“I think we do,” the man replied.
Brenda leaned in to her. “So, he’s not the property developer then?”
Flick shrugged. “It would seem not.”
Taking Flick at her word, the man stepped forward, his hand outstretched ready to formally introduce himself all over again. “Rob Richardson at your service.”
“Pleased to meet you.” This time Flick accepted the handshake, telling herself it was the least she could do if she wanted to get to the bottom of this. “I’m Flick. And this is my mum, Brenda.”
“Pleased to meet you both.”
“Now what can we do for you, Mr Richardson?”
“Please, call me Rob.”
“Okay. What can we do for you,Rob?”
“Like I said, I’d like to hire this chateau.”
Flick looked at the building’s exterior once more, wondering why on earth anyone would want to do that. “As you can see–”
“Don’t worry,” he interrupted, as if reading her mind. “I’m not looking for a wedding venue.”
That’s a relief, thought Flick. Even if the place had been suitable, she couldn’t have stomached that.
“I was hoping you’d let me use it for a video shoot.” He pulled a business card from his inside jacket pocket and handed it over. “You’ll be paid, of course, and the money’s not bad. More than worth it if you don’t mind the intrusion.”
Flick read the details on the card.Robert Richardson, Location Manager.It looked genuine enough, as did the man before her, now they’d gotten any misunderstanding out of the way. Still not sure what to make of it all, however, she passed the card to her mother. “What kind of shoot?”
“For a music video.”
“Anyone we know?” Brenda asked.
Flick watched him take in her mum’s duffle coat and woolly hat.
“Probably not,” he replied.
Flick almost giggled. He obviously didn’t know her mother.
“Try me,” Brenda insisted.
“Argon Fire. They’re an old-school rock band. Obviously not quite your thing musically. Anyway, they’re experiencing a bit of a resurgence and...”
Her mother reached out, using Flick’s arm to steady herself. “NottheArgon Fire?”
Obviously impressed by her knowledge, Rob stared in disbelief. “What? You’ve heard of them?”
“I haven’t,” Flick said.
“Felicity,” Brenda said. “Everyone’s heard of them.”
Flick looked to Rob. “Did you know of them before you were asked to help with their video?”
He scrunched up his nose as he spoke. “I’m afraid so. They have been around for quite some time.”
Brenda scoffed. “Only since forever.”
“Anyway,” Rob continued, almost laughing as he got back to business. “This place would be the perfect backdrop. We’re looking at an abandoned mansion kind of theme, nothing too scary considering their new fan base. Don’t ask me why, but today’s kids love them.”
