15. Chapter 15
Chapter 15
‘ N ext stroke, easy there,’ said Ottie from her position in the bow. We finished the stroke, then let our blades skim across the water as we drifted under the bridge into the small marina that housed the boat club. Livia had needed to stay late at work, so I was sitting in.
‘Whole crew, backstops, ready, go! said Ottie. We pushed our hands down and moved gently up the slide, rolling the handles in our fingers so our blades squared, ready for the catch.
‘Miri!’ called an animated voice from the pontoon. ‘I have a property for you!’ I took the stroke, then turned my head to see Seb waving his arms, Andrew beside him, watching from the top of the ramp that led to the floating pontoon.
‘Awesome!’ I shouted. It was great and all, but I couldn’t see the need for quite this level of urgency.
We passed the pontoon, and Ottie said, ‘Next stroke, easy.’ We dropped our blades onto the water, and this time dug them in, slowing our speed. We didn’t need an order from Ottie to start turning the boat, chopping our blades back and forth as we’d done so many times before.
‘You have to come now!’ shouted Seb. ‘The owner said he’d hang around until eight, which is in,’—he checked his watch—‘seven minutes! And if you don’t show, the listing will go live first thing tomorrow.’
‘Oh shit,’ said Ottie, looking at the line of two novice boats waiting to use the pontoon in front of us. ‘Coming through!’ she shouted, then she and Hazel started maneuvering us up the line.
‘Sorry,’ I said to the curious faces in the other boats.
‘It’s an emergency!’ cried Seb.
Having successfully queue-jumped, we quickly undid our blades and launched ourselves onto the pontoon.
‘No time,’ said Seb, as I put my hands on the boat, ready to lift it out.
‘Hey, you guys!’ called Ottie, motioning to a novice crew at the top of the ramp, ‘we have somewhere to be in five and a half minutes. It’s an emergency. Can you deal with our boat?’ Apparently, my crew was coming too.
‘Sure!’ they chimed as though delighted to be of assistance.
We pulled on our trainers, then rushed up the ramp, yelling, ‘Thank you!’ to the novice crew as we passed.
‘Where are we going?’ I asked, but Seb and Andrew had taken off at a sprint, so we had no choice but to follow them, no clue where we were headed.
‘It’s up the hill from your café,’ Seb shouted over his shoulder as we raced across the open plaza, heading for my home.
No freaking way!
It must have looked hilarious, the six of us running as though our lives depended on it, but none of us cared. I was just glad I was wearing trainers, and not the flip flops I’d almost selected.
We raced past my café, then up the hill the other side that led towards town, which was lined with high end home renovation shops, restaurants, and hair salons. A gift shop and deli would be the perfect addition, especially as we were headed for the top end, so it would get footfall from the busier main shopping street, too.
‘Wait!’ Seb yelled as we competed to see who could make it to the top first. Of course Andrew won, followed by Seb, who had spotted what the rest of us hadn’t, an older gentleman in a tweed jacket getting into a grey BMW parked in a loading bay on the pedestrianized street. ‘Mr. Hollis!’
The man looked up at the sound of his name, and the rest of us screeched to a halt beside him.
‘I’m so sorry we’re late,’ said Seb, panting hard. ‘Miri was out on the water until approximately two and a half minutes ago.’
Mr. Hollis chuckled. ‘I see,’ he said, casting an appraising sweep of his eyes across our red-faced, sweaty group. ‘Well, I’d better show you around then.’
‘Thank you so much,’ I gushed, breathing hard as I followed him up the worn stone step into his shop, which was filled with kitchen units and tile samples.
The building had been built into the hill, so the front was on a slope, all higgledy-piggledy and full of old-world charm, but inside, it was … ‘Oh wow,’ I said, stepping into the space, which resembled the kind of kitchen you’d find in a lifestyle magazine.
It had soft lighting, big old slabs of stone on the floor, bespoke kitchen units lining the walls, and a marble-topped island in the middle. We all looked around open-mouthed as Mr. Hollis told us his backstory.
‘My dad owned this shop,’ he said, leading us down three steps at the back of the shop to a wide corridor where half the roof was sloping glass, with sliding doors to the right leading out onto a small patio. He had the section decked out with expensive looking granite, marble, and limestone tile samples, but it would also be the perfect space to show off gifts, and the patio would be a wonderful place for people to sit in the summer.
‘I had hoped to pass it onto my son,’ Mr. Hollis continued, ‘but he isn’t interested. Too much like hard work for him. Not that I blame him; this life’s not for everyone. But Seb here said you already own the café and bar down by the river?’
I turned a warm smile on the grey-haired, kindly-faced man. ‘Yes. I’ve had them for a few years and am looking for a new challenge.’
‘You’ve made a great success of them from what I can tell. Everyone talks about coffee these days, but I’m most impressed by your tea selection. I do love a good Darjeeling.’
‘Yes!’ said Seb. ‘Thank you. Finally, some support in this fight!’ It was an ongoing argument between Livia and Seb.
‘Hey!’ said Ottie, swatting him. ‘I like tea, too.’
‘But the deli couldn’t go back here,’ said Belle, her finger tapping the side of her cheek. ‘Too much heat from all the direct sunlight. It would have to go at the front.’
‘That’s better, anyway,’ said Ottie. ‘So then people won’t have to walk so far if they’re just popping in for food.’
‘And even better, if they want to eat the food here,’ said Hazel, ‘they’ll have to walk past the gifts on their way to the patio, and then again on their way out.’
‘Impulse purchases will abound!’ Ottie gleefully agreed.
‘It would need a refit, of course,’ said Belle.
