"She's kind of amazing.I don't know how she gets everything done," Belle said.
"And she does everything with a smile.She even handled Bill when no one else wanted to," Angela added.
"She's amazing," I agreed.
Clara sighed."Am I the only one not happy about this new stuff?"
I frowned."You don't think that this will bring in more customers for your shop?"
"A few of my customers mentioned that they don't come into town when there's events because there's too many people, and parking's a hassle."
"Maybe you should take a vacation or hire more employees," Meg suggested."Are you feeling burned out?"
Clara's shoulders lowered."I think that might be it.I just need a break from everything."
"That's a great idea.I'd love to go somewhere when the renovations are done on the bakery, but I have a feeling I'll be busier than ever and won't be able to get away."
"We all need to hire more help," Meg said."We can't be working the entire time our shops are open.Let's get together soon and discuss delegating."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and we split up to go back to work.The temporary bakery was closed for the afternoon, and I wanted to see the progress on the bakery itself.I walked outside with everyone and headed toward my bakery.The windows had been uncovered now that the damaged items had been removed.I stood outside, wondering if I could go in without freaking out.
Morgan stepped out."What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see how things were going," I said, my voice a little shaky.Was it a bad idea to come here?
His brow furrowed."Are you sure you're ready to go inside?"
I straightened my shoulders."I want to see it."
He nodded."Okay."
I appreciated that he didn't try to talk me out of it or remind me of how I'd reacted last time.He was giving me another chance to prove that I could handle being in this building after the fire.I wanted the bakery to be my happy place again.
I followed him inside.
"The cleaning company did a great job cleaning off the soot and getting rid of the smell.You wouldn't even know there was a fire."
I relaxed slightly at his words.The drywall had been removed, and the studs exposed.That made it easier to update the electrical and helped with getting rid of the smell.
"We're working on the electrical, so you won't see much in the way of progress yet.This part is slow going, but as soon as it's done, everything moves quickly.We'll put up new drywall, paint, and install the floor."
"I can't believe that everything's gone."
"The insurance company was great about paying for everything to be replaced.It's really the only way to get rid of the smell.Since you're operating a kitchen, it was a necessity."
I moved around the room."It's a clean slate."
Morgan grinned."That's why I said it's the best time to change things up, do a new layout or even style.You can choose a different floor, paint color, and setup for the front counter and customer seating area."
"I like the way the front counter area was set up, but I'd like to have more comfortable seating in the customer area.A few tables and chairs and maybe some cushioned seats, encouraging people to stay a while."
"You can start thinking about the paint color, floors, and which appliances you'd like.Cooper can help you get that ordered if you have time to meet with him."
"That would be great."I was excited to pick everything out and see it put together.It was nice to pretend that this was a normal renovation, and not the result of a fire.
He stepped closer and lowered his voice."You're doing great."
I wrinkled my nose."I think you were right about the smell.It conjured up bad memories.”
