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Authors: Fanny Blake
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preposterous.
‘Really?’ she said weakly.
‘Isn’t it brilliant?’ Anna rounded on them. ‘But I need some financial help to get me going.’
‘
Some
help?’ Dan interrupted. ‘You’re asking me to finance you to the tune of thousands of pounds.’
‘But Anna,’ Rose protested, alarmed. ‘Have you had enough experience of teaching?’
‘What?’ Her daughter turned on her, her face pinched with irritation. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Opening a school means . . .’ Rose stopped as Daniel smiled broadly, Anna wound like a spring beside him, both their eyes on her.
‘She’s talking about a garden centre,’ Daniel explained. ‘Not a school, darling.’ He sounded as if he was talking to a three-year-old. ‘She wants me to back
her . . . again.’
Eve stifled a laugh. This was obviously not the moment.
‘And you won’t? I should have known.’ The ten-year-old Anna revealed herself in the pout, the crossing of her arms and the angry toss of her head.
‘Did I say that?’ Daniel finished his coffee. ‘No. What I said was that I would need to see some proper financial projections that would convince me the project was viable. I
need to meet this Rick, if he’s going to be your partner, and listen to what he has to say too.’
‘Exactly. You won’t.’ She reached into her tobacco pouch for her cigarette papers.
‘Anna, listen to me,’ insisted Daniel. ‘No one with half a business brain would lend you the money without them. I’m surprised that you thought I might. You’re
asking for a considerable investment, not a packet of sweets. Besides, what about Jess? I’d need to square things with her. No, this has to be a proper business arrangement between
us.’
‘That’s just an excuse. You’re against it on principal because I’ve had some bad luck in the past. This time I’ve got the ideas and the support. I’m older and
I’ve learned from my mistakes. It can’t go wrong. You’ll see.’ She began to roll another cigarette, her mouth set, her shoulders tense. ‘We might as well go
now.’
‘Perhaps we should,’ agreed Rose, wondering when Rick had come into the picture. She would find out later, no doubt. ‘I need to pick up a few bits and pieces for tonight on the
way home.’
While Daniel went inside to find the waiter, Anna stood up. ‘I think I’ll go on ahead. He can be so bloody unreasonable.’ She put the shoulder strap of her bag over her head,
bangles rattling, and walked off.
‘Can’t you try to talk some sense into her?’ Rose begged. ‘She won’t listen to me. I need to go to the deli; I’ll meet you all back at the car.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Eve promised, even though Anna was no more likely to listen to her than she was to Rose.
Anna was heading across the sloping square towards the church in the far corner. By the time Eve had elbowed her way through a bunch of Lycra-clad cyclists who’d dropped their cycles where
they’d got off them and were showering bottles of water over each other, her quarry had disappeared between the buildings. Wondering whether she wouldn’t be better removing her sandals,
which were now rubbing on her other foot too, Eve limped after her, biting the corner of her lip to displace the pain.
She eventually caught up at a row of canvas-covered street stalls. Anna was talking to one of the stallholders who was surrounded by cages of small birds. Eve approached just as her niece handed
over cash in exchange for a cage containing two zebra finches.
‘What
are
you doing, Anna? You’re not taking them back in the car? You can’t. The poor things.’ Having been sent ahead to put matters right, Eve realised that the
situation had already slipped right out of her grasp.
Bar a long-suffering glance, Anna ignored her. Not entirely surprised by the lack of reaction (four children of her own meant she knew what to expect), Eve watched as Anna put the cage on the
ground, opened the door and
‘Really?’ she said weakly.
‘Isn’t it brilliant?’ Anna rounded on them. ‘But I need some financial help to get me going.’
‘
Some
help?’ Dan interrupted. ‘You’re asking me to finance you to the tune of thousands of pounds.’
‘But Anna,’ Rose protested, alarmed. ‘Have you had enough experience of teaching?’
‘What?’ Her daughter turned on her, her face pinched with irritation. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Opening a school means . . .’ Rose stopped as Daniel smiled broadly, Anna wound like a spring beside him, both their eyes on her.
‘She’s talking about a garden centre,’ Daniel explained. ‘Not a school, darling.’ He sounded as if he was talking to a three-year-old. ‘She wants me to back
her . . . again.’
Eve stifled a laugh. This was obviously not the moment.
‘And you won’t? I should have known.’ The ten-year-old Anna revealed herself in the pout, the crossing of her arms and the angry toss of her head.
‘Did I say that?’ Daniel finished his coffee. ‘No. What I said was that I would need to see some proper financial projections that would convince me the project was viable. I
need to meet this Rick, if he’s going to be your partner, and listen to what he has to say too.’
‘Exactly. You won’t.’ She reached into her tobacco pouch for her cigarette papers.
‘Anna, listen to me,’ insisted Daniel. ‘No one with half a business brain would lend you the money without them. I’m surprised that you thought I might. You’re
asking for a considerable investment, not a packet of sweets. Besides, what about Jess? I’d need to square things with her. No, this has to be a proper business arrangement between
us.’
‘That’s just an excuse. You’re against it on principal because I’ve had some bad luck in the past. This time I’ve got the ideas and the support. I’m older and
I’ve learned from my mistakes. It can’t go wrong. You’ll see.’ She began to roll another cigarette, her mouth set, her shoulders tense. ‘We might as well go
now.’
‘Perhaps we should,’ agreed Rose, wondering when Rick had come into the picture. She would find out later, no doubt. ‘I need to pick up a few bits and pieces for tonight on the
way home.’
While Daniel went inside to find the waiter, Anna stood up. ‘I think I’ll go on ahead. He can be so bloody unreasonable.’ She put the shoulder strap of her bag over her head,
bangles rattling, and walked off.
‘Can’t you try to talk some sense into her?’ Rose begged. ‘She won’t listen to me. I need to go to the deli; I’ll meet you all back at the car.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Eve promised, even though Anna was no more likely to listen to her than she was to Rose.
Anna was heading across the sloping square towards the church in the far corner. By the time Eve had elbowed her way through a bunch of Lycra-clad cyclists who’d dropped their cycles where
they’d got off them and were showering bottles of water over each other, her quarry had disappeared between the buildings. Wondering whether she wouldn’t be better removing her sandals,
which were now rubbing on her other foot too, Eve limped after her, biting the corner of her lip to displace the pain.
She eventually caught up at a row of canvas-covered street stalls. Anna was talking to one of the stallholders who was surrounded by cages of small birds. Eve approached just as her niece handed
over cash in exchange for a cage containing two zebra finches.
‘What
are
you doing, Anna? You’re not taking them back in the car? You can’t. The poor things.’ Having been sent ahead to put matters right, Eve realised that the
situation had already slipped right out of her grasp.
Bar a long-suffering glance, Anna ignored her. Not entirely surprised by the lack of reaction (four children of her own meant she knew what to expect), Eve watched as Anna put the cage on the
ground, opened the door and
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