It had been so long, Harper wouldn’t know.
“The point is, how am I supposed to present our ideas to the rep when your widow’s peak women are rifling through the merchandise and picking apart the store we worked all last night finishing up?”
Clovis took in the store once again, the swarm of biddies, the picked-over displays, and leaned heavier on her cane, letting loose a deflating sigh. “Oh my, I really blew it, didn’t I?”
Clovis didn’t understand the concept of moderation. Everything she did, she did with gusto—including love. Which was why Harper pulled the older woman into her arms and whispered the same comforting phrase her grandmother had told her a hundred times as a kid: “Anything done from the heart can’t be wrong.” With a final squeeze, she pulled back. And then because she didn’t want to let down the woman who had sacrificed so much to be both a grandmother and a mother, Harper added, “Now you find a way to clear some of the customers out and I’ll go do what I do best.”
Making friends wasn’t Harper’s only superpower. She could also tell a story and captivate an audience through images. Today she was doing both.
Pretending the shop was in tip-top shape, Harper headed toward the window display—and the woman who held the fate of her grandmother’s shop in her hands. Determination pushed her shoulders back, even though nerves had her heart pounding.
“I’m Harper Owens, senior merchandising manager.” Harper stuck out her hand. “You must be from Lulu Allure.”
The woman studied her for a long moment, taking in every inch of Harper’s attire—especially the shoes. She didn’t appear overly impressed, but she also didn’t appear as if she were going to ask for tips on papier-mâché crafts for kids. Harper considered it a win.
“Chantel,” she said, offering Harper a glossy black-and-gray business card that read, CHANTEL LARUE, VP OF SALES AND MARKETING, LULU ALLURE.
Harper swallowed. They hadn’t sent a low-hanging sales rep—they’d sent in the big guns—which had Harper wondering just how bad these contractual changes were going to be.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Harper said, but her voice got lost in the chatter and shuffle of the customers.
“I believe we had an appointment.” Chantel looked at her watch, then at the bifocals and frosted tips circling the merchandise. “Did I get the time wrong?”
“No, you’re right on time. Mondays are just busy.” Harper extended an arm toward the back of the shop. “Why don’t we head into Couture Corner so we can chat.” And so Chantel could see a room that hadn’t been picked over.
Late last night, right before Harper had finally turned in, she’d had a stroke of genius and turned the back storage space into a private showing room for their more high-end lines.
The transformation was incredible, Harper thought as they entered the room. It was exactly what the Boulder Holder needed to sway Chantel. Bright, bold, breezy, sexy, and of course highlighting the star of the day—the entire Lulu Allure summer line. A detail that Chantel certainly couldn’t miss.
Neither could she miss the tufted cream silk panels, silver and black accents, and chandelier Harper had salvaged from the garage and spray-painted to appear vintage. One of the secret tools of any good set dresser was the ability to accomplish high-end looks on a low budget. Harper could turn a fish bowl and an IKEA desk light into a realistic Tiffany sconce with only a glue gun, sea glass, and craft paints.
“This is . . . unexpected,” Chantel said, taking a seat, and Harper felt her shoulders lift. Finding sensuality in the unexpected was rule number nine. “It reminds me of this little Parisian lingerie shop I went to last spring. They would bring the customers a cappuccino and croissant while they brought in a selection of their merchandise that was hand-chosen for the customer.”
“That’s what we’re going for, only using selected local wines,” Harper said, grabbing a tray of chocolate-dipped fruit with a flight of Napa Valley wines off the shelf. She placed it on the small table separating the two plush wingback chairs she had dragged down from the attic. “We wanted to create an intimate space that would provide a luxurious and plush environment to make the women feel pampered, and to highlight our specialty lines. Also, pairing the perfect wines with elegant lingerie will encourage customers to slow down and really experience the merchandise.”
Chantel took a glass and lifted it to her lips. “I didn’t get the impression your clientele would be interested in lines like these.”
Harper swallowed down the bitter taste of judgment and smiled. “We get a lot of tourists, bridal parties, bachelorette parties, and groups of girlfriends up for a weekend of wine tasting. Our focus is to become the number one destination for bridal parties and girls’ days out in wine country, and cash in on the twenty- to thirty-something weekend wine tasters.” Harper stood and draped one of Lulu Allure’s biggest sellers over herself, as if she were one of those sexy and sophisticated twenty- to thirty-something weekend wine tasters. “Our new look and the Tempting Tastings parties are going to get us there.”