Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Evie dithered some more on the street by Leo’s building. What was the worst that could happen? He’d rejected her once already today, and she was still standing. Standing in full view of him, in fact, if he looked out his window.
She rang his bell.
‘Yes?’ His voice through the intercom sounded weary.
‘It’s me,’ she said, adding hastily, ‘I’m not here to talk personal stuff! I’ve had an idea about work!’
‘It can’t wait till tomorrow morning?’ he said. ‘You know, when we’re actually at work.’
‘Probably,’ said Evie. ‘But I’m here now.’ She held up a paper bag so he could hear it rustle. ‘And a nice lady taxi driver insisted I stop for takeaways.’
A beat. ‘What did you get?’
‘A beef and lamb combo from the Ethiopian café.’
‘The combo that feeds three people?’
‘The very same.’
The door buzzed and clicked open. ‘Come on up.’
Leo opened the door to his flat. He’d changed out of his work wear.
‘Is that a smoking jacket?’ said Evie. ‘Swanky!’
‘It’s a dressing gown,’ said Leo, sulkily. ‘I wasn’t expecting company.’
‘Oo, and leather slippers, too,’ said Evie. ‘Now all you need is a pipe and a 1950’s wife to bring you food. Oh, wait–’
She placed the paper bag on his immaculate kitchen bench.
‘Did you get any injera?’ Leo asked, as he fetched plates and cutlery.
‘Of course,’ said Evie. ‘And beer.’
‘IPA?’ said Leo.
‘Bog standard lager,’ said Evie. ‘Slum it, I dare you.’
They dished up the food in the kitchen and took plates and beer to Leo’s dining nook. It wasn’t made for expansive entertaining. The small circular table could fit three people maximum, four if you didn’t mind clashing elbows. Leo took a chair, Evie the banquette against the wall. The atmosphere between them was still strained, so they ate and drank in silence. Evie had seconds. Leo did not. They loaded the dishwasher, tidied the table and bench, separated the rubbish and recycling. They’d eaten their fill, and the kitchen was back to being immaculate. There were no more distractions to be had.
Normally, Evie wouldn’t think twice before breaking the silence. But it seemed important that Leo did it, so she held back. And just as her nerves reached snapping point–
‘So, what’s this idea?’ Leo said. ‘And why couldn’t it wait until tomorrow?’
‘Shall we have a cup of tea and sit down?’ Evie suggested. ‘And I’ll talk you through it?’
Leo gave a wry half-smile. ‘You don’t give up easily, do you?’
‘Some things matter too much,’ she said.
It came out more forcefully than she’d intended. Leo blinked, taken aback. Then his whole expression crumpled into one of rueful shame.
‘I’ve been a total tosser, haven’t I?’ he said to her. ‘So worried about being judged that I run screaming into the hills like a cowardy custard. An IPA-swilling surrender monkey.’
‘That’s – confusing but vivid.’ Evie frowned. ‘Who did you think was going to judge you?’
‘ You , of course!’ Leo shouted. ‘And everyone! But mainly you …’
‘Judge you for what ?’ Evie felt she was still missing something.
Leo tilted his head upward and stared at his kitchen’s pristine white ceiling.
‘For not being the hero,’ he said, flatly. ‘When Keith and Kev talked to me this morning, they said that any ideas to help them out-manoeuvre Plumbing Ultra would be very welcome. I realised that they saw me as some marketing wunderkind, who knew all the modern tricks and strategies for being super competitive. They had hope – that I could save their business …’
‘What did you tell them?’ Evie said, softly.
Leo looked at her, his mouth tight with chagrin. ‘That I’d give the problem serious thought. Which was bullshit, of course. I knew I couldn’t come up with an idea to save Double K any more than I could–’
He stopped, stuck for an example.
‘Leave your pillows un-plumped?’ suggested Evie. ‘Wear polyester? Have fluffy dice hanging from the mirror of your Golf?’
‘Fluffy dice are post-post-modern cool now,’ said Leo. ‘Like Crocs.’
‘You’re making jokes again,’ said Evie, with a smile. ‘Feeling a bit better?’
‘No,’ said Leo. ‘I was tosser with you, too. My behaviour today was inexcusably shitty. If I were you, I wouldn’t forgive me.’ He held her gaze. ‘But I hope you will.’
‘Well, now I understand your behaviour,’ said Evie. ‘I hated it, just so we’re clear. But it makes sense to me now.’
‘You mean, now you know that I’m a gutless poltroon?’
