Page 11 of Cosy & Chill
Networking Skills
The queue at the post office was endless. It always was on Thursdays, even though most people had their pensions paid into a bank account these days. Finn shifted the bag to his other shoulder and thought of Christmas presents sent to faraway places like Canada, Australia, or California. The lady in front of him held a parcel with Japan written in large letters beneath the address.
Finn had never travelled farther than France—on a school trip—but on the nights when his father shouted and raged until the early hours, he often pictured himself at Heathrow with a suitcase and a ticket to an exotic location.
Last night, when he’d come home from the pub and found his father laying down the law on one thing or another in the living room, he hadn’t thought of New Zealand or Hawaii. Instead, he’d thought of the store in the High Street. Thought of colourful yarns filling the shelves, and Leo behind the counter, serving ice cream to a never-ending line of smiling customers.
They’d exchanged phone numbers and had agreed to meet again. Had Leo been serious? He’d been so together, so focussed, and his passion for making ice cream shone like a bright light.
For years, Finn had used his dreams to get through his days. Adding Leo to dreams of his knitting store didn’t seem that far a stretch. It promised more comfort than dreaming of a trip to Hawaii.
Parcels dealt with, Finn picked up a new delivery of yarn, and then made his way to the railway station where Audrey had a coffee stall. She’d been there for as long as Finn could remember, and she’d always had a friendly smile for him. Before he’d started visiting the Crown & Anchor to knit, Audrey had often been the only contact beside the post office clerk that he had in a week. With his father always angry, and his mother distant, Audrey felt like a tiny speck of warmth in his life.
As her stall came into view, he wondered if she might be interested in selling Leo’s ice cream.
The thought made him chuckle. Not long ago, he’d watched a YouTube video about networking skills for business owners. The idea of going out and meeting people had made him feel ill. After all, what was he supposed to do in these meetings? Stand up and say, “Hey, I’m Finn. I knit,” when he was surrounded by bankers, accountants, and people who had real, important jobs? He just did what he did and loved it.
Only one part of the video had stuck with him: the comment that a good networker kept the people they connected with in mind while they went through their day. That they looked for opportunities, not for their own business, but for the businesses of people they’d met and could refer.
That was what he’d just done in his head, wasn’t it? He’d met Leo, listened to him talk about ice cream, had tasted—no, eaten—all his ice cream samples, and now he went through his day spotting opportunities for Leo’s business. Who would have thought that he could learn something from a YouTube video that had given him nightmares?
“Hi Audrey!”
Her smile lit up her face as he drew level with her cart. “Finn! How about a nice chai latte today to warm you up?”
“That sounds wonderful. Yes, please.” He dug into his bag. “I made these for you.” He pulled out a hat, a scarf, and a pair of fingerless gloves, all knitted from the warmest, softest mohair in a brown as rich as deeply roasted coffee beans.
Audrey’s eyes widened at her gift. When she didn’t reach to take the items, Finn started to worry. Had he overstepped? He’d only tried to do something nice for her. It was cold. It was November and it was going to get colder and—
“I thought you could do with a little bit of extra warmth standing out here,” he said, looking at his shoes.
The hug took him by surprise, and her brimming eyes made him feel awkward.
“Thank you so much. This is more than welcome.” She finally took the hat and pulled it over her head before she wrapped the scarf around herself.
“Yeah, I have no idea why railway stations are always so draughty. If you tuck the scarf into the back of your jacket, it shouldn’t get in the way when you work.”
She laughed. “I won’t get it stuck in the coffee grinder, or dunk it in customers’ drinks, I promise.”
Finn watched as she made his drink, wondering how to phrase this question. Then he just blurted it out. “Have you ever thought of selling ice cream?”
“Ice cream? In November?”
“The good stuff. Artisan ice cream, funky flavours and—” Finn waved his hands and stopped when he realised that he was mimicking Leo’s moves from the night before. “I met this guy last night. He has a stall in the market selling ice cream, but he’s trying to find other customers, restaurants and cafés, you know? Which is why I thought… His ice cream is delicious, and he changes the flavours.”
“Is he pretty?”
Finn didn’t quite look over his shoulder, but he came close. Very few people knew his sexual orientation. Audrey had guessed shortly after they met. She hadn’t pushed him on why nobody knew, but every now and then she liked to tease him. Finn thought she was trying to get him to feel more comfortable with himself, but she needn’t have worried. He was perfectly fine with who he was and what he liked. What he hated was having to deal with other people’s disgust or pity. He got enough of that at home, and he hadn’t even told his parents.
“I’m joking.” Audrey patted his arm. “If his ice cream is that good, and he can deliver it so that customers can take it home, then I’m happy to have a chat with him. Ask him to come talk to me next time you see him.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll make sure he pops by.” Finn ran before she could come up with another embarrassing comment. Or before she decided to ask him why just the mention of Leo made his cheeks flame.
He stopped at the next corner to sip from his latte when something soft tickled his cheek and a voice murmured,I saw thatin his ear.
He spun so fast he would have spilled his drink if it hadn’t had a lid on it. Then he stared into Leo’s blue eyes and words deserted him.
“You saw what?” he managed after a couple of blinks and a deep breath.
