What Every Woman Wants (is a decent hairdresser)

The dust had finally settled from the purchase of the Hotel in Devon and the fallout from the fraud that many of the top people had been undertaking at the Hotel Chain. The new owners, Geo-Stay Inc had gone to the high court in an attempt to get the sale nullified but it was pointed out that Geo-Stay had almost two months of access to the fake books and their people nor their business advisors had found the errors in the accounting process. They tried and failed to sue their advisors who pointed out that they had told Geo-Stay in writing that the books looked dodgy and that they should walk away. That failed and left them with another very large legal bill to settle. It seemed that the American Company had forgotten that in the UK, the loser pays the other sides costs by default.

Apart from the criminal proceedings against most of the previous management team being taken, Geo-Stay instigated civil proceedings to recover the money that had been taken fraudulently from the company. The general feeling in the business world was that this move was strictly a face-saving exercise and that they’d have to wait in line to get the money. The ‘Proceeds of Crime Act 2002’ would allow the defendants to have their homes and all assets seized in the event of guilty verdicts being handed down in the criminal trials.

Adrian, Maxine and the staff at the Hotel in Devon watched on as it all unfurled. Many breathed a sigh of relief at how they’d escaped being caught up in the mess.

This event was a salutary lesson for Maxine. Although she’d done the initial research into the possible takeover the implications of things that businesses could and would hide proved to be an excellent lesson for her for the future. She resolved that in the future, she would look a lot more into the possible liabilities a company might have before recommending an investment.

Other than working on the Hotel, Maxine had been getting to grips with all the other business interests that Adrian had acquired over the years. Despite going with him on trips and being involved with decisions on business opportunities she had not done anything on her own. Adrian kept telling her not to worry and that it would come. He usually ended those conversations with the saying, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. Even so Maxine was getting a little frustrated.

In order to placate her, Adrian gave her a pile of folders that related to possible investments that never came to fruition. He’d removed any direct reference to why he’d walked away. Her task was to work out why he’d said ‘No’. After a week of working on them she’d learned her lesson.

However, the first opportunity to come her way of a possible investment was almost under her feet so to speak.

Moving from Chichester to Reigate meant finding new places to get her hair and nails done. She’d only just found a decent place in Bognor that did her hair to her liking and it was time to leave.

On her second to last day at work in Chichester, Maxine took a few hours off with Sally’s approval and went back to Bognor to have a word with her hairdresser, Angie.

“Reigate eh? Far too close to London for me,” said Angie with a definite London twang to her voice.
“I escaped and I’m not going back,” she added.
“But let me think for a while I get Tamsin to do your nails.”

Maxine relaxed as Tamsin worked her magic on her nails. This downtime allowed her to think back to how nervous she’d been the first time she’d had her hair and nails done. Sally had come with her to a place not far from where she worked in Chichester. It had been an unmitigated disaster from start to finish. They’d clocked Maxine from the moment they walked in the door and had made it clear that the LGBT community were not welcome there and that there was a place at the other end of town that catered for the likes of Maxine.

This had riled Sally.
“And what about me then? How long have I been coming here eh?” Sally had said in a loud voice. Everyone in the shop turned to look at what was going on.

“You are fine,” said the manageress.
She was totally unaware of the trap that she’d fallen into.

Sally laughed and said in an even louder voice,
“I’m a lesbian and have been for twenty years.”

Then she took Maxine’s arm in hers and they marched out of the shop. Three people waiting followed her.

It didn’t take long for the incident to make it onto Facebook. The salon closed down less than two months later as customers went elsewhere.

After that event, Sally had taken Maxine to a place that she’d used from time to time that was close to her flat in Chichester. This was far more down to earth and therefore much more to Maxine’s liking. It was here where Maxine was having her nails done.

Tamsin had just about finished with Maxine’s first hand when Angie returned.

“I’ve made a few phone calls and this is the place I’d go once you move to Reigate.”

Angie handed Maxine a slip of paper. On it was and address in Crawley.

“It’s only ten miles from Reigate and has great reviews. I’d give them a try.”

Maxine had tried them out and once she’d gotten used to the South African accent of the owner ‘Bea’, her salon, ‘Bea Beautiful’ became a regular place for Maxine to visit. It was well located in the old part of Crawley, just off the High Street and only a few minutes’ walk from both the bus and railway stations. A car park was also just around the corner at the local ASDA supermarket.

---

Maxine was in Crawley for an appointment. She’d decided to change her hair colour.

“Hello Maxine,” said the owner Bea as she walked in the door to the Salon.

This was one thing that Maxine liked about the place. The owner, Bea knew the names and faces of all her regulars and greeted them personally when they came into her salon.

“Hi Bea. Nice day isn’t it?”

The weather had been unseasonably cold and wet but that day, was bright and sunny.

“Not bad. Cheryl will be looking after you today.”

“Thanks Bea.”

Maxine was sitting in the chair at Cheryl’s station when the Postman arrived with the mail.

Bea started going through the various items. From where Maxine was sitting, it was obvious that her mind was on other things. That remained until she opened one letter.

Bea read it and suddenly let out a whole string of heavily accented expletives in Afrikaans. Everyone in the shop knew that whatever was in the letter, it was bad news.

Bea had been sitting at the reception desk looking angry for some time so, when Maxine’s new light brown colour was taking hold, Maxine went up to Bea.

“Bad news?”

“Too dammed right. I’m being evicted.”

Bea thrust the letter at Maxine.
“At least that’s what I think it says.”

Maxine read the letter twice.

“That’s what is seems to say to me as well. You must get legal advice on this.”

Bea shook her head.

