Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
“That’s what I thought, too. Ford set her straight that he was still on the force.”
“Now we know she’s up to something.”
“Well, shit. What do we do?”
“That’s where ‘leave it to me’ comes into play. When it’s time, we’ll pull Harley into the mix.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Trust me. And we have something else to discuss.”
The scheming glint in her eyes sends my stomach into a tailspin.
“What did you do?”
“Before we leave today, the manager wants to meet you. She’s planning on putting in a retail section and loved your samples.”
“What samples?”
“The samples I dropped off last week that were left over from my wedding.”
“Those were gifts for the family.”
“I only brought in a few.”
“I’m not currently stocking my own shelves. How can I discuss expansion?”
“You’ll be selling in a few days. It’s the perfect time to make these connections and network.”
“Did Harley put you up to this?”
She raises her eyebrows and shoots me a scowl that screams ‘Are you kidding me?’.
“Seriously, she’s on my case, too.”
“We have your best interest in mind.”
“More like derailing my business plan.”
“Tomato, tomato,” she says breezily.
“Sometimes I miss my life as a hermit.”
“You’re a shit liar. You’re never getting rid of us. Hermit Rowan is a ghost.”
She waves me off, closing her eyes and essentially ending the conversation.
Note to self: next time Julianna Powers invites me to an impromptu afternoon spa treatment—be prepared for anything.
I align the last bottle on the shelf and step back to admire the display.
“Is that all you have?”
My hand goes to my chest and I nearly leap out of my skin at Shayla’s voice. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Don’t know how. Came in the back like you told me.”
“The alarm didn’t beep.”
Her eyes widen and she spins, racing toward the back door. By the time I reach her, she’s on a stepstool fiddling with the sensor.
“Shayla, that’s a five-thousand-dollar system!”
“Then it should work.”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” The deep, barbed question causes her to stumble, grabbing the frame before she crashes.
“Ford, what the—”
“They linked the system directly to Hayes Security monitoring.”
I point to the discreet device in the corner which is a communication system.
“Well then, you should know it’s broken!” she snipes.
“It’s likely a malfunction.” I try to calm him.
“Our systems don’t malfunction,” Finn clips.
“We’ll be there soon. Until you see me, bolt the door.”
The room goes silent after Ford’s demand.
“I knew you upgraded, but this is high-tech.”
“Dad insisted on every bell and whistle available. Especially when I was living upstairs. At first, it freaked me out that someone could listen in on me at any time, but Robbie and Finn explained the parameters. There are internal signals that trigger the communications system. My guess is your fiddling with the sensor sent an alert.”
“Maybe you should teach me about this system.” She hops off the stool and bolts the door.
“I’ll give you a crash course after the guys evaluate it over. The storm last night could have knocked it offline.”
She cuts her eyes to me, knowing that excuse is bullshit. “We have an hour before opening. Let’s go over the new product line.”
“Good idea.” I go to the desk and hand her the pricing sheet.
“Like I was saying earlier, is that all the inventory you have?” She gestures to the display.
I avoid answering, absently shuffling papers.
“Seriously, Rowan, where are the rest? Your launch party isn’t until Friday.”
“My what?” I panic.
“Your launch party. You had to know we’d plan a soiree to launch these fabulous products.”
“We’re not having a party.”
“Knew you’d say that, so we planned it without you. This display will be gone by then. You better have a stash somewhere.”
“In the studio,” I utter under my breath.
She scrolls through the online schedule, making notes next to a few appointments. “These clients are hot buyers. I’ll feel out the others.”
“Hot buyers?”
“Sales funnel terminology. Hot is guaranteed to sell. Then there’s warm and cool. Those are the ones we work on.”
“How do you know they are hot?”
She shoots me another exasperated glare. “I may be newly employed, but I’ve been hanging here for months. I’ve picked on a few things.”
She’s absolutely right. These clients will walk out with products.
Hiring Shayla is rapidly turning out to be a fantastic decision. She learned the online and POS systems in a few hours. Day two of training, she showed up and declared she was ready to work on her own. Most of my stylists knew her and the clients have fallen for her sass and wit.
Which is why, after my morning appointments, I’m leaving her on her own while I work at the lab.
Two black trucks and an SUV pass, turning the corner to the rear parking lot.
“The troops have arrived.”
We return to the back just as Ford unlocks the deadbolt and comes through with Finn on his heels. Gives a chin lift and places his laptop on a table, typing hastily.