Bridie liked him already. ‘Hi, Charlie.’
‘She’s going to show us around the old theatre.’
His eyes lit up. ‘No way!
‘Yes way.’
‘Awesome!’
Bridie nearly dropped Barney. ‘Layla, what are you talking about?’
Layla walked over to the door. ‘I saw you run out of the theatre and lock the door.’
Bridie had hoped she hadn’t seen that. Now she felt foolish. There had been no one there, on the stage, just that poster of Reggie, her dad, and Isobel Raine.
‘How did you get hold of a key?’ Charlie asked.
Bridie wondered what to do. Should she come up with a lie, some rubbish about finding a key and taking a look inside? Or tell them the truth?
Layla said, ‘What is it, Auntie Bridie?’
Bridie looked at her niece and Charlie. ‘Can you two keep a secret?’
Chapter 34
Hannah looked at her curiously. ‘This isn’t your working day. I thought you were meeting up with … what was his name?’
‘Jack.’
‘Yes. Isn’t he that local property developer? You mentioned he was going to invest in the theatre.’
Bridie nodded. She was busy stacking some shelves. Hannah was right: she wasn’t meant to be working in the shop that day. But she had to put her mind to something, so when she’d arrived back at the shop after showing Layla and Charlie around her theatre she’d insisted on helping Hannah out even though she wouldn’t be paid.
‘I thought you were meeting Jack to go over the plans for the roof and electrics.’
‘We did.’
‘You weren’t gone long,’ Hannah commented.
Bridie glanced over her shoulder and sighed. ‘Let’s just say it didn’t exactly go to plan.’
‘What happened?’
Oliver happened.Bridie kept that thought to herself. ‘Jack and I, we’ve … got a history.’
‘Ah, I see. Can’t you put that history to one side for the sake of the theatre? We all saw the state of the property. Despite our best efforts to get it spruced up, I’ve got to be honest, Bridie, it’s going to take a lot more than elbow grease.’
‘I know,’ Bridie said. But she knew it was easier said than done to put that history to one side, especially with Oliver complicating things too.
Hannah was stacking shelves on the other side of the shop. She stopped what she was doing and turned around, a packet of paintbrushes in her hand. ‘You’re not thinking of backing out of the plan to restore the theatre, are you?’
Bridie put the last of the sketchbooks on the shelves and looked at the empty box by her feet, smiling at Barney. When she’d lifted the pile of sketchbooks out of the box, Barney had run over and climbed inside to lie there chewing the cardboard flap. He’d fallen asleep, curled up in the box. She said, ‘You’re not a cat, you know.’
‘What was that?’ Hannah asked.
‘I was just talking to Barney. He’s fallen asleep in the box.’
Hannah walked over and looked down at him. ‘He’s so cute. You know, I’m sure I have more customers because of Barney. I’ve noticed the same faces, children dragging their parents in here, visiting repeatedly for that extra set of pencils, or some more paints. But talking of customers, it’s quiet at the moment. How about a coffee break?’
