Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Flick was busily helping Luke put together the newly delivered shelves the next day.
Well, helping was probably a bit generous as he was doing most of the work.
If she were putting them together they would be wonky, loose and fall apart after a few hours.
But she was passing him screws and giving him moral support so she was helping a little.
‘I need a few more tools, I’ll be back in a sec,’ Luke said, getting up from where he was kneeling on the floor. He walked past her then doubled back and gave her the sweetest kiss before disappearing out of the gift shop door.
Flick stood up and wandered over to the archway to check on Polly.
All the gadgets and machines had been delivered and Polly’s boyfriend was now busily installing all of them for her.
The room had been painted in yellow and Rose was working away at the back of the room adding bees, flowers and grass to the walls.
The new tables and chairs had been delivered and looked fantastic.
The new countertop hadn’t arrived yet but apart from that Polly looked almost ready to go.
Polly saw her standing there and waved her over.
‘How’s it going?’ Flick asked.
‘Good, really good,’ Polly said, excitedly. ‘Honestly, this is a dream come true for me, I can’t tell you how happy I am and I want to thank you, and Luke obviously, for making my dreams a reality.’
‘You don’t need to thank me,’ Flick said. ‘Just seeing this place be a success will be thanks enough. If this works, there’ll be more people coming through the door and that can only be a good thing for the studios and artists.’
‘I hope so. It feels like a lot of pressure to get it right. If I fail, the whole studio fails.’
‘It won’t be your fault if the studios close. The artists are so set in their ways that this place has been dying for years. It will be them who will be the making or breaking of the studios and their willingness to get behind the change.’
Polly nodded. ‘I thought I might do a bit of a soft launch tomorrow, just coffee, teas and cake. I thought I’d put a post out on Facebook asking people to come and test the cakes.
Buy a drink and get a free slice of cake in return for honest feedback.
It will just get people through the door and let them know what we’re doing up here so everyone knows that change is coming.
I know the new countertops aren’t here yet but Rose is practically finished and I’m going to make sure the place is spotless this afternoon. ’
‘That sounds like a great idea. The more buzz we can create around this place the better. I think the grand opening is likely to be next week but there’s no reason why we can’t start getting people through the doors now.’
Polly nodded. ‘Also I love what you are doing with the art therapy workshops for those with brain injuries. Although I have nothing to contribute in terms of teaching art, I will donate free drinks, cake and sandwiches for every workshop.’
‘Wow, Polly, thank you, that’s really generous.’
‘I think it’s something important to be a part of.’
‘I do too. Our first one is tomorrow. Just one man and his husband. I’m crossing everything it goes well.’
Just then Flick’s phone rang. ‘Sorry, I should get this.’
Flick looked at the phone as she moved back into the gift shop. It was a foreign number but she was pretty sure the country code was Australian so she answered it anyway.
‘Flick!’ came her nan’s cheerful voice from the other end of the phone. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m good,’ Flick said with a smile as she thought about Luke. ‘How’s Aunty Edith?’ Technically Edith was her great-aunt but she never called her that.
‘She’s doing well, starting to hobble around a bit. It’s a long road. And if you speak to her, you can’t tell her what I’m about to tell you.’
‘My lips are sealed. ’
‘She has the hottest young carer who comes every day to help her. Well I say young, he’s probably in his fifties but that’s still a lot younger than me and he is so fit and strong.
I’ve never looked at anyone since your grandad passed, but Maxwell has certainly opened my eyes.
I don’t want to go into specifics because a lady never kisses and tells but we’ve had the most incredible sex. ’
Flick’s eyebrows shot up in surprise but she couldn’t help smiling. Her nan sounded so happy and excited. Flick knew how that felt. ‘Look at you with your toy boy.’
‘Stop it,’ Audrey chuckled. ‘It’s just sex. It doesn’t mean anything. He’s not going to want something serious with an old bird like me. But I have caught him giving me the eye now and again, looking at me as if he wants more. Unless that’s just cataracts.’
Flick laughed. ‘And Edith doesn’t know?’
