Page 19 of A Room By the Sea

Shep mumbled something that sounded like, “Only for you, Elaine,” and Elaine found herself holding back a huge smile.

“Sounds like you’d better agree to this meeting,” Iris said with a cheerful shrug. “I’ll wipe down one of the tables out front for the two of you to sit at.”

Shep’s expression reminded Elaine of a toddler who was being told that he had to go to sleep when he’d thought he had hours of playtime left. She held back a laugh, finding the way he reacted to being completely overruled by a couple of women both funny and endearing.

Iris bustled out to the front of the shop and busily wiped off one of the little tables that lined the front picture window. Elaine followed her, sitting down primly on one of the white-painted chairs.

“Thank you, Iris,” she said politely.

Iris draped the rag over her shoulder. “You got it.”

Shep came slowly into the front of the bakery, letting the kitchen door swing closed behind him. Grudgingly, he sat down at the table across from Elaine, glancing warily out the window at the sidewalk as if he wanted to make sure that the shop wasn’t about to be overrun with customers.

“Thanks for meeting with me, Shep,” Elaine said breezily, as if their conversation was something that had been formally planned weeks ago.

Shep shot her a look that held the ghost of a smile. “Don’t mention it,” he said, and although his voice was gruff, his eyes were bright.

“Here’s my proposition,” Elaine said, determined to get right to the point. She might have had the audacity to pull Shep out of his kitchen to have an impromptu conversation, but she was kind enough to know he would want that conversation to be short. “I would like for The Birchwood House and Townsend’s Bakery to enter into a kind of business partnership together. Townsend’s can supply The Birchwood House with fresh pastries everyday once our hotel is open, and in return we’ll advertise your shop and make sure all of our guests know where the pastries came from.”

Shep blinked, looking intrigued. Elaine had told herself that he was sure to love the idea, but she hadn’t realized how nervous she’d been that he would say no. Now that he was looking genuinely interested, she felt a wave of relief sweep over her.

“We could arrange something like that,” he said slowly. “But you would need to buy the pastries from us, of course. At full price.”

Elaine shook her head immediately. “Certainly not, Shep,” she said, her tone gracious but firm. “We should be getting a fifty percent discount, at least. I know enough about baking to know that the cost of baking things like croissants and doughnuts would allow you to give us that much of a discount without you losing money. The exposure that this will bring to your business will be worth its weight in gold. As of right now, tourists only come to your shop here and there if they stumble across it. If they discover it through staying at The Birchwood House, they’ll be coming here in droves.”

Shep leaned back in his chair, chewing on his lip as he considered the proposition. Elaine decided to sweeten the bargain while he was still open-minded.

“And in addition to that, I’ll come pick up the pastries every day myself. That will alleviate any inconvenience on your part. All you have to do is bake the goods for us and give us a discounted price on them, and we’ll do the rest.”

Shep crossed his arms, frowning, and for a moment Elaine held her breath, wondering if he was going to say no. Then he grunted and offered her a small smile.

“Okay. It does sound like a good deal. I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Really?” Elaine brightened, feeling thrilled.

“Really. But there are still details that need to be established. I’m willing to give you a forty percent discount on the baked goods at first, and then if I truly see an increase in my customers, I’m willing to bump it up to a fifty percent discount.”

“That sounds reasonable.” Elaine was trying not to look too gleeful. So far, it was all working out even better than she’d hoped.

“And we’ll need to establish a menu based on how many people are staying in your inn and if they have dietary restrictions. I’m happy to make gluten free, nut free, and dairy free goods for you, but that’ll cost extra because it involves a higher cost to make and it’s a lot of hassle to keep an area clear of any potential allergens.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Elaine said. “We can ask all our guests about that and make sure to give you advance notice.”

“At least twenty-four hours’ notice,” Shep said. “In case I need to go out and buy more ingredients.”

“How about twelve hours’ notice, and if you need any more ingredients, I’ll buy them for you?”

A look of surprise crossed Shep’s face, as if the concept of teamwork had never occurred to him when it came to his baking. He grunted. “I suppose that would be all right.”

“Wonderful,” Elaine said brightly, standing up. “I’ll be back soon to talk over more of the details with you. We can write up an official business agreement and everything.”

“I would appreciate it if next time you made an appointment,” Shep said dryly.

“Oh, come on now, Shep,” Elaine said cheerily. “I know you do your baking very early in the morning. You’re perfectly free to step away for a few minutes any time after seven a.m.”

Shep stared at her, looking dumbfounded that she would dare to suggest such a thing. Trying not to laugh, Elaine waved at him and Iris and slipped out the front door of the bakery.

CHAPTER ELEVEN