I watched my formally timid friend take charge and aid the women in finding their next read.Amusement stamped my lips when I saw them stockpile items at the register.Pens.Notebooks.Bookmarks.Stickers.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Poet said, “how did you find the store?”
“A friend of mine,” one of the women said, but then her gaze drifted to me.She scanned me from head to toe and then her eyes locked onto my bag.“That.”
I blinked.“That what?”
“I wantthat,” she said.“It’s adorable!Where can I buy one?”
“Oh, uh, actually, I made it,” I said.“It’s one of a kind.”
“You’re not serious,” the woman said.
I laughed.“I am.”
“Ladies,” she called to her friends.“Look at this bag!”
Her friends were effusive in their praise.
“You’re really not selling it?”one of the women asked with a pout.
“Actually, she is,” Poet announced.
I whipped my head around to look at her.“Poet?”
Poet nodded.“Yeah, she’s actually opening her own line.They’ll all be one-of-a-kind bags, upcycled from thrift store quilts and other vintage fabrics.”
They squealed in excitement.
“Do you have a card?”a woman asked.
“Not yet,” Poet said because I was still in shock.“But here’smycard.Email me and we’ll get your name on a list for when she’s ready to launch her site.”
Poet rang up the women and then made sure their bookstore bags had her business cards in them.
“How much are the bags going to be?”a woman asked as she took her purchase.
“They’ll vary in price,” Poet explained with a smile.“But they’ll be worth every penny.”
“Oh, I can’t wait!”the woman said.
When they left, I shot up from the couch.“Are you insane?I can’t make bags for sale!”
“Why not?”she asked in confusion.“You were literally just wondering what you could do to make money.Well, this seems like a pretty good idea to me.Tanya loved the bag.And now complete strangers loved it too.And if you’re going to carry it around, it’s basically free advertising.”
“But, how would I—I don’t even know how to?—”
“I’ll help you,” Poet promised.“And Salem can help with marketing.And Hadley?Well, Hadley knows everyone in this town, including the organizers of town festivals.You could even have a booth at one of them.Maybe in the spring!”
“You’ve got it all figured out, do you?”I demanded.“I don’t even have a company name.”
She rolled her eyes.“Wynner Bags.Obviously.”
“Obviously,” I muttered.
My phone rang.
“Hold your horses,” I stated as I dug around in my purse for my phone.I frowned when I saw the school’s number flash across my screen.
