Clarissa stood behind the counter of the pharmacy in this place that she hated and wondered how she got into this. She knew the answer full well, and it all began on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life. Graduation day.
She still remembered walking across the platform, shaking the dean’s hand. It’s funny, she could still see the sheen of sweat on the former senator’s bald head as he droned on and on with all the usual “go forth and conquer” rah-rah. She could still smell the tang of whiskey on her father’s breath as he announced his engagement to Becky.
Granddad’s voice was the only sound she still heard clearly. “Well done. Mighty proud of you, young lady.” This was as high as the praise came from Granddad; Clarissa accepted it for the gift it was. He shook her hand and smiled. “I’ve got some good news.”
“Really? What?” She had known—or at least thought she knew—what was coming here. She knew her grandfather had been spending lots of time with Milton Parrish, and if anyone could talk someone into selling a franchise, it was her grandfather.
“We’re going to put a pharmacy in the theater we bought in Shoal Creek.”
“A theater? Shoal Creek?” Several heads turned in their direction, and Clarissa knew her voice had risen above the crowd.
“It’s a small town about an hour south of Nashville. Milton Parrish and I have been talking. We agree that Shoal Creek will be a great place for you to get started, you know, get your feet wet in a small stream before you try surfing the ocean. The theater has such beautiful architecture; I know you’ll love the building.”
“A Parrish Apothecary franchise, in Shoal Creek? What about the Lancaster Building?”
“Not a Parrish Apothecary, exactly. We’re going to name it Richardson Apothecary, I’ll own seventy-five percent, Milton is buying twenty-five percent interest. You’ll have the same buying contract with the drug companies that his apothecaries do, this one just won’t be so high-end—it will cater more to the small-town everyman. It’s something he’d been wanting to try anyway, this presented the perfect opportunity. If it succeeds, he plans to launch several more stores under the Richardson Apothecary name, all falling under the umbrella of his franchise.”
“But I just bought a condo in Nashville. I was planning to open a Parrish Apothecary in the Lancaster Building as soon as I’ve worked off my intern hours.”
“Don’t worry, I still own the Lancaster Building, it’s not going anywhere. I’ve extended the current tenant’s lease by eighteen months. In the meantime, you’ll work off your six months of intern hours in Nashville as planned, then you’ll commute an hour to your new store in Shoal Creek. Lots of people drive longer than that each day. And you will open a Parrish Apothecary—if you work hard and prove yourself. Milton says if you can make the Shoal Creek location a success within a year, he’ll sell you exclusive franchise rights for Nashville, maybe even all of Tennessee. I think that’s a fair deal. Don’t you?”
“I . . . guess so.” Clarissa hugged her grandfather, trying to be truly grateful. He was building her a pharmacy, she knew that it was more than most of her classmates would receive. But . . . it wasn’t what she wanted. “Thank you so much.” She could only picture what the city of Shoal Creek would be like. Away from her friends, no support of any kind. Yet she would do what she always did, work hard and hope to earn her family’s approval.
And that’s just what she’d spent these last months trying to do. Now as she watched her grandfather walk down the aisle of the pharmacy, she found herself hoping once again. Hoping maybe this would be the day.
He walked back into the dispensing area. “How’s your day been?”
“Fine. Good. We’re getting a little busier every day.”
“That’s what I like to hear. We want to do everything in our power to make this place a success, don’t we?”
Make it a success at least long enough to get me out of this place. “Yes, we do.”
“Do you have the reports ready for me?”
“Back there on the desk.”
He went to the desk along the back wall and began to pore over the financial reports from her first three months of business. His mouth tightened at every line. “I can’t believe you’re still losing money at this rate, I thought you’d have a much better customer base by now.”
“People stick with what they’re used to. I told you up front it would be nearly impossible to do anything better than break even by the end of the year. Do you believe me now?”
Her grandfather shook his head. “You have to do what it takes to bring people here to shop. Make them see that it is worth the drive to the town square because they’ll get much better service here. Milton’s apothecary chain is so famous for its customer-oriented service that people don’t care that they are paying more for their medicine.”
“Parrish Apothecary has locations in Beverly Hills, Los Gatos, and Manhattan. The people there don’t care if they’re paying more, because twenty extra dollars doesn’t mean a thing to them. This is Shoal Creek, Tennessee. The people here work in factories, they farm, they make their own clothes. Customer service hoopla doesn’t mean anything here, a low price is the only thing that matters.”
“Customer service matters to everyone. I think you should hire some more help. It would make things less pressured, more friendly.”
“I’ve got a technician for back here and a clerk out front. That’s more than I can afford.”
“How many hours you working a week?”
“Sixty, seventy sometimes. But that’s why I’m telling you, Granddad, I’m doing everything humanly possible in here. It’s not working yet, but we do move closer every month.”
He looked at the numbers again. “I’d really like to see you make some great efforts in projecting a more friendly, small-town image. That’s what’ll bring the people in.”
How dare he tell her how to run a pharmacy. He’d hardly stepped foot in one. Even when Grandma was sick, he always sent Clarissa to pick up her meds.
Funny, she could still see Felicia’s knowing expression when she handed her the prescription blank, the way she walked with complete confidence, the way she spoke as if she had all the answers. Clarissa had known then that she wanted to be a pharmacist, to be someone as smart and assured as that. And here she was. But something wasn’t working the way it was supposed to.
“I’m telling you, it’s going to take more time.”
“Well, we don’t have it, as you know. Milton Parrish has given us until the end of this year to make this place work. As if that’s not enough, now I’ve got your father pestering me because that new wife of his wants to put a yoga studio in the Lancaster Building.”
“A what?”
“Yoga studio. He says that since that part of town is considered chic right now, it would be a surefire hit.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him you were working hard down here and I would wait until the end of the year to decide. When the current tenant’s lease is up, I’ll give the new lease to the person most deserving.”
Clarissa looked at her grandfather and wondered what exactly she had to do to be deserving in his eyes. Whatever it was, she didn’t think she’d found it yet.