Chapter 40
D aisy was restocking the children's section when Holly burst through the bookshop door. Her face looked so different from usual that Daisy wasn’t quite sure what it meant or that she wanted to know.
Holly’s face wore a strange, almost manic grin that suggested either exponentially good news or complete and utter madness.
She had Xian behind her, both of them looking like they'd hot-footed it from the bakery like a couple of women possessed.
There was something in their expressions that made Daisy's heart skip with cautious hope that it was good news.
Holly hooted. ‘Daise! We need champagne! Proper champagne, not fizzy wine. We have news and it calls for celebration.’
‘What calls for celebration?’ Daisy frowned. Holly's energy was infectious and Xian was practically bouncing on her toes.
‘The newsagent’s place! It's ours.’
Daisy blinked. ‘What do you mean, it's yours?’
Holly pulled out her phone and waved it triumphantly. ‘We bought it this morning. We gazumped GayesBooks and the Thornton family accepted our offer immediately.’
‘Sorry, what? You bought it?’ Daisy's voice came out as barely a whisper. ‘How? Why? What are you going to do with it?’
‘We're going to make sure no corporate chain ever gets their hands on it,’ Xian said firmly.
‘We pooled our resources, called in a few favours, and made an offer the Thorntons couldn't refuse. GayesBooks can go and find somewhere else to destroy. They will not be getting their hands on Pretty Beach.’
Daisy's legs suddenly felt unsteady. ‘You bought an entire building to stop GayesBooks opening?’
‘We bought an entire building to protect Pretty Beach. Your bookshop was just their first target. If we'd let them get established here, they'd have set their sights on other independent businesses next. So, we thought we’d better put a stop to them before they started.’
‘But how did you afford it? Commercial property costs a fortune.’
Holly and Xian exchanged a look. ‘Never underestimate us. The building is perfect for our investment portfolio, so we took it from there and ran with it.’
Xian had a wicked grin on her face. ‘The recent stock market thing, because of what’s going on over the pond, worked in my favour, put it that way. I've been wondering what to do with the money, and protecting Pretty Beach from corporate invasion seemed like a pretty good investment.’
Daisy stared at them both. ‘I can’t believe you kept it quiet!’
‘Everyone was sworn to secrecy, so this bookshop, our bakery and every independent business in Pretty Beach are safe for now. This was about more than just stopping GayesBooks.’
Daisy swallowed and shook her head. The implications were starting to sink in.
GayesBooks wouldn't be opening next door.
There would be no corporate competition, no professional marketing campaigns designed to destroy her customer base.
The threat that had been keeping her awake at night had simply vanished.
‘What did GayesBooks say when they found out they'd been gazumped?’
‘We don’t know or care.’
‘The estate agent said they made some phone calls, tried to increase their offer, but the Thorntons had already shaken hands with us. Deal done and no going back.’
Daisy felt tears pricking at her eyes. ‘I can't believe you did this. I can't believe you spent your own money to protect us.’
‘It's just another investment. We like to keep our money in Pretty Beach, in the community we've all worked to build here if we can…’
‘Thank you.’ Daisy felt as if the words were inadequate for what she was trying to express. ‘I don't know how to repay you for this.’
'You just keep being part of Pretty Beach, keep running your bookshop, keep being the person we wanted to protect in the first place. Right, we need to run. We have things to sort out!’
‘Yes, you must have. Thank you again.’
After they'd gone, Daisy sat and tried to process what had happened.
She'd been so convinced that GayesBooks's corporate efficiency would crush her amateur efforts and certain that community spirit couldn't compete with professional business tactics.
Instead, her community had simply outmanoeuvred the professionals with a better offer and faster decision-making. What a turn-up for the books.
She thought about Miles asking what if she was wrong, what if Pretty Beach really would rally to protect what mattered to them. He'd been right and she’d been incorrect with her thoughts that GayesBooks would win. She'd never been happier to be mistaken about anything in her life.