Page 15 of The Little Shop on Silver Linings Street
‘I’ve brought your tea through for you,’ he said, placing it gently down on the desk.
She was aware that he was watching her but she kept her head bent low, avoiding his look.
‘Thanks,’ she muttered.
He was so quiet that she thought he might have retreated back into the other room, but then she heard a long breath expelled.
‘Daisy?’ He put a hand out towards her. ‘Look, would you stop for a minute?’
She looked up at the exasperation in his voice.
‘I’m really sorry, we all are, it’s just that… well, we’re used to Mum’s antics but this, this is something else. It’s rather taken us all by surprise, and I don’t need to tell you it’s causing problems… For you as well.’
Daisy sighed. She was tired and they weren’t even open yet. ‘Look, I do understand, Kit, but, yes, you’re right, it is causing problems for me. I’ve worked here a long time and, while I don’t think that automatically entitles me to anything, I did think that your mum and I had a good working relationship and, as such, she would discuss with me anything which affected the running of the business. I certainly didn’t think she was going to retire any time soon, or make me party to some game she wants to play with her sons. I’m not looking forward to it any more than the rest of you.’
Kit nodded. ‘No, I can see that and, again, I’m sorry. Tempers got a little frayed this morning. I guess we’re still just trying to take it all in.’
Daisy glanced back through the doorway where she could see that Lawrence and Bertie were hovering.
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, come in,’ she said, picking up her mug of tea and wrapping her hands around it. ‘But stop bloody arguing with one another or you can all leave.’ She paused, looking at Kit. ‘Not you,’ she added. ‘You can do some work for a change.’ To her surprise Kit flushed bright red and she suddenly wished she could take back her words.
She softened her voice. ‘I think we’re all agreed that none of us are thrilled by the challenge that Bea has set us, but there’s no point bickering and backbiting with one another, or me for that matter. It’s going to get us nowhere.’ She took a sip of her tea, looking at the three of them over the rim of her mug. ‘Come Christmas Eve, one of you is going to end up running this place, assuming you all want to enter Bea’s little competition, so you had all better have a think about what that means, for you individually, and as brothers. Whether you want to use this opportunity to unite the family or split it apart.’
Her words hung in the air between them but she knew it was what they had all been thinking. None of them worked in the business full time but Bea had promised their father that she would look after them financially and so she had, paying them all handsomely. Bertie looked after the accounts and administration, Lawrence looked after the buying and merchandising, and Kit worked on the sales floor. But, they did all at least have a job and, even before Bertie’s pronouncement of a few days ago about their financial situation, they must have known that the present arrangement was simply not sustainable. Something had to give, and Daisy suspected that this was the real reason why Bea had done what she had.
‘So, first things first, is anyone going to bow out gracefully now?’
The brothers looked at each other, and one by one they all shook their heads; even Kit, which rather surprised her.
‘Then you are going to need to come up with the perfect present for me and it strikes me that we can either do this the hard way, or the not-so-hard way.’ She rubbed a hand across her forehead. ‘I must be mad but, for what it’s worth, I think I need to help you. Whether you like it or not, I’m stuck in the middle of this too.’
Lawrence took a step forward. ‘I’m not sure we’re even deserving of that, but thank you, Daisy.’
His words sounded a little forced, but it was an apology of sorts, and would have cost him dear.
‘I’m not sure you’re deserving either,’ replied Daisy evenly. ‘But it struck me that perhaps this is as much about me as it is you. As you rightly said, Kit, none of you know me that well. You will each need to decide how you’re going to run the business, whether you’re going to do it alone, or whether there will still be a place for the others, or for me.’ She sighed. ‘Besides, there’s less than a month to go until Christmas and I can’t stand the thought of having what might turn out to be my last month here ruined by unpleasantness. There’s quite enough of that in the world already.’
‘That’s really kind of you,’ said Bertie. ‘And, under the circumstances, very generous. This is going to be difficult enough, without us at each other’s throats the whole time. But there’s a lot at stake, and I think we need to all agree, here and now, that there’s to be no funny business, nothing underhand… We should at least all try and behave like decent human beings.’
Kit narrowed his eyes, but he nodded, holding out his hand. Daisy waited to see who would take it first.
‘I agree,’ said Lawrence. ‘But it’s not quite as simple as that, is it?’
‘It’s as simple as you care to make it, surely?’ replied Daisy.
‘Except that the playing field isn’t what you’d call level.’
Kit’s hand dropped slowly to his side. He flicked a glance at Daisy and then looked uneasily at his brother.
‘How so?’ she asked.
‘Well, because clearly Kit already knows you much better than the rest of us,’ remarked Lawrence. ‘That’s obvious.’
Daisy stared at him. ‘I doubt that,’ she said. ‘In fact, I wouldn’t say Kit knows me at all.’
‘But you work together all day.’
She was beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable again. She didn’t want to say anything to Kit’s detriment, that hardly seemed fair, but how did she explain to Lawrence that she and Kit barely spoke when they were at work, and certainly not about anything that mattered?
