With Miles on her screen, she flipped it and panned around. ‘It's beautiful. I can see why you never want to leave.’
Daisy pulled her jacket closer against the wind. ‘Look at it all, down there. The bakery, the bookshop, the chemist and all the little places that make it special. In five years, half of them could be gone, replaced by chains that look exactly the same as every other high street in the country.’
Daisy had kept Miles abreast of everything that had happened regarding the GayesBooks situation including what had happened at the town meeting. He’d joined the group, she’d sent him a picture of the posters around the town and he’d commented on the hashtag on social media.
‘The campaign seems to be getting good support. That Facebook group Xian started has hundreds of members already.’
Daisy shook her head. ‘Facebook likes don't pay the bills, though, do they? GayesBooks has done their research, they know exactly how much money they can make here, I reckon. A few flyers and some social media posts aren't going to change their business plan.’
‘You don't know that.’
Daisy sat down on a bench by the lighthouse, pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. ‘I do know that, actually. I've been reading about what happens when chains like GayesBooks move into small towns. The independent bookshops don't stand a chance. They can sell bestsellers for less than I pay wholesale, they've got marketing budgets I can't compete with, they can offer customers everything I offer plus convenience and savings.’
‘But they can't offer what you offer, can they? The personal service, the recommendations, the atmosphere you've created.’
‘You sound like Holly and Xian. All this talk about community and character and supporting local businesses. It's lovely in theory, but when people are struggling to make ends meet and they can save money on books by shopping atGayesBooks instead of my place, what do you think they're going to choose?’
Miles was quiet for a moment. ‘So, you're giving up before the fight's even properly started?’
‘I'm being realistic. GayesBooks wouldn't be fishing around here if they didn't think they could make money. They've calculated exactly how quickly they can capture my customer base and drive me out of business. This is business and a professional corporation destroying an amateur operation.’
‘Since when did you become so defeatist?’
‘Since I realised how much I have to lose. It's not just the bookshop, Miles. There’s so much to it.’
‘You're assuming GayesBooks will definitely get the building, definitely open successfully, and definitely drive you out of business. None of that's guaranteed.’
‘Isn't it? They're professional retailers with unlimited resources going up against me and my temperamental coffee machine. What exactly do you think is going to happen?’
‘I think Pretty Beach is full of people who value what you've created and don't want to see it destroyed by some faceless corporation. I think the campaign that's building could actually make a difference.’
‘People say they support independent businesses right up until they realise it costs more. Then suddenly, convenience and savings matter more than community spirit.’ Daisy stared out at the sea, grey and choppy under a cloudy sky. ‘I'm trying to protect myself from disappointment. I've had enough of believing things might work out and then watching them fall apart.’
‘This is different, though. You've got a whole town behind you now. Suntanned Pete is organising petitions and the flyers and all. Holly is coordinating media coverage, Xian is building social media campaigns. That's not nothing.’
‘Hmm.’ Daisy could see Pretty Beach's church spire and the curve of the high street where her bookshop sat between the bakery and the old building that GayesBooks wanted to transform. From where she sat, it all looked so settled and permanent, as if it had always been exactly this way and always would be.
‘What if the campaign works and GayesBooks decides Pretty Beach isn't worth the hassle? What if the community rallies and actually manages to protect what matters to them?’
‘Then I'll be very happily surprised.’
‘But you don't believe it will happen.’
‘I believe GayesBooks has lawyers and marketing experts and financial backing that a Facebook group can't compete with. I believe they've identified Pretty Beach as a profitable opportunity and they're not going to be put off by some flyers and a petition.’
Miles raised his eyebrows. ‘Yeah, you do have a point.’
31
Daisy’s morning, if you didn’t include the regular madness of the school run and the posters all over Pretty Beach, was calm. The shop was oddly quiet. Not that it was ever exactly rowdy, but it had a hush about it that made Daisy wonder where everyone was. Fairy lights blinked above the counter, the back door was propped a little for air, and her mug of tea had gone stone cold beside her as she’d pottered around with a head of wondering if soon she’d not have a business at all.
She was halfway through putting together a week’s worth of social media posts. Monday’s post was going to be one of her ‘Daisy recommends’ reels, Tuesday a carousel of autumn reads, and Wednesday had a note scribbled beside it that simply said: “behind the scenes faffing”. She’d worked out pretty quickly that faffing reels and her just pottering around were the most popular.
Taking a few videos, tapping on her phone, she took a shot and added a caption. Then changed the caption, mused for a bit and then changed it back again. There was a clatter outside as she watched the postman park and stroll past and Xian from the bakery smiled and waved as she walked along with her friend Dimitri. Daisy had loads to do but, because of both Miles beingaway and the repercussions of the town meeting, felt all out of sorts. Putting down her phone, she adjusted the laptop screen and tried to concentrate. Then she picked it up again, stopped what she was doing on her laptop completely and opened WhatsApp instead, where there were no new messages.
Just as she’d flicked out of it, her phone rang and she nearly dropped it as the notification showed Miles was calling.
‘Hi.’ Daisy tried to sound breezy, happy and calm and like she hadn’t been thinking about him and her business predicament all morning. He had enough problems of his own, she didn’t need to overburden him with hers too.
