Chapter 15
Angelia shook a pill from the bottle she had been given and made her way down the stairs, closely followed by her canine best friend. She arrived, yawning and drained, to find her dad and Meghan sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and chatting.
‘Oh, there she is. Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?’ her dad asked as Scrappy walked over to him for his morning cuddle.
She had tried her best to keep the severity of her insomnia from her parents so as not to worry them further.
‘I did, thanks,’ she lied as she ran some water into a glass and swallowed the tablet.
This time, thankfully, it went down with ease.
Swallowing had been an issue again over the past few days.
‘Ah, that’s good. There’s coffee made,’ her dad said with a smile as she bent to kiss his head. ‘I’m just about to head off for work but wanted to wait ’til you got up to check you were okay.’
‘Thanks, Dad.’ She poured herself a mug and inhaled the steam with closed eyes, relishing the earthy aroma.
Coffee was her rescue remedy. She didn’t often eat breakfast but couldn’t function without her first mug of coffee, and her lack of sleep meant it was even more necessary and appreciated.
‘I emailed Bella Donaldson, the interior designer down in Glentorrin, last night,’ she announced.
‘I want her to come and have a look at the shop to see what can be done now it’s cleared out and cleaner. ’
‘Great idea,’ her dad said as he stood from the table. ‘I look forward to hearing what she says.’
Angelia took a seat at the table, opposite Meghan. ‘I suppose the decorating is the fun and easy part. What may be trickier is finding someone who wants to either buy or rent the place to run it as a record shop. Maybe I’m being too specific, after all.’ Her heart sank a little as she spoke.
‘Hmm,’ her dad said thoughtfully. ‘Maybe, if you’re so keen on having it converted into a record shop, you could keep the place and just hire in a manager to run it?
’ he said with a shrug. ‘That way it can be whatever you want but you’ll own it and simply employ someone.
You can choose and source the stock and decide how it’s run.
It’s another thing for your portfolio and it’s something that means a lot to you.
You’ve been obsessed with records since you learned how to operate my old turntable.
And even though it’s a little different for Glentorrin, it’s more of a passion project.
You could see how it goes and if it doesn’t work, you could sell it on.
’ He shrugged as if it was as easy as all that.
But maybe it was. She didn’t need the money right now so it was the perfect opportunity to try such a thing out.
Her dad continued. ‘I actually think people would travel to it from the mainland. Like they do for your mum’s bookshop.
If you create the right atmosphere and curate a good selection of vinyl, sheet music, maybe band and vintage movie posters, too, I think it could be very successful.
You’d maybe need a warehouse as well but we could look into that as and when… ’
She loved this about her dad. He was very business-minded and always had the best ideas.
A jolt of excitement flipped her stomach.
Having her dad’s approval was always something she sought, even as an adult; luckily for her she acquired it on most things.
And the thought of owning her own retail business was as enticing as it was terrifying.
‘Yeah… I actually like the sound of that. I could do that. I could own a record shop,’ she said with a nod of affirmation.
‘The fact that you own the place couldn’t hurt with publicity either,’ Meghan added.
Her dad wagged a finger at Meghan. ‘Very good point. You hear about actors owning restaurants and being flocked with people hoping to spot the celebrities. It must be good for business.’
‘Oh, definitely,’ Meghan said with enthusiasm. ‘Mark Wahlberg has a burger joint; Jon Bon Jovi owns a wine company and a community kitchen. So many more famous women have started companies too. I know of a few fashion and beauty brands but none that own a record store. It’s good to be the first.’
‘The more I think about it, the more excited I get,’ Angelia said.
‘The fact that you’re so excited speaks volumes, love,’ her dad said with a smile. ‘It’s good to see you lighting up like that again.’
Angelia sighed. ‘I can’t wait to talk to Bella Donaldson now.’
* * *
Once she was showered and dressed, Angelia checked her emails and was delighted to see a reply from the interior designer.
Dear Angelia,
It was lovely to hear from you and to learn about the possibility of a business moving into the old building in Glentorrin.
It has such potential. If you’re free this afternoon, I can meet you there around 2 p.m. My mobile number is in the signature section of the email so just drop me a text if that’s easier.
Hopefully see you this afternoon.
