“Have you thought of changing up the theme of the shop?”
“To a maternity store?”
Frida shrugged. “Or whatever else you might want to make. But Kitty is right. The dress you made for her is fabulous. And it has that fun retro look that you wear all the time, so it’s sort of your signature style.”
Frida’s idea had merit. But selling vintage clothing and producing your own line of design wear were two very different things.
“You know, when I told everyone I wanted to open a coffee shop they all just looked at me and said, ‘You mean like Starbucks?’ And I was like, ‘No, not like Starbucks, you twerps!’”
They both laughed.
It was true. The only thing The Bistro by the Beach and Starbucks had in common was that they both sold coffee. But the atmospheres were completely different. The Bistro, with its Florida theme, and its fun, noisy environmen
t seemed more like a bar, except without the alcohol.
“The key is making the place uniquely yours,” Frida said. “Let me ask you something. Have you ever thought about buying the building instead of renting it?”
“That would take a lot of money that I’m not sure I really want to spend,” she confided.
Frida nodded. “I get it. It’s scary. You know, there was a time when I thought I was going to go out of business. I was selling coffee and muffins, but it wasn’t enough, and I realized I had to go big, or go home. So I put everything I had in my little cafe. Win or lose. No in between. I expanded the kitchen and began serving lunch. Luckily, it all worked out for me.”
Frida had told her some of this before, but Lauren hadn’t known that The Bistro had been in danger of going out of business. It put things in a new perspective. Go big or go home. Lauren had never been a huge risk taker, but it was definitely something to think about.
*~*~*
Nate had just finished walking Hector into the building when he was accosted by both Bianca and Janie. “Happy Valentine’s Day!” they screeched. They shoved a handful of brightly wrapped gifts into his arms.
“Are these for me?” he asked, genuinely confused. Crap. He didn’t know he was supposed to bring gifts for the office staff for Valentine’s Day. Christmas, yes. But this seemed to be going a little too far. He laid the presents on his desk.
“They’re not for you, silly!” Janie squealed. “They’re for Hector.”
“Oh, of course.” Glad to know he hadn’t mucked that up.
“They’re from everyone,” Bianca said. “Ellen, and Lola and all the girls in the office chipped in. We all just adore Hector.”
At the sound of his name, Hector wagged his tail. A sliver of drool fell onto the carpet. Nice.
“Why don’t you let him open them?” Janie said.
Nate was about to suggest that they get on with their work day instead. It was eight-fifteen, and the first morning appointments were already in the waiting room. “Sure, why not?” He “helped” Hector open the gifts. It was an impressive haul—two bones, an assortment of squeaky toys and a red woolen doggie sweater with little white hearts all over it.
“Lola knit this herself,” Janie said, slipping the sweater over Hector’s head.
“Lola? Huh. I thought she didn’t like me,” Nate said.
“Oh, she doesn’t,” Bianca said, “but she loves Hector.”
“Good to know,” Nate muttered.
Ellen stuck her head in his office door. She was in her late forties, quiet, and very professional. Nate imagined that after Doc retired, she would hopefully want to stay on with him. Maybe Nate would even hire another nurse practitioner to help ease up her load. “Oh!” she cried, “Did little baby waby Hector open his gifts?” She pulled out her cell phone and snapped a picture of Hector in his sweater. “Sweet! I’m going to get this developed and put it on the break room bulletin board next to the other pictures of the staff.”
“Great idea!” Bianca said. “You should get a picture yourself, Dr. Miller, and send it to your sister. I bet she’d love to see Hector in his Valentine’s Day sweater.”
“Sure, why not?” He took out his cell and snapped Hector doing what Nate termed his classic needy Please Love Me pose. He immediately forwarded it on to Lanie on Instant Messenger. A few seconds later she sent him a big smiley face.
Ellen compared their pictures, then retook another one of Hector. “So that we can choose his best side,” she said. “Oh, I almost forgot. Bad news. Doc called in sick, so it’s you and me, buddy.”
“Again?” Nate frowned. According to Lola, Doc never called in sick, yet, he’d called in twice now in the last two months. “Is he okay?”