16. Chapter 16
Chapter 16
T he next few weeks flew by, and by the time I got the keys to the shop, I’d already formulated a full refit plan with Noah, and had visited countless artisan makers and local artists and farmers.
To start, we would only convert downstairs, prioritizing opening quickly, especially as I still hadn’t fully decided how to utilize the upstairs space, although I loved the idea of using it for small events and workshops.
‘The books will go over here,’ I said to Noah, running through the plan. It was a Saturday, the day after I’d got the keys, and when I’d suggested we meet on Monday, he’d been the one to insist on getting started right away, which had made my heart swell. ‘Shelves over here and in the middle. The deli counter will go to the right, and the checkout will be over here by the door.’
I wanted to open in a month, tops, so I’d catch the last summer tourists, and so my feet would be firmly under the table before the run up to the holiday season. It was ambitious, but that made it exciting, and Noah seemed up for the challenge, although he needed to fit working on the shop around his existing commitments, and some of his regular customers could be demanding.
The shop door swung inward, and I was surprised to see Ottie’s excited face appear, followed by the rest of my crew, all sweaty after their outing on the river. They’d been at regattas for the last three weekends, so I hadn’t seen much of them.
‘Uh, hi?’ I said.
‘Oh, don’t mind us,’ said Ottie. ‘We’re just here to give you this.’
Hazel handed over a bottle of champagne. ‘We were going to get you a card, but Belle vetoed it.’
Belle scowled. ‘Cards are completely pointless. Most of them get thrown away almost immediately, which makes them a waste of money and resources.’
Livia threw up her hands, but to be honest, I was on Belle’s side. I’d never seen much point in greetings cards, at least, not for moments like this, but, ‘Oh, the gift cards will go over here,’ I said to Noah, ‘and I was thinking a small stand by the till, too.’
Noah nodded, making a note on his plan.
‘Okay,’ said Hazel. ‘What can we do?’
Noah looked up and met Hazel’s gaze. He seemed surprised and a little wary.
‘Yes!’ said Ottie. ‘Put us to work. Ripping the old stuff out’s gotta be the fun bit, right?’
‘Well …’ Noah said hesitantly, ‘you could help us move the old display units upstairs?’
‘Are you keeping them?’ asked Livia. ‘If not, I’m sure Hazel could sell them for you, what with her Etsy habit.’
I chuckled as Hazel shoved Livia. ‘I’m going to keep them for now. We might end up using them upstairs.’
‘Right,’ said Livia. ‘Come on then, let’s get going.’
An hour later, the men’s crew showed up—all except for Theo—and Andrew squeezed my arm as he passed me, racing to help lift the ridiculously heavy marble countertop. My stomach dipped because it was the first time I’d seen him in weeks.
We’d exchanged messages back and forth, and he’d even called a couple of times, but we’d both been so busy, we’d had no time to see each other in the flesh. Which was probably for the best because neither of us could afford to take our eyes off the ball. I had to focus on the shop, on making it a success, and Andrew was in the middle of his acquisition.
But I was so confused. Neither of us had brought up what all the kissing meant, and although we weren’t dating for real—not officially—we were also way past friends. I wanted him like I’d never wanted anyone before, my eyes snagging on the flex and strain of his muscles as he lifted a cabinet single-handed, biting the edge of my lip as my insides turned to goo. He looked up, his eyes finding mine, and a knowing smile spread across his lips as he caught me staring. I returned his smile with an accompanying embarrassed eye roll and shake of my head, then moved to the nearest cabinet, trying in vain to suppress my smile and ignore the giddy squeeze in my chest.
With the help of the men’s crew, we had the old stuff upstairs in no time, and finally got a proper sense of the space we were working with.
‘Wow,’ said Seb. ‘It’s big.’
Livia turned in a full circle. ‘It feels great,’ she sighed. ‘The feng shui in this place must be amazing.’
Belle tutted skeptically.
‘Hey!’ said Livia. ‘They’ve proven it with science. Or, at least, I think I read that somewhere.’
‘Did you read it on Instagram?’ teased Ottie.
