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Chapter 4
After a long day of few customers and lots on my mind, it’s a relief when I finally walk towards the shop door, to turn the open sign to closed. As I approach the door, I see Seb walk up the pathway, and seeing his face instantly perks me up. It’s been a tough day, but seeing a friendly face – even a new one – is suddenly making all the difference. For the first time today, I smile.
‘Hello,’ I say brightly.
‘Hey,’ he replies.
‘You said you would be back,’ I say.
He smiles. ‘I did.’
‘And that you wanted to talk,’ I remind him.
‘I do.’
‘Well, come in, I’ll make us a couple of coffees. I made some fruit mince tarts, topped with meringue. You can try one, tell me if they’re any good.’
‘That would be great,’ he says, loosening up a little.
It surprises me that someone so cool, with so much confidence, could be so awkward after one little peck.
I show him into the kitchen and place a coffee and a tart down in front of him.
‘Wow, you made these? They look amazing,’ he says.
‘I was a chef in a past life,’ I admit.
‘I’m happy to see you’re still dabbling,’ he says, taking a bite. ‘Wow, they’re incredible.’
‘Thanks,’ I reply, with a weak smile.
‘How are things?’ he asks.
‘Not ideal,’ I tell him honestly. ‘I spoke to my landlord today.’
I pause for a second, unsure whether or not someone who is pretty much a stranger is the right person to tell this to. And not only is he someone that I don’t know very well, but he’s also someone I don’t want to scare away by banging on about my problems.
‘Do you want to talk about it?’ he asks.
‘No, it’s fine,’ I reply.
‘You’re taking this better than I thought. It’s a huge relief,’ he says, picking up a second tart.
I stare at him blankly.
‘I was worried about telling you,’ he clarifies.
‘Telling me what?’
‘That I’m buying the shop,’ he says.
I don’t know what I do with my face, but my reaction is all Seb needs to realise that I didn’t know he was buying the shop.
‘Wait, I thought you knew? I thought your landlord had spoken to you?’ he asks, suddenly looking even more worried than when he arrived earlier.
I shake my head.
‘Oh, Ivy, I’m so sorry,’ he says. ‘This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out. I thought Mr Andrews would have said.’
‘He just told me that someone was buying the place, not who or why.’
‘Oh…well, me,’ he replies, cringing at his own delivery. ‘My plan is to knock the place down and build holiday homes.’
‘So do that someplace else,’ I say angrily, the idea of the shop being knocked down suddenly seeming so much worse than someone else simply buying the place.
‘This place is perfect,’ he tells me. ‘It’s the only spot I can find that is big enough, which already has planning permission. There’s huge demand for holiday homes in Marram Bay – you can’t keep up with the increasing number of tourists. And, well, speaking from a strictly business point of view, there’s not much demand for a Christmas shop that’s open 12 months of the year.’
I place my hand on my chest. Ouch.
‘I just mean from a business point of view,’ he says. ‘There are other things you—’
‘Seb, just stop,’ I say. ‘We don’t need to talk about it.’
‘Ivy—’
‘I’ve told Mr Andrews that I’ll be here to help, if you need anything,’ I remind him. ‘For now I think it might be best if you leave.’
‘OK, sure,’ he replies.
Seb opens his mouth, as though he’s about to say something. His words are on the tip of his tongue before he obviously thinks better of saying them. Well, what can he say? He gives me a half-smile before heading for the door, like I asked him to.
I can tell that he feels bad about the way I’ve found out but, again, what good does pity do me?
I am angry and I’m upset, but I’m not going to show it. Instead, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I can buy this place first. He might have money and charm, but I have roots here. I believe that Mr Andrews will sell to me over Seb if I can make the money first. I just need to figure out how on earth I can do that…
Chapter 5
I have come to a shocking and saddening realisation. It has occurred to me, in light of recent circumstances, that I don’t have a life. I suppose I already knew it, at the back of mind – maybe not even the back of my mind, perhaps it was obvious – that I didn’t have much going on other than my work. A love life, a social life, a family… These are all things that have taken a back seat to business. Sure, I have a best friend in my sister, but if I think too hard about it, I feel like that’s maybe just by default. We shared a womb, of course we’re best friends. Taking joint second place on my list of friends are my niece and nephew and then, I suppose, Pete the postman takes the bronze.
