Chapter Thirty-Five

I know that I’m going to be leaving The Fish & Chip Shop Around The Corner anyway, but it was supposed to be on my terms, when I had another job lined up. I have two more interviews scheduled for next week, but unless they buck the trend and a) go well and b) I’m offered the job, I’m up to my neck in the smelly brown stuff. I’d thought admitting to Paul that I still work at the chippy would be bad enough, but having to admit that I’m unemployed would be even worse. If moving back home is taking a step backwards, losing my job is taking a giant leap the wrong way, and it’s going to have a domino effect. How can I afford my driving lessons without a job? Or afford my own place, even if one popped up right in front of me?

‘I think you’re jumping to conclusions. The message doesn’t say anything about losing your job. It doesn’t even say you’ve done anything wrong.’

It’s been ten minutes since Russell’s message came through and James is doing his best to calm me down, but it isn’t working and I’m currently wearing the soles of my Converse out as I pace up and down in front of the plastic chairs.

‘It could just mean that his mum is better and they’re able to take the reins of the shop again.’ He looks to Claire for backup, and she nods enthusiastically. She’s left Arlo in the queue with Edith and Seth so she can help placate me, and she even typed out a reply to the message for me because my hands were trembling and my brain had turned to mush.

‘But then he would have said that. He would have announced that they were ba-ack .’ I do jazz hands to convey the zeal of this alternate message. I look at Claire, who winces, because she knows what I’m saying is true.

‘Let me see the message again.’ She holds out her hand and I press my phone into it. I know the message word for word by now:

Hi Cleo. I’m back in town for the afternoon. Need to have an urgent

chat about the shop. Can we meet ASAP?

‘Maybe I’ve done the accounts wrong. Paid everyone double and now Russell and Jed are going to go bankrupt.’

‘You didn’t pay me double, that’s for sure.’ Claire hands the phone back. ‘And you haven’t burned the place down or flooded it – you’d have noticed when you popped by after your haircut. James is right – you’re panicking over nothing. Meet up with Russell, see what’s so urgent, and then deal with it. I’ll even panic with you if the meeting warrants it, but I doubt it will.’

I nod, but the lump of fear is still growing in my throat, and I almost choke on it when a new message comes through from Russell.

‘He wants to meet up at the flat. He’s there now.’ I press a hand to my chest. I can’t breathe. I’m about to lose the job I adore and I don’t even know what I’ve done to deserve it. Maybe Russell and Jed have got wind of the interviews I’ve been on and are pushing me before I have the chance to jump. I bet it was Bridget, who’s always been a bit miffed that I was put in charge and not her.

‘Do you want me to come with you?’ James rubs my back with a soothing circular motion, and the desire to crumple into his arms and take him up on the offer is strong. But I resist.

‘You need to stay and watch Seth’s band perform. He’d be gutted if you missed it. You’d be gutted if you missed it.’

‘I’ll come.’ Claire stands up but I shake my head.

‘No. Thanks, but I’m a grown-up. I can do this.’ Outwardly, I’m throwing back my shoulders and tilting my chin in defiance while inside I’m battling the urge to throw myself onto my knees while begging Claire to come with me and hold my hand. ‘Besides, Arlo’s looking forward to having his face painted as Spider-Man. I couldn’t deny him that.’ I give a wobbly smile as I back away. ‘Wish me luck.’

I turn and practically run away from the fair before I hide myself away in the corner of the bouncy castle. I’ve got myself into even more of a state by the time I make it to the chippy, but I’m relieved to see it’s still standing. In fact, it’s looking pretty busy for a Sunday afternoon, with Bridget, Elliot and Ross all flitting around behind the counter as they serve the long line of customers. We’ve definitely moved into high season, but the question is, will I be part of it after this meeting?

I trudge up the staircase to the flat, prolonging the agony of not knowing with each step. Russell’s in the living room, lounging against the Jed cushion as he listens to one of his glam rock albums. He smiles when he sees me, and not in a I’m-sorry-I’m-about-to-sack-you kind of way, which I take as a Good Sign. And I almost weep with relief when he envelops me in a huge hug, because he wouldn’t do that if he was mad at me, would he?

