Page 24 of Save a Wish

Sadie stopped fiddling with the papers. “Oh, I love that saying.”

“My dad used to say that all the time.” I rolled up the sleeves of my flannel shirt. “I have five siblings and while we have a great deal in common, we also have our own quirks. Dad would give us the brand-of-genius line whenever we were fighting over the right way to do something. It immediately stopped the conflict because we felt as if we were all doing it right but in our own unique way.”

“Your father sounds wise,” Sadie said.

“He was.”

Just then the lights in my office flickered. It felt like a message from my dad. One that said he agreed that he was wise.

Sadie pulled a few more papers out of her tote bag and added them to the pile on my desk. “Your dad was wise?”

I focused on the paper in my hand that said offer early appointments for before work in Sadie’s handwriting—a fancy handwriting.

“Yeah, he died unexpectedly when I was a teenager.” I kept my gaze trained on the slips of paper. “We’ve been without him for a long time.”

Sadie’s delicate fingers hooked onto my elbow where my arm was bent and leaning on the desktop. “I’m so sorry, Beckett.”

“Thanks.” I risked a glance up to meet her gaze and that staring thing happened again. A long, quiet moment stretched between us, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward. A little weird, yes, but not unpleasant.

In fact, it may have been a bit soothing. If Sadie had this same effect on her clients, she was going to be a ginormous success.

“So . . .” I turned my attention back to the papers. “Why don’t we sort these into categories to start? I see some commonalities as I look at them. For example, outside classes and an indoor space are both ideas about location.” I put those two papers in a pile together.

Sadie surveyed the papers. “And this one? Calming neutral tones is what I envision for the indoor space décor.” She added that to the location pile.

We continued with this method until we had piles for location, services, promotion, collaboration, and finances.

“I’m going to add a category called technology, if you’re not opposed to that,” I said. “Because I have some programs that will aid your business.” I scribbled down the names of the accounting and scheduling software I used for Hartley’s Nest, along with a few other tech tools that would work for this type of business. “Do you have an indoor space in mind already?”

Sadie shook her head. “I can’t afford one yet. My plan is to build a client base by offering in-home and outdoor services to start. Once I have enough income, I’ll expand to a dedicated indoor space.”

“I imagine people would love what you did for me here in my home,” I said. “It added to the relaxation that I didn’t have to travel anywhere.”

“So you think in-home offerings is a good idea?” That hopeful gleam in her eyes was back again. Sadie had this innocence about her, but she also had determination to reach the business goals she had in mind.

We all have our own brand of genius. Dad was right.

“It’s a great idea,” I said. “Especially with the colder, snowier months on the horizon. It means you’ll have to travel, but your clients won’t.” The little sedan she was currently driving concerned me in terms of her being out driving in Vermont winter weather, but she probably couldn’t afford anything better suited right now. I set that worry aside.

For now.

“I have something here, right?” Sadie asked. “It’s not foolishness to try to do this, is it?”

“Not at all.” I swiveled my chair to face her more. The cream-colored sweater she had on had fallen off one shoulder to reveal that the shirt she had on underneath was a fitted tank top. I was treated to a view of one smooth, pale shoulder that, like her cheeks and nose, had a light sprinkling of freckles. Her red hair was gathered on her other shoulder and fell in soft waves, the tips nearly touching her lap as she sat.

My fingers were getting some serious ideas about exploration so I picked up the dry erase marker to keep them occupied.

“Knowing you don’t think it’s a silly idea for a business brings me such comfort,” she said. “I feel as if I’m stumbling about here so it’s a relief to hear I have some good ideas.”

“What kind of work did you do before coming to Vermont?” I asked.

“Work?” Her brows furrowed. “I . . . I worked with my family.” She waved a hand. “That hardly counts as work.” She tapped one of the piles of papers on the desk. “This is work. And I want it to succeed.”

Not very forthcoming with the details, but that was fine. She didn’t owe me her life story.

But I definitely wanted to hear it, and maybe one day I would.

“I think the first thing you need is a website,” I said. “That will be a good place to introduce yourself, list your services and offerings, host a scheduling app, and collect payments. You can also promote your business by sharing your website. We can make you business cards. Have you thought of a name for your business?”