Chapter 3
3
C ally was curled up on her favourite armchair, not that she had more than one armchair, so it had to be her favourite, in the corner of the sitting room, with a steaming mug of hot blackcurrant in her hands. She couldn’t stop thinking about Birdie's offer. Her mind whizzed about the opportunity and whether or not it was something she wanted to do. She looked out over the rooftops of Lovely and watched the comings and goings down below as she thought about the job and what it entailed. There was one thing that she was more than aware of: Birdie’s company was a great place to work if you pulled your weight. However, if you tried to get one over on Birdie, you’d know about it. Cally was also fairly certain that working for Birdie could, if she wanted it to, mean that she would have a secure job for life. Not a thing to be taken lightly.
She lost herself for a bit as she looked out the window to see Lovely Bay winding down for the day. A last few tourists made their way back in the direction of the train station, ice cream cones in hand, she could see someone outside the front of the chocolate shop pulling down the shutters, and a van was bumped up on the curb by the Co-op doing an end-of-the-day delivery.
Her mind mulled over Birdie’s job offer. There was no doubt that it was an opportunity for our Cally. She was also well aware that it would certainly solve the headache of proving that she had a full-time income with the bank when applying for a mortgage. If she was really honest, though, working at the chemist full-time wasn’t exactly her dream job. Were dream jobs really a thing, though? For most people, she assumed that working was a means to an end and quite far from anything even resembling a dream. A way to pay the bills every month. The more she thought about it and pondered back and forth, the more she realised that the job opportunity with Birdie had many positives and not many negatives. The main thing was that she trusted Birdie, and the business wasn’t going anywhere soon—the stability of both those things suited Cally down to the ground. The actual buzz of the job, though? Not so much. She’d certainly not set out in life to work out the back of a chemist shop. There was quite a lack of pzazz in that career path as far as she was concerned.
Just as she was deciding whether or not to get up and make a cup of tea, she heard a thumping up the stairs and looked over towards the door at the sound of what she presumed was Logan’s key turning in the lock. She heard his footsteps in the hall area, followed by the thud of his bag being put down.
‘Cal? You home?’ Logan shouted.
‘Yep.’ Cally called out as she straightened up in her chair.
Logan appeared in the sitting room with his tie loosened and sleeves rolled up after a day in the city. Handsome and then some. Broad privately educated shoulders and floppy hair. He smiled as he caught sight of Cally, crossed the room, and kissed her forehead. ‘Everything alright with you?’
‘Umm, yes. Good. You?’ Cally made a funny, upside-down smile.
‘What’s happened?’ Logan frowned. ‘What’s that look on your face?’
‘Something's happened, for sure. Something big.’ Cally chuckled.
‘What?’
Cally took a deep breath. ‘Birdie's offered me a new job!’
‘Oh, right, has she? Doing what?’ Logan narrowed his eyes and curled his lips upside down.
‘I know it’s a bit strange. I’m glad you’re reacting like that, too.’
‘Well, congratulations. Sorry, I didn’t see that coming.’
‘Me either. It’s to run all the orders and deliveries across all the shops.’
Logan widened his eyes. ‘That's good, then! Isn't it?’
Cally nodded. ‘She wants me to oversee all the pharmacies, not just the one in Lovely Bay, including the online distribution side. At the moment, each store more or less does its own thing. This job would change that.’
Logan whistled. ‘Wow. That’s big. No wonder you look a bit shell-shocked.’
‘Shell-shocked is right. I feel like I've been hit by a tidal wave.’ She screwed her face up. ‘I’m not sure if I’m the right person for the job. It’s a lot to take on.’
‘Birdie wouldn't have offered you the job if she didn't think you could handle it.’
‘I know, I know,’ Cally sighed. ‘I’d just have to get on with it if I did take it.’
‘What exactly would it involve?’
‘Well, she didn’t say much more. But it would be a full-time role with all the benefits. I'd be overseeing operations at all the pharmacies. Making sure they're all running smoothly, delivery logistics, and dealing with any issues that come up, I guess. What I do now but a lot bigger.’
‘Sounds like a natural progression from what you're already doing, just on a larger scale. Bye bye chatbot.’ Logan waved his hand back and forth.
‘I suppose. Then there's the online business, too. Since the pandemic, that has gone nuts.’
‘Lots of opportunity then.’
Cally bit her lip. ‘I don't know the first thing about running anything, Logan.’
‘You're one of the most capable people I know. You've been practically running that chemist's back end for years. And as for the online stuff, I've seen you navigate that chatbot software like a pro.’
‘Posting the odd thing on a retail chatbot is a far cry from running a whole online distribution solution for a company,’ Cally protested.
‘You’ll be fine. How hard can it be?’
‘Anyway, I don’t know the full details yet, but yeah, that’s my news for the day.’
‘I reckon it’s fate. You’d be great at it. If anything, it cements your place here even more.’
‘I guess so, yeah.’
‘You get to put all those brilliant ideas of yours for the chemist into action.’
‘True. It's funny when I first moved to Lovely Bay, I never imagined I'd put down roots like this. I thought it was just a stopping point, somewhere to catch my breath before moving on.’
‘And now?’
‘Now I can't imagine being anywhere else. This place, these people, you. They're a part of me now. Almost as if Lovely has become like family. Weird, really, when you think about it.’
‘Yep. Agree. So, is Birdie going to give you more details or what?’
‘She’s going to send me stuff.’
‘Oh, right. Wait and see and decide then.’
Cally took a deep breath. ‘Yeah. It feels like maybe it’s the next step in my Lovely Bay story.’
‘I reckon it is.’