Page 103 of The Romance Library

I didn’t know why I was so surprised. Theo was clearly loaded. It was obvious from the car he drove, his immaculate suits and of course all the stuff he’d told me that first night we’d had dinner in the fish and chips restaurant. I mean, if you grew up with a cook and a nanny, chances are you weren’t going to live in a bedsit like me.

Just showed how different our lives really were.

‘Speaking of work, how was your day?’ I asked before wondering if we should talk about that, given the circumstances. Theo didn’t seem fazed, though.

‘It was okay. Apart from my father driving me up the wall. He keeps pressuring me to send the pitch document to him.’

‘And you don’t want to?’

‘No. Originally, I told him I would. But then I realised that if I do, he’ll start telling me to change things and they won’t be the right suggestions. His objective is making money and normally that would be mine too. But spending time here in this town and getting to know Edwin and the residents, I don’t think that will be the right approach for this pitch.’

‘You’re right. If your angle is purely financial, Edwin won’t like it.’

‘Exactly.’

‘It’s up to you, but I think you should trust your gut. You’ve been doing this for years, and even though I don’t know anything about your industry, I believe in you. I reckon you’re great at your job, so you should do whatever you think’s best to succeed.’ I winced, realising what I’d just said.

Technically, I shouldn’t want Theo to do well. His success meant my failure, but I couldn’t help it.

‘It’s horrible, isn’t it?’ Theo turned to face me. ‘I hate that we’re competing.’

‘Me too. I want you to do well.’

‘Same here. I want you to win. I know how much this library would mean to you.’ Theo blew out a frustrated breath.

‘I just don’t know what the solution is.’ I shivered a little as the cool breeze tickled my bare legs.

‘There isn’t one. We just have to continue. We both have to do our best and leave it to Edwin to decide.’

‘I suppose.’ I hung my head. ‘And afterwards?’

‘I don’t know.’ He shrugged. ‘If you win, I’ll be happy for you.’

‘I’d be happy for you too. If today is anything to go by, it looks like you’d be better at making something of the site than me.’

‘Why?’ Theo stopped walking and stood in front of me. ‘Tell me what happened.’

We headed over to a wooden bench and sat down.

I explained what had happened with the architect and my rising costs.

Once I started blabbing I couldn’t stop. So I also confessed my concerns about how to make the library profitable. Theo had said the same thing during our first meeting, so I knew I was right to worry. Edwin wouldn’t want to sell the site to a business that was destined to fail because it couldn’t make any money. Then it’d get sold off to someone else and the building’s legacy would be ruined.

I also told him I was struggling to work out how to attract people outside of town. I mean, I could see why they’d want to come and borrow the books, but would they really be bothered to travel all the way back to return them?

Anyone else would think I was crazy to share the setbacks I was having with the man I was competing with, as it’d be easy for him to use it to his advantage. But something told me I could trust Theo and it was okay.

‘Do you ever go to museums?’

‘Not really.’ I shrugged, wondering how that was relevant.

‘Some museums get funding and charge for entry, but do you know how else they boost revenue?’

‘No.’

‘From their gift shops. They sell souvenirs, books and a whole host of other items that their clientele might be interested in.’

‘That’s true. I suppose it’s a bit like when you go to a fast-food chain and they ask if you want fries or to supersize your meal. And when you go to the cinema, the extras like popcorn, drinks and snacks cost more than the tickets.’

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