‘But nothing big,’ countered Seb. ‘Not like the other place you looked at.’
‘No,’ I agreed. ‘Is there space out the back?’ I asked Mr. Hollis. ‘Anything I could use as a kitchen? Although, it’s so close to the café, we could always do prep there and bring stuff up.’
‘There’s a small storeroom down here,’ he said, going right to the back and opening a door, ‘and a small WC, and there’s the whole of upstairs, too. I’ve never done anything with it, really. My son lived up there for a bit, and over the years I’ve offered it to friends when they’ve needed a temporary place to stay, but now I just use it as extra storage.’
‘Oh my God,’ I breathed, bounding up the stairs to find two further rooms: a small kitchenette, and a large bathroom. ‘This is amazing! I can change the bathroom into customer restrooms, and there’s still plenty of space for a kitchen, and a storeroom, and more gifts if I find I need the space.’
‘Or you could rent it out,’ said Hazel. ‘Either as studio space, or as a quirky meeting venue.’
‘Ooo, for wellness gatherings,’ said Ottie. ‘I’m always seeing those on Insta.’
‘Or flower arranging workshops,’ said Hazel. ‘They’re all the rage for hen-dos.’
‘It’s got great light,’ said Belle. ‘And it feels nice. It would be a lovely venue.’
‘Oh my … guys!’ I said, turning in a slow circle to take in every detail. My heart was racing, and it was like I was both there and not there, having an out of body experience while everyone around me was chattering excitedly and making further suggestions about how I could use the space.
This was it. Nothing could possibly be better, and especially not in this location. This was a do or do not moment, and if I didn’t do it, I would probably regret it forever because much as I loved my café and bar, they were in a new, purpose-built unit. This place was quirky, full of personality and charm and history. The windows had shutters, and the floorboards looked original, and there wasn’t a single straight line in the place.
It was the kind of shop you’d go to as a kid and remember forever, both because of the delicious treat you convinced your parents to buy, but also because it felt like an adventure merely by virtue of its myriad quirks.
I looked up to see Andrew watching me from across the room, his lips curved into an almost smile, his eyes intense and inquisitive. A swell of happiness filled me because not only was this the one, unquestionably, but because I was here with my friends. With those who loved me and wanted to see me succeed. With Andrew.
‘Well?’ said Seb. ‘We really shouldn’t keep Mr. Hollis any longer.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m just glad the old place might be going to someone who cares. Not a big chain or soulless businessman.’
‘I love it!’ I heard myself saying. ‘Please sell to me. I mean, I don’t even know how much it’s listed for, and this is definitely not the best way to start a negotiation. I should probably seem at least a tiny bit aloof and pretend I’m not head over heels. But I am head over heels, so please let me buy it from you.’
A squeal went up from Ottie, and the others all laughed, and I realized having them here was a brilliant asset because if Mr. Hollis said no , he’d be disappointing six people, not the customary one or two. Six people who were high on life and exercise endorphins. Who could possibly be so cruel as to bring us all down?
Mr. Hollis smiled a warm, fatherly smile. ‘I’d love to sell to you. Seb here has the details, and we can hash something out in the morning. Right now, I have a hot date.’
I laughed, then clapped a hand over my mouth in disbelief. ‘Wow. Thank you! Oh my … Thank you so much!’ And then I found myself being bundled into the middle of an enormous group hug.
‘Out!’ Seb called. ‘Mr. Hollis has to go!’
Mr. Hollis chuckled as he watched us, then followed as we skipped down the stairs and out of the front door. ‘I can’t think of a better person to pass the baton onto,’ he said, locking up. ‘Or maybe a better group!’
We all laughed, then he drove away, and my crew bundled me again, everyone speaking at once.
‘It’s AMAZING!’
‘Ahhhhh! Miri!’
‘This is the most exciting thing that’s happened in FOREVER.’
‘We’ve got a new shop!’
‘I’m going to phone my friend. She does pottery. Her stuff is gorgeous .’
We somehow headed back down the hill without discussion, presumably heading for my bar, and I was so excited, I bounce walked all the way, skipping a couple of times for good measure.
The others were still chatting, talking over each other, squealing, deciding they would be the first to tell Livia, and our coach, and everyone else we knew.
By the time we reached my bar, they still hadn’t let up, and I was so elated and relieved and filled with nervous excitement, I called, ‘Dinner’s on me!’ as I held open the door.
They all cheered as they headed inside, all except Andrew, who tugged the door from my hand, then stilled, looking down at me as he released it and waited for it to swing shut. Suddenly we were in our own little bubble, and the atmosphere, which had been fast and frantic slowed to a near stop, my senses heightened, taking in every tiny detail. The set of his shoulders, the intensity of his gaze, his musky scent mixed with the lavender from the planters.
‘Congratulations, M,’ he said, moving closer, his voice low and husky as he crowded me against the wall.
I bit my lip, exhilarated and happy and full of so many endorphins I thought I might burst. His eyes followed the movement, staring for a second, and then he kissed me, his lips eager yet gentle, and for a moment I let myself be consumed by him, his hand on my hip, the other in my hair, until his tongue caressed mine, and I worried that if I let him continue, we would never make it inside. Not to mention, I didn’t want either my servers or our friends to see us making out like this.
I broke the kiss and urged him back a step, and he obediently moved away, his eyes angled down, his chest rising and falling in staccato. I squeezed his hand, then made to follow the others inside, but he blocked my path, lifting his arm and pressing his hand to the door. Anxiety flared in my chest as he leaned in because surely by now the others had realized we were missing. What if they came looking for us? ‘Andrew—’
‘You’re amazing, Miri,’ he growled, ‘but you’re not paying for my dinner.’