Page 9 of The Midnight Bakery
‘That’s a shame, Bill, it really is.’ Stuart stared at his fingers and picked a bit of dirt from beneath one nail. ‘I like you, and I’m offering you something when others wouldn’t have given you the time of day. It saddens me you don’t want my help.’
‘It isn’t that,’ replied William, heat prickling the back of his neck. ‘I’d just prefer to keep things as they are. But you needn’t worry about me keeping my mouth shut. I won’t tell anyone what we’ve discussed.’
‘Glad to hear it, Bill. But I’m not sure you understand. See, Danny’s a good businessman. He has a reputation to uphold and he runs a good club here. People come to have a good time, and you and I ensure that’s what they get. So I’m wondering how Danny might feel if he finds out you’re not quite as honest as he thinks you are. He might worry about what that would mean for his business, and that really wouldn’t be good for you. I’m just trying to ensure that doesn’t happen.’
Stuart’s eyes were fixed on William’s in a way that made it hard for him to look away. And their meaning was clear.
‘How much money are we talking about?’ replied William.
‘Normal wages, plus another fifty for any extra nights you do.’
‘And how many will that be?’
‘A few. Two or three to start with, and we’ll see how things go.’
William studied Stuart’s face but it was clear there was only one response he could give. He nodded as if he was considering his offer. ‘Danny know about this, does he?’ he asked. ‘Only that’s why I’m early, I wanted to have a bit of a chat with him.’
Stuart lifted his head, nostrils flaring. ‘He’s not here tonight, it’s just me…looking after things…’
William was meant to feel intimidated but he could see the clench in Stuart’s jaw. He straightened himself to his full height. ‘Shame…not to worry, another time will do.’ He paused, as if thinking. ‘So maybe I’ll pass on your offer this time round. Thanks all the same.’ He was taking a big risk and he was fully aware of what could happen. He needed this job but he wasn’t about to give Stuart even more power over him. Not yet anyway. Not unless he had no choice.
Stuart leaned forward until his face was only inches from William’s. ‘Yeah, it is a shame. Okay then, big man, suit yourself, but I’m watching you, Bill. I’ll always be watching you.’
He didn’t say it, but William would be watching him, too.
With a snide grin, Stuart patted his arm. ‘Good man,’ he said.
William stood his ground as Stuart walked away. It might not have been the most sensible thing to make an enemy of him but William was angry. He was fed up of being made to feel a nothing, a nobody…His fingers clenched against his palms. ‘It’sWilliam,’ he murmured under his breath as he tried to calm his breathing. ‘Not Bill, Billy, Will or anything else you want to call me. It’s William.William…’
8
Tam
‘What can I get you this evening, Eleanor? Tea, a hot chocolate or some Horlicks?’
The elderly lady gave Tam a look that twinkled in amusement. ‘You won’t get me that easily,’ she said. ‘It’s a slippery slope, I tell you.’
‘So you always say,’ replied Tam with a smile of his own. ‘But have you ever tried Horlicks? I quite like it.’
‘Yes, but it’s fine for you, you’re only young. If I have it, I’ll be drooling, babbling and behaving like Betty in no time.’
‘Naughty,’ chided Tam, but he grinned. Eleanor had such a wicked sense of humour. ‘So, last chance to change your mind, or is it to be your usual eye-wateringly strong black coffee?’
Eleanor dipped her head. ‘I won’t be swayed,’ she said.
‘Fair enough.’
Tam ducked his head back through the door and headed towards the kitchen, still smiling. He always left Eleanor till last on his final nightly round of drinks. There was only an hour left to go before his shift finished and if he was lucky, he’d get to havea chat with her for a while before anyone else needed him. The residents at Chawston House were a mixed bunch. All elderly, of course, but there was no one who made him smile quite like Eleanor did. She reminded him of how his mum used to be before her stroke, so maybe that’s what it was – both as feisty as each other, both determined not to act their age, and both able to argue with themselves in an empty room.
Returning to Eleanor, Tam placed her coffee on the small table beside her chair. Eleanor had already added her nightly bribe to it, not that she needed an inducement for him to stay, but she did it just in case.
‘Jaffa Cake?’ she said, picking up the box.
‘Don’t mind if I do,’ replied Tam, watching her struggle with the packaging. Her hands were twisted now, wrecked by arthritis, but only when she gave up would Tam take over the opening of her favourite treat. He never offered. Tonight, she made it as far as the cellophane wrapper before giving up in disgust.
‘Don’t ever get old, young man, you’ll live to regret it,’ she said.
Tam, who felt every one of his forty-nine years, smiled as he ripped open the packet and offered it to Eleanor. ‘I shall bear that in mind,’ he replied.
