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So far,it’s been a “Well, pinch me” kind of day and I’m only getting started.
I hitsendon my business proposal for The Barkery exactly one minute before my laptop battery died, which feels like “perfect timing” to me.
I found a five-dollar bill in my sock drawer—how it got there, I’ll never know.
My upstairs neighbor is out of town, which means I got eight uninterrupted hours of sleep last night—a rarity since he is an aspiring professional tap dancer and practices at all hours.
Typically, I work from home at both my corporate contracting job for a pet supplies company as well as my dog bakery online storefront and I caught up on both task lists. My pupcakes are selling like hotcakes and I’ve been getting lots of special orders for doggie gotcha days, birthdays, and special occasions.
Woot! Woot!
Oh, and the sun is finally shining after a long anddreary winter. I am so glad the groundhog did not see its shadow! I stretch into a patch of light beaming through the window.
Now, while my ancient computer gasps back to life on the charger, my phone buzzes with a notification that makes me do my own little internal tap dance as I finish my first coffee of the day.
New client application received.My business is growing and I can almost see it taking shape in a new shop space where I get to spend all day with dogs and dog-lovers.
Go me!
Travel mug in hand, as I walk to my car, everything is coming up daisies. Or irises and daffodils, to be more seasonally accurate.
I’m practically vibrating with the kind of excitement usually reserved for dogs who’ve just spotted a squirrel convention as I navigate my twelve-year-old Ford out of Omaha—yep, still rolling with the sweet sixteen gift from my parents. They gave it to me when they still thought I was going to follow the path they laid out for my future.
The fifteen-minute drive to Cobbiton feels shorter today. I ponder whether it’s because I feel like the future I’ve desired isn’t quite so out of reach.
Green leaves on the trees unfurl like nature’s welcome committee, and tulips nod their sunny heads in agreement that yes, today is going to be a good day. The fields are turning the specific shade of green that always makes me forget about winter’s existence entirely.
How did I get so lucky?
Well, in life, anyway. Not so much in love.
I push that thought away like I always do—I do not have a decade-long crush. It’s merely mild appreciation. I tell myself I can stop thinking abouthimanytime. I just don’t feel like it.
It’s fine. I’m fine. Everythingis fine!
I’ve only ever imagined our wedding day once. It’s not like I want to have his children. Sheesh. Calm down. But maybe three. Five. A whole hockey team. Kidding. I’m joking! Simmer down, hormones!
I pass theWelcome to Cobbitontown sign, and I can’t help but smile as I take a sip of coffee out of my paw-print travel mug. This place has popcorned its way into my affections over the past year, despite the fact that I technically live in a shoebox-sized studio apartment in Omaha. But Cobbiton feels like a place I could someday call home.
I slow down as I reach Main Street, my gaze automatically drawn to the empty storefront between the Busy Bee Bakery and Once Upon a Romance bookstore. TheFor Leasesign in the window might as well have a spotlight on it and an entire arena cheering me on.
It would be perfect for The Barkery.
Every Friday night when I’m not at a hockey game or hanging out with Clark or the girls, I bring my dream to life on my laptop—complete with interior design mockups, links to industrial mixers and adorable dog-shaped cookie cutters, training equipment materials, and several color schemes for the walls. I print everything out and keep it in a three-ring binder because having a physical copy makes it feel more real. More possible.
Someday. Hopefully, someday soon.
I force myself to look away from the storefront and continue down Main Street. Gracie Brandt is updating the window display at Once Upon a Romance. I honk lightly and wave. She looks up, her dainty features breaking into a smile as she waves back with what appears to be a book featuring a cute couple on the cover. Everyone would agree that this is very on-brand for Gracie, especially since she found her HEA IRL.Translation: the sunniest woman in town met a veritable beast and fell in love.
The Old Mill Building looms ahead—a gorgeous converted warehouse that now houses trendy lofts, boutique shops, and, most importantly, Clark’s apartment. I pull into the parking lot and grab my tote, which contains the essentials: poop bags, treats, a water bottle, doggy wipes, and an emergency first aid kit, because you can never be too prepared.
Ooh! I just had a brainwave. I should get printed totes for The Barkery!
The building’s industrial-chic aesthetic always makes me a little wistful. The exposed brick, the oversized windows, the polished concrete floors—it’s exactly the kind of space that could also work nicely for The Barkery. Professional but welcoming. Urban but warm. More affordable than Main Street, but unfortunately, there aren’t any vacancies because they get snapped up so fast. As they say in real estate,location, location, location.
