Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams
Page 73
Nathan pushed her hand away. ‘Whatever,’ he said.
‘See?’ whispered Edison.
Nathan took the chocolate bag without a thank you. Then, turning to go, he looked back.
‘Wan one?’
Edison’s eyes popped behind his spectacles. Hardly daring to believe it wasn’t a trick, he stepped forward very shyly and carefully. Rosie reckoned Nathan was buying his silence. But whatever was happening, it would clearly feel worth it to Edison. Rosie felt sad, suddenly, that it would make the unusual, interesting Edison happier to be part of this boy’s horrible gang of screaming yobbos. Even worse, not an equal member of the gang, probably, but some kind of craven lieutenant. Even though she knew this was just how school was, it still made her sad. But this was Edison’s life, not hers.
Tentatively Edison reached out his hand towards the bag. Then, suddenly, he stopped himself.
‘Neh,’ he said. ‘It’s my shop. I can have anything I want. Can’t be bothered.’
There was a moment’s silence, as Nathan reassessed the skinny boy standing in front of him as though through totally new eyes. Then he nodded.
‘Awright,’ he said. ‘Maybe see you down the fête later?’
‘Maybe,’ said Edison, nonchalantly.
‘Edison,’ Rosie said, after they had left and the bell had safely dinged, ‘I could kiss you.’
‘Please don’t do that,’ said Edison. ‘It would be Inpropreet Behaviour.’
Rosie smiled. ‘I would not like to inflict inpropreet behaviour on you,’ she said. ‘But well done.’
Edison shrugged and went back to playing with the boxes.
‘Some of them are quite a handful, aren’t they?’ came a voice, nodding down the road to where Nathan had torn the bag out of the hands of his mother, who had obviously suggested he keep some for later. (She had also asked him, a six-year-old, whether he wanted the small or the large bag.) Rosie looked up; she hadn’t even noticed the nice woman from before, Tina Ferrers, quietly browsing the powdered sugar sweets with the twins, Kent and Emily.
‘Not yours,’ said Rosie. ‘Yours are angels.’
Tina laughed, showing nice teeth.
‘Ha, right. Yeah. They do show an amazing turn of being angels when promised a visit to your sweetshop though, I will say that.’
Rosie smiled. ‘I wish all of them did.’
‘It’s part of the job, isn’t it?’ said Tina. ‘You can’t just like the nice children. I used to work in a nursery,’ she added.
‘Oh yes? Did you like it?’
‘Loved it. Alas …’ She gesticulated towards the children. ‘Unfortunately the times I could work after these guys were the times other people can work too. When they need a nursery assistant is early, late … Couldn’t make it fit.’ She looked around. ‘I love what you’ve done here though. It’s brilliant. Imagine, having your own business. I’m totally in awe of that.’
‘Oh, it’s not mine,’ said Rosie. ‘I’m only caretaking for my aunt. In fact, it’s going up for sale.’
Tina blinked. ‘Really?’ She ran her hands down one of the shelves, and sighed.
‘What?’ said Rosie.
‘Oh, nothing. Just a silly idea …’
Rosie smiled. She liked this woman.
‘What, about this place?’
‘Oh, I couldn’t …’ Tina looked around. ‘It really is lovely, you know.’
‘It is, it’s beautiful.’
‘I mean, there’s no reason why you couldn’t sell more things here. Little souvenirs maybe. Nothing tacky, just things to add on for holidaymakers to remember their time here, if they wanted to spend more than a pound. And rock.’
Rosie smiled.
‘I mean, it’s doing so well already.’
She lowered her voice as Rosie weighed out some expensive fudge for a cheery-looking family.
‘It sounds like you have lots of ideas,’ said Rosie.
Tina smiled. ‘Well, you know. Once Kent and Emily are at school I have a bit of time on my hands. And I have my divorce settlement …’
‘You’re divorced?’ Rosie said. Tina was so pretty, so obviously nice, with such nice children. Could it really happen to just about anyone?
Tina looked sad.