That’s sad, isn’t it? I don’t get invited anywhere, apart from my sister’s, and I don’t really do anything but work, read, or watch TV. If I lose the shop I’ll lose my home, my income, my mum’s legacy and my reason to get up of a morning all at once, in an instant, gone before the New Year.
The first thing I need to do is increase the number of customers, and the amount of stock they are buying. That’s why I’ve spent the past two hours making glitter-covered signs letting people know that we’ve got a big, pre-Christmas sale on. I’ve also been going around with a pad of little white stickers too, reducing the price of almost everything.
I’m not crazy, I know that knocking a couple of quid off snow globes isn’t going to save the shop, but if I can improve things just a little, maybe it will help me secure a mortgage. With the way business is at the moment, the banks aren’t exactly going to be fighting over me.
I examine the sparkly ‘sale now on’ sign I made to place in the window before securing it in place. As I do this, I notice a couple of men outside, standing at the end of the front garden.
‘Can I help you?’ I ask them, the similarity between myself and Tubbs from League of Gentlemen making me feel both uneasy and amused.
‘Don’t worry, Ivy, they’re with me,’ I hear a familiar voice say.
That’s when I notice Seb is with them, and that they’re spraying paint all over the ground.
‘What are they doing?’ I ask.
It looks a little like they’re holding a handheld vacuum cleaner, like my mum used to have.
‘They’re checking for unexploded bombs underground,’ Seb replies.
I feel my eyebrows shoot up around the same time I hear the men sniggering quietly. A joke. Wonderful.
‘They’re tracing the utilities in the road, so we can work out where to connect services to the new buildings.’
‘You’ve not even bought the place yet,’ I point out.
‘I know.’ He laughs. ‘But I will. I’m just making sure everything is right first.’
I glance down at the spray paint on the ground.
‘Don’t worry, it washes off,’ he says with a smile.
I bite my lip, the way I always do when I’m thinking.
‘Nice hands,’ he says and laughs again. ‘Very festive.’
I glance down at my hands, which are covered in glitter.
‘I’ve been making signs,’ I explain. ‘Don’t worry, it washes off. Do you want to come in for a drink?’ I ask, quickly clarifying what I mean. ‘A tea or a coffee.’
‘That would be great, thank you,’ he says. ‘Boys, tea break.’
Oh, I actually meant just Seb, and I’m not being nice, I’m on a fishing expedition. If I know what his plans are, maybe I can work out a way to put a stop to this.
‘OK,’ I say, gesturing towards the door.
The three men follow me inside the shop. I take drinks orders before popping into the kitchen and making them. I place the drinks on a tray, along with a few of my homemade gingerbread men – why am I snapping into hostess mode?
‘Here we are,’ I say, setting the tray down on the counter where Seb is waiting.
‘Does the train work?’ one of the men calls over.
‘It doesn’t,’ I reply. ‘It needs repairing.’
‘I’ve got a screwdriver in the van,’ he starts, but I stop him.
‘That’s very kind of you, thank you, but it requires some kind of vintage model train expert, and an expensive repair. It was my mum’s so, when I’ve got some spare money, I’ll get it done.’
‘No worries,’ he calls back.
‘I know a train guy,’ Seb tells me. ‘He’s pretty cool, actually. He’s famous for making the smallest running train sets you can get.’
‘Doesn’t sound cool.’ The workman laughs, grabbing a gingerbread man before biting his head off.
‘This is Barry and Paul,’ Seb tells me. ‘Do not, under any circumstances, make a Chuckle Brothers joke, because they will not laugh.’ Seb’s cheeks dimple at his own joke. ‘Boys, this is Ivy.’
‘Your name is Ivy and you run a Christmas shop,’ Barry points out.
‘My sister is called Holly,’ I tell him. ‘My mum loved Christmas – that’s why she opened this shop.’
‘Why are you selling it?’ he asks.
‘I, erm, I’m not,’ I tell him. ‘My landlord is. I’m being kicked out.’
