Just Business

Chapter Three: Marcia

Marcia loved Ivy, she really really did. But there were times when their differing personalities came to the forefront, and she never quite knew how to act when they did.

Currently, Marcia and Ally were squished onto Ivy's silver crushed velvet sofa, piles of fluffy pink pillows constricting their space even further. Marcia had one such pillow hugged to her chest, a glass of rose stacked atop and held steady by fingertips. Ivy was at the front of the room, her TV screen linked to her iPad, which she brandished like a weapon. She had made a powerpoint and had helpfully titled it: Get that bread: how to girlboss our way into saving Page Turners. Marcia took a sip of wine, then another. She had a feeling she was going to need it.

"Option one is, obviously, a car wash," Ivy said, clicking onto the first slide.

"Is that obvious?" Marcia asked.

From the pictures, it was clear that a deep and effective clean of vehicles was not the main draw of this car wash. The girls on the screen wore denim short-shorts, their white tank tops so covered in soap suds they looked almost unreal. They all had perfect bodies, tiny waists and long legs stretched out over car bonnets.

"I don't think that's where I would have gone as a first choice," Ally said.

"Guys, think about it. There's, what, ten thousand cars in Challyton?" Ivy said, clicking onto the next page, which was covered in a lot of numbers and very little sense. "So we'd need to charge at least a fiver per car, but I reckon we could ask for more if we do a good job."

"I thought there were ten thousand people," Ally said, pulling out her phone and beginning to google.

"Doesn't everybody have a car? We all do."

"Me and Lyon share our car," Ally pointed out, "and what about all the kids? Or people who can't afford them? Also, not everybody would want their cars cleaned by amature's."

"I don't think anybody would want their car cleaned by me," Marcia added, images of a wet top clinging to her in her mind. The sticky, itchy texture alone made her want to shiver, let alone the thought of anybody seeing her like that.

"So no car wash," Ivy summarised. "That's fine. It was just idea number one, we have many more to go!"

After bake sales, dog walks and starting a viral tik tok account had all been scrapped, Ivy did not seem quite so happy-go-lucky.

"Sorry, Iv, I just don't think enough people need makeovers in the time we need," Ally soothed. "But it's a really good idea, honestly."

"Yeah, really great," Marcia added. "Just not the right idea for this right now."

"Well, I'm pretty sure the next idea was the last one," Ivy said. "So here goes nothing."

She clicked.

"Reality TV?" Marcia asked. "Like . . . dating?"

Ivy had thrown a Love Island party a few months before, inviting everybody around to watch the opening episode. Marcia had not been interested enough to watch much, but what she had seen was enough to ensure that if she ended up in hell, it would be in a bikini and surrounded by neon signs telling her to get cracking.

"No, silly. Have you ever seen Great British Business?"

"Oh my god, I love that show!" Ally sat up straighter, pointing to the screen. "Lyon got me into it a few years ago. We just finished the latest season, the cutest little jewellery shop won."

"Yeah! Although, I was rooting for that bakery by day, cocktail bar by night place."
"Of course you were," Ally laughed. "They've loved those two-for-one places in the last few seasons. If I'm remembering right, the grand prize is a hundred grand. So more than enough."