‘Cleo! It’s so good to see you.’ Russell squeezes me even harder for a brief moment before releasing me and holding me at arm’s length. ‘You’re looking good. I like the new hair. Très sophistiqué .’

I reach up to touch my shorter style. ‘I kind of miss the pink, to be honest. And it’ll be a while before I can throw it up into a messy bun. It’ll take me ages to style now it’s shorter, which is backward, don’t you think?’ I’m babbling because I’m nervous and can’t seem to stop. ‘I’ll have to blow-dry it and straighten it, and the fringe will be a nightmare. So high-maintenance!’

‘Tell me about it.’ Russell sniggers as he runs a hand over his balding head. ‘Anyway, shall I pop the kettle on and then we can have our little chat?’

My innards drop to the floor, but I manage to push a smile onto my face. It droops as soon as Russell steps into the kitchen and I start to pace the living room. I’m still anxious about the ‘little chat’ despite the pleasantries.

‘Sit down. You’re making me nervous, pacing like that.’ Russell returns with a couple of steaming mugs, which he places down on the coasters on the coffee table. I do as I’m told, folding myself carefully into the armchair while Russell turns the stereo down. He claps his hands together before he sets off pacing himself. The grimace on his face as he moves from one end of the living room and back again tells me I was right not to trust the pleasantries.

‘Can you sit down?’ My stomach is in knots, and the marching is making it worse.

‘Sorry. Yes. Of course.’ Russell attempts a smile, but it just makes the grimace more pronounced. But he does sit, perching on the edge of the sofa and angling his body towards mine. ‘Cleo, I have a confession, and it’s quite a big one.’ He takes a huge lungful of air before releasing it at an agonisingly slow rate. ‘My mum was never poorly. She’s never been fitter, in fact. She’s been doing that “Couch to 5k” thing. Runs every day now, and she does one of those park runs every weekend, and she’s doing the Great North Run. Reckons she’ll be going in for the full London Marathon next year.’ Russell shakes his head in wonder. ‘She’s seventy-six, you know, but there’s no stopping her. She’s an inspiration.’

‘Russell.’ I clasp my hands together and lean forward in my seat. ‘Why did you tell me your mum was ill? And what have you been doing all these weeks? Have you even been in Manchester?’

‘Yes.’ Russell’s head bobs up and down. ‘We have definitely been in Manchester. We didn’t fib about that. But the thing is.’ Russell takes another huge lungful of air, closing his eyes before he releases it. ‘The thing is, we bought a bar.’

‘A bar?’

‘In the village. I spotted it was up for auction when I’d gone to visit Mum one time, and it played on my mind. You know, what if… A bit like when Jed and I bought the chippy.’ Russell smiles wistfully, the grimace a thing of the past. ‘Anyway, I took Jed to see it and we fell in love with the place and the idea of running it. And before we knew it, we were bidding on it – and we won!’

‘But why didn’t you say anything? Why did you say your mum needed looking after?’

The smile drops from Russell’s face as he drops his gaze to his lap. ‘We shouldn’t have told those porkies, I know. But we were a bit apprehensive after the euphoria of having the winning bid at the auction had died down. It was an impulse purchase – and a massive one – and we didn’t know whether we’d be able to do it. Running a chippy and a bar are two wildly different things. So we wanted a trial run before we told everyone, just in case it didn’t work out. But Cleo, it has worked out.’ Russell peeps up at me, and I can see he’s itching to break out in a grin. ‘We absolutely love it. It’s a challenge and every day is different, but it’s like we’ve woken up after a deep sleep. I haven’t felt this alive in years!’ He isn’t able to contain it any longer – the grin breaks out, beaming across his face. ‘We still love this place, obviously, but we want to give the bar our all. I’ll be fifty next year, and Jed’s already past that milestone, so we want to get stuck in while we still can.’

