Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
I’d not been back in the Bookship five minutes when there was a knock on the shop door.
I quickly wiped my eyes, hoping that my visitor wouldn’t spot that I’d been crying.
I was annoyed at myself for doing so, but the combination of my boat being crashed into and the subsequent confrontation with Jack had thoroughly shaken me up.
I was normally pretty even-tempered, but the man brought out the worst in me.
‘Come in,’ I called, trying so hard to be normal that I’m pretty sure I sounded anything but.
I hoped it wasn’t Jack returning for round two.
Or maybe he’d come to reclaim his coat which I still had wrapped around my shoulders, its warm fleecy lining a comfort, despite the lingering faintly citrusy scent which made me feel like its owner was still hovering over me.
As I hastily removed the coat, Liam appeared in the doorway, and I heaved a sigh of relief.
‘Hey, Molly, I wanted to stop by to ask if you’re alright,’ he said. ‘I saw what happened. You poor thing, you look properly done in.’
He hurried over to me and squeezed my arm sympathetically.
‘It’s not been the easiest day,’ I replied, taking a step away, fearing that if I allowed myself to accept his kindness I might start crying again.
‘I can imagine. I was live streaming on the other bank when he collided with you and ended up filming the whole thing as it happened,’ he said, gesturing at his phone.
‘I got some great action shots of you mid-jump. My followers were pretty impressed by your athleticism as you saved the situation, the heroine of the day. The video’s engagement’s already off the scale with all the comments pouring in.
You can guess what they had to say about his steering ability, or should I say inability. ’
I wasn’t sure how I felt knowing such an upsetting incident had been broadcast live for the world to see.
My uncertainty must have shown on my face because Liam added, ‘I’m sorry but there was no time to ask permission to keep filming, and on the plus side the video will be good evidence for your insurance claim. ’
I pursed my lips. ‘I’m hoping it won’t come to that. Making a claim will send my premium sky high. Jack says he’ll cover the costs.’
‘Let’s hope that’s the case,’ said Liam in a doubtful voice which chimed with my own concern.
‘Anyway, where are my manners? I know it’s your boat, but can I make you a cup of tea?
It feels like the kind of situation where a strong and sweet brew – a drink to match your personality in fact – would be a good idea. ’
I laughed at the overblown compliment, as I’m sure he’d intended me to. ‘Honestly, it’s kind of you, but I’m fine,’ I protested, but Liam was having none of it.
‘It’s no bother,’ he said, letting himself into the galley and starting to prepare the drink, opening and closing cupboards until he found the right implements. Hilda grumbled at him as he clattered around, for which apparent sin he apologised profusely.
I settled down on one of the bean bags in the bookshop and decided I’d allow myself to be taken care of for once.
Liam soon returned with the steaming hot drink, along with one for himself, and a plate of biscuits which he must have brought with him, because I knew for a fact my cupboards were empty of any such treats. He sat down next to me and stared spooling through his socials.
‘Check you out,’ he said, pointing at the reel of me steering the Jericho Wine Barge to safety which he’d posted on his feed. It had already gained several hundred likes.
‘And you tagged the bookshop in it too,’ I said, unsure whether to be pleased or embarrassed by my new-found social media fame.
‘I hope you don’t mind?’ he asked. ‘I sometimes forget not everyone lives their life by the algorithm.’
‘I probably should get better at understanding it, to boost the Bookship’s following,’ I said.
‘Happy to help you, any time. I mean, the social media giants are constantly changing the goal posts, but I do okay.’
‘You do more than okay. What is it now, eighty-five thousand followers on YouTube?’ I asked, happy to think about something other than the crash for a few minutes.
‘Hovering around eighty-nine actually. The hundred k mark remains elusive, alas.’
‘And here’s me being proud of my two thousand followers on Instagram. Some of them might even be actual people rather than bots.’
I took a sip of the tea and pulled a face.
‘Sorry, did I go too hard on the sugar?’ asked Liam.
‘Just a little.’ Nevertheless, I took another sip and started to feel the energy returning to my body.
‘I figured you’d need all the help you could get after your encounter with Mr Jack Siddall.’
There was something in the tone of his voice which made me sit up straight.
‘Do you know him? I mean, from somewhere other than the blind date night.’
Liam took a bite of biscuit before he answered.
‘I may have encountered him in my previous existence,’ he said carefully.
‘You’re not giving much away there. I sense there’s a story to be told.’
He shrugged, trying to appear casual, but the knuckles of his left hand were white as he clenched his fingers into a fist. ‘You make it sound much more interesting than it is,’ he said, his tone most unlike his usual relaxed happy-go-lucky manner.
