pick a fight with Dan, in the latter. She picked up the avocado and flicked out its little nub of stalk. It was all looking gratifyingly
good.
Cara ran a knife smoothly round the avocado. The figures last week were admittedly down on the same week the year before, but overall, sales were up thirty per cent. It was the result of an accumulation of small things: the chocolate-drop-filled daisy mini-mugs were doing well, royalties were coming in from the tinware company and the paper-napkin company for using Susie Sullivan designs. And, of course, the marked-down stuff was just flying out. She pulled the avocado gently in half and inserted her knife tip under the stone. Discounting was never a problem for a company with its own factory, and one of the golden rules of merchandising was that you must mark a product down the moment that you notice its sales declining.
Daniel’s key scraped in the front-door lock across their open-plan sitting room. Cara picked up a spoon and began to scoop the avocado flesh out of the shell of its skin into the pestle. She said as he came in, ‘Good news.’
‘Oh?’
‘Ash got that contract. I checked her emails this morning. They want a special line, just for them, but they also want twenty grand’s worth of core stuff.’
Dan slung his black-leather satchel on to the chair by the front door and pushed the door shut. ‘Excellent. Does she know?’
‘She’ll see for herself later. Saturdays, she’s knee-deep in toddlers. She’ll be thrilled. She thought she’d blown it. So funny. The wet wipes …’
‘Don’t you want to know how I got on?’ said Dan.
Cara shook a few drops of Tabasco on top of the avocado.‘I’m putting off asking you. You don’t look a happy bunny to me.’
Daniel came across and peered into the pestle. ‘Yum. I’m not.’
‘He wouldn’t help?’
‘He won’t try to dissuade her,’ Daniel said. ‘He wouldn’t even countenance it. He sees no reason why she shouldn’t have it, if she wants it. He thinks that if her reasons are nostalgic, or creative or whatever, that’s fine.’
Cara turned towards the kettle. Those tomatoes would need skinning. She said, ‘Why did I ever think he’d take our side? Or that he’d at least agree to talk to her?’
‘We had to try.’
Cara ran water into the kettle. She said, ‘I can’t actually remember him standing up to her about anything. Even with us girls, he didn’t. But then, he didn’t really have to, because he was doing most of the mothering anyway, and we cut him a lot of slack for just quietly getting on with it.’
Daniel dipped a finger into the avocado pulp and then licked it. He said neutrally, ‘D’you resent that?’
‘What?’
‘That your mother wasn’t there for you when you were small, because of the business?’
Cara watched the kettle boil. ‘No.’
‘Really?’
‘He was so good at it,’ Cara said. ‘All our friends loved him. Making music and making cakes. What more could you wish for?’
Daniel watched her. He said, ‘But you don’t want children …’
‘Nor do you!’
‘Agreed. But I just wondered …’
The kettle pinged itself off. Cara picked it up and came back to the breakfast bar.
‘Dan, I’m not in the mood for an analysis of my childhood.Dad was great. Ma was fantastic. The company is pretty well all in all to you and me. Enough, don’t you think?’
‘There was just something about your father this morning. Something a bit … oh, I don’t know … lonely, or – or abandoned.’
At the far end of the breakfast bar, beside the loaf in its brown bag, Cara’s telephone emitted a brief yelp, signifying that a text had arrived. She indicated with a jerk of her head that Daniel should pick it up.
‘Do see—’
He glanced at the screen and held the phone out towards Cara.
‘What?’ she said.
‘Look,’ he said. ‘She’s done it. She’s made an offer.’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘A ll I’m asking,’ Jeff said, ‘is that you give me a
good.
Cara ran a knife smoothly round the avocado. The figures last week were admittedly down on the same week the year before, but overall, sales were up thirty per cent. It was the result of an accumulation of small things: the chocolate-drop-filled daisy mini-mugs were doing well, royalties were coming in from the tinware company and the paper-napkin company for using Susie Sullivan designs. And, of course, the marked-down stuff was just flying out. She pulled the avocado gently in half and inserted her knife tip under the stone. Discounting was never a problem for a company with its own factory, and one of the golden rules of merchandising was that you must mark a product down the moment that you notice its sales declining.
Daniel’s key scraped in the front-door lock across their open-plan sitting room. Cara picked up a spoon and began to scoop the avocado flesh out of the shell of its skin into the pestle. She said as he came in, ‘Good news.’
‘Oh?’
‘Ash got that contract. I checked her emails this morning. They want a special line, just for them, but they also want twenty grand’s worth of core stuff.’
Dan slung his black-leather satchel on to the chair by the front door and pushed the door shut. ‘Excellent. Does she know?’
‘She’ll see for herself later. Saturdays, she’s knee-deep in toddlers. She’ll be thrilled. She thought she’d blown it. So funny. The wet wipes …’
‘Don’t you want to know how I got on?’ said Dan.
Cara shook a few drops of Tabasco on top of the avocado.‘I’m putting off asking you. You don’t look a happy bunny to me.’
Daniel came across and peered into the pestle. ‘Yum. I’m not.’
‘He wouldn’t help?’
‘He won’t try to dissuade her,’ Daniel said. ‘He wouldn’t even countenance it. He sees no reason why she shouldn’t have it, if she wants it. He thinks that if her reasons are nostalgic, or creative or whatever, that’s fine.’
Cara turned towards the kettle. Those tomatoes would need skinning. She said, ‘Why did I ever think he’d take our side? Or that he’d at least agree to talk to her?’
‘We had to try.’
Cara ran water into the kettle. She said, ‘I can’t actually remember him standing up to her about anything. Even with us girls, he didn’t. But then, he didn’t really have to, because he was doing most of the mothering anyway, and we cut him a lot of slack for just quietly getting on with it.’
Daniel dipped a finger into the avocado pulp and then licked it. He said neutrally, ‘D’you resent that?’
‘What?’
‘That your mother wasn’t there for you when you were small, because of the business?’
Cara watched the kettle boil. ‘No.’
‘Really?’
‘He was so good at it,’ Cara said. ‘All our friends loved him. Making music and making cakes. What more could you wish for?’
Daniel watched her. He said, ‘But you don’t want children …’
‘Nor do you!’
‘Agreed. But I just wondered …’
The kettle pinged itself off. Cara picked it up and came back to the breakfast bar.
‘Dan, I’m not in the mood for an analysis of my childhood.Dad was great. Ma was fantastic. The company is pretty well all in all to you and me. Enough, don’t you think?’
‘There was just something about your father this morning. Something a bit … oh, I don’t know … lonely, or – or abandoned.’
At the far end of the breakfast bar, beside the loaf in its brown bag, Cara’s telephone emitted a brief yelp, signifying that a text had arrived. She indicated with a jerk of her head that Daniel should pick it up.
‘Do see—’
He glanced at the screen and held the phone out towards Cara.
‘What?’ she said.
‘Look,’ he said. ‘She’s done it. She’s made an offer.’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘A ll I’m asking,’ Jeff said, ‘is that you give me a
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