Chapter 6 #2
‘As long as it’s something with the fans.
I love meeting with them. See what you can sort out.
’ He pats my shoulder and eases himself out of the seat, tossing his dirty towel in the laundry bag next to the water table.
This job is going to be easy if he does half my tasks himself.
‘Right then, lads, shall we take it from the top of ‘Am Byth’?’
I spent most of the train journey here yesterday browsing the local Cardiff hashtag. I know exactly what’ll get him up close and personal with his fans. I send a quick DM then set up a group chat, adding in Gethin, Cai and Rhys.
I've found a great opportunity for some publicity for Cai, and I have some other ideas I’d love to share with you. Are you free to meet after rehearsals to discuss?
Gethin
4pm? We can use the boardroom for it.
I don’t expect a reply from Cai – he can’t exactly play guitar and text at the same time.
It doesn’t really matter anyway, since he gave me permission to do whatever I need to do.
And I’m the one in charge of his schedule.
Across the room from me, Rhys returns from wherever he skulked off to.
He pulls his phone from his pocket, rolls his eyes and puts it away without replying.
He must be overwhelmed. It’s a lot, having someone come in and disrupt the status quo.
Given we’ve been working all day, a round of doughnuts will go down a treat for the meeting and help get Rhys on my side.
I bring up the delivery app. Cakes always fix bad moods and if everyone’s chewing, nobody’s arguing.
A man in a pink jacket lingers at the gate with the paparazzi when we return to the house. Rhys refuses to wind down a window in case the paps steal a picture of Cai – understandable – so as soon as he’s parked, I hop out and trudge along the drive in the rain to collect my order.
By the time I get to the foyer and hang up my dripping coat, Rhys is nowhere to be seen.
‘We going straight to the boardroom?’ Cai asks, already padding in bare feet down the corridor towards the offices. My shoes stay on, but I follow him to the last room on the left.
Gethin’s already there, his suit jacket folded over the seat next to him.
I slide the pink box onto the table. It takes all of a second for Cai to get the lid open.
He scoops a pink iced-ring, inhales it and then goes back for more.
Good job I ordered ten. He’s as lean as a stick insect, one of those annoying people who can eat whatever he wants and stay slim.
I eat whatever I want, too, but pay for it with another wrinkle of cellulite on my thighs.
More to love, Pappa Tom says.
I take the seat next to Cai, dig my notebook out of my bag then reach for my own doughnut. He pours us both a coffee, and I reread my notes while I chew. Once I’m sure I’m as prepared as I can possibly be, I dust the sugar off my hands and start.
‘Thank you for—’
The door swings open, and Rhys saunters in.
‘Nice of you to join us.’ A frown darkens Gethin’s face. He makes the point of shaking up his shirt sleeve to glance at his watch.
‘Had to call Richie.’ Rhys flips his phone over in his hand before jamming it into his pocket.
‘Coulda come earlier, but figured Cai’s safety was more important.
’ His gaze zips to the cakes, and he snaps a hand out to take one.
He pauses, his fingers grazing the tip of the icing then peeks at me, at the crumb-filled serviette by my note pad.
‘Dim diolch,’ he says more to himself than anyone in the room. Then he withdraws his hand.
‘Mate,’ Cai scoffs. ‘They’re not poisoned.’
‘Dydw i ddim yn llwglyd.’
Gethin clears his throat. ‘In English in front of Lucy.’
Rhys huffs as he throws himself into a seat at the end of the table, the furthest he can get from me. ‘I’m not hungry.’
‘They’re from a local store,’ I say. ‘You saw the driver turn up. I promise the cakes are fine.’
He stares at the plate like a teenager, slouched so low in the seat, he’s almost horizontal.
Imagine being so stubborn you refuse a doughnut? I could never.
‘Well, as I was saying,’ I continue. ‘Thank you for meeting with me. It’s been a long day, and I appreciate you making time. I won’t be too long, I promise. I’ve enjoyed my first day here – watching how the team works and talking to Cai has given me a few ideas I’d love to share with you.’
Gethin abandons his death glare at Rhys, who’s yet to sit up straight, and turns his attention to me. He leans forward, his fingers steepled.
I work through my notes, and it doesn’t take long before I’m on my feet, pacing the length of the boardroom as I tell them more about the empty warehouses I found in the area, how if we buy one and rent it out when Cai’s not using it, we could turn a profit.
I don’t have to use the presentation I put together while he rehearsed, but it’s there in my toolbelt should I lose Gethin’s attention.