Chapter 4 #3
After a few moments Belinda walked in, dressed in a bright pink trouser suit.
She always wore brightly coloured suits, pinks, reds, lime greens, yellows.
As someone who loved brightly coloured clothing herself, Immy could relate to that need for colour.
She’d often wondered if it was Belinda’s attempt to be approachable but Immy had always found her too daunting for that.
Belinda spotted her and walked straight over, or rather marched.
‘Immy, I am so sorry to hear about the fire last night. I trust you are well, not hurt in any way?’
‘Umm, no, thank you, I’m fine. I went to the hospital last night but they gave me a thorough check-up and I’m fine. All thanks to the quick-thinking actions of Xander.’
Belinda turned to him. ‘I heard of your heroic deeds. Very impressive. We’ll have to give you some kind of medal for bravery.’
‘Oh god, no, I definitely don’t need a medal. I just did what anyone would do. The flat wasn’t even on fire, just the shop, so it didn’t feel particularly heroic.’
‘Well it was. You saved her life, and her dog of course.’
‘It was nothing, really,’ Xander said, blushing.
‘Well, I’m sure Immy and the people of the town are very grateful. Immy, is there anything I can do to help?’
In Immy’s experience when things went wrong, people handed over platitudes or empty offers of help to feel like they had done their bit but never actually followed through with the help.
After her brain injury, which had left her struggling to do the most basic tasks, she hadn’t felt that she had anyone local to her to turn to.
Her boyfriend, Zac, had made it clear he found her need for help tiresome and frustrating and they had ended a few weeks after the accident.
Thankfully Immy’s sister had stepped up and looked after her because no one else had.
But then she hadn’t been living in Lovegrove Bay then and she’d already seen the power of this community over the years.
Rather than just saying ‘Thanks’ and dismissing the offer, she needed to grab it with both hands.
‘Most importantly, I need a structural surveyor or building inspector to come out and see if the flat and shop are safe to return to. I can’t return to my flat until they declare the building safe.
All my stuff is there: my phone, purse, laptop, my clothes.
And I can’t go in and survey the damage in the shop or start clearing it up until it’s safe either. ’
Belinda pulled a tablet out of her bag and started making notes.
‘My hands are tied as it’s the weekend, but first thing Monday morning, I’ll get in touch with someone who can do that for you.
I’ll make sure they come to you Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning at the latest. What’s your number so I can liaise with you about it? ’
‘I’ll have to give you Xander’s number. As my phone is in my flat, I won’t get any calls or messages.’
Xander gave her his number and Belinda typed it into her tablet.
‘And then presuming the building is structurally sound, we need to commence a clear-up operation as soon as possible,’ Belinda said, tapping away on her tablet.
‘Well, I’m not sure how long it will take with the insurance company. Xander said his brothers will help fix things but I’ll need money for repairs which will come from the insurance.’
Belinda held up her hand. ‘There’s no need to worry about that. I’ve already set up a donation page to help with the cost of repairs. It’s currently sitting at a little over one thousand pounds.’
Immy stared at her in shock. People had donated money to help her. She swallowed a lump in her throat.
‘I’m sure more people will donate once they hear about it,’ Belinda went on.
‘Although it’s the talk of the town this morning, I can tell you.
Other people have messaged me to offer their time: carpenters, decorators, cleaners.
I think we can move pretty quickly on this.
It’s imperative that the shop is finished for the Easter egg hunt on Sunday. ’
Immy’s heart sank. ‘Oh god, the Easter egg hunt. With everything that’s happened, I’d completely forgotten about that. All the little jelly bunnies I’d ordered for it would have been destroyed. I’d ordered cardboard bunny ears for the participants too, I bet they’ll be gone as well.’
‘Well we might be able to get replacements in time. Speak to the suppliers as soon as you can,’ Belinda said.
‘All the maps will be destroyed too,’ Immy said. ‘They took a while to arrive when I ordered them from the printers.’
‘Well, do you have the original file saved on your computer?’
‘Yes, but it was printed on glossy coloured paper.’
‘You email me the map and I’ll make sure we have enough copies printed for the big day. Xander, I presume we can still rely on you for the chocolate eggs?’
‘Yes, I have that in hand.’
‘As for the hunt, I think we can still run it in some capacity even if the shop isn’t ready,’ Immy said.
‘The shop will be ready,’ Belinda said.
‘We only have a week.’
‘Providing the building inspector says it’s safe to return to, it will be ready, I’ll make sure of that.
We have been advertising the Easter egg hunt for the last six weeks and we’ve had hundreds of people saying they are coming, not just locals, plus there’ll be tourists here for the Easter holidays.
The sweet shop is the focal point for the hunt.
All the posters say to go there to collect the maps and clues.
The Easter egg hunt is important for the tourism of the town – people will go to the shops, pubs, café and restaurants after completing the hunt – but it also raises thousands of pounds for charity every year.
It has to go ahead. The shop will be ready, you mark my words. ’
‘Well if it isn’t I’m sure we could set up a table out the front,’ Immy tried. A week wasn’t anywhere near enough to fix the shop. Belinda might be a force to be reckoned with but even she couldn’t work miracles.
‘Or we can run it from my shop,’ Xander offered.
‘You leave it with me, I’ll be in touch,’ Belinda said, simply not taking defeat as any kind of answer.
With that she swept from the room, still tapping away furiously on her tablet.
Immy turned to Xander in shock. ‘We can’t get the shop finished in a week.’
‘I don’t know. Once Belinda puts her mind to something, there’s no stopping her.’