‘It’s not really that big a deal. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself nowadays.
I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it.’
I took another sip of the disgusting tea, my heart accelerating as my imagination went wild over what Liam wasn’t saying, then I tried a different tack.
‘You can’t say something like that and then go all coy about it.
Look, the guy’s going to be living just along the canal from me.
If there’s something about my new neighbour that I need to know, as my friend, it would be great if you told me. ’
He pursed his lips, still considering.
‘I’ll be the soul of discretion,’ I added. ‘I’ve read a couple of articles about the Siddalls. Jack isn’t mentioned much, but it’s clear that his family are uber successful, and if you ask me, it’s not possible to get that rich without there being a level of ruthlessness along the way.’
‘Ruthless certainly…’ Liam made a conscious effort to relax his fist, having realised I’d noticed it. ‘The trouble is, I signed an NDA, and the Siddalls are a litigious bunch.’
I was getting more and more worried. ‘I promise it won’t go any further.’
He nodded. ‘I know I can trust you. It’s something I still find hard to talk about, even though it was a couple of years ago now.
But you’re a mate and a fellow boatie, and you’re right, the guy’s going to be living next door to you.
You should know what you’re dealing with.
’ He lowered his voice, and quickly looked about him before he continued speaking, almost as if he expected Jack to appear at any moment.
‘Before I discovered the waterways and got into content creation, I used to work in the corporate world. I know, I know, it’s hard to imagine me in a suit and tie.
’ He grinned, and I experienced the briefest flash of regret that I’d fixed him up with my best friend, before feeling guilty and reminding myself that I didn’t have time for that kind of thing.
‘Anyway, so Jack and I used to work together. He was Mr Nepo Baby Trader, and I was the guy who was working his way up from the shop floor so to speak. We were supposedly at the same level of seniority, but you know how these things go. It’s all about who you know and what your name is.
Some people try their best to make it on their own merits despite their connections.
Others…’ His voice trailed off. It was easy to fill in the gaps.
‘Anyway, it went down in a disappointingly predictable way. We both went for the same promotion. I’d been working hard on a project; Jack offered to help.
Then suddenly there he was presenting all my research as his, while I looked like a complete mug.
He generously threw me a bone and offered to let me deliver some of his findings, which I refused to do because they were clearly acquired through questionably legal methods.
Inevitably he was the one to get a massive bonus plus the corner office with the city view.
I meanwhile got called in by the boss, who just so happened to be Jack’s dad, and was told I was out on my ear because my work wasn’t up to scratch.
’ He laughed bitterly. ‘I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming.
Still, I suppose it all worked out for the best. If that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have found my real passion. ’
Liam was trying to see the positive, but I could tell he was still hurt by what had happened. As he had every right to be.
‘What a horrible thing to do,’ I said. ‘That’s downright dirty behaviour. If you can’t get something without resorting to trickery or having to use friends in high places, then you’re not meant to have it.’
Liam nodded. ‘You’re absolutely right. But I guess insecurity will drive people to act in ways they otherwise probably wouldn’t.’
‘That’s a very generous interpretation of things. I’m not sure he’d afford you the same courtesy,’ I said.
‘It’s been tough, but I’ve moved on with my life. The guy doesn’t deserve any of my head space.’
‘I don’t suppose you’ll be wanting to stick around for long now that he’s here in Oxford,’ I said, now regretting setting him up with Flick for a very different reason. I didn’t want my best friend to fall head over heels for someone who wasn’t planning to stay.
‘Actually, I have no intention of changing my plans,’ he said forcefully. ‘I don’t see why I should leave purely because he’s turned up.’
‘Good for you.’ I reached out to scratch Hilda’s head. ‘I wonder what made him quit the family business. From trading to running a bar is quite a career change. Do you suppose his dad realised what he did to you?’
Liam frowned. ‘Old man Siddall likes nothing more than a businessman who’ll stop at nothing to get to the top.
If anything, I’d imagine setting up his own enterprise is Jack’s attempt at trying to impress his daddy still further.
Mark my words, he’ll have big plans, and I doubt his boutique bar will remain that way for long.
He’ll already be looking at ways to expand the Siddall empire and take over the canal. ’
‘Well, he can’t expand here. I’m not going anywhere,’ I said, hoping what I said was true.
But my anxiety about the mooring fees was now even more pronounced.
If I couldn’t afford to pay them, and there happened to be a neighbouring boat with a wealthy owner looking to grow his business, the Oxford Boating Association would be falling over themselves to move me along and offer him my mooring position so he could do precisely that.
My battle to survive had just got even harder.