“I should have seen it coming. The bastard landlord has been evasive about giving me a new lease. I have six months to get out of here. All my hard work will have gone down the drain.”

“Can’t you find somewhere else?”

Bea glared at Maxine.
“This place is pretty cheap for a reason. I’ll bet that bastard landlord wants to put another of his Turkish Barbers in here. He has four in town already. How many more does this shithole of a town need eh? Five years ago, there was at most three barbers shops left. Heck, we even did a few cuts for men from time to time. Now every shopping area has at least one so called ‘Turkish Barber’, sometimes two. I wouldn’t put it beyond reason to find that there are more barbers than Hairdressers in the town now.”

Maxine let her rant. All the time, Maxine’s brain was starting to work. The last thing she wanted was to have to find a new place to get her hair, nails and lashes done.

“What am I going to do eh? There is no way I can afford a lease and pay the fees as well,” moaned Bea.

“Bea, I’m sure that there is someone in your customer base that would be able to help you find somewhere new?”

“Who exactly?”

Maxine bit her lip and went back to where Cheryl was waiting to carry on with her work.

Cheryl wasn’t happy either.
“It took me ages to get a job that allows me to get my kids from school. Bea is a great boss.”

Those words clinched it for Maxine. She had to at least try to do something.

---

When Maxine returned home to Reigate, she didn’t take the problem to Adrian straight away. She knew that the first thing he’d say would be…

“So?”

That one word would be enough to put her in her place. Like with the deal for the hotel, she needed to do some research and put a plan together before taking it to him.

Adrian could not help but notice the look of determination on Maxine’s face that evening.

“Care to share what is making you frown like that?”

“Eh? Oh sorry.”

Adrian looked at her obviously waiting for an answer.

“Not yet. Perhaps tomorrow?”

“Ok. Just don’t keep it to yourself for too long eh?”

Maxine smiled and nodded her head.

---

Over breakfast the next morning, Maxine asked Adrian,
“Are you busy with Cliff this morning?”

Adrian smiled.

“Is this anything to do with that thing you were so busy with yesterday?”

“Yes, it is and before you ask, I need to do some more research before I share anything. If all goes well then I may have something ready for later today.”

Adrian knew when any further argument was going to be fruitless.

“I’m sure Cliff would like a little trip out. It is going to be a nice day after all?”

“Humph,” was Maxine’s reply.

---

Maxine got in the front of the car alongside Cliff not long later.

“Ok, Maxi, where to? I like magical mystery tours?”

Maxine chuckled as she opened a folder on her lap.

“First stop is Northgate Parade in Crawley.”

“Your wish is my command.”

---

Cliff took Maxine on a tour of all the different neighbourhoods in the town of Crawley over the next two hours. At each one, Maxine took a brief walk past all the various shops. As she passed each Barbers Shop and Hairdresser, she pretended to be doing something on her phone but was in reality taking a photo of the shops.

“That’s all of them Cliff.”

“’Fraid not Maxi.”

“Eh?”

“There is the barbers shop on London Road. My Dad used to take me there every two weeks after school on Fridays to get my hair cut.”

Maxine could not resist the urge to laugh at the thought of Cliff as a child.

“Sorry Cliff but the image of you being dragged kicking and screaming to get your hair cut and wearing short trousers as well!”

“Very funny I don’t think.”

Once Maxine had seen the barbers shop she said,
“How many more are there?”

Cliff smiled.

“Just a few but why are we doing this? You go to the place in Ifield Road. As far as I know, you don’t have any complaints about your hair?”

“That’s just it Cliff. Bea is being evicted at the end of her lease. She suspects that the landlord wants to expand his chain of Turkish Barbers.”

“Oh, I get it.”

“Sorry Cliff. I don’t think you do. I’m looking at investing in Bea’s business and helping to find her a new place to work out of.”

Cliff smiled.
“Naturally. Today is a research trip then?”

“Partially. I’ve been on the lookout for a new location for Bea. Her present place is rather small.”

“Have you seen anything yet?”

Maxine sighed.
“No and that’s the problem.”

“What are you going to do next?”

“I’ve got to get everything together for Adrian. I said that I’d get it to him for later today.”

“He won’t mind it being a bit late. This is your first solo project isn’t it?”

Reluctantly Maxine nodded her head.

“Then take the time to get it right. He won’t bite your head off especially if you come up with a plan to take this forward.”

Maxine was quiet for several minutes.
“I’ve got such a lot to learn, haven’t I?”

“Don’t rush into it Maxi. Reigate wasn’t built in a day you know.”

Cliff’s little joke resulted in a smile from Maxine.
“At least it didn’t take a long as Rome to get built!”

That got a laugh from Cliff.

“There are plenty of vacant shops but…” said Maxine a little later.

“They aren’t really suitable in your eyes?”

“They aren’t and that’s the problem.”

“What about an alternative?”

“That’s the problem. I’ve tried to think of something but can’t get even a whiff of an idea.”

Cliff laughed.

“Stop worrying Maxi. It will come.”

“Have you discussed this with… with your Hairdresser? I forgot her name. Sorry.”

“Its’ Bea. Bea from ‘Bea Beautiful’.”

“Sorry. That’s a really good name. Far better than some salons.”

“Cliff. Can you drop me off close to the town centre? Near that bowling alley I think it was. I’m going to speak to Bea.”

Cliff just grinned and put the car into gear.

“Give me twenty minutes and be back here. Then we can go home,” said Maxine as he pulled into the Supermarket Car Park. Her destination was less than 100yds away.

“You are the boss Maxi!”

“Cut the crap Cliff. I’m not the boss and we both know it.”

“Yes Boss!”

