. We need to make it a premium experience.’
‘I disagree!’ I snapped, thinking that I was crazy to believe that we were getting on.
‘Oh.’ The office door opened and Jackson stepped inside, his eyes wide. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just need to grab something.’
