Chapter 10

ten

DANIEL

I was glad Ben had told me to take the first parking space I saw. The traffic was every bit as chaotic as he'd said.

Yesterday, Sunrise Bay looked like any other small Colorado town. But today, vehicles drove bumper-to-bumper along Main Street. People zig-zagged between the traffic to cross the road, and the sidewalks were overflowing with eager shoppers.

While I was in town, I thought I'd take a look at what Sunrise Bay had to offer. Unlike a lot of places in America, this town had steered clear of the big box retailers. Boutique stores offered everything from hand-knitted jumpers to one-of-a-kind ball gowns. There were art galleries, antique stores, and flower shops. Everything was designed to give visitors a memorable experience of life in a small town.

And if someone could solve Sunrise Bay's parking issues, they'd double the number of people shopping in the stores.

After an hour of dodging screaming toddlers and people who thought the sidewalk belonged to them, I found somewhere I didn't mind waiting.

Candy Lane was halfway down Main Street and, in my humble opinion, one of the best candy stores I'd ever seen. The smell of rich, chocolate fudge had pulled me into the store, but it wasn't the only product that kept me there. The sample trays of other candy tantalized my taste buds and kept everyone busy as they stood in line, waiting to purchase their candy.

Whoever owned the store had created a gold mine. Each piece of candy was delicious. The packaging and branding were what you'd expect from a high-end retail store. If anyone needed another enticement to buy the candy, all they needed to do was look at the prices. Compared to what I'd pay in Manhattan, it was ridiculously cheap.

I sent a quick email to my procurement team, then took another box of maple fudge off the counter. My brother had a mile-wide sweet tooth. If I ever needed Owen's help, a box or two of this fudge would give me a definite advantage.

By the time I made it to the front of the line, my arms were full.

The man behind the counter smiled as he helped me stack the boxes. "You'll enjoy this candy."

I returned his smile. "They aren't all for me. It was hard to choose which candy to take home."

"That's what everyone says. I think that's why most people become regular customers. Each time they visit the store or shop online, they can try something new." The man packed my candy and rang up my sale. "Do you like marshmallow?"

I nodded, not sure why he'd asked.

"I have something you might enjoy." He reached into the display case and placed a gift-wrapped cellophane bag on the counter. "We've just started making boysenberry ripple marshmallow dipped in dark chocolate. Try it and tell me what you think."

I was taken aback by his generosity. "I'm happy to pay for it."

He waved away my offer. "And I'm equally happy to give it to you. If you're only in Sunrise Bay for the market, you can leave a review on our website. If you want to reorder anything, we mail candy around the world."

"You've made it easy for people to become loyal customers."

"It's easy when you have a wonderful product. Enjoy your time in Sunrise Bay."

"I will. Thanks for the marshmallow." And before I was tempted to buy more candy, I left the store. I had one more thing to do before I walked to the market, and it was only a few steps away.