use the phone to warn him.
Sure, he said, he’d bring the tablet to Iris’s house, no sweat.
That was it, no hint of how he’d got on or when he’d be here.
Back in the kitchen, Iris was still gazing out the window.
‘Iris? Are you okay? Are you going to tell Dad that you know about the loan?’
She sighed ‘A good question, and I’m not sure of the answer yet. Anyway, there’s nothing I can do about it right now. Let’s just get on with organising dinner, shall we?’
I set the table, fuming over Eddy’s non-appearance. If he’d gone straight home to his mummy and was busy feeding his face instead of letting me know how he’d got on, I’d bloody deck him. Half an hour later, though, he rolled up the driveway. Give him the benefit of the doubt. Be nice, Bess.
Getting out of a small car when you’re a tall bloke looked to me like an exercise in reverse origami.
Before I’d sorted out which question to ask first, Iris was there asking him if he’d like to stay for a meal.
‘Would I ever! Thanks, Iris. I was going to open the baked beans when I got back to the flat.’
He noticed my swiftly concealed astonishment.
‘I’ve been flatting for a couple of years now,’ he told me, his hand patting the air above my head.
‘Bully for you, you great big adult.’ I beamed my most admiring smile at him. ‘Now, how did it go today?’ Tell me, tell me. And make it good news.
He shrugged. ‘Not great. I visited Charlie first up, got him to check the figures. He gave me a few pointers about what to say to people.’
‘He didn’t tell me you’d been in,’ Iris said. ‘How do you think he was looking?’
‘Better. He doesn’t believe we can save the business, though. Didn’t say as much, but you can tell.’
‘So what happened today?’ I swear if he didn’t tell me soon, I’d choke it out of him.
Iris shooed us to sit down at the table. Eddy put the tablet in front of me. ‘This worked great. But I didn’t get any orders. Not even a nibble.’
‘Shit.’ I hadn’t realised how much I’d been hoping — expecting really — that everything would fall into place. ‘What did they say? Did they give a reason?’
Eddy looked uncomfortable at that, but Iris said, ‘Tell it like it is, Eddy. We can’t fix it if we don’t know the full story.’ She gave me a meaningful, fiery witch-type look as she said that.
‘They said they’d lost confidence in the products. They all said we’re not where it’s at.’
‘But didn’t they look at these?’ I waved the tablet at him. ‘Couldn’t they see? These are exactly where it’s at.’
Eddy just looked depressed.
‘We’re not giving up. We are not! Do you hear me, Eddy?’
A big fat unconfident sigh was all I got by way of a reply.
‘Let’s eat,’ Iris said.
Chapter Eleven
THAT NIGHT I DREAMED of fire. The unsold tables were the pyre, and Iris was burning.
I woke up with Mum shaking me. ‘Bess! What on earth’s the matter with you?’
The light was dazzling and I flinched away from it, still in the grip of flames.
‘Are you awake?’ Mum demanded. ‘What was all that about? You were shouting loud enough to wake the dead.’
The dead. Oh dear god. Iris wasn’t dead, not in this life. I sat up, leaning forward with my hands over my eyes.
‘Bess? Answer me, please.’
I tried to speak. It took a couple of attempts before I could say, ‘Just a nightmare. Sorry I woke you up.’
Iris would have hugged me. Hadleigh would have tipped me upside down over his shoulder. Dad? He’d at least have asked what the nightmare was about. Then he’d have made me a cup of strong tea — his answer to everything. Mum didn’t touch me again after she’d shaken me into consciousness, but she delivered a parting shot as she left my room. ‘You’ll have to see the doctor if it happens again. I sleep badly enough as it is. I can’t afford to have you waking me like this every night.’
I slumped down into the mess of
Sure, he said, he’d bring the tablet to Iris’s house, no sweat.
That was it, no hint of how he’d got on or when he’d be here.
Back in the kitchen, Iris was still gazing out the window.
‘Iris? Are you okay? Are you going to tell Dad that you know about the loan?’
She sighed ‘A good question, and I’m not sure of the answer yet. Anyway, there’s nothing I can do about it right now. Let’s just get on with organising dinner, shall we?’
I set the table, fuming over Eddy’s non-appearance. If he’d gone straight home to his mummy and was busy feeding his face instead of letting me know how he’d got on, I’d bloody deck him. Half an hour later, though, he rolled up the driveway. Give him the benefit of the doubt. Be nice, Bess.
Getting out of a small car when you’re a tall bloke looked to me like an exercise in reverse origami.
Before I’d sorted out which question to ask first, Iris was there asking him if he’d like to stay for a meal.
‘Would I ever! Thanks, Iris. I was going to open the baked beans when I got back to the flat.’
He noticed my swiftly concealed astonishment.
‘I’ve been flatting for a couple of years now,’ he told me, his hand patting the air above my head.
‘Bully for you, you great big adult.’ I beamed my most admiring smile at him. ‘Now, how did it go today?’ Tell me, tell me. And make it good news.
He shrugged. ‘Not great. I visited Charlie first up, got him to check the figures. He gave me a few pointers about what to say to people.’
‘He didn’t tell me you’d been in,’ Iris said. ‘How do you think he was looking?’
‘Better. He doesn’t believe we can save the business, though. Didn’t say as much, but you can tell.’
‘So what happened today?’ I swear if he didn’t tell me soon, I’d choke it out of him.
Iris shooed us to sit down at the table. Eddy put the tablet in front of me. ‘This worked great. But I didn’t get any orders. Not even a nibble.’
‘Shit.’ I hadn’t realised how much I’d been hoping — expecting really — that everything would fall into place. ‘What did they say? Did they give a reason?’
Eddy looked uncomfortable at that, but Iris said, ‘Tell it like it is, Eddy. We can’t fix it if we don’t know the full story.’ She gave me a meaningful, fiery witch-type look as she said that.
‘They said they’d lost confidence in the products. They all said we’re not where it’s at.’
‘But didn’t they look at these?’ I waved the tablet at him. ‘Couldn’t they see? These are exactly where it’s at.’
Eddy just looked depressed.
‘We’re not giving up. We are not! Do you hear me, Eddy?’
A big fat unconfident sigh was all I got by way of a reply.
‘Let’s eat,’ Iris said.
Chapter Eleven
THAT NIGHT I DREAMED of fire. The unsold tables were the pyre, and Iris was burning.
I woke up with Mum shaking me. ‘Bess! What on earth’s the matter with you?’
The light was dazzling and I flinched away from it, still in the grip of flames.
‘Are you awake?’ Mum demanded. ‘What was all that about? You were shouting loud enough to wake the dead.’
The dead. Oh dear god. Iris wasn’t dead, not in this life. I sat up, leaning forward with my hands over my eyes.
‘Bess? Answer me, please.’
I tried to speak. It took a couple of attempts before I could say, ‘Just a nightmare. Sorry I woke you up.’
Iris would have hugged me. Hadleigh would have tipped me upside down over his shoulder. Dad? He’d at least have asked what the nightmare was about. Then he’d have made me a cup of strong tea — his answer to everything. Mum didn’t touch me again after she’d shaken me into consciousness, but she delivered a parting shot as she left my room. ‘You’ll have to see the doctor if it happens again. I sleep badly enough as it is. I can’t afford to have you waking me like this every night.’
I slumped down into the mess of
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