‘You’re kicking her out of her family’s business before Christmas?’ Barry asks, shocked.
‘And my home,’ I tell him. ‘I live upstairs.’
‘Mate,’ Barry says.
Seb raises his eyebrows at him, I’d imagine to subtly remind Barry who he works for.
‘So, when are you hoping to knock this place down?’ I ask, trying to work out how much time I have.
‘You said in the New Year, did you, gaffer?’ Paul offers, helpfully.
‘Yes,’ Seb replies, seeming ever so slightly annoyed that Paul has answered. ‘It’s not set in stone – we’ll see.’
‘And then you’ll start on the new building?’
‘Buildings,’ Paul points out.
‘Oh, there’s going to be more than one building then?’
‘Paul, thank you,’ Seb says. ‘Why don’t you lads go finish up if you’ve finished your drinks?’
‘Sure, gaffer,’ Barry says, taking the hint.
‘I like them,’ I say, once we’re alone. ‘They’re chatty.’
‘Too chatty,’ Seb replies with a smile.
‘Tell me a bit about you,’ I say, hugging my mug with my hands to keep warm. I’m wondering what kind of person can happily move to a new town and kick someone out of their home.
‘About me?’ he replies, sounding surprised. ‘OK. Well, I’m from Oxford.’
That explains the accent. Seb has a very BBC newsreader kind of way with words and it makes me feel a little self-conscious about my Yorkshire accent.
‘How did you get into this line of work?’ I ask. What I really mean is, how did he get into knocking down people’s childhood homes, but I’m too polite to say that.
‘I was all set to play professional cricket,’ he tells me. ‘And life just…I don’t know, it did its own thing. I went from one business venture to the next – I’ve been living in Dublin for the past four years.’
Well, I suppose I can relate to that. I was a chef, before life changed my plans. ‘So, what, you just decided you wanted to move to the Yorkshire coast?’
‘I decided I wanted to move out of the city,’ he says. ‘And I knew I’d need to make a living.’
I nod thoughtfully.
‘I’m sorry for the way this is playing out,’ he says. ‘I’m a little surprised you’re not fighting it…’
I am fighting it; he just doesn’t know it yet.
‘And I appreciate you telling Mr Andrews you’d look after me while he’s away,’ he adds.
I didn’t, well, not really. Not by choice.
I just smile. I’m not taking it well at all, but I’m not taking it lying down either. Sure, let Seb come here with his workmen and do his tests. It will all be for nothing when I swoop in and buy the shop first.
‘I suppose I just expected a little more resistance, when I realised you were being made to leave against your will,’ he persists.
‘It’s the rest of the locals you need to worry about,’ I tell him. ‘You’re not the first southerner to come here and try to open up a business.’
‘Oh?’
‘A few things the people of Marram Bay don’t take too kindly to: outsiders, big businesses, any threat to local business – I imagine your venture is an unwelcome mix of all three.’
‘It sounds like it.’ He laughs.
Seb laughs so much, he’s just so easy-going. It’s like nothing worries him – perhaps that’s an easy confidence that comes with having a lot of money. Whoever said money can’t buy happiness obviously never had a failing business and impending homelessness hanging over them.
‘I have a meeting with the board,’ he tells me.
‘The Nation of Shopkeepers?’
‘That’s the one. I’m told that if I can sway them, I’m a shoo-in.’
‘I’d say that was about right,’ I reply.
‘Your accent amuses me.’ He laughs. ‘Say that again.’
‘No.’
‘Nooo,’ he repeats, in what I’d imagine is his attempt at a strong Yorkshire accent.
Unimpressed, I furrow my brow.
‘So, what happened with the last southerner who tried to start a business here? Did they let her open it?’
‘They did,’ I admit.
‘There we go then. I’ll see you tonight,’ he says, taking the last gingerbread man from the plate.
‘You will,’ I reply.
‘Wish me luck,’ he says as he heads for the door.
‘Good luck,’ I call after him.
He’s going to need it.
Chapter 6
In the Marram Bay Town Hall, the Nation of Shopkeepers gathers every other month to discuss all of the big issues affecting business in the town.