Belle laughed as Livia scowled. ‘I don’t know. Maybe. But to bring us back to the point, this place is divine.’
‘It really is,’ I agreed, with a delighted grin.
Ottie made an impatient ticking noise. ‘Okay, what next? We’re wasting time.’
I hugged her, unable to believe my luck that I’d ended up with such amazing friends. ‘First, I’ll get the café to make us coffee and cake,’ I said, ‘then we do whatever Noah says.’
Over the next two weeks, my crew painted the walls, ceilings, and woodwork, Noah worked like a person possessed on the shelving and stands and counters, a friend of Seb’s helped with the electrical work, and one of the novice rowers was a plumber who squeezed fitting a new restroom downstairs into his busy schedule.
Belle and Hazel organized the patio, filling the planters with flowers and arranging the plant pots just so, and I found a load of mismatched metal furniture at a reclamation yard that looked perfect in the rustic, aged space outside.
As the days ticked by, my helpers diminished, until only Ottie and Noah remained, but I was just so grateful for everything all my friends had done, as it meant I’d be able to open on time and on budget.
Alongside the refit, I ordered new shop signs, set up a till and inventory system, decided on return and exchange policies, recruited staff, and bought stock. The days and nights blurred together, and the weeks blended into one, servers from the café or bar often having to call to remind me I was supposed to be working a shift.
After one such phone call, Ottie approached me, her body held awkwardly, squirming as though embarrassed.
‘What is it?’ I asked, my attention snapping to her and away from loading inventory into the system.
‘Well …’ said Ottie, looking away.
Concern clamped around my insides. ‘Otts, what’s wrong?’
‘Oh, nothing,’ she said. ‘It’s just … well … I know you’re recruiting staff for the shop, and … I … well, I was wondering if you would consider employing me?’ She held up her hands as she rushed to continue. ‘I know you don’t usually like to employ friends, and I totally get that. I know it’s a weird dynamic, but I promise I would never question your authority or take liberties or expect perks your other employees don’t get. And the thing is, I could really do with the money. Especially if you would let me fit my hours around rowing and my PhD. Because otherwise I think I’m going to have to take a break from the club for a while, you know? Not that you should let that affect your decision. And I’m sure you have more qualified people applying, and anyway, just in case it was something you might be willing to consider.’
She looked hopeful and … desperate, and I prolonged her misery by taking a moment to process her words, feeling bad but needing the time.
She was right, I didn’t usually employ friends because the one time I had, it had got messy. I’d had to fire her, and we’d never spoken again. And that was a friend who wasn’t part of the club. It would be a million times worse if it happened with someone there.
‘Or, you know, just think about it?’ said Ottie, crestfallen as she turned towards the door.
‘Wait!’ Ottie had worked tirelessly on the shop refit, and all for free, and now I felt guilty about that, accepting help from her when she could have been working for money all that time. And she was sensible and diligent and clever. I would be lucky to have her as my employee, but, ‘It might be weird,’ I said tentatively, ‘and if it is, we need to agree that we’ll just put an end to it with no hard feelings on either side.’
A hopeful gleam shone in her eyes.
‘I really appreciate all you’ve done to get this place ready for opening—so much more than anyone else—and I need to pay you for that time, too. You’ve been such an enormous help, and … Yes! Okay. Let’s give it a go.’
She squealed and leapt forward, hugging me. ‘Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!’
‘Seriously, Ottie, we have to see how it goes, and if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.’
She pulled back, holding my arms and looking me dead in the eye. ‘I understand.’ Then she squealed again. ‘But I promise it will!’
The scramble to be ready for opening was still intense, despite the help from my friends, because no matter how well-planned things might be, there’s always stuff you just can’t do until the last minute, like filling the fridges with perishable food and stocking the shelves.
Ottie had been an absolute trooper, and since I’d put her on payroll, she’d stepped things up to a whole new level. She was smart and organized and had a great attitude, and I was feeling confident things would work out. She’d taken a load off my shoulders already, which meant I’d even been able to get back to training properly alongside work.
