‘I don’t know. I suspect he’s looking to put another business into the shop, or perhaps even sell the building itself. He’s been good to us, over the years, but times are getting harder, and it’s possible he might need to free up some equity. I’ve had the feeling for a while that this might happen.’
Mollie’s sigh broke Bella’s heart. Mollie had been the driving force behind Purrfect Paws for so many years; it now seemed particularly unjust that its future should be under threat. She re-read the letter for the third time, but its contents had not miraculously changed. While charity shops generally paid lower rent and business rates than other businesses, due to their charitable status, recent changes in the national picture had meant that even these businesses who relied heavily on donations to stay afloat were now starting to feel the pinch. Mollie’s landlord had tried to soften the blow with the tone of the letter, but the fact remained that if Purrfect Paws was to continue in its current form, it would need a massive cash injection to see it through the next few months. Adoptions weren’t going to cut it and Mollie hated to put up boarding fees for her paying residents to cover the costs of the whole sanctuary. She’d reluctantly done so a couple of times, but it was always her last resort.
Handing back the letter, Bella gave Mollie a quick hug. ‘You’ve been the fairy godmother for so many people and animals, Moll, it’s about time someone came along and played yours for a change.’
Mollie gave a brittle laugh. ‘I’m not sure, after all I’ve seen over the years running this place, that I believe in fairy tales any more.’
Bella’s heart ached. One of the key hallmarks of Mollie’s personality was her boundless optimism. If even that was starting to run dry, then Bella didn’t know where the sanctuary would be in a few months. ‘We will sort this out. I promise,’ she said, releasing Mollie from the hug. ‘We can’t let this place close.’ As she said it, her mind was frantically trying to formulate a plan. She couldn’t let Mollie down, when Mollie had helped so many people and animals herself.
38
Bella didn’t sleep well on Thursday night, and on Friday, she yawned so much through her shift at the pub that Paddy tried to send her home early.
‘Burning the candle at both ends again, Bels?’ he asked as she tried to stifle yet another yawn.
Bella shook her head and swallowed it down. ‘No rest for the wicked, Paddy, you know that.’ She gave him a brief smile. ‘But a coffee wouldn’t go amiss.’
‘Help yourself, love,’ Paddy replied. ‘But don’t blame me if you’re up half the night!’
A strong cup of coffee later, and Bella was feeling a bit better. She couldn’t stop thinking about poor Mollie and her financial woes, though. She’d turned the situation over in her brain all night, trying to draw up a mental list of strategies. It might not have to be one big solution, she’d concluded at around three o’clock that morning – perhaps she could come up with a selection of small ideas that might make a significant dent in Purrfect Paws’ deficit. She’d grabbed a pen and paper from her bedside table and written down several possible suggestions, including paid Facebook advertising and even better photographs of the residents. A summer fête could be in order, and a good way to get a little boost to the sanctuary’s coffers, but perhaps it was too late for this summer to organise something like that.
The main problem was that Purrfect Paws was always going to need money; its job was never-ending. Bella felt like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill, only to know that it was going to roll right down again when she got close to the top. By that point of the morning, the sun was starting to rise, and Bella had decided that if nothing else, Sisyphus would be a great name for a new arrival at the sanctuary. Even she managed to raise a smile at the prospect of ‘Sisypuss!’ She drifted off into an easy sleep a little time later, but as soon as she woke up again, she couldn’t stop thinking about poor Mollie’s predicament.
Jason came in at around eight thirty for his usual stint. As Bella listened with half an ear to his set, an idea suddenly began to form. She dismissed it at first; Jason was fairly well known on YouTube and had a decent local following, but a few punters in the pub weren’t enough of an answer. Besides, she knew how often creative people got put upon to perform ‘for the exposure’ and she didn’t want to be yet another person making demands of an artist with no recompense for them. Having fallen prey to that in the early days of her own fledgling music career, she had no desire to make herself the instigator of such an agreement.
But what if she could offer him a quid pro quo? Her tired brain couldn’t quite work out the details and pull pints at the same time, but she wondered if it was worth giving it some thought later. If there was even a chance that her plan could help Mollie and the sanctuary, it had to be worth a go.
At nine thirty, Jason finished his set and, as usual, came to prop up the bar for a drink. ‘Here,’ Bella said, handing him a pint of Carter’s cider. ‘This one’s on me.’
Jason raised an eyebrow. ‘Thanks. To what do I owe the pleasure?’
It was now or never. ‘Well,’ Bella began. ‘The thing is…’
Jason’s look of incredulity as she explained who she’d been in her former life as a musician was well worth the five quid that Paddy charged for cider.
‘But… you mean all this time I’ve been trying to get you to sing, and you’re a pro? You’rereallyIsabella Indigo? I mean, this isn’t just a wind-up?’
In answer, Bella grabbed her phone and googled her stage name, then put the screen next to her own face. ‘See?’
Jason let out a low whistle. ‘Well, Bels, I don’t know whether to be offended or embarrassed. I feel like Lois blooming Lane, and you don’t even wear glasses! Why the bleeding heck didn’t you say something?’
Bella laughed at the comparison with Clark Kent but realised Jason might well be offended that she hadn’t come clean about her former identity. ‘You didn’t know because I didn’t want anyone here to. I was never famous enough in the UK for anyone to twig.’
‘So why are you telling me now?’
This was it. She’d been putting Jason off for months, making excuses as to why she couldn’t get up and sing with him on his weekly gigs at the pub. Now, she’d have to hope his enthusiasm for a collaboration would make him agree to this rather more ambitious plan.
‘You know the cat sanctuary I work for? Well, it’s skint, and if it doesn’t get a cash injection soon, it could be closed by the end of the year. Since you’re always asking to sing with me, and Purrfect Paws needs the money, I was thinking we might hold a joint gig here, in the pub. You get your collaboration, and Purrfect Paws gets a few quid to stave off the closure for a bit longer. What do you reckon?’
Jason seemed to be mulling this over. ‘You really love the cat sanctuary, don’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be doing this.’
Bella gave a nervous laugh. ‘Not a lot would make me get up on stage these days, but Mollie’s been good to me, and she and the cats deserve some payback for that. One night only, all proceeds to Purrfect Paws, you and me, in the beer garden. What do you reckon?’
‘I don’t think a joint gig will do it.’ Jason’s expression had turned thoughtful. ‘I mean, you might not be as famous here as you were in Europe, but my fame only extends as far as the county border, much as I like to pretend otherwise.’ He paused for a moment. ‘How about you’re the headliner and I’m your support? We could do a song or two, but you’re the one people’ll turn out to see.’
‘No one’s going to come from Sweden to the pub!’ Bella laughed. ‘But, if it helps Mollie, then I don’t mind billing it that way.’ She reached out a hand and touched Jason’s arm. ‘Thanks, Jase. I’m sorry I haven’t been honest with you, but I didn’t think I’d ever get on stage again as Isabella Indigo. I’m only doing it now for Mollie. But I know your music career means a lot to you.’ She grabbed a pen from under the bar and a Post-it note. ‘Here’s the email of the producer I worked with in Sweden. I don’t know if she’s still in the business but mention my name and she might listen to your demos.’
Jason grinned. ‘Thanks, babe.’
