‘What? Oh no, that’s not going to happen for a long time yet. I have to secure investment first – and that’s proving to be a headache. I’m either too old or too broke or too new to the industry. But I’ll work it out.’
‘I believe you will.’ He stood up. ‘Look, I have to go, but it’s been really good to see you.’
‘You too, Aidan. I’m glad things are working out for you.’
He hesitated, unwilling to leave yet. ‘Look, Nell, I don’t suppose you’d like to do this again some time? I’d like to hear about your trip and – well, I’ve missed us hanging out. We could do lunch, say, Saturday?’
His eagerness made my stomach flip but I wasn’t sure I was ready for a great emotional showdown. ‘I don’t know …’
‘Coffee, then? I visit this place about the same time most days. If you happened to be here tomorrow we could maybe share a table again?’
The Aidan Matthews charm was still functioning, bringing a smile to my lips without my permission. He was cheeky as hell but I could tell his characteristic confidence had taken a battering lately. I liked this version of him and it would be nice to get back to the easy friendship we had enjoyed, despite whatever else was happening between us.
‘Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.’
His familiar grin reappeared. ‘Maybe you will.’
‘Cheeky git,’ Vicky exclaimed, when I called her that afternoon. ‘He’s got some gall, hasn’t he?’
‘I’m not saying I’m going tomorrow.’
‘You’re not saying you’re not, either. Don’t let him off that easily, Nell. I made him buy me a whole bottle of wine before I accepted his apology, and it was good stuff too. We might be forgiving him for sacking us but we should make him sweat it out a bit.’
‘Duly noted. I will punish him sufficiently. The thing is, I think he needs friends, Vix. None of us wanted this situation to happen and it’s been tough for everyone.’
‘OK, be the voice of reason, damn you. But remember you’re talking about the guy who sacked you when you thought he was getting back with you and who pathetically emailed you for eight whole weeks even though you didn’t answer him. Bear that in mind, OK?’
I loved Vicky for her forthrightness and her parting shot made me smile all day.
When I was getting ready for bed that night, my phone beeped to signal a new email had arrived. Seeing the name of the sender, I quickly opened it.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Hello!
Hi Nellie!
It’s so weird to be emailing you – I’m still getting used to not turning round to tell you something. I hope everything’s good back in Blighty and that all your plans are coming together.
Everything here is pretty much as you left it. Tyler is here more often but I know you’ll be pleased to hear that. He makes me happy, Nell, and that’s the important thing.
The kids at S-O-S Club have been asking about you, so I thought I might set up a club email address for them to email you, if that’s OK? Tyler has asked the Parent–Teacher fundraising committee to fund a computer for us so we can add a Tech Zone for kids like JJ who are surgically attached to their games consoles.
Eva and Maya are missing you terribly. But I guess you knew they would. If you want to send them anything from England, you can always send it via me.
Take care and be happy. I’ll email again soon.
Lots of love
Lizzie xxx
Thinking about Eva inevitably led my thoughts to Max. I missed Eva and loved the idea of sending her presents from England, but what if Max found out and saw it as an invitation to contact me? Dismissing the idea as ridiculous I focused on what I could send for all of the children. It would be a nice surprise for them and would make me feel like I was still connected to the S-O-S Club in some way. I would start looking for suitable gifts tomorrow. Climbing into bed, I smiled thinking about Lizzie and Tyler, the kids and Haight-Ashbury. I picked up my notebook and turned to the first page of Annie’s handwritten notes:
COFFEE
If it’s empty, fill it. If it’s not empty, top it up.
Don’t ask permission and don’t be offended if they refuse.
Bottom line: there’s ALWAYS coffee
In my diner, there will be great coffee, I told myself. People will come in especially for it.
I giggled. Talking about the diner I would one day run – even to myself in the box-room bedroom at my parents’ house with hardly any money to my name and no financial backing whatsoever – made it feel real. Forget what the grant organisations thought: I was exactly the right age with exactly the right experience and what I lacked in quantifiable investment I more than made up for with sheer determination and willingness to work until I saw it become a reality.
I didn’t know how it was going to happen, but I was going to make this work.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
An unexpected offer
Aidan was waiting for me when I arrived in the coffee shop next day, doing his best impression of nonchalance but failing spectacularly. So much for the casual approach, I mused as I waited in the queue for my coffee.
‘Just happened to be here, did you?’ I asked as I joined him.
He shrugged. ‘I might have been waiting for a while.’
I smiled. ‘I have to say when I got back from San Francisco I didn’t expect us to meet. I was determined we wouldn’t, as a matter of fact.’
‘I’m not surprised. But I’m glad you changed your mind.’
‘How’s the new job?’
Aidan grimaced. ‘Dad’s a taskmaster. I never realised how much until I started to work for him. He seems to think I’m at his beck and call every waking hour of the day. At least at the Council they didn’t call me in the evenings and expect me to be working …’ Realising what he’d said, he stopped. ‘I’m sorry. You don’t need to hear that.’
