#5 The Quay

Molly was not one to turn away business and if this was THE Kevin O'Brien that she had met previously, there was no reason not to do the lessons. She had enjoyed his company when they first met, and knew he would be a good student. The reservations were made for two weeks later for the weekend. Molly set the date in her calendar and went on about her regular business for the next two weeks.

Friday arrived and as Molly walked up from the dock when she finished her afternoon lesson and waiting on the bench next to the shop door holding her note was Kevin O'Brien. He was relaxed, reading the local paper, as he looked over the top edge to greet her as she arrived at the door.

“Bet you never thought you'd see me again,” he chuckled.

“I never bet on whether clients will be back or not. I just hope they have learned what I have taught them and put it to good use. So did you impress your boss?” Molly was curious.

“Oh, that. Actually I did fine. He was very impressed. I didn't get the promotion and ended up leaving that firm and got another job. But I never forgot how much I enjoyed my time sailing and told everyone about it every chance I had,” Kevin explained.

“I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself. It's a shame you didn't get that promotion,” Molly was still wondering about Kevin's motives.

“Yeah, I guess I was talking about it so much that when my birthday came my sister called you and purchased more lessons for me!” he laughed.

It was at this point that Molly was finally putting it all together. A great birthday gift. She would have to add that to her website as an idea to build up some business during slower times.

“But you are early,” Molly queried.

“Oh, I know. I wanted to just stop by and ask if you had any ideas of places that I could look to let on a regular basis on the weekends. I'm thinking I might like to extend my sister's gift and start taking more lessons on weekends until I become more proficient,” Kevin smiled at Molly as he said the word “proficient”.

“Kevin, the only problem with that is most of the cottages down here let by the week only. If you were planning on only the weekends you might be better with the local hotel, The Saltee Hotel (http://www.hotelsaltees.ie/), or the Quay House B&B (http://www.quayhouse.net/),” Molly explained.

“Well then, I'm off to check both of those locations to see what I can set up, and I'll be back in the morning for my lesson,” Kevin acknowledged Molly's suggestion and turned and was off.

Molly took the time she had to grab a snack and take care of some business in the sail shop. Besides lessons, she also had to make sure she had adequate supplies for sailing and for others who came into the area to sail. She also carried a small inventory of hats and shirts that had the Callahan Sail Shop logo and were given to customers who booked a week's worth of lessons, or those who just wanted to purchase the items.

Molly was a business woman and knew how important it was to keep her business in the forefront and continue to bring customers in for sailing lessons and for purchasing supplies at the shop. Even thinking about the fact that Kevin was so pleased with his new sailing acumen that he wanted to come back for more lessons was a testament to Molly's skills.