Page 49 of One Perfect Day in Lovely Bay
Cally felt a flush of heat run up her neck. She switched the flick in the back of her throat. The one she hadn’t used for a very long time. ‘Nothing, really. It’s fine.’
Logan frowned. ‘The voice is back.’
‘No, it’s not.’
‘Let me tell you: it is.’
‘I just feel a bit scrambled, as it were.’
‘Totally natural. You would do.’
‘I guess so.’
‘What’s the brief from Birdie?’
‘I’m going to the shop in Peaceton to see what is what out the back. Birdie said it’s a disaster there because she’s not all over it and hasn’t got the time.’
‘To do what?’
‘She wants me to just start at the bottom in the back room and see what’s going on. It makes sense to start from there. Then I’m going to have to implement what we do in the Lovely shop and change some of the systems and think about what I learnt in the training sessions.’
‘Sounds challenging.’
‘Yep.’
‘Is that why you did the voice?’
‘I’m just nervous.’
‘I’m not. You’ll walk it, Blackcurrant.’
Cally nodded, but inside, she wasn’t quite as sure. As the reality of going to another shop loomed, she wondered what she’d taken on.
Cally drove along a dual-carriageway with the radio on low and her phone clamped in a holder beside her. It had taken a bit of time to get used to the small company van. Vans had clearly come a long way. Not that she’d ever driven one before, but this one had all the mod cons and was easy enough to drive. What was interesting was that the seat was comfier than the one in Logan’s fancy pants car, and the mirrors were better, too.
After the big breakfast with Logan, she’d popped down to see Birdie and set off with instructions from Birdie that she’d be fine and that the pharmacist Estrella would be waiting for a quickmeeting and to show her the ropes. Birdie had said that she’d briefed Estrella that Cally would be taking over the stockrooms and ordering and delivery systems right from day one. As she drove along with a vague idea of where she was going, Cally thought about what she was going to do first. Butterflies fluttered around in her stomach, but she told herself that she would be fine. She had little choice but to get stuck in.
About half an hour later, after navigating a particularly nonsensical one-way system and following the instructions to find the allocated parking space behind the shop, Cally grabbed her travel cup, slipped her laptop into her bag, locked the van behind her, and made her way to the Peaceton chemist. Punching the code into the lock on the back door, she let herself in and looked around. The setup was fairly similar to the Lovely Bay store. Though the building was slightly more modern, the premise was the same: a front-of-house shop area, a dispensary to the back, a small staff room and various storerooms. As if someone had been expecting her, a woman with tight white trousers, high red shoes, and a white dispensary coat poked her head around the door.
‘Yoo-hoo! You must be Cally. I’m Estrella. Lovely to meet you. Welcome!’
The woman’s voice was loud and happy with a distinctive, what Cally thought was Spanish, accent. Cally smiled at the same time as the hackles on the back of her neck stood up. She pushed down the feeling. ‘Hi. Yes, I’m Cally. Happy to be here.’
Estrella beamed. ‘So, nice to meet you. Congratulations on the new job. I’ve heard so much about you from Birdie.’
‘Thanks.’
Estrella started to unbutton her pharmacy coat. ‘I thought we’d go to a coffee shop for a chat. Yes?’
‘Oh, right, okay.’ Cally gestured to the small staff room, where she could see a coffee machine the same as the one in theLovely Bay shop. ‘We’re fine here. We don’t need to go out, do we?’
Estrella was adamant. She wrinkled her nose and made a funny face. ‘No, no. Let’s go out. The company is paying so that’s always a good thing.’
Cally didn’t like thatat all. ‘Rightio. I don’t mind.’
Cally followed Estrella out of the chemist and down the street to a small, independent coffee shop. The smell of freshly ground beans and baked goods wafted out as Estrella pushed open the door. 'This place makes the best coffee in town, and the cakes are to die for.' Estrella led Cally to a table by the window. As they settled into their seats, a waitress approached to take their order. Estrella smiled and waved her hand back and forth in front of her. 'We’ll put it on expenses, of course. Perks of the job, I say. It's your first day, so we need to welcome you properly. Cake is always better when it's free.'
As they waited for their drinks, Estrella continued to gush and wave bright red polished nails around in front of her. Cally blinked at her enthusiasm. 'So nice to meet you finally. I feel like I already know you from all Birdie's said. It sounds like you’ve done a great job in the Lovely shop. Tell me more.’