She was in the stockroom, writing signs to put outside in the morning—our opening day—and Noah was fixing the final shelves into place as I unpacked tins of tea. Noah stood back to check his work, scowling hard, but the shelf looked perfect to me.
‘Is everything okay, Noah?’ I asked.
‘Huh?’ He turned to face me, his blue eyes crinkling the smallest fraction. He was good-looking, objectively speaking, in a hair-a-little-too-long, surfer-dude kinda way. He pushed his sandy colored locks out of his eyes as he waited for me to speak.
‘You seem a little … preoccupied today?’ Had been for a few days, actually.
‘Oh, yeah, it’s nothing.’ He turned back to the shelves, dismissing the topic, but for some reason I couldn’t let it go.
‘Is it Seb? You know he and Livia are just friends, right? I mean, I know they flirt, but …’
Noah laughed as he turned back to face me. ‘Seb and Livia? You know Seb is gay, right? Like never been even a tiny bit attracted to a woman, no interest in boobs, all about the cock?’
‘Noah!’
‘Yes?’ He tilted his head in a laid-back challenge, but I wasn’t in the mood for letting it go. I’d been starved of real conversation for weeks, and I craved it.
‘Then what is it?’ I pressed.
‘Nothing.’
‘Yeah, right …’
He put down his screwdriver and crossed his arms. ‘If we’re going there, what about you and Andrew?’
I crossed my arms, too. ‘What about us?’ The words sounded defensive because it made my heart hurt to think about him.
‘You’re giving us all whiplash.’
I scowled.
‘Well? Are you together? Do you like him? He’s obviously crazy about you.’
‘Why would you think that?’ I said too quickly, then held my breath as I waited for the answer.
Noah smirked. ‘Because whenever you’re around he can’t take his eyes off you.’
Really ? I wanted to ask, to dig for more, but somehow managed to stop myself. I looked at the greeting cards by the till, then at the tins of tea, anywhere but into Noah’s eyes because I was terrified he would see the truth, that yes, of course I liked him, but some dysfunctional part of me found it hard to admit that to anyone but myself.
Rarely did minutes tick by when I didn’t find myself distracted by thoughts of him, of sharing his tent and playing croquet and kissing on his sofa. At the supermarket, I’d bought a tin of artichoke hearts just because it reminded me of the salad he’d made. When I was serving drinks in the bar, I would freeze midway through getting the card machine, remembering something Andrew had said or a look he’d given me, and whenever I caught sight of someone wearing club colors, my heart leapt, hoping it was him.
‘Helloooo?’ said Noah, and I realized I’d done it again, checked out of real life to the place in my head where only Andrew and I existed.
‘It’s not that simple.’
He tutted. ‘It’s exactly that simple.’
‘Really?’ I challenged, cocking my head, silently threatening to return to the topic of Seb.
‘Well, okay, maybe not exactly, but you obviously like him, and we know he likes you, so what’s holding you back?’
It was a good question, but I didn’t have a good answer. ‘I’ve been busy. And we’ve been friends for such a long time, and—’
‘Just talk to him, will you? You have this whole quiet, mysterious vibe that’s really hard to break through. Maybe he’s confused.’
‘I am not quiet and mysterious. And what if I’m confused? Besides, weren’t you just telling me it was obvious I liked him?’
‘So you do like him?’ Noah raised a triumphant eyebrow.
‘Would I be dating him if I didn’t?’
‘You’re dating again?’
I scowled, crossing my arms more tightly, my shoulders rising. ‘Well …’
‘See, this is your problem. You’re overthinking it. Just tell him you like him!’
‘He knows I like him.’
‘Does he? Really? As I said, you’re hard to read.’
‘You know who is hard to read?’
He narrowed his eyes but allowed my blatant deflection.
‘Hazel.’
Noah exhaled a laugh, then started packing up his tools. ‘Nah, she’s kind, that motivates everything she does. You? You’re Miss Poker Face. No one has a good read on you.’
