Page 45 of Falling into Place

“Exactly. It’s an unmet need in the community that you could fill.

If you click on that place that says ‘Franchise’—yeah, right there—I mean, look at that.

It walks through the entire process of starting your own Backstitch store.

Financial requirements to start up, on-site training for new franchisees, and the levels of support they offer from the home store after a new location is up and running.

It’s literally everything you’d want to know before starting your own store. ”

“Wait,” Carly said, pushing the computer back. “Are you suggesting that I, someone who has never run a business in my life, open up my own clothing store?”

Sasha nodded, unperturbed by Carly’s incredulous tone.

“Why not? You’re perfect for this. You’ve got the qualities that can’t be taught—a natural eye and the ability to connect with people.

For the business part they literally help you every step of the way.

Check out the on-site training program for complete beginners—it’s six months long!

On site! It’s basically a mini-internship where they teach you everything from retail and consignment models to purchasing and employee management.

And when it’s over, they’re just a phone call away if you hit a snag and need advice. ”

Carly stared at the screen and their statement of dedication to sustainability, shaking her head.

She had to admit she was curious, but at the same time the idea was completely preposterous.

Maybe later—after Sasha left and after she and Brooks spent some quality alone time—she’d sit down with it.

Read through the FAQ and check out the pages of some of the franchise stores to see how they were doing.

Maybe slide into a DM or two to ask what franchise owners thought about the process and what their backgrounds had been before.

Had they all been in retail, or was there someone who’d been able to pull this off without prior experience?

“There’s one more thing,” Sasha said, index finger in the air.

“They only run the six-month training program once a year. I called and they had a last-minute cancellation, so there’s an open spot with your name on it.

And that friend of mine from college, Riza, has a vacant garage apartment you could stay in.

So you wouldn’t need to pay rent while you were there, either! ”

Carly put her hands up. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You think I should move to Nashville for six months?” She shot a glance at Brooks, who’d gone quiet.

“I think you should seriously consider it. Oh, and they need to know by next week.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“Maybe. But you’re intrigued by the idea, I can tell.”

“Of course I’m intrigued, but it’s also ridiculous. It’s impossible. There’s no way I could move for six months.”

“Why not? You don’t have a job.”

“Wow. Okay, what about the cost? I don’t have that kind of money.”

“You’ve got four times that amount in your savings account.”

“How the hell do you know that?”

“That doesn’t matter. What’s the point of saving money if you won’t let yourself use it when you need it?

This could be the start of a brand-new career, Carly.

Something incredible that you get to build, run exactly how you want, and that will be a return on that investment a dozen times over.

Every single store they’ve franchised has been in the black within the first year, and it’s something you’d love doing.

I swear, it felt like fate when I came across that post. Everything about this has Carly Porter written all over it. ”

“You seem awfully optimistic.”

“I told you I was excited about it.”

Carly rested her chin in her palm, regarding the website. She leaned her head to the side and caught Brooks’s eye. “What do you think about all this?” she asked quietly.

“It’s unexpected, that’s for sure,” he said, voice low. “And different. But my opinion isn’t what matters, here.”

There’s no way he’d get behind this. It hadn’t even been a half hour since they got back together—he wouldn’t want her to move out of state.

“I’d like to hear it all the same.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” he said, scanning her face. “Well, the thing is, I’ve never forgotten the look on your face when we were on that pretend date and you told me about shopping with younger people who can’t spend a lot of money. I don’t think I’ve seen you look that excited since.”

She wasn’t expecting him to say that. “Not even when you rolled up your sleeves for me?”

He laughed. “This was enthusiastic excited, not turned-on excited. I like both.”

“Equally?”

A beat passed and one corner of his mouth lifted. “No.”

“Ew,” Sasha put in.

“This idea is huge, and it feels completely out of left field. I get that. I also know change is scary,” Brooks said, leaning forward to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.

“But this literally sounds like a dream job for you. You’d get to curate your own store full of clothes to sell and help style people that came into shop.

I think you might love that, and you’d be fucking awesome at it.

You’re smart, hardworking, and creative, and when you want to, you can do anything you put your mind to. ”

“Yes, the only things needed to start and run a small business,” she said dryly.

“What else is there? Money?”

It was no small concern, especially for someone who hadn’t grown up with it.

“For one. Did you see the recommended cash on hand for start-up? That’s separate from the training program, and I definitely don’t have the money to do that on my own.

The thought of taking out a loan is just . ..” She shuddered.

“You’re looking at a guy whose career was made possible with loans.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know that much about small business loans, but school loans seem different.”

“So let’s go to a bank and talk about it. Learn the similarities and differences and see what you think after that. My neighbor owns a local appliance store, and I’m sure he’d be happy to talk you through how he got started. Nothing wrong with asking questions just to see, right?”

“Maybe.” Her shoulders dipped. “I also lack any business acumen.”

“You’re a CPA, so I doubt that. But even so, that’s what the training’s for, right? And the ongoing support from the flagship group. It sounds like they’ve got a pretty sophisticated system going.”

She tilted her head as she regarded him, thoughtful. “You’re saying a lot of reasonable things.”

“The same things I was saying,” Sasha grumbled.

Carly didn’t look away from Brooks when she said, “Sounds better coming out of his mouth.”

Brooks grinned and took her hand, weaving his fingers between hers. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I could fail.”

“So what?” Sasha cut in. “Everybody fails. Nobody wants to, but at least it means you tried. I’d rather give something my all and miss the mark than never try at all, wouldn’t you?”

“Not when it comes to something this important.”

“Okay, so let’s say you do. You fail. You’d be out of a job, but spoiler alert: You’re there now.

You’ve already been there, and look at you.

It’s not the end of the world that you thought it would be.

You’re regrouping, surrounded by your people, and you’re figuring something else out.

You’d do that again. But none of that matters because you won’t fail.

My gut tells me this will work, Carly. And my gut is never wrong. ”

Carly and Brooks laughed. Loud. She could think of three instances of Sasha’s faulty gut off the top of her head, and she’d bet a lot of money Brooks could do the same.

“Alright,” Sasha muttered. She stood and pushed her laptop closed, then grabbed it and propped her other fist on her hip. “You’re both assholes.”

“No, wait.” Carly scrambled to her feet and threw her arms around Sasha. “I’m sorry. Thank you. Really. I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

Sasha was quiet for a moment. “And?”

“And you’re the best friend a girl could ask for. I love you more than life itself.”

“And what about my ideas?”

“You’re brilliant. Best ideas in the history of the world.”

Sasha pulled back to eye her. “And you’ll at least think about it? Backstitch?”

Carly dropped her arms in defeat and smiled. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good. I’ll send you all the info I gathered so far and leave you two to whatever it was you were doing before I showed up. But please for the love of God, come lock the door after me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t make that mistake again,” Carly said.

“One week, you hear me?” Sasha called out as she walked to the door. “One week!”