---

Maxine left Cliff and walked over the High Street and turned into Ifield Road which was where Bea had her Salon.

After a brief hesitation, Maxine went inside. To her relief. Bea was manning the reception desk once more.

As Maxine walked in, Bea automatically began to scan the appointment book.

“I…? Wait, weren’t you in yesterday? Maxine isn’t it?”

“That’s me I’m afraid.”

“Did we do something wrong? Is your hair colour all right?”

Maxine smiled.
“It isn’t quite what I wanted but it will do for now. I’ve come about something else.”

Maxine’s words caused Bea to stop what she was doing, put down her pen and give all her attention to Maxine.

Maxine took a deep breath.

“If you remember, I was here when you got that letter about your lease.”

“Yeah. That was not welcome news.”

“Bea, I work for an Investment Company.”

“Sorry not interested. Didn’t you hear what I said yesterday. In a few months I’ll have nothing to invest.”

“Bea, I’m sorry if I didn’t make myself clear. We may well be able to help you find a new place to operate out of.”

Bea laughed.

“And get me into hock for the rest of my life? No way.”

Maxine could see that she wasn’t going to get anywhere fast standing in her shop.

“Bea, why don’t you come for dinner on Saturday. No pressure I guarantee it. Then we can explain things a bit more clearly.”

Bea didn’t respond.

“Bea, I come here because you look after me. I’d like to do something in return.”

“I don’t know.”

“Come to dinner. No strings I promise you.”

Finally, Bea nodded her head.

“Let me give you my address.”

Maxine opened her handbag and pulled out a business card. This was the first one she’d ever given away that had her name on it.

“Shall we say seven?”

“Can my partner come too?”

“Absolutely.”

Maxine smiled at Bea.
“We’ll see you on Saturday.”

Bea looked rather sad.

“If we can work together then you can continue weaving your magic on people’s hair. I really don’t want to have to find a new hairdresser ok?”

Maxine left Bea to think things over and returned to the High Street to wait for Cliff.

---

“Here you go,” said Maxine as she placed her report on Adrian’s desk.

Adrian looked up from his computer.

“I take it that there are unanswered questions then?”

His words deflated what little enthusiasm Maxine had left.

Adrian smiled.

“How about you give me an overview of the problem and what you are thinking of?”

Maxine briefed Adrian about Bea’s problem, her proposed solution. Finally, she showed him her report and the photos of all the competition in the area.

Her final words were,
“But there are a significant number of mobile workers in the sector. These go to people’s homes and do their hair. This is mainly for the elderly but I heard of one man who looks after men in the same way including giving them a wet shave.”

Adrian sat for a while looking into space. Maxine had learnt that this was his way of clearing his mind and concentrating on the matter at hand. It had frustrated her to begin with but once Cliff explained the behaviour she had accepted it. To her annoyance, she’d started looking out of the window from her desk but never focussing her eyes on one thing. It allowed her to concentrate her mind on a problem.

Eventually, Adrian smiled and said,
“An interesting proposal. Well done for taking the initiative here.”

“I don’t think I ever told you how I got onto the Hotel sale did I?”

Maxine had often wondered that very thing.

“I was on a train back from a meeting in Stafford. I missed my planned train so I took the next one but that went via Birmingham. Two people got on the train at New Street. They were obviously excited about something. We’d just left Birmingham International when one disappeared to the buffet car to get them a drink. Then the other one went to the toilet leaving a folder on the table between us. I took a brief look at the title on the folder. It mentioned the name of the hotel group and the words ‘preparing for sale’.”

“Was that it?”

“I did a bit of sniffing but essentially yes. I didn’t even have to look inside as it turned out. All it takes is a bit of information and you could end up with a deal. You just happened to be in the Salon when Bea received the termination of lease letter.”

“Why not call it what it is eh? It is an eviction?”

Adrian shook his head.

“Not quite right. Bea’s lease is running out. The landlord has declined to renew it. That is his prerogative. Bea has to leave at the end of the lease. To me, an eviction is where you are forced to leave before the end of the lease. It might be that the landlord wants to give her a helping hand so to speak…”

“Humph”

Adrian laughed.

“No Humph about it. The landlord was doing what he is statutorily required to do. He had given Bea good notice so she should not complain too loudly. I do however agree with you about the likelihood of a ‘Turkish Barbers’ shop opening there not too long after Bea leaves. We must mention to her to offer to sell the landlord the sinks and chairs. That would confirm one way or the other on that topic but we must not let those minor details get in the way of finding Bea a new place to ply her trade.”

Maxine finished taking down the note about the sink and looked at Adrian.

“You like the idea then?”

Adrian chuckled.

“It is not down to me to like or dislike. You are going to run with this all the way. I’ll be here to offer advice and any help you want but I think this should be your first real project.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really!”

“I… I didn’t think that you would let me loose so soon? I know we talked about this sort of thing but… Well I didn’t!”

“This is your project. You have at least a partial relationship with Bea so run with it. What is the worst that could happen eh?”

“We don’t find anywhere and Bea Beautiful goes out of business?”

“Exactly. There is very little financial risk until a suitable place is found. If it is another lease then again we would have very little exposure apart from some legal and fitting out costs.”

Maxine twigged onto what Adrian had said.

“You are prepared to buy somewhere then?”

“If needs be. That has to be one of the options. Obviously, it is all down to location as to the viability of other business using the premises but from what you say in your report Bea has a loyal clientele so looking outside the normal places for a site might save the day. I’m afraid it is going to need a lot more legwork. There is nothing like viewing a location and its situation to get an idea of what it would look like with Bea’s name above the door. I’d certainly do that before even thinking of contacting the agents acting for the landlord.”

