Just Business

Chapter Six: David

David had woken up early to clean and tidy the bar. He had debated doing the zoom call at his desk in his living area, but that meant his background would be his cramped, lacklustre bedroom. Not even his parents had seen that pitiful space yet. Instead, he would delay opening The Raven On Tap for a few hours and do the call from there. Breakfast was rarely busy anyway, and he would open before the lunch rush. The sign he had put on the door blamed 'unforeseen technical issues' for the closure. He didn't want too many people to know about the show yet. He only had an interview, he could very well not make the final cut.

Finally, it was time. He'd done everything he could think of, gone over every question they may ask. He clicked the link, opening the zoom call.

The meeting sprung to life. Three people were on the call, but only one had their camera and microphone on.

"David Suwan, I presume?" chirped a blonde, angular woman. "I'm Candice Stonge, producer for Great British Business. Just to let you know my assistant is also on the call, but will not be participating, just observing. Also this call and all other calls between us will be recorded for future use. Is that all okay?"

She spoke quickly, in a way David found somewhat overwhelming. He recovered as quickly as he could, hoping his smile seemed easy.

"Yeah, I'm David Suwan. All that is fine, record away."

"Perfect. Will your co-owner be joining us soon? Or are you taking all the notes for the both of you?"

"Co-owner?" David asked. Before his confusion could solidify, another face appeared on his screen. A beautiful face, framed by a halo of brunette curls. "Marcia?"

"Uh, hi?"

She was clearly confused as well, but seemed to keep her cool. He followed her lead, but fidgeted in his seat. But Candice's eyes narrowed, a look on her face like she had eaten something bitter.

"Why do you both look like that?" Candice asked. "Like you're exes who just ran into each other at a party?"

"I just think there's been some confusion," David admitted. "Marcia and I . . . we're not co-owners." He heard Marcia baulk at the suggestion. "Our shops are next door to each other, but that's it. They're separate."

"Yeah," Marcia added. "Sorry I missed the start of the call, but our places have nothing to do with each other. I own Turners Bookshop, he owns the Raven on Tap. It's a bar."

"Oh. . . How odd. Very strange," Candice said, tapping away at her computer. "Let me pull up your files."

Suddenly all the faces were smaller, the bulk of the screen replaced by a corporate looking home screen. With a few clicks a text document was pulled up. David scanned the first few lines. The location was listed as 47 Main Street, but in the section labelled as 'name' both of their shops' names were listed, one after the other with the Raven on Tap first. As Candice scrolled the pattern continued. Every answer box held his answer first, but then continued on in a way he did not recognise. He assumed them to be Marcia's answers, which made him want to ask Candice to stop her rapid scrolling so he could read every word Marcia had written.

"Right, I think I know what's happened," Candice said. "Our system is designed to fuse together all applications with the same address, otherwise people send in dozens of slightly different applications. They think it will improve their chances of getting on if they can find the perfect sweet spot."

"But we didn't do that. At least, I didn't mean to," Marcia said. David could detect a well hidden note of panic in her voice, as if she was upset at the idea of breaking any rules, even inadvertently.

"I can see," Candice replied.

"Yeah, it really was an accident," David said, an instinct to protect Marcia shooting through his body. "I'm 47a Main Street, she's 47b."

"We get each other's mail all the time," Marcia added, a slight exaggeration David let go of given the circumstances. It had happened maybe twice.

"I see . . . So, this isn't a weirdly named bar-slash-bookshop?" Candice clarified.

"Not really, no," David said, disliking the disappointment in her voice. Candice bit her lip, tapping long nails against her desk. Just as David was preparing to say something else, she groaned, leaning backwards and looking to the ceiling. When she came back to the screen, her face was hard and serious.

"Look, I'm going to level with you two," she said, clicking so her face once again dominated the screen. "I should end the call right now. But people here were really really excited about you guys. We thought the pictures were gorgeous, and that the theme was clear and unique. I'm not going to lie, even now knowing you're two different places, I can't tell which is which in some of the pictures. We also thought the two-answers thing was a cute concept, it really caught our attention. A lot of likeable personalities were coming through the answers, and they fit well together." She paused, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "But we liked you as a pair. One improved the other, if you understand me. Just a bar, just a bookshop . . . been there, done that, yeah? But this dark academia Poe bookshop bar thing. That's cool. That's sexy. That's new." She looked at them expectantly. "You get me?"

"Sort of," David replied, hoping he was wrong in what he thought she was suggesting.

"I don't think I do," Marcia admits.

"If you two work together, fuse your businesses together even if it's just for the show, then I can guarantee you a place on Great British Business."

David's breath hitched, and he had to grasp onto the metal table leg to steady himself.

"Wow," he breathed. "Shit."

"I can give you guys until this time tomorrow to talk it out. But by then I need an answer, and we can finish this interview. Okay?"

"Okay," Marcia stuttered. David could only nod. "David, should I come to yours? I can be over in, like, ten seconds."

"Perfect," Candice said, making the choice for David. "I hope I'll see you two tomorrow. Email me if not. And please, think of a better name." She wrinkled her nose. "The Raven on Tap Page Turners isn't very marketable."

"Sure," Marcia said. She still seemed calm and collected, while David felt half swallowed by the earth.

"Perfect. Speak tomorrow?"

The call ended, leaving David with no choice. It was time to charm the enemy.