Jesse didn’t say anything. What was the point? She’d come back to Seattle to prove something. She’d given herself six months to make her point-that she could be a viable part of the business, that she could make a difference. But with the bakery shut down, that was impossible.
“What are you going to do until then?” Claire asked.
“I don’t know,” Nicole admitted. “Oversee the building.”
It was the death of her dream, Jesse thought sadly. She would have to go back to Spokane and pick up her quiet life working in a bar. She would never get the chance to show that she had good ideas and could make a difference. She was-
“We can rent a kitchen,” she said without thinking. “We’d have to cut down on some of the items, but not all of them. We can get the word out about the location. And we can use this time to go live on the Internet. The CDs with all the programming and information is at Paula’s house. I could find a server in the morning. It wouldn’t take long. Then we would still have most of the business during the reconstruction.”
Nicole shook her head. “It would never work. Jesse, I know you keep pushing this, but it’s not possible. This isn’t the right time. You can’t ship baked goods across the country. They won’t pack well and even if you’ve solved that problem, they’ll be stale when they arrive.”
“Not if we use overnight shipping.”
“No one’s going to pay for that.”
“How do you know?”
Nicole pulled free of Claire and turned on Jesse. “Maybe in your pretend world at community college they will. But not out here. No one is going to spend all that money to get brownies or a cake to Cleveland.”
“You don’t know that,” Jesse said, frustrated by Nicole’s constant refusal to admit her plan could work. “I did a lot of research and it wasn’t in the pretend world. I checked out how other companies with delicate products did it. Yes, having to pay overnight will cut into sales, but it won’t eliminate all of them. The start-up costs are so minimal, it’s crazy not to try.”
“I have spent years in this business,” Nicole snapped. “I know my customers.”
“You know the people who come into your store. You don’t know the rest of the country and I don’t know why you won’t consider the possibility. There is more to life than just what you see.”
“I’m aware of that,” Nicole said through obviously clenched teeth. “But what you want is impossible.”
“Because you say it is. You won’t even try.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Claire said as she released both of them. She stepped in front, then turned to face them. “No more fighting. Not tonight. We’ve been through enough as it is.” She looked at Nicole. “It’s going to take a while to get everything figured out. The cause of the fire, designs for a new place, construction. We’re talking months, maybe a couple of years. I don’t know. In the meantime, you have employees. Are you going to let them go?”
Nicole shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s all too much right now.”
“I agree,” Claire said. “But Jesse’s right. A rented kitchen is a fast way to get going and there isn’t much in the way of start-up costs. The same with the Internet sales. If she has a Web site ready to go, we only have to deal with hosting. That won’t cost much. So what if the sales aren’t spectacular? There will be some and at the very least, you can keep a few employees on.”
Nicole sighed. “You’re right.”
“I know. As to the rest of the business, what about selling to restaurants locally? Have you ever looked at that market? Between the cake and the brownies, you should be able to generate some interest.”
Jesse glanced at Claire. “Restaurants? I never thought of that.”
“Me, either,” Nicole admitted.
“I am so much more than a pretty face,” Claire told them. “You need to remember that.”
That made Jesse smile.
Nicole laughed. “Fair enough. We’ll start by finding a kitchen to rent and get the Internet site up and running. I need to call everyone and let them know what’s happened. What time is it?”
Jesse glanced at her watch. “Nearly three.”
“Sid will be getting here soon.” Nicole sighed. “This is going to be hard for all of us.”
Jesse didn’t say anything. While she was pleased that Nicole had finally come around, she resented that her sister would consider the idea of a rented kitchen when Claire mentioned it, but not when she, Jesse, did.
There was a loud crack as another beam fell. Jesse blinked against the smoke and wondered what the fire department would say was the cause. Old wiring maybe. A faulty piece of equipment. The place had been around forever.
“Nicole? Jesse?”
Jesse turned and saw Sid walking toward them. He was dressed all in white, with a clean apron in his hands.
“What the hell?” he asked.
Jesse and Nicole moved toward him.
“No one was inside,” Nicole said. “We’re still not sure how it started. I was going to call, but I don’t have anyone’s number with me.”
Sid stared at the smoldering flames. “I can’t believe it. The whole thing is gone.”
“We’re going to rent a kitchen,” Jesse told him. “It will take a couple of days to get up and running.”
“What?” Sid shook his head. “Right. Yeah, rent a kitchen. That makes sense. Jesus. How does something like this happen?”
They didn’t have any answer. Instead they talked quietly until more employees arrived, then went through everything with them. Jesse huddled in the darkness, cold and exhausted, but not ready to leave. Around four, Matt showed up, carrying containers of coffee.
Jesse hurried toward him, pleased he’d come. “What are you doing here?” she asked, wishing she could throw herself at him. Right now she could use a good holding. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“I guessed you were still here,” he said as he handed out coffee. “I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I came to see if I could help.”
She took the coffee he offered. “Thanks.”
He looked around at the smoldering ruin. “They couldn’t save any of it? That must have been some fire.”
“It was incredible.” Jesse didn’t want to think about all they’d been through. She was exhausted and not feeling up to coping, even though there was so much to do. She sipped the coffee and felt the warmth spread through her.
“Nicole’s insured, isn’t she?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll be able to rebuild, but it’s going to take a while.”
“I know. We’re coming up with a plan now.” She suddenly had to struggle to keep her eyes open. “Sorry. I’m not feeling too perky.”
“A delayed reaction to stress and shock,” he said and took her by the arm. “Come on back to my place. You can shower and get some sleep. I’ll bring you back here later to pick up your car.”
“I should just go back to Paula’s.”
“It’s four in the morning. You’ll wake everyone.”
Oh, right. Good point. “Let me tell Nicole and Claire.”
She spoke with her sisters, then allowed Matt to lead her to his car. It was a sleek Mercedes two-seater that probably cost more than she’d made in the past five years.
“You’ll need a different car,” she mumbled as she put her coffee in the cup holder, then fumbled with the seat belt. “Kids need to be in the back. It’s the front-seat air bag.”
Matt smiled at her. “Interesting subject change. I’ll keep that in mind. You going to be okay for the trip back?”
“Uh-huh. I just need a shower and a chance to rest.”
Normally she would have skipped the shower, but she smelled like smoke. She didn’t need the visceral reminder that her dreams had gone up in flames.
“Maybe not,” she murmured. “If we do the rental kitchen and the Internet sales, I still have a chance.”
“At proving yourself?” he asked as he pulled into the quiet street and headed for his place.
“Uh-huh.” She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. “I gave myself six months to get it right. Did the