‘Her house is pretty big and she can’t access most of it right now. Let’s say there are lots of rooms we can sneak off to when he’s finished tending to her. And she sleeps a lot, or she’s busy watching her soaps or doing her crosswords. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.’
Flick smiled and shook her head.
‘Now tell me, how are you getting on with young Luke?’
‘Good, very good,’ Flick answered vaguely.
There was a pause on the other end. ‘Oh my god you’ve slept with him.’
‘Nan! ’
‘You have, haven’t you?’
‘My sex life is private.’
‘Dear god, that’s wonderful news,’ Audrey went on as if Flick had confirmed it, which she probably had. ‘He’s a lovely boy and he needed someone wonderful. I’m so glad you two have found each other. But I didn’t see that coming, let me tell you. Is he good in bed?’
Flick let out a sigh. There was no point denying it anymore. ‘Yeah, he is.’
Her nan squealed on the other end of the phone. ‘This makes me so happy. For both of you. I’m going to need all the sexy details.’
‘I’m afraid you’ll have to use your imagination for that one.’
‘Spoilsport. OK, I haven’t got long, I don’t want to run up Edith’s phone bill. How is everything going in the studios?’
Flick wanted to tell her how frustrating it was that she’d been left to deliver the bad news to the artists and if her nan had paved the way they might be a little bit more supportive but she decided to focus on the positive instead.
‘It’s going really well. We’re going to reopen the café to start with.’
‘Oh no, Flick, I really don’t want to have to deal with that when I get home.’
‘You won’t have to. We found a woman, Polly, who runs a catering service from her van selling burgers, sandwiches, chips and drinks.
She’s going to take it over and she’ll be in charge of everything, ordering food, cooking, serving, hiring staff if needs be.
You won’t have to lift a finger but we need the café to help get a regular revenue into the place.
We’re busily renovating it now, painting, new tables and chairs, new utensils and equipment.
And I’m going to use the space next door to open a gift shop.
I’m going to sell normal gift shop gifts but also I’m going to sell arts and craft supplies so people can have a go at creating their own masterpieces. ’
There was silence from her nan which Flick was nervous about. She’d thought she’d be pleased.
‘This all sounds lovely, but how are you paying for all this?’
‘From the kitty.’
‘What kitty?’
‘Luke said there was a small kitty to help with anything that needed repairing or any decorating or refurbishments. It was donated by an anonymous donor.’
‘Well, that’s the first I’ve bloody heard of it.’
‘What?’
‘I’m so annoyed,’ her nan went on. ‘I’ve always told Luke I didn’t want his money.’
‘Luke is the anonymous donor?’
‘Of course he is. I don’t know anyone else who would have thousands of pounds to spend on a new café and other expensive renovations.’
How could Flick have been so stupid? She had suspected he had something to do with it at the beginning but then he’d thrown her off the scent with this anonymous donor business. And she’d believed him .
‘Everyone sees him as a cash cow because he’s a millionaire but I’ve always been very clear that I didn’t want anything from him,’ her nan went on.
‘He’s… a millionaire?’ Flick asked, her voice breaking.
‘You didn’t know?’
‘No.’
‘Oh, I thought with you two sleeping together he would have told you. I’m such a romantic.
There’s me seeing the next big love story and you two are just having sex.
Well, why not? You two are young, you deserve some fun.
It doesn’t always have to be marriage and babies just because you sleep together. ’
Flick felt her cheeks heat because her romantic heart had started hoping for that. Not marriage and babies, it was way too soon to think about that, but a big love story. She was falling for Luke so hard and fast. Was this really just sex for him? Why wouldn’t he tell her? Did he not trust her?
‘Is he really a millionaire or are you exaggerating because he has a few thousand in his bank?’
‘He’s a millionaire. I have no idea how much he has in the bank. He gives hundreds of thousands away to charities but he’s still earning a mint.’
‘How?’
‘Oh, remember that song that came out about four or five years ago? “Crazy Monkey”?’
‘That really annoying song from the phone commercial that ended up being number one in the download chart and the official top forty for most of the year? ’
‘Yes, Luke wrote it. Or created it. It was all done on the computer. He made it for the phone company but he retained the rights. All royalties from the downloads went to him.’