‘Are you selling the chippy then?’ The knots had started to loosen in my stomach, but they constrict again. The good news is I haven’t done anything to warrant getting fired, but I could be out of a job anyway.

‘No, no, no.’ Russell reaches out between the gap between us and takes my hand in his. ‘The Fish & Chip Shop Around The Corner will always be our baby. I’d sell my own dear mother before I sold this place. No, we’ll be moving to Manchester, but we’ll be putting a permanent manager in the shop. And we’d like that manager to be you.’ Russell gives my hand a squeeze. ‘You’ve done such a marvellous job while we’ve been away, and we trust you to look after our baby as though it’s your own.’

Wow. I’m not losing my job. The opposite, in fact. My first instinct is to throw my arms around Russell while having a little weep of joy. But then I think of Paul and my grown-up to-do list. I’m supposed to be moving on from the chippy and beginning my new career. Onwards and upwards, not stationary on the ground. I know I’m lucky to have a job I love, a job I was moments ago devastated about because I thought I was going to lose it, but if I stay at the chippy now, I’ll probably never leave.

‘Can I think about it?’

Russell gives my hand a squeeze, but the beam on his face dims. ‘Of course. I’m going to be in Clifton-on-Sea for a couple of weeks while I pack up the flat and tie up all the loose ends, so if I could have an answer by then? And don’t worry – I’m not kicking you out of the flat, and all the big furniture’s staying here. I’m going to stay with a friend while I’m here. I can’t imagine living in this flat without Jed. It wouldn’t feel right. And you’re welcome to rent the flat, whatever you decide about the manager’s position. It’d be a weight off our minds having a tenant we know and trust.’

This is one decision I don’t have to ponder after the trouble I’ve had trying to find a suitable property. ‘I would love to stay here.’ I jump up off the chair and flop down next to Russell, throwing my arms around him. ‘I should have known you weren’t coming back when you took Bolan. How is he getting on?’

‘He loves the new place. We’re renting an apartment overlooking the canal, so Bolan spends his days people-watching on the balcony. He’s got a bit of a spat going on with one of the dogs who has his daily walk along the towpath – they have a growl and hiss back and forth, all very ferocious but harmless – and the lady next door chucks treats over for him. She doesn’t even have a cat of her own, she buys the treats especially for Bolan, so he’s in his element, really.’

I kind of miss the little furry dude, although my plant is doing much better without him knocking it around. I water it every day (and I’ve even started to talk to it. Should I be worried about that?) and it’s started to produce tiny buds.

‘Anyway, I’d better get going.’ Russell downs half his coffee in one. ‘I’ve packed up a few bits to take over to Don’s. I’ll be back tomorrow to start packing up the rest. I’ll try not to get under your feet.’

I take the mug from Russell and he grabs a hefty-looking holdall from beside the sofa. ‘What will you do, if I don’t take the manager’s position?’

Russell heaves the holdall onto his shoulder and stoops to pick up a smaller one. ‘I guess we’ll have to get someone temporary in from the agency until we find someone as wonderful as you.’ He leans in carefully so the holdall doesn’t swing at me while he kisses my cheek. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll get a tenancy agreement drawn up for the flat. Make it all official. Don’t forget to invite us to your housewarming party, will you?’ He winks at me, and then he’s gone. I wander into the kitchen, emptying both mugs into the sink before stacking them in the dishwasher. I take a look around the room, at the kitchen that is now mine for the foreseeable future. A giddy feeling bubbles up from my stomach and I do a little jig on the spot. This is my kitchen . I run my hand along the worktop. My worktop . I tell the plant the good news before rushing down the stairs and on to the street. I need to share the news with Claire and James.

But I pause when I see the chippy. Bridget, Elliot and Ross are still flitting about as they fulfil orders inside, and the queue is now stretching halfway down the street. What am I going to do about this place? Do I go with my head and move on, or do I go with my heart and stay forever?