‘That is not true!’ Surely my crew didn’t feel that way? I mean, I was kind of introverted, but it was best to be that way, not to stick out for the wrong reasons, to keep my head down and let my ergo times do the talking. I’d learned that the hard way, after the debacle with my coach, and it had served me well. I’d stayed out of the boat club drama and had flown largely beneath the radar. At least until Andrew. Which was good. Wasn’t it?
‘Why would anyone care, anyway? I'm not that interesting.’ I pulled the tape off the cardboard box that had held the tins of tea.
‘Why would you say that?’ His eyebrows pinched in concern. ‘You're probably the most interesting one of us all.’
I laughed. ‘Don't be ridiculous. You take old bits of wood and turn them into masterpieces.’
Noah turned bashful at that.
‘And all the others have high flying jobs, or academic careers, or founded a billion-dollar freaking company with their ex.’ That was Belle, although she didn’t like to talk about it because she’d left him before it got really big. ‘I started a café and bar; it’s nothing special.’
‘You own two successful businesses. Soon to be three. And you've held the best women’s 2k ergo score for over a decade.’
I smiled pityingly at him. ‘And that, my friend, is my greatest achievement. Who cares?’
‘We’re rowers, and you have the best 2k ergo score,’ he joked. ‘You’re a freaking celebrity in these parts. Just being close to an ergo score like yours gives me a reflected glow.’ I shoved him, and he laughed, then turned serious. ‘People care because they like you, Miri.’
I pursed my lips, giving him a cynical pout. ‘They like discounts. Most of them don’t even know me.’
‘Yeah, you’re right about some of those arseholes, but my crew and your crew, they do know you, and they care. Why do you think they’ve been helping with all this?’ He held up his hand and circled it in the air.
‘Because you’re hoping for gossip about me and Andrew, apparently?’
This time he didn’t let my deflection stand. ‘Miri …’ He gave me a look worthy of a cool headmaster, and I looked at my feet, uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
I exhaled a long breath, feeling guilty, not wanting him to think I took him or his work for granted. ‘I know you care. I didn’t mean … I really appreciate everything you’ve done on the refit. You know that, right?’
‘I know, Miri,’ he said in a gentle tone, ‘but maybe let yourself be appreciated by everyone else, too … especially Andrew.’
‘Noah!’ I threw a ball of scrunched up packing tape at him.
He chuckled as he caught it easily and tossed it into the trash can. ‘And maybe hold the thanks until you’ve seen my bill …’ A mischievous gleam lit up his eyes, and I swatted him with the cardboard.
He plucked it from my hands and tossed it onto the growing pile of flattened boxes. ‘So? Are you going to talk to him?’
‘I would hate to lose my mystery …’
‘Come on, Miri. If you like him, just tell him. He's been so freaking mopey lately; he didn't even bring his barbeque to the last regatta.’
I gave him a long look, my mind whirling. Was that true? Was his acquisition going badly? Maybe I should call him … but he was always the one to call me.
‘Well?’ he pressed.
‘I like him,’ I said, my voice little more than a whisper.
‘Then tell him.’
‘He knows, Noah. He knows and I’ve barely heard from him in weeks.’
‘But …’ He seemed confused.
‘Do you know who I'm worried about?’ I asked, my tone jokey, an attempt to lighten the mood.
‘Who?’ He replied distractedly, still puzzling over my words.
‘Hazel.’
His eyes turned sharp. ‘Why?’
‘She just hasn't seemed herself recently, and despite your read of her, she doesn't open up to us. I think she might need a friend.’
He went silent for a long time, seeming to be fighting some internal battle. ‘I know what you're implying, Miri, but I can’t be that person for her.’
‘Why?’
He closed his eyes for a beat, and when he opened them, hurt radiated out, chilling me to my core. ‘Because I'm totally in love with someone else.’
‘Seb?’ I breathed.
He gave a small nod. ‘But it’s not going to happen.’
‘Why?’
‘We’re just not … compatible.’
The raw emotion in his voice had me biting my lips together, and I didn’t press him for more, my heart breaking twice, once for Noah, and once for Hazel—if Andrew’s suspicions about her feelings for Noah were true. I gave a resigned little nod, then said quietly, ‘Noah, how do I tell Andrew I’m totally in love with him, too?’