Chapter 55
‘Boss? Earth to Noah Hathaway!’ Ruby’s strident tones cut through Noah’s reverie and he snapped back to reality at the irritation in her voice.
‘Sorry. I was miles away.’
‘Again? At this rate, I think I’d better take over the driving. And the bloody business!’
Noah shook his head and tried to concentrate on the road ahead, but the endless turns into identikit suburban streets weren’t enough to hold his interest. They were on their way to yet another client meeting for yet another expensive house in a part of London where houses sold virtually before they were listed.
And where was the fun in that? Where was the challenge?
Five years ago, when he’d started Noah Hathaway Estates, this was what he’d dreamed of; easy sales on lucrative properties that would make the business some much-needed turnover in the early days.
Now, that didn’t feel as though it was enough for him.
‘How about some music?’ Ruby asked. Without waiting for his response, she fiddled with the sound system, and the title track from Isabella Indigo’s album, Heartbreaker, boomed out of the Tesla’s speakers.
‘Christ, Noah, this is a bit retro. I haven’t heard that song in years!
’ Ruby’s laughter died away as they both listened to the track while Noah turned down another road.
‘This takes me back to Interrailing during my gap year. Isabella Indigo was the soundtrack in all the clubs and coffee shops back then, and I even went to one of her gigs. I wonder what happened to her?’
Noah considered telling Ruby but then thought better of it.
If Bella didn’t want to be part of the music world any more, then he should respect her privacy and not gossip about her.
Something told him that the ambitious and driven Ruby would find it difficult to understand why Bella had stepped away from the spotlight.
‘It’s a great album, though,’ Ruby continued. ‘I wonder if it’s available on TikTok. We could sample a bit of it as the backing track to our house viewing videos.’
‘That’s an idea.’ Noah slowed down, and then carefully manoeuvred his car into a parking space. Then, he turned back to Ruby. ‘Sorry I’ve been a bit distracted again. Got a lot on my mind.’
‘When have you not?’ Ruby’s eyes rolled briefly. ‘Anything I can help with?’
‘Possibly,’ Noah replied. ‘I’m thinking I’d like to expand the business, but I need to think about a few things first.’
‘Expansion? Are we ready?’
‘That’s what I need to think about!’
‘In London?’
‘Perhaps.’ Noah paused. Ruby was his second-in-command, and he’d always discussed the trajectory of the business with her; from the first week he’d taken her on, he’d wanted her to be in the loop as much as possible.
But this idea of his was still nascent, and he needed to think things through before he shared it.
‘Do you think we’re ready to expand? It’s a bit of a risk in this current climate.’
‘I’m not sure yet,’ Noah conceded. ‘I need to do some research. But… if it came to it, how would you feel about taking on the Fulham branch on your own?’
Ruby’s face lit up. ‘You know I’d love it. But what about you?’
‘That’s what I need to work out.’ Noah glanced behind him to make sure nothing was driving past before he pushed open the car door.
‘For now, though, we’ve got a client to meet.
’ In the five seconds between car and kerb, he had his salesman’s head back on.
If he was serious about expansion, he’d better bloody well put the work in on the business he already had.
Later that evening, sitting at his desk, Noah was doing some sums. The agency had had a good couple of years, that was for sure, but was it enough to take on a second branch?
Ruby had quite rightly been excited at the prospect of running the flagship branch, and Noah knew he could trust her, but could he trust himself?
Was he ready to take another risk? What if it failed?
Sighing, he pushed back his office chair and stood up, looking out of the window to the uninspiring view of the bins and the brick-walled yard.
He suddenly wished he was back in Lower Brambleton, sitting out in Jack’s garden, enjoying the last of the sun’s rays before a balmy, sweet night gently fell.
If you take a chance and open a second branch, you could go home there every night.
Noah shook his head. If only it was as simple as that.
While retail space would be cheaper in the countryside, it was still going to be a hefty outlay, and he had enough real estate savvy to know that bricks and mortar shops were a riskier and riskier proposition these days.
He only had to think back to his conversation with Mollie and Bella about the Purrfect Paws charity shop to know that.
Then it hit him. His knees went weak as adrenaline, spiked by the thought, flooded his system.
He leaned on the windowsill of his small office, taking in once again the uninspiring sight of the yard, and drew a deep breath.
It was a mad idea, and there were a lot of potential creases he’d have to iron out, but if he thought it through properly, and presented a good case, then he might have hit upon a way to solve not only his problems, but Mollie’s as well.
Sitting back in his seat, he drafted an email to Ruby and Violet, requesting a meeting early the next morning.