I was in no mood to fight this morning and was touched by his carefulness. ‘Don’t apologise. That part of my life is over. There’s no point bearing grudges. I’m glad you found another job.’
‘Nothing on the horizon yet for you?’ he ventured.
‘A few days here and there, but nothing of any substance yet.’
‘Nell, I’m so sorry about you losing your job.’
‘Don’t be. I know it wasn’t your fault. Anyway, I’m using the time as best I can. I’ve even gone back to college.’
He seemed genuinely surprised by this. ‘To study what?’
‘An introductory business course and my health and hygiene certificate – something I’ll need for the future.’ I put my notebook on the table.
‘More planning?’
‘Mm-hmm. I want to make sure I’m as prepared as I can be. Even though it could be a long time until I actually get to use any of this.’
He leaned towards me. ‘Maybe not.’
I knew I was staring at him now, the half-empty packet of sugar still hovering above my coffee mug. ‘What do you mean?’
He took a breath. ‘OK, there’s a possibility I could help you.’
‘Aidan, I don’t …’
‘Just listen to me. After we spoke yesterday I happened to mention it to Dad and he said he has a property he needs a tenant for.’
This was a kind thought, but I was definitely not ready to take on premises. ‘I’m not at that stage yet. I wish I was. But until I have sufficient funds to cover all the set-up costs I daren’t even think about opening for business.’
Aidan waved his hands. ‘I realise that. But the possibility I’m talking about wouldn’t require you to.’
I sat back in the armchair and observed him carefully. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Dad recently bought a café in Acton. It’s a bit rough around the edges and the most recent tenant was running it as a greasy spoon. But it has a good customer base, is near a new office complex and has passing trade from the high street. Dad’s not looking t
o sell: he wants someone to run it for him.’
It was a curveball, but would the compromises I would have to make on my dream be worth it for being able to open a restaurant? ‘I’m not interested in continuing somebody else’s business. Especially not a transport café.’
‘But it doesn’t have to stay a greasy spoon, don’t you see? The whole unit has been badly neglected by the former landlord and needs completely gutting. But we could fit it out exactly as you want – make it into the diner you want to run. The only difference would be that initially you would run it for Dad. He’d pay you a salary plus a percentage of profits, with the option to buy in five years. All Dad cares about is making money from it, but to do that requires someone with the vision and drive to make it happen. I think that person could be you.’
I did not see this coming. At all. It was a fantastic opportunity, but was it right for me? I’d envisaged choosing the location myself, deciding where was best to attract the customers I wanted. On the other hand, an established business would bring a ready-made customer base. Thinking of many of the items on Annie’s diner menu, there wasn’t much difference between what they offered and what a greasy spoon might serve. Eggs, bacon, cheese, coffee – all of these items could be found in both places, meaning that greasy spoon customers wouldn’t find the diner food too much of a jump from what they were used to.
If I waited for the right amount of funding, the right location and the right clientele, I might be waiting a long time. Years, even. But if I’d waited for the perfect time to go to San Francisco – when I had enough money, when I had someone else to go with, or when I felt ready – I would have missed out on everything that had happened. Was this another opportunity life was presenting to me?
‘What does your dad think about me running it?’
Surprised and pleased at my question, Aidan replied, ‘Actually, it was his idea.’
I thought about it, staring out at the red London buses, black taxis and scurrying pedestrians moving past the coffee shop window. Annie Legado had started her business with practically no money, building it up from scratch in a neighbourhood she only chose because it was cheaper than the expensive store units nearer Union Square. She didn’t wait for perfect to come along.
‘Could I see it?’
‘I can take you there this afternoon.’
Although it was early July, heavy rain hung over the city. The wipers on Aidan’s BMW squeaked against the glass as sheets of water flooded across the windscreen. In the passenger seat, I suddenly felt very small. The panic rising within me was the same I’d experienced on the first day of school. The terrified child within me screamed again: No! Stop! I’m not ready for this yet! I want to go back!
It’s just a viewing, I reminded myself. I hadn’t agreed to anything yet. I would probably set one foot across the threshold and immediately hate it. All I was doing was investigating it further so I knew for certain.
‘You OK?’
‘Yes, I’m good.’ I stared at the windscreen wipers as they made their noisy progress through the rain.
‘You’re very quiet, that’s all.’
‘I don’t mean to be.’
‘No, well, of course.’ ‘Ah, here we are.’ Aidan steered the BMW through a narrow gap between two rows of shop units in Acton High Street, parking it by a large blue wheelie bin. ‘Now, it’s in a bit of a state, so you’ll have to use your imagination.’
