Chapter Thirty-Seven
Erin, Jack, and Adam met Gavin outside the apartment block in Kidbrooke the following afternoon.
‘Are you sure you’ve got time to look around here?’ Erin asked Adam. She’d been flying high since they kissed yesterday, and her nerves about seeing him again today completely dissipated when he acted just as he always did. ‘Don’t miss your appointment for me.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ve been told to go to the marketing suite whenever I’m ready,’ he said. ‘Apparently there’ll be someone there to show us around as long as we’re there before six.’
He turned to Gavin. ‘Let’s have a look at this community space, shall we?’
Entering the first room, Erin started to tingle.
It was just as she remembered it, but now it was fully furnished and the bar seemed well stocked.
She marvelled at what could be done in a short time with a decent budget and willing staff.
‘I’m so thrilled you got the job,’ she said to Gavin.
‘I think managing a community space like this will be good fun for someone with as many ideas as you. And I meant what I said, you can call on me any time you need help.’
‘Thanks,’ said Gavin. ‘I’m going to take you up on that.’
Erin scanned the room like she used to when she was assessing a venue for an event, which was exactly what she was doing now.
Her plan could work, she was almost sure of it.
‘How much is the hire charge?’ She tensed, preparing herself for disappointment.
If the figure was too high, then there would be no point going ahead.
‘Gratis,’ said Gavin, beaming. ‘Nada.’
Erin gaped at him, unable to believe what he said. ‘Seriously?’
‘Totally. I spoke to Miranda, the CEO, and she was bang up for all of it. Your idea of having a big opening night for the venue, and splitting the fundraising proceeds between community projects here and saving the café made her clap her hands like a kid at a circus, no word of a lie. She lives in Blackheath and goes into your place now and again, apparently. She said that The Bookmark was the only café she felt comfortable going to when her kids were small. You were proper welcoming, apparently, and didn’t tut or complain when they made a mess.
She says you make the best bacon sarnie in the south east too. ’
Jack flung an arm around her shoulder. ‘What goes around, comes around.’
Erin was moved beyond words. When she regained her composure, she said, ‘Please tell her that the bacon sandwiches are on me for the foreseeable.’ She looked around the group, biting her bottom lip. ‘Do you think we can pull it together in time?’
‘Only one way to find out,’ said Gavin.
Erin’s pulse pounded in her ears. It was a risk, but she was ready to take it for the sake of her mother’s legacy and her own future.
‘Are you sure it’s okay, for half of the money raised to go towards helping the café get back on its feet?
It’s a business, not a charity. Are you sure it’s not taking money away from—’
‘Stop that right now,’ said Jack. ‘The Bookmark is part of the community, and it’s not as if you plan to spend the money on a fancy car or a holiday.
You just want to be able to afford to advertise, promote the café, and invest in its future.
You’re making sure it’s still around for people to benefit from long term. ’
‘And we’ll be completely open about where the money’s going,’ said Gavin. ‘No one’s going to be hoodwinked. And if half the people we’ve talked to actually perform on the night, people will be getting good value for money.’
He took a breath, looking suddenly awkward.
‘Miranda was sorry she couldn’t come to meet you this afternoon, but she said that if you’re happy to work alongside me to arrange the event, then the whole project will be beneficial for both sides.
’ He looked at Erin as if willing her to agree, despite the fact she was sure she was the one getting the better deal.
If this lovely young man, and the CEO of the company he worked for, trusted her, it was time she started to really trust herself.
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Absolutely.’ She gazed around the space, making a mental list of what needed to be done.
Excitement built in her core. The potential of what she envisaged was dizzying.
There was a chance it could change everything, and the thrill that made her feel light on her feet told her she was ready to fully embrace it.
‘Right,’ she said, rubbing her hands together.
‘This event isn’t going to plan itself. Let’s get started. ’
Erin’s head felt like it was full of static on the day of the fundraiser two weeks later.
The stakes were high. She’d calculated that if she could raise ten thousand pounds, then the rent rise would be covered for the first three months, and she’d have two thousand left to advertise and promote the business.
It was a lot of money, hopefully enough to entice new repeat customers, and if she worked harder at cutting costs and increasing profit, then maybe, just maybe, the business would survive.
She’d never tried anything as audacious as pulling an entire event together in a fortnight before.
Audacious wasn’t a word that she’d ever associated with herself, but she had felt incrementally stronger with every new day recently, and the way Gavin and the others seemed to believe in her made her begin to believe in herself.
Despite that, when Adam came to pick her up at 5 p.m., she was frazzled, and not just because of the niggling fear that she’d forgotten something crucial, like a PA system, or hiring bar staff.
She opened her emails on her phone and turned the screen to show him.
‘Look what came through today.’ He read the email from Galmouth Estates requesting the signed lease agreeing to the rent rise immediately, or confirmation she’d vacate the property on the day the lease ended.
‘I knew I should have got in touch straight away to negotiate the rent rise down. Surely they can’t still insist on it when I can prove they lied about those comparisons, can they? ’
Adam scratched under his chin. ‘No, I really don’t think they can. And I’ve just found out some very interesting stuff about Galmouth Estates—’
‘Ready?’ Jack bounded into the room, his expression as bright and excited as it had been before his childhood birthday parties.
He hadn’t been offered the accounts executive job, but wasn’t visibly disappointed.
Erin had tried not to be either. Now she knew his dreams lay elsewhere, she let her hopes of keeping him close go, and because it was tied up with his future happiness, it had been easier than she thought
‘Let’s talk about Galmouth later. We’ve got enough to do tonight,’ said Adam, dropping a quick kiss on her lips.
Erin glanced at Jack to see if he found the brief PDA uncomfortable, but her lovely boy was grinning from ear to ear.
Of course he was. He wanted her to be happy, just as much as she wanted the same for him.
That’s what love was. ‘Off we go, then,’ she said, excitement almost lifting her off her feet. ‘Let’s get this show on the road.’