Page 33 of All Mine
‘Normally there is a ten-thousand-pound limit to how much you can transfer on any one day, Mr Martin. . .’
‘So, can you authorise raising that limit so that I can transfer forty thousand on one day then, please?’ Etienne leaned forward in his chair. Red tape and bank bureaucracy were not going to stop him being able to get that money out when he needed it. The two men stared at each other again. Mr Andrews blinked first.
‘Of course,’ the bank manager said. ‘We’ll just have to work through the documentation.’ He took a long sip of his tea and pulled up a new form on his computer. He tapped away, humming to himself before hitting the final key with a flourish.
‘Done, Mr Martin. You can now transfer the whole amount whenever you feel the need.’ He sipped his tea.
Etienne nodded slowly.
‘What about if I wanted it in cash? Could I get that out today?’
The bank manager snorted tea all over the desk in a fine spray as he tried unsuccessfully to swallow his mouthful.
‘Today won’t be possible for that amount, Mr Martin.’ He dabbed his mouth with a handkerchief. ‘It will take a few days for us to organise that sum of cash.’
He pursed his lips.
‘How much notice would I need to give you if I wanted it in cash?’
‘Two working days.’
‘No wriggle room on that?’ Etienne asked hopefully.
‘Unfortunately not, Mr Martin.’
‘But, just to be clear, if I ring you on Monday morning, I can have the cash on Wednesday?’
The bank manager nodded and Etienne exhaled. It was the best he was going to get.
‘Thank you, Mr Andrews. That’s good to know.’
As he stood, a thought struck him. ‘What about a loan for another ten thousand pounds?’ he asked, keeping his tone businesslike.
Mr Andrews straightened in his chair and widened his eyes silently, before opening a drawer and extricating a form.
‘Just fill this in and pop it back to me as soon as possible and we can assess the situation.’
Etienne extended his hand across the table, shaking the bank manager firmly, and optimistically, by the hand.
The bank manager’s personal assistant, whose name badge said she was called Melissa, came in to show him out. She flashed lustful eyes at Etienne from under her eyelashes and led the way, wafting Chanel No.5 perfume. But Etienne didn’t even notice, he was too busy wracking his brains as to where he could find another ten thousand pounds if this loan didn’t come through.
Chapter Nineteen
Isabella
The restaurant was starting to look like a restaurant. The walls were plastered, the floorboards laid. It needed decorating and styling, but it was coming along. Isabella left Tutto Mio with a smile, feeling the need to stretch her body after a morning poring over forms and paperwork. She ignored the flash of disappointment as she glanced at the empty doorway of The Bistro and headed towards The Lit Lounge.
Wren gave her a wave from behind the counter when the doorbell jangled and Rosie glanced across from her position at a bookshelf where she was talking to a family, her expression downcast as she pulled one of the children in for a hug. Some customers seemed to be happy browsing, taking their time to choose their next read. Others had already chosen and purchased their books and were now curled in the armchairs, with or without a cat on their laps. The Keyboard Corner had a smattering of people on their laptops. Barney sprawled over one whole desk space to himself.
‘Espresso?’ Wren asked, already reaching for a tiny cup to fill.
The coffee was hot and strong and they chatted over their drinks. Wren was excited about a play she was taking Rosie to see that evening. Isabella was equally excited about some opening publicity she was planning for Tutto Mio.
Rosie suddenly appeared with the family beside her. They shuffled anxiously and the woman wiped her red eyes, holding one of the children tight to her front, as though frightened to let her go. An older girl, about sixteen, looked at her trainers where the toe dug into the carpet.
‘Isabella might be able to help!’ Rosie said with forced hope in her voice.
The man was sandy blond and it was only then she noticed his firefighter uniform T-shirt. He had shoulders that looked like he could lift a car off a child if needed.