‘Well, let’s just say he preferred the bottle to me,’ she said. ‘Open secret round these parts, like bloody everything. That’s why I took a final settlement in the divorce,’ she whispered. ‘In case he drinks everything else away.’
She tried a half-smile but Rosie could feel a torrent of pain beneath the words.
‘If you like,’ she said, ‘you could come round one night and I’ll take you through the books.’
‘Really?’ said Tina. ‘But … well, I don’t know. I’d have to employ someone to help.’
‘Oh, it can’t be done alone,’ said Rosie. ‘I’m going half crazy here. Have to shut the shop if I’m to do anything else at all.’
‘But you’re not shutting up today?’
Rosie hadn’t stopped serving for a second since she’d unlocked the front door.
‘Well, I know it sounds a bit daft, but I kind of wanted to see the market-day fair? I won’t be here for it next year, and I thought it would probably be my only chance.’
Tina’s brow furrowed. ‘But this is one of your busiest days of the year!’
Rosie smiled. ‘You definitely have a business brain on you.’
‘You can’t just shut it up and go!’
‘But it’s my shop! And I want to take Edison.’
Tina grinned. ‘OK, how about I mind the shop for you for an hour?’
Rosie was taken aback. But she considered it from all angles. Tina seemed absolutely nice and decent. She was interested in the shop. If the worst happened and she ran away with the cash box, well, Moray would know where she lived. This was a village. Nothing bad would happen.
She made up her mind. ‘OK!’
‘Do you have hand sanitiser?’ asked Tina.
‘Uhm, no, just a sink,’ said Rosie.
‘See, if we put some hand sanitiser in, you wouldn’t have to run the water every five minutes.’
‘Did you say you ran a nursery or an international business conglomerate?’ said Rosie, joyfully taking off her apron. She watched Tina serve a couple of customers – of course she knew nearly all of them, and had a friendly word for each one, including, she noticed, the couple who asked after her exhusband, sadly. Reassured that Tina knew exactly what she was doing (and possibly, Rosie thought, watching her serve a young man in military uniform and talk him into buying one of the largest boxes of chocolates they had, slightly better than she did), Rosie hauled down another box for the tombola and set about persuading Edison.
‘See?’ whispered Edison.
Nathan took the chocolate bag without a thank you. Then, turning to go, he looked back.
‘Wan one?’
Edison’s eyes popped behind his spectacles. Hardly daring to believe it wasn’t a trick, he stepped forward very shyly and carefully. Rosie reckoned Nathan was buying his silence. But whatever was happening, it would clearly feel worth it to Edison. Rosie felt sad, suddenly, that it would make the unusual, interesting Edison happier to be part of this boy’s horrible gang of screaming yobbos. Even worse, not an equal member of the gang, probably, but some kind of craven lieutenant. Even though she knew this was just how school was, it still made her sad. But this was Edison’s life, not hers.
Tentatively Edison reached out his hand towards the bag. Then, suddenly, he stopped himself.
‘Neh,’ he said. ‘It’s my shop. I can have anything I want. Can’t be bothered.’
There was a moment’s silence, as Nathan reassessed the skinny boy standing in front of him as though through totally new eyes. Then he nodded.
‘Awright,’ he said. ‘Maybe see you down the fête later?’
‘Maybe,’ said Edison, nonchalantly.
‘Edison,’ Rosie said, after they had left and the bell had safely dinged, ‘I could kiss you.’
‘Please don’t do that,’ said Edison. ‘It would be Inpropreet Behaviour.’
Rosie smiled. ‘I would not like to inflict inpropreet behaviour on you,’ she said. ‘But well done.’
Edison shrugged and went back to playing with the boxes.
‘Some of them are quite a handful, aren’t they?’ came a voice, nodding down the road to where Nathan had torn the bag out of the hands of his mother, who had obviously suggested he keep some for later. (She had also asked him, a six-year-old, whether he wanted the small or the large bag.) Rosie looked up; she hadn’t even noticed the nice woman from before, Tina Ferrers, quietly browsing the powdered sugar sweets with the twins, Kent and Emily.
‘Not yours,’ said Rosie. ‘Yours are angels.’
Tina laughed, showing nice teeth.
