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Vi gave her a confused look.

Cory chuckled. “Trust me, Violet. Get your drink and follow me.”

“There you go telling me to trust you again.”

Cory grinned and led them down the hall and into a back room that had a little break area. She unlocked the back door and held it open for Vi.

They stepped onto a roadway that circled the building. This was where Cory loaded her pickup when making deliveries. Beyond that was a small field with a few trees then a row of fences which were the backyards of the neighborhood adjacent to the shopping area.

On one side of the door were a couple of chairs and a small table.

“Have a seat.” Cory gestured to one of the chairs. “These drinks are supposed to look like the sunset,” Cory explained. “If you’ll notice right through there.” She pointed between two trees.

“Oh wow!” Vi exclaimed. “It’s beautiful, just like this drink.”

Cory watched Vi for a moment and those butterflies returned in her stomach. She took a breath and grinned. “Now you may take a sip, Violet.”

“No toast?” Vi asked.

“Absolutely. Here’s to good times and no headaches.” Cory clinked her glass gently to Vi’s.

They both took a sip. Cory waited with a hopeful look.

Vi nodded and her face lit up. “This is yummy. It tastes like summer.”

“That’s what I think, too!” Cory exclaimed. “It’s a mocktail of sex on the beach. It has everything but the vodka and schnapps.”

“I love it,” Vi said, taking another sip. “You seem interested in non-alcoholic drinks.”

“I had customers in my bartending days who would ask about them occasionally and I have a few customers here who like beer, but not alcohol. So I’ve tried several of the non-alcoholic beers and stock the best ones.”

“You do that even if they aren’t profitable?”

Cory shrugged. “Profits aren’t just about money, Violet. Those customers will buy other things and know that I’ll help them. Surely you’ve gotten special orders for your customers from time to time.”

“I occasionally come across a special order now, but I often got them for customers when I was in retail.”

“Did you start in a Spec’s store?”

Vi nodded as she took another drink. “Yep. I started in a store while in college, then worked my way up.”

“Once you move up to VP what will happen to your accounts?”

“I have accounts all over the metroplex. Some will go to other reps in those areas and the others will go to the person they move into my current position.”

“I thought you had a set territory.”

“I do, but I’ve moved around a lot and I’ve kept some of my longer term accounts.”

Cory nodded and sipped her drink. Her hint of an idea from their last conversation was beginning to bloom.

“Did you get the country club account?”

Cory studied Vi for a moment. “You haven’t talked to them yet?”

Vi shook her head. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”