For a moment, Maxine thought that Adrian was trying to take over. Then she realised that he was giving her some possible directions for her next moves.

“I get you. Leave all options open but not on the table?”

“It is your project my dear.”

Then he turned back to his spreadsheets.

After a few seconds, he looked up at Maxine once more.

“I won’t be needing Cliff for the rest of the week.”

Maxine smiled and took that as a sign that at least one more trip to Crawley was going to be required before the weekend.

---

“What’s the plan today then Maxi?” asked Cliff as she got into the car the next morning.

“Have another look around the town including the industrial areas and look for places not only to lease but for sale.”

Then she added,
“Look at everything.”

Cliff laughed.

“That’s what Adrian suggested isn’t it?”

Maxine hesitated for a second.

“Sort of. I want to look at all sorts of sites. Even empty fields if there are any that is.”

Cliff raised his eyebrows and smiled.

---

“I think we have driven down all the roads in the town now,” complained Cliff almost three hours later as the pulled up at a set of traffic lights.

“Time for a break and a review of what we have seen so far?”

“And some Lunch perhaps?”

“Good idea. Where do you suggest?”

“That Pub opposite Three Bridges Station?”

“Which just happens to be around the next junction?”

Cliff laughed.

“No pulling the wool over your eyes eh Maxi?”

The lights changed to green before she could answer.

---

The Pub wasn’t that busy so they were able to find a place to sit where they could talk softly and not be overheard.

“I’ve ordered the food,” said Cliff as he sat down with their drinks. Coffee for him and an Orange juice and Lemonade for Maxine.

“Did anything leap out at you?” asked Maxine.

Cliff sighed.

“Not really. Some of those small business units on Gatwick Road could be interesting but parking is the issue.”

“Cars! They get us from A to B but everyone else’s just gets in the way eh?”

“Nice one Maxi. I’ll have to remember that.”

“Pah!” was her remark to that.

“That car wash place we passed that was for sale might be good,” suggested Maxine.

“Isn’t that already a business?”

“I don’t know but the operators may just have a short-term lease until the place is sold.”

Cliff nodded.

“But what about buildings. Bea could not operate out of a shipping container?”

Maxine laughed.

“Do you remember that new development we passed? The one where we got held up by that huge mobile crane?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how it got down that road with all those cars parked either side?”

“Did you see what it was lifting?”

“Not really. I had to keep my eyes on the road. Red Traffic lights mean nothing these days.”

“Well, I did. It was lifting the marketing suite or whatever they call those temporary office thingies that entice buyers in!”

Slowly a smile spread on Cliff’s face.

“Ah! I get you.”

“Portable buildings come in all sizes. It looked like that was almost an off the shelf item. Two of those plus a twenty-foot shipping container for storage could make a really nice salon.”

“Time to head back to the office for some more internet sleuthing then?” joked Cliff.

“Not yet. Lunch and drink first. Then we’ll visit that housing development again.”

“Yes, Boss Maxi!” said Cliff with a cheesy grin on face.

---

“How was your little expedition?” asked Adrian late that afternoon.

“Frustrating, boring but eventually interesting.”

“You have certainly been hitting the keys hard since you came back. We could hear you in the conference room.”

“How did the meeting with the auditors go?”

“All done and the accounts are all signed off. I’ve never had them done so early.”

“You didn’t have my excellent assistance before now did you eh?”

“Ok, ok, don’t get too big for your boots. You will have to do this yourself one day.”

“I know and I have an excellent teacher who is preparing me for that day.”

“What did you find out?” asked Adrian changing the subject.

“I think we need to speak to an architect. They will know how to proceed or even if what I’m thinking of as a solution is possible.”

Maxine took out some photos of the possible new location for Bea’s business.

Adrian laughed.

“You can’t be serious?”

With a perfectly straight face, Maxine produced a picture that they’d taken after lunch. Luckily the crane was still working.

“You cunning devil! You let me walk right into that one, didn’t you?”

“Not really. Your reaction was just like mine until I remembered seeing the crane delivering that building to the housing development.”

“Don’t these things cost a lot?”

Maxine smiled.

“Not really and there are even second-hand ones on the market. The site has power and water which means that only some bits of foundation is needed and connecting up to the services.”

“If it were only as simple as that!”

“That’s why I suggested an Architect.”

---

[Saturday Evening]

Maxine kept pacing up and down in the Kitchen. The clock moved so slowly around towards seven. She had one eye on the oven, one eye on the clock and an ear listening out for the sound of the front door bell.
This was to be her first time as host. Adrian was taking a back seat on this one but he was ready to come to her aid should it be needed.

Maxine’s first panic happened when she could not decide what to wear. The last thing she wanted to do was out do her guests on the fashion front.

Adrian didn’t have to worry on that front. He’d just wear some decent trousers, a white shirt and have a jacket to hand.

He just grinned when Maxine told him of her dilemma.

“It isn’t too late to go back you know?”

Maxine glared at Adrian.
“Bog off!”

“Why not just wear the same sort of clothes as you used to at work wear in Chichester?”

Adrian got another glare as if Maxine was saying ‘Effing men just don’t get it’!

Nevertheless, Maxine chose a simple outfit for the evening. She didn’t want to overdo things.

---

Maxine’s level of ‘fret’ was climbing rapidly when at almost ten past seven, the front door bell rang.

She stopped herself from answering it. Adrian was going to do that. It was the easy way of introducing himself to their visitors. Maxine waited for them in the lounge.

“Sorry we are late. We got held up at the Level Crossing. They let two trains pass through,” said Bea as she saw Maxine.

