Page 12 of Barging In
Going on to maintain what was essentially a bachelor pad — when Drew wasn’t one — felt just as pointless to her. His commute may have shortened, but hers had increased from a fifteen-minute walk to Camden Town to a forty- minute commute with a Tube change. That was when he suggested she work for him directly rather than him employing her through her firm. It would be cheaper for the business and end her commute. He even suggested they could jog to the office together. So, she handed in her notice but declined the jogging, not quite ready to join the midlife crisis her husband appeared to be having.
Refilling her glass from the fridge, she picked up her phone from the kitchen worktop and settled back in her chair. It was time to make a call that might offer a solution to her Clem’s Coffee & Cakes problem.
“Hi, Angela. It’s Victoria,” she said as soon as the call connected to the company lawyer. “Quick question.”
“Hi, Vic. Fire away.”
“When you drew up the legal agreements with Richard Armitage, was there anything about a no-competition clause for the traders along the towpath opposite?”
“Give me ten minutes to dig out the file, and I’ll call you back.”
“Thanks.”
As she waited, sipping her wine, she took in her view over the beautifully landscaped garden. A stretch of lawn with neatly clipped hedges and borders sloped down to a weathered wooden jetty overlooking the canal. She’d fallen in love with the view first. Since leaving their Primrose Hill home, she’d longed to live beside a canal again. She missed her view over the Regent’s Canal and her daily walk along it to work.
The house, although liveable, had been in a bad state when they bought it. She knew the wharf development plans were going to take at least a year to pull together before any real work could begin, so living nearby had been a no-brainer. Drew was happy that she’d be adding value to another property alongside developing the wharf; Victoria was just delighted to escape London and its bright lights, noises, and fumes.
The distant chug of a narrowboat caught her ear, drawing her gaze as it came into view. The familiar flash of garish orange made her jaw tighten. As it passed, she hoped never to see it again.
Pulling the card Jasper gave her from her pocket, she scanned the QR code with her phone. A total of seventy-seven Google reviews popped up, all of them five stars and all left in under a week! It must be a new business, she decided, and with a quarter of them failing in the firstyear, perhaps the problem would resolve itself in time. No business could be sustainable selling a few cakes and coffees. Not that she could wait a year for Clem’s Coffee & Cakes to go bust. She’d be out of business herself by then.
The wharf had only managed forty-two reviews in the last year. With an average rating of 3.9, none of the reviews were as gushing as the ones she was reading now.
“Absolutely fantastic coffee and the best lemon drizzle I’ve ever tasted! You can tell everything is homemade with love. A real gem of a spot!” – Lisa T.
“Lovely little café boat with delicious bakes and great coffee. The brownies are next level! Friendly service and a beautiful setting by the canal.” – Melissa N.
“Clem’s cakes are divine, as is Clem! Perfect balance of flavour and texture. Highly recommend the blueberry muffins – still warm when I got it!” – Emma P.
“Great coffee, gorgeous cakes, and a charming atmosphere!” – Daniel W.
Victoria’s stomach felt sour, and she wished she hadn’t begun reading. The phone ringing brought a welcome interruption.
“So, no — there isn’t, basically,” Angela said as soon as Victoria answered. “It’s mostly about bridge access and usage.”
Victoria huffed. That wasn’t what she’d wanted to hear.
“Did we miss something?”Angela asked.
“No, don’t worry,” Victoria reassured her.“It’s nothing I can’t sort out.”
A boat selling coffee and cake wasn’t something they could have foreseen. Back then, they’d been too preoccupied with hammering out access rights to the bridge during negotiations for the site. The seller owned it and the land opposite, along with the stretch of waterway and the towpath, so most of their legal energy had gone into that. Without pedestrian access across the bridge, the business would have missed out on a lot of custom from the town.
“I heard from Julia that Drew has put the wharf on her monitoring list,” Angela said, her voice almost a whisper.
“Yes, but I’ll turn things around,” Victoria replied, hoping her tone at least sounded more confident than she felt. “Successful businesses aren’t made overnight.”
“True,” Angela agreed.
“Anyway, thanks for your help.”
“You’re welcome.”
They said their goodbyes and hung up.
Victoria felt a sharp pain in her hand before realising she was clenching her fist, her nails digging deep into her palm. Did everyone know? It made sense that Julia knew because she was Drew’s number cruncher. Victoria had never wanted to be on her list, especially with Drew giving her until the end of the summer to make some changes.If she was on Julia’s radar, did that mean he had already made up his mind?
The thought that everyone at the office knew the wharf wasn’t thriving grated inside her. It didn’t reflect well on her or her abilities. She pushed the thought aside, though, to focus on the task at hand. First thing in the morning, she needed to meet with Christine. If there was nothing they could do legally, she’d find another way to boost sales.
