New Uses For Old Boyfriends by Kendrick Beth

Author:Kendrick, Beth [Kendrick, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Group, USA
Published: 2015-01-22T08:00:00+00:00

chapter 19

“Sweet Bluette or Labrador Blue?” Lila stepped back to examine the patches of paint drying on the north wall of the empty storefront. “What’ll it be?”

Daphne barely glanced at the pale blue splotches. “Oh, sweet pea, I don’t care.”

“Well, the contractor wants to start painting this afternoon. Pick a color.”

“Yes. About that . . .” Daphne sat down on a sawhorse, suddenly looking very frail despite her formidable height and fashionable outfit. “I’m not sure you’ve really thought this through.”

Lila gestured to the carpeted floor and bare walls. The store’s front window afforded a partial view of the Atlantic. “We have the perfect retail location for the summer. We have great product to sell. What’s to think through?”

“Well.” Daphne cleared her throat. “Don’t take this the wrong way, baby—”

“Oh, boy.”

“—but the reality is, you’re not qualified to run a business. Neither am I. We don’t know the first thing about finance or marketing.”

“That’s not true,” Lila countered. “When I worked for the shopping channel, I learned a lot about how to move merchandise. I can talk about a hideous velvet scarf for forty-five minutes straight. I can sell out that hideous velvet scarf in forty-four minutes. That hideous velvet scarf has a waiting list by the time I’m through.”

“But what about the business side?” Daphne pressed. “The budgeting, the bookkeeping, the payroll . . .”

“We won’t have a payroll.” Lila was making this up as she went along, but it sounded plausible. “You and I are the only employees. We’ll use any profits to pay down your debt and keep the house afloat.”

“Listen to what you’re proposing.” Daphne scoffed. “You’re proposing that you and I work all day, every day, for free—”

“For profit,” Lila reminded her.

“And sell off the things that are most precious to me in this world? And hope that by some miracle, we’ll make enough money in a few months to undo years of financial catastrophe?”

“Well, it doesn’t sound very realistic when you put it like that.” Lila sighed and rubbed the small of her back. “But I don’t see what other choice we have. Plus, we’ll get an online component up and running. But if we have a storefront, we can get foot traffic and word of mouth.” She thought about the recently divorced Bostonian who’d coveted the antique hair comb.

Daphne looked even more defeated. “Lila, I’m proud of what you’re trying to do here. It’s very independent of you. But if I learned anything from what happened with your father, it’s that it’s easy to get overextended with a business. And I don’t mean to be harsh, but when you were on the shopping channel, you had producers to run everything behind the scenes. You had hair and makeup people to help you look good. You had an agent to negotiate your contracts. All you really had to do was show up and talk about linens and holiday china sets.”

Lila flinched. “That’s not meant to be harsh?”

“We’re in way over our heads here and I don’t want you to feel bad if we fail.

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