she should be good at this, but she couldn’t pull off the supreme confidence that Brittany, or even her mother, had. No matter what was going on in her life, her mother could mold her features into a flawless mask and make everyone else feel at home.
A pang of homesickness touched her heart.
“Sure you don’t need me?” Julie asked.
“I’ll be okay.” She hoped. “You get to open up tomorrow instead of coming with me tonight.”
“Anything I need to know?”
“Can you start making some fudge in the morning? I pretty much wiped us out, and I’m not planning on bringing any back.” She grinned. Chocolate was a woman’s best friend, and there would be plenty of women at this event.
“Will do.”
It took about a half hour to drive to the airport, unload, and set up her stands. Carefully, she lined each tray with a paper doily and stacked it high with chocolate samples. The meal caterer smiled at her as she set up an arrangement of finger foods on the other side of the narrow hall. The savory smells of oregano-flavored sauces mingled with the sweet aroma of fruit-enhanced candy.
“Smells good in here,” Melissa Anton said.
President of the group. Be nice.
“Yes, it does. Lots of good food.” Sue Anne slapped on her best smile.
“I’m going to snag one of these for later,” Melissa said. “Don’t want to wait until they’re all gone. I bet they’re dynamite with red wine.”
“If that’s your goal, I suggest this one.” Sue Anne pointed to the dark chocolate fudge she’d experimented with the week before. “It doesn’t have any flavoring to compete with the wine.”
“Thank you!” Melissa’s voice was chipper, that of someone who was ready to have a good time.
“If you like it, stop by my shop. I’ve got minipacks for sale that will introduce you to a lot of great new flavors.” She handed the woman her card.
“You’re by Bernice’s Bakery in the Hip Strip. I love that area.” Melissa smiled and moved to the snack tables.
Soon the area was filled with women wedged in closely next to each other, vying for plates, napkins, and food before hitting the wine table and settling down in the conference room. Sue Anne tried to chat with each of them and rapidly went through her stack of business cards.
“These aren’t bad. Do you have any with Flathead cherries?” Brittany was as polished as ever.
“Ooh, I like those, too,” another woman said.
“What a wonderful idea!” Incorporating another local fruit into her shop offerings would be good for business. “Once they’re ripe, I’ll have to make a trip to the lake to get some.”
“You don’t have to go that far,” Brittany said. “They have them at the farmer’s market in July.”
“Ah, but I like to buy directly from the source—experiment with the different vendors to see what works best.”
“And who wouldn’t turn down a trip to the lake in the spring—it’s so pretty!” Liz smiled at her.
Sue Anne smiled back, her optimism increasing as more and more of the women took business cards and said they’d stop by.
Soon the area cleared out as people got their food and gathered in a conference room.
“Why don’t you join us?” Melissa called from the doorway. “You’re a member. You might enjoy this.”
Sue Anne hesitated. She might run into Zach.
So what? Getting business was what was most important. And they were going run into each other at the gym sooner or later.
“Be right in.”
She draped plastic over the chocolates, grabbed a few things from the snack table, and picked up a glass of merlot before joining the others in the conference room.
The airport director was giving a presentation when she slipped into a seat at the back. She listened idly. What did this guy think of Zach? She knew so little about where Zach worked, a tour probably wasn’t a bad idea—in case she ever saw him again.
“So let’s go into the back and take a look at the training room, squad room, and fire
A pang of homesickness touched her heart.
“Sure you don’t need me?” Julie asked.
“I’ll be okay.” She hoped. “You get to open up tomorrow instead of coming with me tonight.”
“Anything I need to know?”
“Can you start making some fudge in the morning? I pretty much wiped us out, and I’m not planning on bringing any back.” She grinned. Chocolate was a woman’s best friend, and there would be plenty of women at this event.
“Will do.”
It took about a half hour to drive to the airport, unload, and set up her stands. Carefully, she lined each tray with a paper doily and stacked it high with chocolate samples. The meal caterer smiled at her as she set up an arrangement of finger foods on the other side of the narrow hall. The savory smells of oregano-flavored sauces mingled with the sweet aroma of fruit-enhanced candy.
“Smells good in here,” Melissa Anton said.
President of the group. Be nice.
“Yes, it does. Lots of good food.” Sue Anne slapped on her best smile.
“I’m going to snag one of these for later,” Melissa said. “Don’t want to wait until they’re all gone. I bet they’re dynamite with red wine.”
“If that’s your goal, I suggest this one.” Sue Anne pointed to the dark chocolate fudge she’d experimented with the week before. “It doesn’t have any flavoring to compete with the wine.”
“Thank you!” Melissa’s voice was chipper, that of someone who was ready to have a good time.
“If you like it, stop by my shop. I’ve got minipacks for sale that will introduce you to a lot of great new flavors.” She handed the woman her card.
“You’re by Bernice’s Bakery in the Hip Strip. I love that area.” Melissa smiled and moved to the snack tables.
Soon the area was filled with women wedged in closely next to each other, vying for plates, napkins, and food before hitting the wine table and settling down in the conference room. Sue Anne tried to chat with each of them and rapidly went through her stack of business cards.
“These aren’t bad. Do you have any with Flathead cherries?” Brittany was as polished as ever.
“Ooh, I like those, too,” another woman said.
“What a wonderful idea!” Incorporating another local fruit into her shop offerings would be good for business. “Once they’re ripe, I’ll have to make a trip to the lake to get some.”
“You don’t have to go that far,” Brittany said. “They have them at the farmer’s market in July.”
“Ah, but I like to buy directly from the source—experiment with the different vendors to see what works best.”
“And who wouldn’t turn down a trip to the lake in the spring—it’s so pretty!” Liz smiled at her.
Sue Anne smiled back, her optimism increasing as more and more of the women took business cards and said they’d stop by.
Soon the area cleared out as people got their food and gathered in a conference room.
“Why don’t you join us?” Melissa called from the doorway. “You’re a member. You might enjoy this.”
Sue Anne hesitated. She might run into Zach.
So what? Getting business was what was most important. And they were going run into each other at the gym sooner or later.
“Be right in.”
She draped plastic over the chocolates, grabbed a few things from the snack table, and picked up a glass of merlot before joining the others in the conference room.
The airport director was giving a presentation when she slipped into a seat at the back. She listened idly. What did this guy think of Zach? She knew so little about where Zach worked, a tour probably wasn’t a bad idea—in case she ever saw him again.
“So let’s go into the back and take a look at the training room, squad room, and fire
Similar Books