“That’s all right. That happens a lot I’m afraid,” explained Adrian.

“Maxine, Adrian, this is my partner Nathan.”

Maxine was slightly surprised by Nathan. Bea was an African from Cape Town. Nathan was tall and very white.

“Pleased to meet you Nathan. We are both glad you came tonight,” said Maxine.

“Can I get you a drink?”

---

Once everyone had something to drink, Maxine said,
“I thought we might talk business first and then eat? Is that ok with everyone?”

No one objected so she carried on.

“Since I spoke with you Bea, we have done a lot more work. This is what we know so far.

Right on cue, Adrian removed a sheet that was covering a large board. On it was a map of Crawley, the photos of all the competition with string connecting the photos and the locations on the map.

“There is a lot of competition in the town. The number of barbers has grown rapidly. We discovered that ten years ago, there were only three barbers operating in the town. Two salons in the town centre were in addition, unisex operations.”

She paused for effect.

“During my travels around the town I saw this location.”

Maxine pointed to a site on the edge of the main Industrial Area of the town.

“This is currently a car wash and has been for selling used cars. The site is up for sale. There are no women’s hairdressers close by and it is in my eyes, perfect for getting clients from the offices and factories on the estate. It also has parking which I know is a problem at your current location as there isn’t any without paying heftily for the privilege.”

Maxine looked at her guests. So far, they were with her.

“This is what we propose for the site.”

Adrian revealed a large sheet of paper that had been folded over the top of the board.

“The site is essential a blank canvas. It has power and water at these points and most of it is already tarmacked.”

“But that is just two portable buildings?” remarked Nathan.

“Three actually but yes you are right.”

“Two of them are what builders use as ‘Marketing Suites’ on their developments. You know the place where the sales are made and then removed when the builders move on to another site. The third is a secure workmen’s store that would be accessed from the main part of the building and used as a storeroom. These units can come with small ante-rooms that contain things like a small kitchen and a toilet. The windows and doors can be covered by security roller blinds.”

“This all sounds very, very expensive?” remarked Bea.

“That’s where we come in. I’ll come onto costings in a minute. This proposal is based on the finite amount of time that you have left on your lease. There are used units available for almost immediate delivery. We spoke with an architect yesterday and he sees no problem in getting planning permission for a change of use for the site. Getting outline permission is essential for the purchase of the property to proceed. He also estimates that there is two to three weeks of work needed to get the site ready for the buildings then once they are in place, three further weeks for fitout to your specifications.”

“The timeframe is tight but doable,” said Adrian.
“I know of a couple of builders who can do the fitout given time.”

Nathan was nodding his head. Bea was looking at the photos of the units.

“Those buildings don’t look anything but temporary?” she remarked.

Maxine smiled.
“That is exactly what out architect said. He suggested getting them clad in additional insulation and then a cedar or larch exterior. Very low maintenance and would hide the original nature of the buildings. This can be applied once you are operational.”

Bea was still looking non-committal.

“There is no way I can afford this. Not in a million years.”

“Why don’t we sit down and I’ll go over how we work and the deal that I’m proposing?” suggested Maxine.

“Bea, firstly, this is your business and always will be. You run it. We are very much in the background partners. We take a share of the business and you pay us back over time from your profits. Remember, you won’t have any rental payments to make to your landlord. The holding company that we will form and you would sit on the board along with me, would own the land. Your payments to the holding company reduce the share of the business that is owned by Adrian and myself. Eventually, if you so desired you could pay us off entirely and own it all outright. However, many of our clients like to have an investor who is in it for the long term on tap so to speak and because of their knowledge of the business, are ready to invest in the business without the sorts of hoops and hurdles that banks put in your way today.”

“Sort of like a Dragon?” asked Nathan.

“Sort of but not so aggressive and very much in it for the long term and definitely not in it for any publicity,” replied Adrian.

“There is so much to take in?” remarked Bea.

“No one is asking you to sign on the dotted line tonight. Adrian and I have prepared a fully detailed information pack that tells you about us and how we work, the details of the deal we are proposing along with costings based upon both used and new units and a draft contract.”

Adrian saw the concern in Bea’s eyes.

“Take them to your accountant and get legal advice on it all. Then think about it and let Maxine know how you want to proceed. If the answer is no then we won’t pressure you in any way whatsoever. That is not the way we work.”

Adrian looked at his watch.

“I think the food will now be ready. May I suggest we eat and get to know each other a bit better?”

---

“How do you think that went?” asked Adrian as they watched Bea and Nathan drive away some two hours later.

“Nathan seemed to get what we are on about. Bea? I’m not so sure.”

“Exactly my thoughts. Bit of an odd couple.”

“That was my thought too until Nathan explained how they’d met and the fact that mixed race marriages can still be a problem in South Africa. It is obvious that they are devoted to each other.”

Maxine smiled.
“Before tonight, I could not imagine that being seasick over someone could lead to romance but our guests seem to have proved me wrong.”

“That is a good one to tell the grandchildren all right.”

Then Adrian looked at Maxine right into her eyes,
“You handled yourself very well tonight. Well done.”

“Thanks, but my heart was running on overdrive almost all the time. I’m not sure that I could have lasted much longer. I need a drink. Coming?”
“Good idea,” replied Adrian.

---

Neither Adrian nor Maxine heard anything from Bea or Nathan for over a week. They were not rushed. They had engaged an architect to draw up proper plans for the site. If Bea didn’t go ahead then it was not a huge amount of money down the drain. Even if this happened, Adrian reckoned it was good exposure to some of the contacts that he’d built up with various different trades and professions.

It was the Thursday of the second week when Maxine got a call from Bea. She sounded quite agitated.

