Page 95 of Second Chance Summer
Lily swiped her card over the portable reader. ‘You should ask Sam to hang some in the cottages. You could make them to complement the colour schemes in the bathrooms.’
‘Yeah. Maybe I will.’ Morven’s eyes lit up. ‘I can charge him a bit more for a special commission. I’ll tell him.’
‘I’m sure he’ll be delighted.’ Lily thought gleefully of Sam’s expression when he heard that. ‘I like Damon’s photograph of the pest house by the way. I think I’ll buy that too as a memento,’ she said. ‘You can pass that on to him as he’s too scared to speak to me. I’ll pick it up later.’
Clutching her purchase, Lily moved on, admiring silver jewellery, ceramics, textiles decorated with agapanthus prints, turned wood items, paintings, glass decorations and more. She bought a shopping tote made of recycled fabric to put her fish in and collected the print of the pest house from a sheepish Damon, who muttered something that sounded like a mash-up of ‘thanksozthanksyeah’ as he swiped her card.
Most of the makers had the open minds of artists and creative people. They seemed willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Two told her that Tyrone from the craft show needed to hear the truth, and several posed for selfies. Occasionally she overheard phrases she wasn’t supposed to.
‘Oh, is that her?’
‘She doesn’t have much make-up on, does she?’
‘I’m sorry but I don’t think she was the right person to launch the fair.’
‘Actually, she seems really nice and normal.’
‘She seems lovely to me. She posed for a selfie and I like her dress.’
‘She bought one of my bags!’
‘Bet she rips off the makers.’
‘I bet she’s loaded. She could probably buy everything here – including the community centre and the islands.’
Er, no, not quite,thought Lily, but said nothing. She was fully aware how fortunate she was, and that she was privileged and wielded a degree of power, but shehadstarted very modestly in life and cared deeply about the makers. She operated on what she thought was a very fair basis and was always open to discussion, bearing in mind she did have to make a profit to keep the business running. She could make a lot more – especially if she took the supermarket deal.
Yet wouldn’t that go against the very values she’d championed here at the show: originality and individual creativity?
If she’d been reminded of one thing by the fair, it was how important individual creativity was. It was the passion of the artists and makers that reminded her of how she’d felt when she’d had her own little stall – and how satisfying it had been to support other artists’ work.
‘I get up early to catch the best light when it’s still and I’m all alone. There’s no point rushing though I’ve been up all night before a fair to create new stock to sell. I must be mad …’
‘I source everything either on the islands or as close to home as possible. It matters.’
‘I can’t imagine doing anything else. Even if I made no money at all, I’d still paint or sew – but I have to eat and pay my bills …’
Their comments made her tingle with recognition because she herself had felt the same highs and lows, the joy and angst. She knew their problems and it was why she’d set up Lily Loves in the first place. It still was.
Running her business wasn’t about making loads of money; it was about passion and integrity – words thatmeant nothing in themselves but everything if you backed them up with actions.
‘Auntie Lilleeee!’
The girls had finally found her. Gathering them to her, she heaved an inner sigh of relief. Sam and Étienne arrived too, and their little group attracted attention. Lily didn’t care, it was so lovely to be reunited with them again.
‘Can we have lunch? I’m starving.’ Tania patted her tummy with a dramatic sigh.
‘Me too,’ said Lily.
Amelie tugged at Lily’s hand. ‘Sam let me drive the boat!’
‘Did he? He doesn’t let me.’
‘You sat on Daddy’s lap and he drove the boat,’ Tania said. ‘He letmetie the knot.’
‘Everyone helped,’ Sam said firmly.
‘Except me,’ Étienne declared. ‘But I am hungry so shall we find some food? What shall we have?’
