Page 60 of Christmas All the Way

‘I agree that Jesse sounds perfectly horrible, and I’m glad it’s all been sorted out, but I don’t see what difference it makes to you,’ she said, frowning at her across the table in their favourite restaurant. ‘It was only ever meant to be a temporary job, wasn’t it? You knew you’d be leaving at Christmas.’

How could she explain that she’d enjoyed being part of the Santa’s Secret team more than she’d thought possible, Grace wondered? Or how much satisfaction she’d taken from helping their customers, even if one or two of them seemed to have forgotten that Christmas was the season of goodwill. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘But what I couldn’t have anticipated is how at home I’d feel there. I’ve got to know the idiosyncrasies of the till system, and how it all links to the inventory and supplier orders. I think I could navigate the stockroom in my sleep and I’ve made friends with the people who work there.’

She broke off, worried she might blurt out Raff’s name if she continued to speak. Orla was eyeing her thoughtfully. ‘I see,’ she said. ‘So why not see if you can extend your contract?’

‘Because Ivy wants to retire,’ Grace said wretchedly. ‘Once Christmas is over, I think she’ll start looking for a buyer and then everything will change and I won’t feel like I belong there anymore.’

She stopped again, but this time it was because her eyes were stinging with tears.

‘Do you think she actually wants to retire?’ Orla asked. ‘Or is it just the idea of it that appeals, after the scare with the rent?’

Grace sighed. ‘I don’t know. She once told me that she’d thought about taking on a partner, to allow her to take more of a back seat. But Raff seems convinced she’s gone past that now.’

Orla’s gaze narrowed. ‘Raff? Who’s that?’

‘Ivy’s son,’ Grace replied, keeping her gaze fixed on her plate because she didn’t dare meet her mother’s shrewd gaze.

‘Her son,’ Orla repeated. ‘And does he work at Santa’s Secret too?’

‘No,’ Grace said reluctantly. ‘He’s a landscape gardener.’

‘But you’ve discussed his mother’s business affairs and her plans for the future,’ Orla observed. ‘In some detail, it would appear.’

Grace felt her cheeks growing warmer. ‘Well, yes. He found out that Ivy had confided in me after Jesse threatened to increase the rent and of course he was there when we confronted old Mr Bairstow about it.’

‘Of course,’ her mother said dryly. ‘From what you’ve said, half of Freezy Tye was in attendance. And how does Raff feel about Ivy’s plans to retire?’

The question stumped Grace for a moment. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘He wants her to be happy, but I think he’d be sorry to see Santa’s Secret close.’

Orla took a sip of wine. ‘Then it seems obvious to me what you should do.’

Grace gaped at her. ‘Does it?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay,’ Grace said, when it appeared her mother wasn’t going to expand on her pronouncement. ‘What is it you think I should do?’

‘Invest in the business,’ Orla said serenely. ‘You have a decent sum from your redundancy package and your mortgage is paid. You could tap into some of that capital if you need to.’

For the second time in as many minutes, Grace found herself gawping across the table. ‘Invest?’

‘Yes,’ Orla said patiently. ‘Make Ivy an offer to take over some of the business, or even all of it if that’s what she wants. You’re perfectly capable, Grace, and you said yourself that you know the ropes.’

‘I don’t know them well enough to run the place!’ she protested.

‘Nonsense,’ Orla replied, sniffing. ‘Of course you do.’

‘I can assure you I don’t. There are all kinds of things to consider, like payroll and the accounts and – and—’

‘Doesn’t Ivy have people to help her with those things? Accountants and the like?’

‘Yes, of course she does,’ Grace ground out. ‘But what if they don’t want to work for me? What if no one wants to work for me?’

What if Raff thinks I’m trying to steal his mother’s business and never speaks to me again, she thought but did not add. Just the idea of it made the food she’d eaten curdle in her stomach.

Her mother watched her over the rim of her glass. ‘You’re being ridiculous. None of those things are likely to happen. I imagine most of them will be grateful to still have a job, in a workplace they enjoy going to every day.’

Grace thought of Sanjay and Freddie, Misha and April, all of whom she knew loved working at Santa’s Secret. But was it the job they loved, or the woman behind it? ‘I don’t know anything about running a business,’ she said again.