“Can you come over now? The landlord is being a bit of a bastard.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Probably around forty minutes.”

Maxine guessed that this was the landlord wanting to know when Bea would be vacating the premises.

Adrian was at that moment on a train to Newcastle so that was little he could do at the moment so Maxine took it upon herself to phone their Lawyer.

“Mr Hall please. This is Maxine??? I work for Adrian Forsythe. It is quite urgent.”

The twenty seconds or so that Maxine had to wait seemed like an eternity.

“Ah Mr Hall. Do you remember that project in Crawley that we talked about?”

“Good. It might be that things are coming to a head rather sooner than we envisaged.”

“I just received a call from the shop. Bea told me that the Landlord was trying to put up ‘To Let’ signs over both windows to the shop thus cutting out almost all daylight.”

“Yes, I’m going to go and see for myself. I was wondering if you could join me there. It might be that this is just what she needs to sign on the dotted line. Naturally your advice on how to handle this situation would be most welcome.”

“I agree. Given the size of her business, she hardly needs a solicitor on speed-dial.”

“Ah. Good. I’ll see you there then.”

“No, I’ll take a taxi.”

“Bye.”

It was clear to Maxine that the landlord had really overstepped the mark with his actions as soon as she turned into Ifield Road. Both front windows of ‘Bea Beautiful’ had been covered up by two huge ‘To Let’ signs.

Maxine examined them and found that each one had been secured by twelve screws. These screws had gone right into the wood of the window frame. This was not good.

She took some photos of the front of the shop. She now had the before and after photos of the front of the business.

Then she walked into the salon. Bea was sitting alone. The place was really dark despite the sun shining outside.

Maxine could tell that Bea had been crying. She doubted if anyone could have survived what had happened that day and show not emotion.

Her first move was to comfort Bea. She sat next to her and put her arm around her shoulders. She felt Bea stiffen up for a second and when saw who it was, she relaxed.

“Why? Why did they do this?”

“To make a point. My solicitor is on his way. Then we will take them down.”

“The bastards had someone filming the whole thing just in case I reacted.”

“They are in the wrong and they know it. I expect that my solicitor and I will be making a visit to the agents named on the signs. If I had my way, the manager would be made to eat them right there and then.”

Bea managed a small smile.

“I’m going to fight this,” she muttered.

“Which is exactly what they want you to do. They want you to spend money that you don’t have fighting them. This is ‘Intimidation tactics 101’.”

“Why? The landlord has served me notice to quit.”

“He needs to make a point that he is serious about getting you out at the end of your lease if not before. By doing that he saves himself a lot of time and money to go through the courts to evict you. That would mean sending in the Bailiffs. That costs money. He can’t do that while you have a lease.”

“Everything was fine until the old landlord sold out to Ergun. Then it has been one thing after another. Just because I am a woman he thinks that he can order me around like he does with his wives.”

“Wives?”

“Yeah. He has three. One here and two back in Eastern Turkey. Well, that’s what I’ve been told anyway. One of my customers lives next door to him. The wife here can’t leave the house without him or one of his brothers going with her. She is one of those who wears the Nicab even at home. She is allowed to speak with my customer because she is also Muslim but does not wear the Hijab.”

Bea’s words told me a lot about Mr Ergun. We would have to tread carefully.

A few minutes later my solicitor arrived. He was not amused by the signs.

“This will not do,” he said.
“I will call a builder friend of mine. He’ll take them down right away.”

“Then what?” I asked.
“My guess would be that the landlord, a Turk by the name of Ergun will just put them back up again.”

“Then we will go to court and get an injunction to stop him.”

“Mr Hall? To be honest, I don’t think that will do any good. According to Bea, he had someone videoing the signs going up just in case she retaliated. He’ll either ignore the injunction or do something else. I’ve seen this sort of thing before when I lived in Trowbridge.”

My solicitor thought for quite a while.

“We have to be seen doing something. As the saying goes, you can’t let the bastards grind you down.”

“Mr Hall, I’m not sure what we can do. I really don’t have the money to sue him. What if we lose? It will make me bankrupt.”

Mr Hall smiled.

“Didn’t Maxine tell you? I’m on a retainer for her and Adrian’s company. Most months they don’t use us at all. This won’t cost you a penny!”

“Is this true?” said Bea looking at Maxine.

“It is perfectly true. Besides, I want to look after a prospective partner now don’t I eh?”

Bea didn’t answer that. She was saved by Maxine’s phone ringing.

“Hello Cliff. What’s the problem? Is there something that I forgot?”

“Oh! Yes, I know it. Why?”

“Really? That might be the answer to our problems.”

“What problems? Oh, the landlord of ‘Bea Beautiful’ has only gone and put ‘To Let’ signs all over the shop windows.”

“I mean all over. No daylight at all.”

“That’s what Terry Hall suggested.”

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll take a look once we get this issue sorted out.”

“Yeah, enjoy your weekend.”

Maxine hung up. Then she realised that she was smiling and the others were looking at her.

“Sorry. That was my assistant Cliff.”

Maxine turned to Mr Hall.

“Shall we go to the letting agents and get this sorted out?”

“What about me?” pleaded Bea.

“My builder friend will be here soon. Tell him to wait until I call. Then he can remove these panels.”

Bea wasn’t very happy but she deferred to Mr Hall.

“Hello, how can I help you?” asked an agent when Maxine and Mr Hall walked into the letting agents shop.

“Who is in charge here?” asked Mr Hall.

“Eh? That will be me. Mr Jensen is out on a viewing.”

“Ok. Take a look at these photos and tell me what you think?”