The café had a large sign taped to the front window, advising local people that it was temporarily closed for refurbishment. Inside it smelled of stale fat, carpet tiles and the mustiness that comes from a building lying empty for a while. A blackened, grease-stained steel multi-burner oven and preparation tables filled the kitchen, and empty metal racks were stacked in the storage area. Several large catering fridges and freezers sat like silent sentries on each side of the kitchen and light flooded in from a long, grubby skylight over the preparation tables. The red vinyl floor was so sticky that parts of it lifted with my shoes when I trod on them and the tiles I suspected were actually white were stained yellow from years of fried food. It was an unlikely setting for what could one day be my dream business but I had to make myself overlook the problems and focus on the potential. There was no point being here if I wasn’t willing to investigate it fully.
Through an archway to the serving area I found a long metal counter, dented and scratched with the name of someone called ‘Digsy’, a redundant cash register quite literally stuck to its surface. Behind the counter was a strip of vinyl-coated chipboard work surface, bearing the ghostly dust-and-grease outlines of drink machines long since removed, and beyond that a thin, letterbox-style serving hatch. The seating area was filled with simple laminated wood and steel bistro tables and chairs that looked new compared with the other fittings. I counted the chairs. Forty covers: roughly one-third of the amount at Annie’s.
‘What do you think?’ Aidan had been watching my slow survey of the café, maintaining a respectable distance as I took it in.
I tried to look beyond the actual state of the place, remembering Annie’s advice that she had given me halfway through my work experience: When you look at premises, ignore everything apart from walls, ceilings and floors. Space is what counts. Everything else can be altered.
‘It’s a good size. The kitchen has potential, although the floor covering definitely needs changing and I wouldn’t want to use that oven without it being checked. It seems to be in a good location – on the high street, quite a bit of passing trade … I think it could work.’
When I turned to look at Aidan, he was staring at me. ‘You really know what you want, don’t you?’
‘I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.’
‘Did you …’ He paused, taking a step towards me. ‘Did you think about this when we were together?’
His question broke through our carefully laid veneer of friendship, digging deeper than I was sure I was comfortable with yet. ‘Aidan—’
‘No. Forget I asked. I’m sorry.’
‘OK.’
He gave a deep sigh. ‘Where do you want to go from here?’
For a moment, I thought he might be referring to us – and I was surprised that the possibility didn’t seem as awful as I’d imagined it might be. But I quickly realised this was his attempt at a subject change to bring our conversation back to the café. ‘I would be interested in talking to your dad about it.’
Surprised, Aidan pulled his mobile from his pocket. ‘I can ask him now, if you like?’
My heart was racing and my palms had begun to moisten. It was too good an opportunity to miss.
‘Call him.’
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: I might have premises!
It’s early days yet and I haven’t officially agreed to anything, but an opportunity has come about that might just make it possible for me to be running a diner by this Christmas!
The funny thing is, the person responsible for bringing this opportunity to me is Aidan. Get that: Aidan Matthews helping me out! He’s been really helpful, actually, and I feel like I’m getting a friend back. He’s been amazing and I’ve been surprised by how easy things are between us.
I went to see the café last week and today I met with John, Aidan’s father, to discuss how it might work. Basically, he’ll own the place and I’ll run it like a manager. It means I’ll be paid every month and he will cover bills for heating, lighting, staff and ingredients until we start to turn over a profit. The best part is that he’s planning a complete refit, so he’s happy for me to take the lead on that.
I have two weeks to decide. John wants to start renovating the last week of September, with a view to a December opening to catch the Christmas trade. What do you think? Am I completely crazy?
I’m scared but so excited!
Lots of love
Nell xxx
From: [email protected]
To: ne
[email protected]
Subject: GO FOR IT!!
Read the subject line.
I think you already know what you want to do. You should follow your heart on this, Nellie.
This is your dream – go for it!
Very proud of you
Lots and lots of love
L xxxx
I considered the opportunity for a week. It wasn’t the way I had envisaged it and there were compromises to be made along the way, but I knew it was the right thing to do.
My mind made up, I phoned Aidan from my parents’ living room as they stood next to me – Dad holding a bottle of champagne ready in anticipation of my decision.
‘Aidan, I’m in.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The hard work begins
From the moment I verbally agreed to take on the lease of the former Fryer Tuck-in’s café, lists began to rule my life. Lists of quotes from builders, electricians, plasterers, gas-fitters, specialist catering equipment suppliers, tilers, painters and damp-proofing companies filled the notice board in my bedroom at Mum and Dad’s, until I ran out of drawing pins and available space and had to buy a file to keep them in.
Dad came to visit the former café with me and was a brilliant help advising me on the best way to tackle the electrical and construction changes that were needed.
‘It needs work but it’s a good, solid structure,’ he beamed. ‘If Aidan’s father is funding the renovation I reckon this place will come together in no time.’ Retracting the steel tape measure in his hand, he strolled over to me and planted a kiss on my head. ‘I hope you know how proud of you me and Mum are.’
‘Thanks Dad. It means so much to have you both rooting for me.’
‘It’s our pleasure. We haven’t seen you so fired up about something for years. And you know we’re going to help in any way that we can.’
I loved my parents’ enthusiasm and complete faith in me. It was wonderful to feel so supported, especially when moments of doubt beset me.
Take A Look At Me Now Page 24