Page 24 of Happily Never After
‘Dad was asking me the other day if I had any expansion plans for the business. He thinks I lack ambition, that I should be looking to centralise production in a commercial kitchen somewhere and open multiple outlets. I can see his point, but it’s not really where I want to go. I love my little pâtisserie, and I love Margate. Does it make me a bad person for that to be enough? Should I want more?’
‘Your dad is always going to be looking for the next thing, Liv. It’s the way his mind works.’
‘I know, but he was basically saying I’m vulnerable because my business is too small. What if one of the big players moves in next door?’
‘And what if they don’t? You’ve got a great business with a loyal customer base. People travel to come to you. Did Bella tell you we had a couple in the other day who’d read the reviewsonline and come all the way from Tonbridge to sample yourTarte au citron?’
Her face brightens. ‘Really?’
‘Really. So yes, you could expand the business if you wanted to, but there’s risk in that as well, isn’t there? If you became more corporate, people might not love you so much. It’s the personal touch, your passion for what you do, that makes you special.’
She looks like a weight has dropped from her shoulders. ‘Thanks, Laura. I needed to hear that. I know Dad means well, but?—’
‘He doesn’t understand your business like you do. Remember that.’
‘You’re right. So, tell me more about this doggy daycare then.’
‘It’s nice, isn’t it?’ I say to Liv as we load Meg into her car a couple of days later at the end of our test visit to Donna’s Doggy Daycare. ‘Meg certainly seemed to like it.’
‘Donna was really good with her, and I like the way she introduced her to the other dogs gradually. I think she’d have freaked if she’d been confronted by that German Shepherd off the bat.’
‘He was a bit bouncy, wasn’t he?’ I agree. ‘I was worried he was going to squash her at one point, but they seemed to settle down well together in the end.’
‘You know what this means, don’t you?’ Liv says with a grin. ‘The universe has spoken and you’re going to France.’
I sigh, knowing I’m defeated. ‘Are you sure you’re going to be all right being in charge of her?’
‘Oh, I’m going to feel horribly guilty dropping her off here in the mornings. But it’ll probably be good practice for abandoning my own children at school when the time comes.’
Liv doesn’t talk about children generally, so I’m intrigued.
‘Would you send your children to boarding school, having been through it yourself?’ I ask.
She grins. ‘That would depend entirely on how annoying they were. Anyway, I’ll use Meg as practice to see if I’m tough enough to do it.’
‘Except she won’t be boarding, and you know she’ll be having a lovely time all day. If you prefer, I can get them to collect her so you don’t have to feel bad about leaving her.’
‘And have her eyes following me as I leave the house? That would be even worse. No. What did you think of Donna?’
‘She seemed nice. She certainly knows a lot about dogs.’
‘And what about the partner, Kate?’
‘What about her?’
‘Business partner, or do you think they’re a couple?’
I smile. I couldn’t help noticing that Liv was very attentive towards Donna. I suspect she may have taken a bit of a shine to her.
‘Business partner only,’ I reassure her.
‘Based on?’
‘Wedding ring, picture on Kate’s desk of her with a man I’d hazard a guess is her husband and two adorable children.’
‘You’re so observant.’
‘I’ve had training from Bella.’