Maxine showed him the photos of the outside of the shop.

“I don’t see anything wrong.”

“Look again. The hairdressers, is still a legal tenant and operating as a business. Those signs block all the light out from the salon.”

“Oh!”

“Yes oh. I have arranged for a builder friend of mine to remove them very shortly. I’ll be sending you the bill as after all they are your signs, aren’t they?”

“You can’t do that. They don’t belong to you.”

“Then I’ll remove them and bring them back here. Then you have not lost any property.”

“You still can’t remove them. The landlord would not like it. He was very insistent that they be put up today.”

Mr Hall smiled.

“Was he? That is very interesting. Those signs will be removed and delivered here shortly thereafter. If they appear again, then I will be taking the matter to the court and believe me, you won’t win.”

“I must get hold of Mr Jensen. He is dealing with that property.”

“Too late. I’m instructing my people to remove those signs immediately.”

Then he turned to Maxine.

“Come on Maxine, we have business to attend to.”

Maxine was not used to being spoken to like that but she knew from what Adrian had said that this was his way and it was not personal.

Once they were outside, Mr Hall phoned Bea and gave her instructions for his builder friend.

Thankfully, no one tried to stop the removal of the signs. Mr Hall and his friend delivered them to the letting agent which meant that no one could be accused of stealing anything. Bea was still in a state. She’d been forced to cancel half of her clients on the busiest day of the week. Maxine comforted her until it was time for Bea to close up for the day.

Maxine took a taxi home. She was still trying to understand what had really gone on. One thing was clear to her and that was when it came to legal stuff, she was well out of her depth. Her Open University Law Course was really aimed at contract law and not this sort of stuff.

She directed the taxi to take her past the property that Cliff had mentioned in his call. On the surface, it looked like a possible solution but given the events of the past day, it could not be that easy.

[the following Monday]

Maxine had spent the morning looking at a lot of sites on the Internet. Adrian watched on from afar. He saw that she had this frown on her face that meant ‘I’m in the middle of something… do not disturb!’. He left her alone knowing that when she was good and ready, she’d involve him.

In late morning, Maxine had left the house in Reigate after telling Adrian that she was going for a walk. He watched her leave and smiled when he saw her turn towards the town rather than the other way and the lane that led up onto the North Downs. He guessed that she was going to follow up with whatever it was that she had been busy on that morning. She was very much like him in that respect which was why they’d gotten on so well right from the start.

He thought back to the night when they’d first met. He knew beforehand from speaking to Sally that Maxine was something special. It had taken him all of ten minutes to not only get what Sally was on about but that she would be a worthy successor to him in the business. She was proving that was the right decision each and every day.

Maxine returned later in the afternoon. The weather had changed from the bright start to the day and was now dull and wet.

Even though her hair was wet, he could see that she’d had her hair done. He thought that was strange as she’d only had it done a few days before at ‘Bea Beautiful’.

Adrian welcomed her home and took her wet jacket from her.

Her only words were,
“I’m going for a bath. Then we can talk.”

Maxine kicked off her equally wet shoes and disappeared off upstairs.

---

Adrian waited patiently for Maxine to come downstairs after her soak in the bath. He saw the ‘frown’ on her face when she’d returned so he knew that her mind was churning. He was in the kitchen preparing their evening meal when he heard her coming down the stair.

The first thing he noticed was that the frown was gone.

“Sorry for being a bit uncommunicative earlier. I was trying to get things straight in my mind.”

Adrian smiled.
“Better to get them straight than to come out with a load of rubbish. Is your mind straight now?”

“Yes, it is.”

Adrian waited patiently.

“In the middle of all that kerfuffle… on Saturday over Bea’s salon, Cliff gave me a call. As you know, he shops at Waitrose in Horley. He noticed that a salon not far from the store is closing. The owner is retiring.”

Adrian smiled.

“And you thought that it might be a perfect location for the new ‘Bea Beautiful’?”

“Yes, I did. As Bea lives in Charlwood, it is just as far as Crawley is from home. The other good thing is that there is parking outside.”

“Is that where you went earlier?”

“Yes. Nothing better than doing a bit of personal research.”

“I guessed as much. Even though your hair was wet, even I could see that someone had done something to it.”

Maxine gave Adrian a punch on the arm. Then she realised that he was joking.

“It would be perfect for Bea. Lots more room that her current place. It would need a total refurb though. It looks like nothing has changed since…? Well a long time. The electrics are in dire need of work.”

“Did you say anything to the owner?”

“Nothing more than to say that I was new to the area and that I was looking for a decent hairdresser. Pauline… That’s the owner is retiring but would like to hand the business over to someone else. The client’s seem to be a lot older than Bea’s though.”

“What are you going to do next?”

“I think I should mention the alternative to Bea and see what her reaction is. If it is favourable then get her and Pauline together.”

Adrian thought for a moment. Then he asked,
“What about the lease for this new place? It would be silly for Bea to take over only to find herself in the same mess?”

“I agree. One snippet of information I did obtain is that the owner of the block has been trying to get planning permission to knock the lot down and build some expensive new apartments but the district council are having none of that. The three other businesses and the six tenants keep objecting. The developer has been told to find alternative housing for the tenants at the same cost and to accommodate the existing businesses in his plan. He even went to appeal and lost so it might well be a dead duck.”

“How did you find that out?”

“The local paper was very useful.”

“What deviousness are your thinking of?” asked Adrian.

“Me devious? You are the devious one here!”

They both laughed.

“It might be that the developer would be willing to cut his losses and run. We could be able to pick up the block and then there would not be a lease problem for Bea.”

“That would mean becoming a landlord then?”

