Noah looks at me for a moment then goes back to his notebook. “Tonight, you can look over my notebook. There are a few other things you can do to save money. Read through it. I know it’s overwhelming and scary, but that’s why I’m here. With the money you’ll save from these changes, it’ll help.”
I’m still stuck on the hours of operation and hiring someone else. “They’re long days.” I look at the late ones. “And I’ll have to get up early to prep.”
“This is what I’m thinking...” He flips back to the hours of operation page. “Close on Monday. Then Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, open from ten till six. An eight-hour day. And the person you hire can help so you’re not doing it all alone. Then on Friday, open from one till nine. Okay, late night, I know. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to schedule our game nights with that in mind. I wouldn’t want you to miss one.
“Ah yes, that would be horrible.”
“Friday nights, people can get their desserts or even just hang out here. Then Saturday, open from noon till six. You can stay open later on days you hold events. Maybe run specials on the weekend. People will always be looking to do something on a Saturday. Also, offer free Wi-Fi. Now, while you’re open, the person you hire to work here will run the shop while you prep what you can for the next week.
“Sunday you can have off to yourself, and if you’re a good boy and get your rest, on Monday you can start anything you want to to set yourself up for the week.” He closes the notebook, handing it to me. “With the cuts I want you to make, paired with theorders you’ll get once your social media and website are up and running, you can comfortably afford twenty hours a week. Have them work so that you can be out the back, make your videos, do your advertising, experiment with new recipes. Anything you want. You are a business owner. Own this damn business, Bakery Booty!”
My brain hurts. “This is a lot.”
“I know it’s stressful, but I also know you can do it. I’m going to come by on Sunday and show you the website. If you can please take some pictures so we can use them for the site at some point this weekend? I already took a nice one of the outside. Oh! And do you have business cards?”
“Yeah.” I get up, reaching into my kitchen drawer and grabbing a bundle. Bought these almost a year ago and still have a ton left. “Here.” He looks one over. The soft green card has a golden crescent moon with the name “Moonlight Confections” in cursive and the number and address for the bakery.
“See, these... these are too cute to sit in a drawer. Mind if I take them?”
“Uh, yeah. What for?”
“I’m going to take some to the library, Jamie is going to give a bunch to Amira for when clients come to her gallery, and Brianna is going to take some to her salon. We may even take some up to Ian and Julian when we visit later this month.” He stands, leaving the notebook but grabbing the pretty pen.
Emotion hits me. It’s strong, nearly enough to make me double over if I wasn’t already sitting. This is a lot. Not for me to handle, but for Noah to plan.“Noah’s the best friend you could ever ask for.”Mark wasn’t kidding. I’d expected Noah to dirty joke his way through this, and it’s not that I would have minded. I wouldn’t. I think he’s funny, and I’ll admit I even enjoy game nights.
Sometimes.
I just didn’t expect how seriously he’s taken this. For me. The thought he put into this is crazy. He doesn’t want money; he just wants me to succeed.
Without thinking, I grab him in a hug.
He’s stiff for a moment before he realizes what I’m doing, then he returns the hug, giving me a squeeze. “You got this, okay? Just let us help you.”
I pull back, nodding. “Thank you. This is amazing. I’ll go through the notebook and get you those pictures. I’ll also put up a job posting tomorrow.”
He smiles, nodding. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a hot date with a giant tattooed man, black lingerie, and a new toy he doesn’t know I bought.” He smiles back and I laugh. “Wish me luck.”
I let Noah out, thanking him again.
With him gone the air in my apartment feels heavy. Empty. This is another thing I hate. I hate living alone. I crave what my friends have. Hunter thinks I’m picky, and maybe I am, but I just need to feel that punch. That shock to the soul when I see someone I like. That feeling you get where the world fades away and the person you’re meant for is all you see.
I haven’t felt like that in a while.
Well, I guess that’s not true.
I guess I kind of felt that when I saw Aiden.
CHAPTER FOUR
AIDEN
“So, what’s the plan?”Koda swings his legs as he sits on the hood of my car.
I’ve thought about it all weekend and still have no fuckin’ clue. I’m not sure why Ivan needs me to do this. He could just walk in there and upend the bakery with two of his idiots and find the damn thing himself.
Maybe it’s control? I don’t know. Probably. Ivan loves a game, but he’s also lazy and doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. He loves to know the grip he has on your balls is tight. The thing about Ivan is, he’s quiet. Careful. There are ranks to abide by, and I know Ivan is nowhere near the top.
The constant moving is telling. It’s like he’s running from something, and coming back to New York was a shock for us all. We’ve been all over the United States, but we haven’t been back here since my mother died.
