Page 48 of Eden's Comfort Kitchen
‘You know how this works. We buy the land cheap, and we make the town a desirable destination, and our investment becomes a stroke of genius. We could make a killing in a place like this – there’s a lot of untapped potential. If we can push prices up, our bit of land—’ He stopped and fixed her with a look of humour. ‘I don’t know why I’m explaining it to you – I’m sure that has already occurred to you. When your sabbatical is over, you might even want to get involved in the deal – after all, you’d have a working knowledge of the town, wouldn’t you? Perfectly placed, I’d say. That’s assuming this’ – he swept a hand, taking in the interior of the pub – ‘isn’t your new career, of course. In which case, I will assume you have even less interest in what I’m doing here.’
‘I asked, didn’t I? Of course I’m interested, or I wouldn’t have said so. And if you recall, I’m not on sabbatical. I left. For good.’
‘So you did. I assumed you’d change your mind…’
He studied her for a moment, careless humour in his expression. ‘So you decided to come on holiday and get a job in a bar when you already had a very good job in London? Fancy that. I heard you’d gone weird, but I didn’t believe it.’
‘You couldn’t have heard anything because I haven’t been in contact with anyone from the company since I left,’ Eden replied with a coolness she didn’t feel.
‘Right. In that case, I must have heard that before you left.’
‘I heard you’d turned into a heartless bastard…Oh no, hang on, you didn’t turn into one because you were always one.’
‘You can’t talk to me like that.’
‘Yes I can – you’re not my boss any longer.’
‘I’m your customer.’
‘A customer we can do without.’
‘Harsh,’ he said, grinning as he sipped at his whisky. This was amusing him, and the idea only riled Eden further. ‘Is there a reason for this sum-up of my personal worth or…?’
‘Do you have any idea what your plan will do to this community?’
‘Of course I do. I know it as well as you do. It didn’t seem to bother you quite so much before, back when you were making all that money selling all those lovely properties that did things to communities.’
‘Before it wasn’t…Before it wasn’there. London suburbs – people there expect prices and land values to go up; it’s the deal when you live in London.’ Eden wondered vaguely whether Cam even remembered the community centre deal, the one she’d tipped him off about. To him, she supposed it had been nothing, just one of a string of deals he made every week. She’d never made it clear how significant it had been to her mum, and she doubted he’d have cared even if she had.
‘We’ve never just operated in London.’
‘I know?—’
‘And you were never bothered when it was Newcastle or Liverpool or Manchester or some other city or town. So you’re what? A NIMBY now? You’re suddenly a community warrior because it happens to be a place where you are? Is that it? Would you have quite such a conscience if you’d never heard of this place?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe not. But I do know this place, and it’s brilliant and special, and I don’t want to see the community here destroyed. Life is hard enough without you working to push up property prices.’
‘Hard for who? You? For everyone else who doesn’t have the drive to get themselves a decently paid job? If people can’t afford to live here, that’s their problem. If they can’t afford to live here, they’ll have to find a way to afford it or leave. Isn’t that how it always works? You never had a problem with it before.’
‘I do now.’
‘Why?’ He studied her for a moment. ‘What does it matter to you? You said you were only here for the summer.’
‘Why do you care? It’s got nothing to do with you.’
‘Tell me anyway; I’m intrigued. You’re only here for the summer; it’s not your home.’
‘I know, but…well, I’ve got something going on…actually…’ Eden took a breath and smoothed her expression. Perhaps if she came clean, she could appeal to his better nature. Even Cam Faulkner must have one of those. If she told him why she wanted him to leave that plot alone, he might understand, maybe do it as a favour to her? After all, they’d been on the same side once. Not close, admittedly, but surely the fact she’d worked for him had to be worth something? ‘We use the scout hut every week for community dinners.’
He frowned. ‘What’s a community dinner?’
‘It’s a dinner for the community.’
‘Yes, I’m not stupid. What I’m asking is, why would anyone run such a thing? Surely if the community wants dinner, they eat at home or they go to a restaurant. So what’s that about?’
‘It’s for people who struggle. Either because they’re down on their luck financially or because they’re lonely or isolated in some way.’
‘And you run that?’
