Thankfully the rest of Regan’s day went slightly better. She had a good day on the stall, not only selling a few jars but also getting her first returning customer, who brought back empty jars for a discount. After she’d packed up for the day, she met Cleo at the library so she could go through the designs Cleo had sketched for her logo.
‘Ilovethem,’ said Regan, marvelling at the professional job Cleo had done.
‘It was fun to do something different. I’ve been stuck in a rut since the first collection started selling. And Japan has given me so many new ideas. None of them Oscar would be interested in, because in his view I was just there to churn out big-ticket pieces.’
‘You sure you’re okay about walking away from all that?’ Regan struggled to see how Cleo was so calm about it. Partly because she was voluntarily walking away from a large income, and also because Cleo usually worried about things like this – but this time she seemed quite chilled.
Cleo paused and looked off into the distance as if really considering the question. ‘Yes, I’m really okay with walking away.’ She looked back at Regan with a smile. ‘Now let’s get these images loaded.’
With Cleo’s help, Regan managed to set up a free website for Sticky Situations – something she had been meaning to do for ages – and they scanned in the new logo and some photos Regan had taken of her jams. By the time Cleo had finished tweaking things, it looked like a very professional job.
Whilst Cleo tinkered with the pictures, Regan jotted down some online tips for marketing her website. ‘Has your tenant moved out?’ she asked.
‘Yes. He managed to drop a bottle of aftershave through my sink, but otherwise the place is fine. Once the sink is fixed and it’s been thoroughly cleaned I’ll be moving back in.’
‘Great.’
‘How are things at Charlie’s?’
Regan paused and chewed the end of her pen. It was one she’d taken from BHB Healthcare. ‘You know that feeling you have at Christmas, that even when there’s shit going down, it doesn’t matter because it’s Christmas? It’s like that. It’s blissful.’
‘Oh, Regan. You’re falling for him, aren’t you?’
‘I think that happened long before I moved in. But living together has cemented my feelings.’ She blew out a heavy sigh.
‘But you’re only there for a couple more weeks.’
‘I know. How many before I qualify for squatter’s rights?’ She tried to make a joke of it, but leaving Charlie was going to be incredibly hard. They had quickly slotted into a domestic routine. There had been no petty squabbles, and he’d even seemed to accept Elvis and his hair shedding – although now she brushed him every evening it was greatly reduced. Elvis was settling in too. He had found the introduction of carpet and a television all veryconfusing to start with, but now he took them, and even the vacuum, in his stride.
Regan was a far better housemate than she’d ever been before. When she was a student, she had done the bare minimum; and only after someone had complained or they had been on the verge of kicking her out. With Jarvis, she had been generally lazy although nothing she had attempted in the early days had been to his standards, so it had been easier to let him get on with it. With Charlie they were on an even keel and she wanted to pull her weight. She realised how much her outlook had changed since she’d met him.
Regan uploaded a photo and Cleo adjusted it until it looked perfect. ‘What does that label say?’ Cleo was squinting at the screen.
‘Unicorn jam,’ said Regan, proudly.
Cleo laughed and then studied her carefully. ‘What on earth is in that then? Apart from boiled unicorns?’
‘Ha, ha. It’s strawberry jam with edible glitter. As it says on the label – it’s what unicorns eat for breakfast so they’re sparkly all day long.’ She was very proud of her latest flavour, thanks to her root around Charlie’s cupboard on the day of Kevin’s funeral.
‘And they do sparkly poos, no doubt.’
‘Exactly. I should add that in,’ said Regan, taking over the keyboard.
‘Why unicorn jam?’
‘Two reasons. One: I had too many strawberries and no idea what to put with them to make them unique until I found the edible glitter. And secondly, it had been bugging me since I filled the form in for the market that they asked for market stall produce to be lots of things, like vegan friendly and healthy, and one of the things wasshiny. And I’ve been racking my brains for how to include shiny, and now I’ve found it. And thirdly …’
‘You said two reasons,’ pointed out Cleo.
‘This is a bonus one: it sells really well. Kids love it. And there are worse things to have for breakfast, which means parents love it too.’
‘I’m delighted this is working out for you,’ said Cleo.
‘Thanks,’ said Regan, and she gave her friend a hug.
When they were happy they had everything on the website as perfect as they could get it, Regan pushed the button and put the website live. Now all she had to do was hope she got lots of online orders flooding in. The market stall alone wasn’t going to be enough for a viable income and, although she’d been saving, she was still a long way off being able to afford to rent somewhere of her own.
‘I’m meeting Charlie and Elvis on the beach. Do you want to come?’ she asked, logging out of the computer.
