Sterling
"Are you ready?" I asked Isabelle as I exited the bedroom.
She looked at me as she got off the couch and grabbed her purse. "Yes."
"Good." I began to head for the door leading out of the penthouse. "We'll be taking one car today."
Isabelle raised a brow as she followed behind me. "Why? Won't that be a little inconvenient?"
"No." I opened the door and let her walk out first, then I stepped out and closed it behind me. "We're going to the bakery. I want to see what changes we need to get going."
"Oh." The confusion on her face quickly dissipated, then she gave me a nod. "Okay."
I placed my hand on the small of her back as we walked to the elevator and stepped inside. We made it to the parking garage and got into the parked Lamborghini. I started it up and we headed right for the bakery as getting things in motion for it is at the top of my list today.
It took us about twenty minutes to get there due to the morning traffic. Once the car was stopped we exited and made our way to the door of the building. I watched as Isabelle dug into her bag and fished out the keys, placing them in the lock to open the door.
I could feel a warmth inside of me from such a simple sight. It makes me proud to see her as the one in charge of this place. Especially after the talk she's had with Kaydence, I can tell there's a lot more confidence emerging from her today.
We entered the bakery and I began to look everything over. This place had been well taken care of so there weren't any major repairs that were going to be needed. All the work would be for cosmetic purposes so that Isabelle can have it just as she wants it.
"I made a list." Isabelle announced as she grabbed her notebook, opening it up as she brought it over to me. "Thoughts?"
I eyed the paper carefully, reading over everything that she wanted. None of it was going to take too much time to do. I could even have contractors start this week to have it done in less than a month.
"It looks good." I responded and passed the notebook back to her. "When do you want to start with the renovations?"
She bit her lip nervously. "I don't know, I've never really had to do anything like this before."
"You're the boss Isabelle." I gently reminded her. "I'm just the investor, you're the one who gets to call the shots and I'm just here to help guide the way."
"You're right." She took in a deep breath and let it out. "Let me take the day to finalize things and I'll send you a final list. Then we can get things going as soon as possible."
I gave her a small nod. "Sounds good to me. Once you're finished I need you to start brainstorming what you'd like to do for the opening."
"The opening?" Her eyes widened, she may have warmed up to my gift of the bakery but the fact it's all actually happening is still clearly a surprise to her.
"Yes, the opening." I replied. "You need to make a list of what you'd like to make for the opening and how you'd like to have it done. That's what I want your focus on right now while I focus on getting some applicants together for staff."
Her face fell into a frown and I could tell she was a little overwhelmed. "How can I think about an opening when I don't even have a name for this place?"
"Okay." I carefully grabbed her notebook from her and opened it up to a blank page. "I'm here to help you, to guide you. Let's start brainstorming and see if we can come up with something."
"What if we can't?" She questioned me. "I know you have other things you need to do, I can't keep you from your work."
My icy blue orbs looked into her gray eyes. "I'm your investor Izzy, this is my work. I won't leave here until we have a list of possibilities."
"Okay." Her throat bobbed as she swallowed down some air. "Okay, we can do this."
The both of us took a seat at one of the last tables remaining in the place. I grabbed a pen and looked up at her as I was ready to begin. "What are some names you have thought of so far?"
"I really haven't thought of any." She shifted in her chair. "Bakeries are pretty common, I feel like most of the names have been done before."
"Stop thinking about other bakeries' names." I instructed. "This is about your bakery. You need to make the name meaningful to you, that's all that matters."
"Okay."
"We can start off simple." I suggested. "What are some names that are bakery related that you feel drawn to?"
"Umm…" She trailed off as she thought for a moment, then she finally spoke. "I don't know Sterling. I guess some terms that could be in a title are tart, sweet, sugar even. Those are the only ones that come to mind."
"Okay." I was silent for a moment as I thought about a few ideas with the words. "What about something like Sweet Tart?"
"No." She shook her head. "That's a candy Sterling, besides I don't really think it fits this place."
"That's fair." I tapped the pen against the paper as I tried to figure out another option. Like Isabelle, I could only feel myself drawing blanks. The only way to make progress was to get her feeling connected to this place. "Why do you bake?"
She looked dumbfounded for a moment, but then she gave her answer. "Baking became my escape from things. When I'm in the kitchen it's the only thing I'm focused on, it helps me clear my mind. It's what's helped me through a lot of the shit that I've been through, even if it's just been a small batch of cookies."
"How about Sweet Escapes?"
She thought over the name for a moment, then her eyes lit up and I knew we had found the one that fit.
"I love it." She smiled. "It fits perfectly for what I'm going for."
"Great." I felt pleased that I was able to help her out. "I'll work on getting the name finalized. If possible, get your list to me by the end of the day."
"Okay." She nodded with excitement.
As I stood up I shot her a grin. "To Sweet Escapes."
A smile curled onto her lips. "To Sweet Escapes."