‘Old Johnny’s place?’
‘Yes. Someone is now interested in it, but they’ve offered a laughable amount of money because of the state of the place. Ella called me to give me the heads up. Now there’s someone else in the running I feel like it’s made my mind up, and I want to go for it.’
Birdie’s face crinkled. ‘So, what’s the problem?’
Nina made a wincing movement with her lips. ‘It just feels like a huge thing. I don’t know, I've never really done anything like this before on my own.’
‘Did you offer anything?’
‘No, not really, though Ella knows my budget. We talked about it, and she said the price was negotiable but not as low as what the other party offered. I wanted to take my time but now this has happened.’
Birdie inhaled, then blew the air out through her teeth. ‘Are the other party Lovelies?’
‘No, they saw it on the internet. Investors from Manchester, I think she said.’
‘Right.’
‘Yeah, so I just don’t know what to do. I was speaking to my mum about it earlier, and she wasn’t much help. I’m meeting Ella over there for a third look. Robby came with me last time, and he reckons to go for my life, but I just don’t know…’
‘I can come and have a look with you if you like. It might be good to get a different perspective.’ Birdie winked. ‘I’m pretty good at investment properties as it goes.’
‘You’re pretty good at everything, aren’t you?’ Nina fired back with a smile.
Birdie nodded and propped herself up on the counter. The Shipping Forecast came from the direction of her shoulder. ‘Well, I've seen a few properties in my time. The key is to lookpast what is in front of your eyes and think about the potential and what you could make good. Easier said than done a lot of the time.’
Nina sighed, wiping her hands on her apron. ‘That's just it. I can see the potential, but it's a big commitment. What if I can't turn it around?’ She shook her head. ‘What if it’s all too much for me, you know? I feel a little bit out of my depth.’ She suddenly thought about Andrew and how he’d always handled life things. Now she was doing life things on her own it felt a bit daunting. She wasn’t going to mention him and all that, though. No one needed to know how without him around she still found certain things hard.
‘You've got a good head on your shoulders, and you've turned around worse. Remember The Summer Hotel? You made that shine. I reckon you’d be fine, to be quite honest, but I get what you mean.’
‘True. That wasn’t my money, though. It feels different.’
‘With this, you’ll have Robby's support, so you're not doing it alone,’ Birdie reasoned.
Nina nodded, feeling a bit more confident. ‘You're right. It's just taking the leap, you know?’
Birdie smiled. ‘Take it from someone who's leapt a few times – it's always scary, but sometimes, it's the best thing you'll ever do.’
‘Yep. I want to do it on my own and be independent, but that also scares me. Nuts!’
‘Why don't we go together? I'll give you my honest opinion, and we can brainstorm ideas. It’s always good to have someone else to bounce things off. Someone who’s not your partner or your mum, if you get what I mean. A bit more impartial.’
Nina's face brightened. ‘That would be great, actually, as long as you don’t mind.’
‘Mind? Of course not! Not at all. You, me and the Shipping Forecast will go and work out what is what.’
Nina inspected one of the weathered old pieces of cladding by the barn doors of the property by the harbour as Ella stood and chatted with Birdie. The Shipping Forecast came from Birdie’s direction. She studied the wide barn doors at the front and looked up at the tall floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor and the wonky-looking chimneys jutting out of the sloping roof. Everything her eyes landed on was weathered and sun-bleached and seemingly battered by the elements. The air was so crisp and full of salt that she could taste it on her lips and the noise from the boats in the harbour carried across the breeze. Ella led them around to the back of the building and opened the back door.
Birdie stepped in, put her hands on her hips, and looked up. ‘Right, yes, hmm. They’re all the same, these old places. I’ve been in a few of them in my time.’
Ella chuckled. ‘I bet.’
Nina stood beside Birdie, followed her gaze, and looked at the high ceilings and dust motes dancing in the air as her eyes adjusted to the light. As the other times she’d looked at the place, it had a warehouse feel with its high ceilings, huge barn doors, and timber beams. One of the oversized, rusty industrial pendant lamps squeaked as it swayed back and forth in a breeze coming through the back door.
Ella smiled at Birdie. ‘What do you think? First impressions?’
Birdie pinched her lips together. ‘Good, workable, depends on what’s upstairs.’
‘You wait. The third floor is interesting.’