“It would but after refurbishment of the whole block, we could turn it over to a management company to run but I’d make sure that it was the right one though and not the cheapest.”

Adrian smiled.

“We’d better get Mr Hall briefed then. Write it all up and send him an email with it all in fine detail. Make it for information only at this stage apart from getting him to sound out the agents for the developers about a possible sale.”

“Ok, I’ll do that after dinner,” suggested Maxine.

“This will be a while so get it done before and then we can relax.”

[two days later]

Maxine said goodbye to Bea outside the salon. Bea had met the current tenant, Pauline and the three of them had talked about Maxine’s proposal.

She sat in the car for several minutes collecting her thoughts. Cliff was waiting to take her home.

“Ok Cliff, we can go home.”

“Trouble Maxi?”

“No, not really. Best laid plans and all that.”

“Didn’t the two women get along?”

“Sort of. Their target age groups are the issue. Bea is used to doing the hair of people my age. Pauline’s clients are more my Mother’s age.”

“Ah, I get you. As you get older, your tastes change.”

“Yeah. But I think we can get this done. The problem will be refurbishing the place and keeping the existing clients happy. With some careful management, it can be done.”

“Having second thoughts about this life?”

Maxine chuckled.

“Just about every minute of every day. Sometimes I wonder when this dream will end and I’ll find myself back in Trowbridge and on the Dole.”

“This is real Maxi. People are depending on you.”

“I know it and I’ve just received notice that the purchase of the pub in Devon has gone through.”

Cliff laughed.

“No rest for the wicked eh?”

“Humph!”

---

[Ten days later]

“Ah, you are back,” remarked Adrian as she came into the house in Reigate and slumped in a chair.

“I just missed the Gatwick Train in Reading. If we hadn’t been held up outside the station for ten minutes, I would have had plenty of time.”

“How did the meeting go?”

“The first bunch of cowboys masquerading as builders were a total waste of space.”

“Why could you not have got the same team that built the extension?”

“We tried but they are fully tied up until next year.”

“Did you find anyone suitable?”

“That is going to be an issue. They all have five or six projects on the go. None can commit to be on site and working for the duration of the build. That is a frigging nightmare. No wonder those TV programmes that show up cowboy builders are so popular.”

“Welcome to the wonderful world of property development.”

“Don’t I know it. Yet we have a good bunch for the Salon refurb.”

“And people slag off Polish Builders something rotten.”

“I wonder if Zachary and his team fancy six weeks at the seaside?”

Adrian laughed.

“No harm in asking. Especially as the Freehold owner is playing hardball at the moment.”

“But we agreed a price. Half the money is in escrow. They can’t back out now? Can they?”

“They can if they get a higher offer. Which is what I think that they are trying to do. Then they’ll come to us and try to weasel out more money from us.”

“What brought this on? They were seemed happy with the offer?”

“I think that they thought that we were bluffing. That’s why they asked for a hefty payment into escrow. I would imagine that they got a bit of a shock when their legal people told them the next day that it was there. We should have asked for a one-month exclusivity clause. I forgot all about that.”

[one week later]

Maxine had been out shopping in nearby Redhill. When she returned she could tell that Adrian was pretty excited about something. She’d hardly put the bag of groceries on the kitchen table when he said,

“It’s ours!”

“Eh?”

“The new home for ‘Bea Beautiful’. The confirmation came through half an hour ago. They have signed the contract and the remaining money has been transferred.”

Maxine sat down, her shoulders slumped.

“What’s the problem? I thought that you would be so happy?”

Maxine looked Adrian right in the eyes.
“I am but this is all so difficult and the really hard bit is to come.”

“But darling, that’s why we have architects and project managers. They do all the heavy lifting.”

Maxine looked startled.

“Adrian?”

He didn’t wait. Adrian kissed Maxine properly for the first time.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” said a slightly breathless Maxine when they broke apart.

“Sorry but…”

This time Maxine kissed Adrian.

Neither of them said much but they knew that this represented a sea change in their relationship. Both of them knew that it had to come but certainly Maxine had not been expecting it to happen just then.

[two months later]

Maxine was with Bea as she prepared to open her new business for the first time. Part of the salon was still undergoing refurbishment but all the hard work had been done. The previous owner, Pauline was fussing with the piles of new towels that Maxine had supplied as an opening present.

“Ready to go?” asked Maxine.

“I think we are. The first appointment is in ten minutes.”

Maxine smiled.
“Then you should turn over the sign on the door. At least you can tell the world that you are open.”

The business had been closed for two weeks while essential work was carried out on the electricity supply and plumbing to the whole salon. Half of it had been re-decorated. A plastic screen separated the two parts while the builders finished working on the rest.

All their pent-up anxiety disappeared as the first customer arrived a few minutes later.

Maxine left a little later. Bea was clearly happy with being back in business. Her business was secure with a twenty-five-year lease all signed sealed and delivered.

The refurbishment of rest of the block had been started. The first two empty apartments were nearly done and would soon be ready for occupation. They were lucky in that some of the former tenants had left due to the uncertainty about the future of their homes. The existing tenants would be moved into newly finished apartment while their old homes were worked on.

Maxine felt satisfaction that the job was nearly done but it had made her cautious of investing in property like this ever again. Investing in companies was a lot more straightforward.

Adrian took her out to dinner that night to celebrate what he called ‘her coming of age’ in business terms. She was far more sanguine in her view of the matter. She knew that without both Adrian and Cliff to back her up this whole thing would have fallen on its face very early on. In the future, she’d have to face up to doing projects on her own once he was unable to help her. What she didn’t know was how far or near that future was away.

[to be continued]