‘And that’s why anyone who has opted for blue fairy lights, instead of the traditional white lights, needs to take them down,’ George Price, chairman of the group and owner of Frutopia jam shop concludes.
Yes, this is one of today’s biggest issues: that someone has gone rogue with their fairy lights.
Mary-Ann – who runs the local dairy farm – raises a hand as she uses her other one to play with one of her brown plaits.
‘I think the blue lights look nice,’ she says softly, once she is given permission to speak.
‘Well, you’d be wrong,’ George says confidently. ‘Now, our final order of business. Waiting outside we have Sebastian Stone. He’s a property developer looking to knock down Christmas Every Day, and build holiday homes for tourists. Before we invite him in for his pitch, Ivy, would you like to say a few words?’
I stand up from my place on the U-shaped table. ‘I, erm… Closing down Christmas Every Day is not a decision I’ve been a party to,’ I say, pausing to anxiously nibble a fingernail. ‘I’m not saying Seb shouldn’t be allowed to start a business here, I just wish it weren’t at the cost of an already established one.’
An echo of ‘hear hears’ bounces around the room.
‘Does anyone else have anything to say on the matter?’
‘After everything I went through to open a business here, I don’t see why this guy should have it easy,’ Lily, who runs the Apple Blossom Deli, says with a laugh. When she tried to open the deli earlier this year almost everyone was against it, and now here she is, a fully-fledged member of the community.
‘It wouldn’t be right, to push out a long-established business with deep roots in the community, in favour of something new,’ Tommy, who owns the local bookshop, adds.
‘Well, I think we’re all in agreement there. Let’s bring him in,’ George says, gesturing at the person nearest the door so that they can get Seb.
Seconds later Seb walks in, in yet another one of his expensive suits. I feel like they’re symbolic of his wealth, his attention to detail, his attitude towards business – all things that look good, when you’re standing up in front of the people who will decide your future. Seb looks the part, from his suit, to the large iPad in his hands, to the confident smile on his face.
‘Hello, everyone, my name is Sebastian Stone, and this evening I’d like to share with you my proposal for new holiday homes on the current Christmas Every Day site.’
Seb taps on his iPad a few times before his proposal appears on the big screen behind him.
I notice a couple of gaps around the room.
‘Bloody hell, we’ve never been able to get that to work,’ George tells him.
Geroge is a living, breathing example of exactly what you’d expect a Yorkshire man to look like. He’s a big, broad fifty-something man, with dark hair that’s slowly being consumed by grey, starting with the sideburns. He knows what he likes and he likes what he knows, and for that reason, you can’t tell him anything. That’s why, at times like this, he’s the perfect chairman of the Nation of Shopkeepers, because he’ll take one look at an outsider like Seb and see everything that he hates about ‘this bloody country’ – consumerism, cutthroat businessmen, the bourgeoisie.
‘Ooh, he’s doing a keynote speech, just like Steve Jobs,’ Adam, who owns the Treasure Island arcade on the seafront, leans over to me to whisper.
Adam is quite the hipster, so I’m not surprised he’s impressed. His arcade isn’t really an arcade, it’s a speakeasy hidden behind an area where parents can ditch their kids while they get drunk.
‘Marram Bay is a popular tourist hotspot that, unfortunately, doesn’t have enough accommodation to meet demand during peak seasons. This results in fewer visitors, less footfall, less business for everyone,’ Seb explains.
He changes the slide to reveal a beautiful artist’s impression of the modern townhouses with dark cladding and grassy roofs. It’s so colourful, surrounded by blooming gardens and smiley people – if I didn’t know what I was looking at, I wouldn’t have recognised it as the spot where my shop currently stands.
Seb cycles through a few slides, talking everyone through how his presence will increase business for everyone.
‘And through my proposed collaboration with holiday accommodation booking site Let’s Go, we’ll attract even more tourism. The last coastal town to work with them won the prestigious Staycation of the Year award.’
I glance around the room, trying to read the audience. He has their attention, that’s for sure.
