I swung the door open and inhaled deeply as he stepped past me. Whatever he was wearing smelt divine.
‘Hi. I’m Elise.’ She scowled at me as she wandered over and shook Nick’s hand. ‘Thought I’d better do the intros seeing as somebody’s forgetting their manners.’
‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘Elise, this is?—’
‘Steven,’ Nick interrupted.
Elise’s eyes widened and she looked from Nick to me and back to Nick again. Her mouth opened but no words came out.
‘Sorry,’ Nick said, grinning. ‘Couldn’t resist. I’m Nick.’
‘Oh, so you’re Nick.’ Elise smiled widely and I knew she was appraising him. She turned to me. ‘I didn’t realise Nick knew about Steven.’
‘I wanted the male perspective. Plus he plied me with alcohol and kind of dragged it out of me.’
‘Interesting. And what was your verdict, Nick?’
‘I thought Sarah should give her search a try. There’s a lot in this world we can’t explain or can’t prove. Just because I can’t see into the future, it doesn’t mean that nobody can. But I also suggested she doesn’t waste years on the search. If Steven doesn’t turn up in, say, three months she should look elsewhere.’ Nick looked directly at me as he said the last part. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I couldn’t hold his gaze. I pretended to find some muck on the immaculate counter and rubbed at it with my thumbnail.
‘Good idea,’ Elise said.
‘Thank you. Anyway,’ Nick said, ‘I came in to tell you about my proposition, Sarah. I know you’ll only have been open a couple of days and probably have loads to do but are you still free a week on Monday night?’
‘I am.’ At last. I’d been dying to hear about the mystery proposition.
‘Fantastic. If you don’t like the sound of this, just say so and I won’t be offended, but I promise it’s not as geeky as it might sound.’
‘I have an open mind,’ I assured him.
‘A few years ago, I set up something called Bay Trade with my best mate, Skye, and her fiancé, Stuart. It’s a trading service for small businesses in Whitsborough Bay. Members promote each other where they can and we trade our skills for free or for a discount. I recently did a website and designed some fliers for our plumber and he fitted a new shower for me. Saved each other a fortune.’
‘Sounds like a great idea,’ I said.
‘Glad you like it because we wondered if you’d like to be our florist. We only allow one person from each type of business to join us so it doesn’t become competitive.’
‘Was Auntie Kay a member?’
Nick shook his head. ‘Stuart knows Evie who runs Blossoms but, as she’s closing down, she’s dipped out.’
‘Would it cost me to join?’
‘No.’
‘And would I have to come to regular meetings?’
‘Come when you can. It’s the second Monday of each month and it’s very informal. We ask if anyone needs some help or advice, or if there’s news, then it’s a few drinks and a chat.’
‘Could be good for business,’ Elise suggested.
I pondered for a moment then nodded. ‘Okay. I’m in. So is a week on Monday an extra one because that’s the end of the month?’
‘It’s something different. One of the group, Bob, is emigrating to New Zealand so it’s a leaving do for him.’
‘And what does Bob do?’
‘He’s our builder.’
‘No! Bob the builder? Seriously?’