‘Now I know that you’re human like the rest of us,’ said Evie, firmly. ‘None of us would cope with having the responsibility for saving a whole business dumped on us, either!’
‘And yet you’re here with an idea to do just that,’ said Leo, mutinously. ‘Seems you’re coping just fine.’
Evie gave him a hard stare. ‘Make the tea, Hurst,’ she ordered. ‘And put your ridiculous insecurity complex in the bin with the tea bags where it belongs.’
‘I use loose leaf,’ said Leo, after a short pause. ‘So, I’ll put everything in the bokashi.’
‘I’ve no idea what that is,’ said Evie. ‘But you do your thing, and I’ll go make myself comfy in your classy living room.’
Leo’s tea set turned out to be Japanese, sophisticated and minimal, with handle-less cups that all matched and didn’t have novelty sayings or chips in the rim.
‘I hope you’re all right with lapsang souchong,’ he told her. ‘It’s all I had.’
‘We’ll soon find out,’ said Evie.
She took a cup and sniffed. It smelled woody and smoky. And tasted–
‘ Delicious ,’ said Evie. ‘Good choice.’
‘Glad you approve,’ said Leo, with a wry smile. Then he said, ‘Come on. Spill. What’s this amazing idea of yours?’
‘Of ours ,’ said Evie, triumphantly. ‘It’s that strategy document that we put together. I think it’s the key to helping Double K hold its own.’
Leo frowned as he cast his mind back over what they’d proposed.
‘I don’t see it,’ he confessed. ‘We mainly talked about how Double K could cement closer relationships with its customers. How will that help if Plumbing Ultra undercuts pricing?’
‘Because pricing isn’t everything!’ Evie searched for a way to explain. ‘What was Ash doing that morning we spent with them?’
‘Fixing a shower stall?’ Leo’s tone implied that she might be losing her mind.
‘Wrong!’
Leo laughed. ‘Okay. What then?’
‘Solving a problem!’ said Evie. ‘Making the customer’s life easier! And doing it efficiently and with integrity, so the customer doesn’t have to worry about being ripped off and being left with a shower stall that leaks again a week later.’
‘Building trust,’ said Leo, nodding. ‘Ensuring Straight Flush is the customer’s plumber of choice. And that they’ll recommend Straight Flush to all their friends.’
‘ Yes !’ Evie put her teacup down before she dropped it. ‘So, what if Double K helped every plumbing firm be the best they can be? What if Double K had a phone line that plumbers could call to get advice from experts? What if Double K trained plumbers in great customer service, and helped them set up efficient systems and processes? What if Double K gave objective reviews and ratings on all plumbing supplies, so you could trust what you bought from them? Might piss a few suppliers off, but I think most would relish the chance to show off their products.’
There was a new spark in Leo’s eye. ‘Those ideas sound remarkably like the ones we included in our strategy paper.’
‘They do, don’t they?’ said Evie, happily. ‘Which geniuses wrote that?’
‘It might be too late,’ Leo warned. ‘Keith and Kev have all but signed the sale agreement.’
‘What if we rallied Double K’s customers?’ said Evie. ‘Rang round all the most loyal ones first thing tomorrow? Enrolled them in our cause?’
‘And our cause is?’ said Leo.
‘Giving Keith and Kev the ammunition to tell Plumbing Ultra to shove it,’ Evie replied. ‘If our loyal customers tell us our ideas are good, and they’d be prepared to pay a bit extra to get all that added value, then we’ve disrupted the usual plumbing supplies business model! And given Double K an unassailable competitive platform!’
Leo was staring at her like she’d grown two heads.
‘If you’d said we’d Blue-Oceaned it, that would have been full business jargon Bingo.’
‘You’re rubbing off on me,’ said Evie, with a smile. ‘I don’t mind it as much as I thought.’
‘I think I love you, Evie Martin,’ said Leo, quietly and in earnest.
‘I’m pretty sure I love you, too, Leo Hurst,’ said Evie. ‘And because of that, I’m going to resist an urge to drag you to the bedroom by the cord of that sexy dressing gown and leave now so we can both get some sleep. We’ll need to get up at crack of dawn if we’re going to call all our customers by midday.’
Leo stood up as she did. ‘I’ll see you out.’
‘Absolutely not,’ said Evie, backing away. ‘If I get too close to you, all my good intentions will evaporate in an inferno of lust, so I won’t risk it.’
She smiled at him before she closed the door. ‘You see, I’m only human, too.’
Steady, steady. We are almost there, but we can’t afford to take our eyes off the ball …