Best wishes,
Bella
Angelia’s stomach flipped with giddiness, and she dropped her a text right away to confirm the appointment. She then informed Meghan she would need to take a drive to Glentorrin again. Of course, Meghan jumped at the chance.
The weather was mild but a little overcast as they travelled south on the island in the little yellow Mini Cooper and when they arrived in the village, Bella was waiting outside the shop.
Angelia was surprised to discover she was one of the women from the church who had been involved in the dispute over the injured organist and poorly choir manager, or was it the other way around?
Anyway, she was the granddaughter of the feisty purple-haired old lady who Angelia had taken an immediate liking to from afar.
Bella smiled brightly as she saw the car coming to a stop. Angelia climbed out and lifted Scrappy to the floor. His tail began to wag excitedly as he saw the potential new friend waiting for them.
‘Bella Donaldson?’ Angelia asked with a smile.
Bella’s face coloured bright pink and she held out her hand.
‘Yes, yes, that’s me. It’s lovely to meet you.
I was a little nervous when Ruby mentioned she had given you my details.
I’d heard you had connections to Skye but never expected to actually meet you,’ Bella said, her words coming out in a rush.
‘Oh, heck, sorry for rambling, I’m a wee bit starstruck.
Me and my husband love your band. We came to see you in Glasgow a few years ago and you were amazing. ’
Angelia shook the offered hand and smiled. ‘Ah, thank you. And thanks for meeting me at such short notice.’
Bella waved a dismissive hand. ‘Oh, it’s no bother at all. I’m excited to see inside the old place. It’s fascinated me for a while now.’
‘Well, all I can say is it’s a good thing you’re seeing it after we’ve cleaned up because until now it was a bit grotty,’ Angelia said.
‘Oh, I’ve probably seen worse.’
‘This is Meghan, my assistant,’ Angelia said as she gestured to her and the two women shook hands.
‘And who’s this little cutie?’ Bella asked as she bent to greet the mini schnauzer.
‘This wee nugget is Scrappy. And he will no doubt love you forever if you keep giving him pets. He’s very friendly.’
Meghan took a hold of Scrappy’s lead and Angelia unlocked the wooden outer doors and then the inner ones. She stepped inside followed by Bella, Meghan and, of course, Scrappy.
‘Oh, wow. I can see what you mean about the vision that’s required,’ Bella said with a giggle.
‘It’s certainly a blank canvas. But honestly, the hotel I worked on was far worse.
’ She wandered around making notes on an iPad and snapped photos too.
‘Such potential,’ she whispered as she glanced up at the ceiling and let her attention track the whole room.
‘I think this place would make a splendid record shop; it’s got bags of character and people love buildings like this with charm for retail spaces.
I can definitely imagine it full of customers. Especially at Christmas.’
Angelia widened her eyes and grinned. ‘I thought of it at Christmas too. I can really imagine it all decked out with twinkling lights and a tree over there in the corner.’
Bella nodded. ‘Oh, absolutely. I’m glad we’re on the same page there.’
Angelia added, ‘And I’d really like to incorporate the old cash register in the design, if possible.’
Bella turned to face her. ‘Well, that goes without saying. It’s a fabulous piece of history and it’d be a shame not to include it.’
They eventually made their way upstairs and Bella made notes about the rooms, their layouts, window positions, and she used a laser tape to take some measurements. Angelia was impressed with how thorough she seemed to be.
‘Now, what I ask all my clients to do is create a sort of mood board filled with colours they like, styles, etcetera, so I can get a feel of the kind of look you’d like to go for. Will you be living here in the flat when you’re not on tour?’ Bella asked.
Angelia hadn’t really thought about living in the place herself…
until now, that is. ‘Oh… I’m not really sure.
I don’t know when I’m going to be touring again, to be honest, because…
’ She stopped herself from saying anything further.
After all, she didn’t know Bella and even though she seemed like a nice person, she didn’t want to trauma-dump on someone she had only just met.
Bella held up her hand. ‘Don’t worry, I don’t need to know anything further than who I’m decorating the place for. I can aim for neutrals if that makes it easier, then the resident can add their own artwork to make the place theirs.’
Angelia nodded. ‘Sounds great, thank you.’