‘The project will also meet passive house standards, which reduces the building’s ecological footprint. The result will be ultra-low-energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. Each building will have a green roof, which will provide further insulation – it will also keep the houses cool when they need to be, provide space for birds, and, well, I just think it looks cool.’
Seb gives his audience a wink and, as I look around, I notice that his charm offensive is working. All eyes are on him. From his tech skills to his innovative business ideas, to his good looks and his eloquence. The audience is his, with everyone fully captivated, so impressed by everything he has to offer. I’d go as far as to say a few of the women are swooning – maybe even a couple of the men too.
‘If that’s not enough, the development will be entirely self-sufficient thanks to renewable energy sources. We’ll combine the use of wind and solar power, which, actually, will create a surplus of electricity, which we’ll be donating to your local school.’
‘How would that work?’ George asks.
‘All the energy that we create, that we don’t use, will go back to the grid and the net profit will be deducted from the school’s energy bill.’
As Seb continues to share his plans with his spellbound audience, I tune out a little. His plans are perfect and, if they were anywhere else, I’d want to get behind them too. It’s just…it’s my home, and my business, and if he could find somewhere else, everything would be fine.
‘You’ve given us a lot to think about,’ George says, pulling me from my thoughts, bringing me back into the room. I’d say his poker face was firmly on, were it not for the strong handshake he gives Seb. ‘We appreciate you running your plans by us.’
‘And I appreciate you taking the time to listen,’ Seb replies. ‘Your blessing is important to me, as is your local MP’s. I’ll be talking with her tomorrow afternoon.’ He starts collecting his things, getting ready to leave. ‘See you, Ivy,’ Seb says to me directly. I give him a half wave and as much of a smile as I can muster.
‘Ooh, Ivy, get you,’ Lily from the deli teases, as soon as Seb has gone. ‘So, that’s what I needed to do to get accepted quicker, hmm? Have better tech skills and look good in a suit.’
‘OK, thank you, Lily, we’re judging him on his proposal,’ George reminds her. ‘So, let’s go around the room and find out what people think.’
I notice George glancing around, making awkward eye contact with me before purposefully picking someone from the other side of the room.
‘Rob,’ he prompts, calling upon the local butcher first.
‘He was very persuasive, wasn’t he?’ Rob says cautiously, testing the waters.
George nods thoughtfully.
‘The thing he was saying about the electricity – I didn’t know that was a thing; that’s pretty cool,’ Lily says.
‘Yeah, free electricity for the school…’ George says.
‘The stuff about the booking website, and the Staycation of the Year award,’ Arcade Adam starts. ‘Is that legit?’
‘It is,’ Tommy from the bookshop chimes in. ‘Just Googled it, Portmeirion won last year.’
‘It does sound like it will be good for everyone…’ George says slowly.
I can hear the excitement in their voices building as they talk about Seb’s proposal. The love hearts in their eyes have turned to pound signs now.
‘Ivy?’ George finally says. ‘What do you think?’
‘It’s a good idea,’ I admit. ‘But at the cost of my shop and my childhood home…’
As my voice trails off, an awkward silence follows. I feel like everyone in the room is looking at me, just waiting for me to take one for the team, to put the town before myself. They’ve all been charmed by Seb, with his flashy suit and his big ideas and his cheeky smile.
‘Yes, it would be a shame to lose your shop,’ George says. ‘What about an anonymous ballot?’
‘We don’t normally do things anonymously,’ I say.
‘I know,’ he replies. ‘But, with this affecting a member of the panel, we need to make sure people feel free to vote for what they want.’
‘OK, sure,’ I reply.
Pieces of paper and pens are handed out, for each of us to write down whether we are for or against Seb’s proposal, but as I write my objection down, I can feel that this isn’t going to go my way.
George collects the pieces of paper, then takes them back to his seat to count them.
‘Based on these votes, the majority would like to support Seb in his business venture,’ George announces.
‘How many people were against?’ I ask curiously.
‘Now, Ivy, if I told you that, it wouldn’t be an anonymous vote, would it?’ he replies, which can only lead me to believe that I was the only person to vote against it.
I don’t think there’s anything I can say that will convince people my shop is worth saving, so I’m just going to have to do it myself. How, I’m not exactly sure.
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