‘Ha, right. Yeah. They do show an amazing turn of being angels when promised a visit to your sweetshop though, I will say that.’
Rosie smiled. ‘I wish all of them did.’
‘It’s part of the job, isn’t it?’ said Tina. ‘You can’t just like the nice children. I used to work in a nursery,’ she added.
‘Oh yes? Did you like it?’
‘Loved it. Alas …’ She gesticulated towards the children. ‘Unfortunately the times I could work after these guys were the times other people can work too. When they need a nursery assistant is early, late … Couldn’t make it fit.’ She looked around. ‘I love what you’ve done here though. It’s brilliant. Imagine, having your own business. I’m totally in awe of that.’
‘Oh, it’s not mine,’ said Rosie. ‘I’m only caretaking for my aunt. In fact, it’s going up for sale.’
Tina blinked. ‘Really?’ She ran her hands down one of the shelves, and sighed.
‘What?’ said Rosie.
‘Oh, nothing. Just a silly idea …’
Rosie smiled. She liked this woman.
‘What, about this place?’
‘Oh, I couldn’t …’ Tina looked around. ‘It really is lovely, you know.’
‘It is, it’s beautiful.’
‘I mean, there’s no reason why you couldn’t sell more things here. Little souvenirs maybe. Nothing tacky, just things to add on for holidaymakers to remember their time here, if they wanted to spend more than a pound. And rock.’
Rosie smiled.
‘I mean, it’s doing so well already.’
She lowered her voice as Rosie weighed out some expensive fudge for a cheery-looking family.
‘It sounds like you have lots of ideas,’ said Rosie.
Tina smiled. ‘Well, you know. Once Kent and Emily are at school I have a bit of time on my hands. And I have my divorce settlement …’
‘You’re divorced?’ Rosie said. Tina was so pretty, so obviously nice, with such nice children. Could it really happen to just about anyone?
Tina looked sad.
‘Well, let’s just say he preferred the bottle to me,’ she said. ‘Open secret round these parts, like bloody everything. That’s why I took a final settlement in the divorce,’ she whispered. ‘In case he drinks everything else away.’
She tried a half-smile but Rosie could feel a torrent of pain beneath the words.
‘If you like,’ she said, ‘you could come round one night and I’ll take you through the books.’
‘Really?’ said Tina. ‘But … well, I don’t know. I’d have to employ someone to help.’
‘Oh, it can’t be done alone,’ said Rosie. ‘I’m going half crazy here. Have to shut the shop if I’m to do anything else at all.’
‘But you’re not shutting up today?’
Rosie hadn’t stopped serving for a second since she’d unlocked the front door.
‘Well, I know it sounds a bit daft, but I kind of wanted to see the market-day fair? I won’t be here for it next year, and I thought it would probably be my only chance.’
Tina’s brow furrowed. ‘But this is one of your busiest days of the year!’
Rosie smiled. ‘You definitely have a business brain on you.’
‘You can’t just shut it up and go!’
‘But it’s my shop! And I want to take Edison.’
Tina grinned. ‘OK, how about I mind the shop for you for an hour?’
Rosie was taken aback. But she considered it from all angles. Tina seemed absolutely nice and decent. She was interested in the shop. If the worst happened and she ran away with the cash box, well, Moray would know where she lived. This was a village. Nothing bad would happen.
She made up her mind. ‘OK!’
‘Do you have hand sanitiser?’ asked Tina.
‘Uhm, no, just a sink,’ said Rosie.
‘See, if we put some hand sanitiser in, you wouldn’t have to run the water every five minutes.’
‘Did you say you ran a nursery or an international business conglomerate?’ said Rosie, joyfully taking off her apron. She watched Tina serve a couple of customers – of course she knew nearly all of them, and had a friendly word for each one, including, she noticed, the couple who asked after her exhusband, sadly. Reassured that Tina knew exactly what she was doing (and possibly, Rosie thought, watching her serve a young man in military uniform and talk him into buying one of the largest boxes of chocolates they had, slightly better than she did), Rosie hauled down another box for the tombola and set about persuading Edison.
