Piper felt someone tugging at her sleeve. When she looked down, Otis was looking up at her with a grin on his face. “Don’t worry, Piper. Braden only has eyes for you.”
She felt her stomach dip. “Oh no, Otis. Braden and I are only friends.” She felt flustered at the mere suggestion that Braden was interested in her romantically. Or that she had her heart set on him.
Otis knit his brows together. He placed a finger on his chin. “Sorry. My mistake. I thought I sensed something brewing between the two of you.” He shrugged. “What do I know? I guess my radar is way off.”
Piper felt heat spreading across her face as she walked back toward the kitchen. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. Normally she would laugh off a comment like the one Otis had just made. Perhaps the tension she felt every time she was in Braden’s orbit was messing with her. He was doing a decent job of pretending as if everything was fine, but she saw something
lurking in the depths of his eyes that worried her. Things were not fine between them. She knew it with a deep certainty.
Right after the last customer departed and Piper hung up the Closed sign, Braden slumped into a booth seat. He wiped his hand across his brow. “Wow. I really worked for that paycheck.”
Piper sat down across from him. “Ha. I see you’ve got jokes. I can’t afford to pay you, but I will supply you with as many chocolate cherry shakes and bowls of fish chowder you desire. Or anything else you’d like from the kitchen.”
Braden began sniffing the air around him. “How about some of that pie you just took out of the oven? It smells incredible.”
“Sure thing. Let me go see if it’s cooled down.” Piper headed into the kitchen where two pies were cooling. One was a blueberry rhubarb, the other a pecan. Piper felt the temperatures with the back of her hand. She cut two pieces of the blueberry rhubarb pie, then grabbed a carafe of milk from the fridge and poured two tall glasses. After placing everything on a tray, she walked back to the table, doing a careful balancing act. Braden jumped up as soon as he saw her, saying, “Do you need help?”
“I’ve got this,” she said, placing the tray on the table. “I grew up in this diner. I’ve been balancing trays since I was a kid. And I’ve gotten a lot better at it.”
As soon as Piper sat back down, they both dug into the pie. It always felt gratifying when someone liked one of her pies. Baking was one of her favorite pastimes, and it had become a source of stress relief for Piper. The fact that customers enjoyed them was an added bonus. Judging by Braden’s reaction, he was a fan. It made her feel ten feet tall.
“I’ve been thinking about next steps,” Braden said after swallowing a mouthful of pie. “I found a little intel earlier.”
Piper raised an eyebrow. “What exactly does that mean?” She put a forkful of pie in her mouth. The blueberries melted on her tongue, providing a burst of flavor that delighted her taste buds. This particular pie was her favorite, and her customers seemed to be in agreement that it was a winner. It warmed her soul to know her pies were in high demand.
“I staked out the competition,” Braden explained. “There are two specific establishments that are your direct competition. Burger Bites and the new pizza joint, Slices. Both restaurants have signature dishes that keep people coming back.”
Piper leaned across the table. “Don’t tell me... Slices is serving reindeer pizza?”
Braden nodded. Piper let out a groan. “They’re also doing make your own pizza nights where customers can create their own signature pizzas. It’s pretty popular according to my sources,” Braden continued. “And Burger Bites is doing those miniburgers with all the trimmings and serving french fries with gravy and cheese.”
“Poutine?” she asked in a high-pitched voice that didn’t even sound like herself. “No wonder I’m losing business. They’re pulling out all the stops, aren’t they?”
“Yep, they sure are,” Braden agreed. “I think you should follow suit and feature some one-of-a-kind dishes that will make the diner stand out. Give them something new to look forward to.”
She threw her hands in the air. “I thought I was giving the townsfolk what they wanted. Reindeer pizza has always been our thing. My dad used to make it—” She stopped speaking when she saw the look etched on Braden’s face. “What?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you need to freshen things up a bit. Think about it. It’s been four years since Jack ran the place. He probably put reindeer pizza on the menu over ten years ago, right? And even though folks enjoy it, it’s not exactly cutting edge anymore.”
Piper bristled. “I’ve kept it as a staple to honor my dad’s memory. I’m not taking it off the menu if that’s what you’re suggesting.” The specialty pizza had smoked reindeer, tomatoes, mushrooms, five cheeses and onions.
“That’s not what I’m saying. I love reindeer pizza as much as the next guy, but I think you need to switch things up and do something you haven’t done before. No risk, no reward.”
Piper’s heart began beating a crazy rhythm within her chest. Her palms moistened. The notion of doing something drastically different at the Snowy Owl felt terrifying. She’d always made a point to do things in the same vein as her father. Had she been misguided in doing so? Perhaps she’d been so caught up in the past she hadn’t been able to see the future. Braden had always given her wise counsel throughout their lives. She knew without question he was coming from a good place. “You have a point, Braden. But I have no idea what to showcase.”
“I vote for pie,” Braden said, stuffing the remainder of his slice of pie in his mouth.
“Pie?” Had she heard him right? He thought pie was the answer to the Snowy Owl’s financial problems?
“Holiday pies with really unique flavors like this one right here,” he said, pointing to the crumbs on his plate with his fork. “From what I heard today from customers, they want more pie. You’re only making a few pies per week, so a lot of folks never get the chance to purchase it. Increase your production of the pies, and we’ll advertise them heavily. And if you really want to go crazy, how about milkshakes?”
Pies? Piper knew the feedback regarding the sweet pastry had been overwhelmingly positive, but she’d never considered them being a draw to attract more steady patrons to the diner. Shakes weren’t anything new to the diner since her father had put them on the menu shortly after he opened the Snowy Owl.
“Well, we already have a few shakes on the menu.” She frowned. “To be honest, it’s not bringing the foot traffic in.”
“I don’t mean run-of-the-mill milkshakes. These are extreme ones. When I was in Washington State, there was this place that served really unique shakes.” He leaned across the table, his features animated. “Think cookies and Twizzlers and cereal adorning the shakes. And edible straws made out of chocolate or graham crackers. You can get really creative, especially since Christmas is coming. I’m thinking peppermint, chocolate and eggnog.”
Piper bit her lip. “I’m overextended as it is. I’m not sure how I’ll find time to bake all these different pies and create these spectacular milkshakes. Not that I don’t like the idea, but I’m short-staffed.”
