Now, I was intrigued."What kind of events were you thinking about?"
"Have you ever thought about parties or themed events?Belle does them based on characters and books.But you could do something similar.In fact, you could coordinate it and make it a town festival."
"You mean she could have people dressed as the characters with trivia, and I could sell themed cupcakes, and Clara could have matching ornaments?"
A smile spread over his face."Yeah, that just came to me.Do you like that idea?"
"Oh, my gosh.I love it.But how could I do something like that when I'm also responsible for getting up early and doing all the baking?It seems like it would be a lot of responsibility."
He glanced over at me."That's where the hired help comes in, remember?You get more people to help you in the kitchen, and it frees you up to do other things."
I rested my head on the seat, a little overwhelmed at his suggestion."I love it.I'm just trying to figure out how it could work."
"I really feel like this is your time to experiment and expand.Your bakery can be anything you want it to be.It doesn't have to be a traditional one that closes in the afternoon.You could open occasionally for nighttime events."
"I was so focused on increasing online orders and catering that I hadn't considered anything else.But I love the idea of partnering with the other shops in town and maybe even hosting a townwide event."
"You might want to mention it to Eve tonight when she asks about the additional patio space.If she thinks it will tie the town together, then she'll probably be more interested."
"You're absolutely right."I felt overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement."I can't wait to talk to her about it."
He smiled."She's going to love your ideas."
I laughed softly."You came up with that one."
"I've been listening to your ideas and hearing what Belle's doing at her shop through Maverick.It just makes sense to coordinate."
I reached over and squeezed his hand."Thank you."
"You're the reason why the bakery is successful, and whatever you choose to do with the space will be amazing."
My chest bloomed with emotion."I've never had anyone believe in me like you do."
He frowned."They should.You're amazing."
I held onto his hand, thinking about my parents and Tom, how they'd discouraged me from opening a business.How they were worried about me.I wouldn't let their opinions affect me anymore.I was happy running a bakery, and I really enjoyed being with Morgan.I wasn't sure I'd get everything I wanted, but I'd sure as hell try.
Chapter22
Morgan
Tonight was for Reina.It was a celebration of the success of the festival and the town.We were also supposed to be celebrating that the bakery would be completed sooner than expected.Reina would move out and get on with her life.
I should be happy for her, but I felt like I was losing a piece of myself.But I couldn't give in to the pain.I needed to support her.
She'd never had anyone support her plans for the bakery, and I wanted to be that person for her.
I'd be her sidekick for the evening.I'd ignore my feelings about her moving out, because this wasn't about that.
The threat of Tom finding out about us felt trivial compared to the thought of her leaving.
We parked in the lot behind the inn and walked inside.
Everyone was gathered at the bar.We didn't frequent this one as much because it was posher than the one on Candy Cane Lane, catering to guests and tourists, not the locals.The women wore dresses and the men slacks with the occasional suit jacket.
It was more uptight than I was used to, but I knew everyone who'd been invited.As soon as we got our drinks, Eve came up to us.
"You must be pleased with how everything went today," Reina said to her with a smile.
