Page 71 of Going Solo

“I’ve had a lot of thinking time on this tour because my best friend keeps ditching me to hang out with his ex.”

I rolled my eyes. Nick fished the last of his sausage roll out of the paper bag.

“It’s Fiona’s theory, not mine,” he added, sinking his teeth into the pastry.

“Maybe us being togetherwasthe last time he was happy. But he doesn’t get to rewind the tape. Life doesn’t give us do-overs. He hurt me. I can’t forget everything that’s happened.”

“No one’s asking you to,” Nick said, mouth full, pastry falling from his lips. “It’s about what you do next. We get to choose how we react to situations, remember.”

Sentinel Group in talks to acquire Pure radio network for £120M

The Sentinel Group, owner of this newspaper, is in advanced negotiations to buy the Pure network of radio stations.

Pure Group owns a network of 36 broadcast licences across mainland U.K., including both the music format PureFM and local talkback stations TalkUK, and the flagship TalkLondon station. The business has an estimated value of £120 million but has suffered from falling listenership and a lack of investment.

As a listed company, Pure Group was required to reveal the intended takeover to the market yesterday under the Financial Conduct Authority’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

If the Sentinel Group’s acquisition is successful, it would take the Pure Group into private ownership for the first time since 1983. The Sentinel Group has been owned by the Cardle and Boche Families Trust since 1927.

ChapterTwenty-Eight

Denzil drained the last of his Lucozade, screwed the cap back onto the bottle, and flung it into the bin by his desk. Nothing but net. It was only Monday morning, but there were about five other bottles in there. Denzil consumed so much sugar that when he opened his mouth, I could hear his teeth screaming to be released.

“Early ratings are in, you smashed it,” Denzil said, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head, showing the full width of his back and the sheer bulk of his biceps. That the fabric of his Oxford shirt hadn’t burst open at every seam defied the laws of physics. Whoever made it had to be a Time Lord, because that shirt was definitely bigger on the inside.

“Thank you,” Nick and I said in unison.

“How did you go with Cole? Have you fixed it?”

I stumbled over my reply. “There’s been some defrosting.”

“Defrosting?” Nick said. “If things defrosted any faster, the pair of them would be surrounded by a gaggle of concerned climate scientists.”

I glared at Nick.

“Good,” Denzil said, “because the Cardiff interview on Thursdaycannotbe a repeat of Glasgow. We clear, my brothers?”

We nodded.

“We’ve got the board and the big swinging dicks fromThe Sentinellanding on us this Friday to talk about the takeover. Now that the board has definitely decided to sell us, the last thing I need is grief because Toby’s picked a fight with the guy whose cheque is the only thing keeping us on air. Capisce?”

“The Sentinelain’t going to shut us down, are they, Denz?” I asked, suddenly worried I’d set in train our own destruction.

“No idea. I’ll know more on Friday. But, one, they’re a media company, and, two, they’re British—which is about as good as we can hope for. Speaking straight, I think they’re mostly interested in TalkUK, so they might even leave us alone to get on with it. But I wouldn’t swear on a souvenir pair of Cardi B’s knickers that that’s what’ll happen.”

“I’m not sure Cardi B wear?—”

Nick cut me off. “If they wanted to spend some money, I wouldn’t complain. This place is falling apart.”

“It’s not that bad.” Denzil looked affronted.

“Every time I flush the disabled toilet, I get an electric shock.”

“That’s to stop you doing coke off the toilet seat,” I said.

“Can we stay on track, please?” Denzil looked frustrated. “Between us, since the takeover hit the news, other potential buyers have been sniffing around. And believe me, they’re not the sorts of motherfuckers we want buying the network. We can’t giveThe Sentinelany excuse to think we’re a bad investment. I can do without any hint of scandal. This thing needs to be a hit. We need the good publicity, the credibility, the cultural clout, and Cole’s million quid to grease the wheels of this deal.”

“So, I need to cosy up to my ex, or we’re still all out on our arses?” I summarised. “No pressure, then.”

---