As if Hedda hadn’t already been doing that. Elin couldn’t see Lotta since she was behind a shelving unit, but also, that could have been true for any customer in the shop, and Elin had assumed there was no one else there.
‘No problem,’ said Hedda.
‘And watch what you say. They’ve said she’s here for a marketing campaign, but I think they’ve sent her to spy on us.’
Lotta tried hard to suppress a giggle but didn’t quite manage it, turning it into a cough instead, forcing her to present herself to Elin.
‘Hi, Elin. I’m Lotta Jansen from Lotta Jansen Marketing. I think you’re expecting me?’
She held out her hand and Elin took it, her face telling Lotta that she didn’t realise she’d been overheard.
‘Of course. Welcome to Snug Oslo.’ She was smiling, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, and Lotta could tell she wasn’t going to be an easy nut to crack.
‘I was early and Hedda kindly made me a coffee. I’ve just been having a look around.’
Hedda held out her hand and nodded to Lotta’s mug. ‘Another?’
‘That would be lovely, thank you.’
Without asking Elin, Hedda made coffee for all of them, and Lotta got the impression that Hedda was less of a shop assistant than an assistant to Elin.
Once they were in the office and Lotta began to explain her concept, she soon forgot her misgivings. Elin may not be the usual friendly face you’d expect to find in a Snug store, but she engaged in the conversation and asked lots of questions. Perhaps her first impression had been wrong.
‘So ideally, we’d like you to identify one artist or maker you work with for the project. Someone who you know you can get on with and have had success with in the past, maybe someone who you think would relish the challenge and be invested in it as much as us.’
Lotta had been expecting an enthusiastic response to this, mainly because if she were Elin she’d love nothing more than diving into her contact list of makers they’d stocked before and thinking about the possibilities, but Elin shut her down.
‘It’s a quiet time of year for us. Everyone is recovering from fulfilling Christmas orders. We only have a couple of artists working with us at the moment.’
‘It could be someone you’ve worked with before,’ Lotta reminded her.
‘How about the woman who makes the small vases?’
Lotta didn’t want to dismiss the suggestion because maybe it was an excellent choice. But it wasn’t exactly considered, and she wasn’t sure Elin even knew the woman’s name. ‘Okay. What do you imagine could work? Presumably she’s done other collections before, or does she specialise in vases?’
Elin’s expression was what could only be described as stony. ‘I didn’t know what this meeting was about and I don’t have all of this information to hand.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Lotta said, pasting on her brightest smile. ‘I didn’t mean to spring this on you. It’s really a fact-finding visit to get the ball rolling. I wasn’t expecting to settle on anyone today.’
‘Good. Leave it with me then.’ Elin stood up and Lotta realised the meeting was over.
‘Right, well, thank you for your time. I’ll send you a follow-up email and perhaps let me know your initial thoughts in a few days.’
Elin gave a tight nod, held the office door open for Lotta, then closed it behind her.
‘That was quick,’ Hedda said.
Lotta was in a state of mild shock. ‘It was. I’m not sure what to do now.’
‘If there is anything I can do.’
She was torn. She was supposed to be working with Elin. The whole point was that the store managers needed to buy into the campaign and after this one, once she’d proven the concept, her own involvement would be minimal. Imagine leaving this in Elin’s hands. It wouldn’t happen.
‘Thank you, Hedda. I appreciate it. I’ll regroup and work out what to do next.’
‘They’re not really spying on her, are they?’
Lotta laughed it off. ‘Of course not! I’m a marketer, not a secret shopper.’
