AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Everyone knows that too. Sterling. Sterling Life and Indemnity.”
21
MELLY
Itexted Sue, and she said she was not going to be admitted to the hospital. When I told her I wanted to stop by, she asked me to wait a day or two, saying she was much too tired for guests.
Worry kept stabbing through me. Was she getting sicker? Her loss would rip me to pieces, but there didn’t seem to be much I could do about it.
When I reached the ice cream shop, I discovered Carla’s PR firm had come through. They’d reached out to the Mystic Harbor website admin and gotten all the one-star ratings removed. They couldn’t take down the reviews, because they could be legitimate, but they agreed that a flash of one-star ratings all at once had come from a troll. This brought Creature Cone’s average up to a little over four, which was much better than where it was yesterday.
The PR firm also posted on the town’s FaceSpace page and Instaplug, talking up my business with some amazing graphics, and they were not only getting lots of likes, but the comments were also very encouraging.They had a few other strategies they planned to deploy over the next week, such as videos on TickingClock, and I felt like I could relax for a bit. It was lovely having someone who knew what they were doing handling this.
People started to trickle into my shop mid-afternoon. Yay.
Elrik strolled in and sat at a table while we took care of our customers.
“Go hang out with him if you want,” Carla said, tilting her head his way. “I can cover this.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded and took the next customer’s order while I walked over to stand beside his table.
He stood. “I set up an appointment to speak with Hazel. If you can come with me, great. If not, I’ll let you know what I discover, if anything.”
“Go,” Carla called out with a laugh.
“You’re sure?” I asked.
“Go!”
“Alright. Hazel’s studio, Boogey Beasts, is right next door.” I waved to the brick wall dividing us. “At one point, Hazel wanted to expand her studio into this space as well, but Grannie told her no.”
“More pole dancing?” he asked.
“She planned on offering yoga classes here, but Grannie had already promised me this space for my ice cream shop. The location’s perfect on Main Street.”
Carla grunted, and after the customers left, she walked over to join us.
“You’re right. The location’s perfect for any business,”she said. “There isn’t much property available anywhere in town, let alone on Main Street.”
“Were you able to secure the location you wanted in Seashell Cove?” I asked, then explained to Elrik. “Carla’s an amazing artist. Her paintings of the coast are stunning.”
A blush filled Carla’s face. “Thank you, Melly. I appreciate you saying that.”
“At one point, she thought about renting this space to display her art and run shows.”
“That was when I had big dreams of selling my seascapes,” Carla said. “But, no, I didn’t rent the location in Seashell Cove. I’ve . . . put that on hold for now.”
Cashflow could be the reason why she wasn’t setting up a storefront yet.
“My offer for you to put some of your artwork up for sale here still stands.” I waved to the blank walls. “You can showcase your work, and as it sells, replace it with more. Anytime. I mean it.”
“Thank you, but that’s a dream I should give up.”
I hated to see her sad, but she had a lot to deal with right now. Maybe selling her artwork could be done at a different time. “Your dream is worth pursuing,” I still pointed out.
“I said no,” she snapped, a scowl transforming her face. “I’m not going to put my art up here.” Her scowl disappeared as fast as it rose.
