Chapter 6

Willow was still sitting at the kitchen table when her parents arrived home. She was swept up in hugs and kisses from both of them.

“Fantastic show, darling. It was a real treat. I saw the Bishop with the Russell’s and the Head, and they all had big smiles. The comments that I heard from others was all positive. A lot were shocked but excited by the last song. Did everything go all right with you? What did Gina think of her outfit?”

“We both looked like ladies of the night, Mum, and Jacob looked like our minder. I called Frankie the Ham, and she changed our outfits for what you saw tonight. If we had been on stage wearing what her assistant had supplied, there may have been a riot and letters to the paper about young girls looking like prostitutes.”

“I did notice that your outfit wasn’t the one you modelled this afternoon. I thought that the original one was a bit flirty, but what do I know about young girl’s fashions. You were right to complain, the Bishop would have been horrified to see his organists looking like that. You get yourself to bed now. I’ll give you a call for breakfast and then the church.”

Willow went up and got ready for bed. As she looked in the mirror to remove her make-up, she giggled at the thought of turning up at the Cathedral in the original outfit to play the organ. She laughed as she thought about it. ‘Hi, Bishop, I’m dressed like a tramp and I’m here to play your organ!’ She was smiling as she told her furry friends the joke and went to sleep.

Sunday morning was like so many Sundays recently. She went to the bathroom to do her business, shower and dry, then dust with sweet smelling powder and dress. They had breakfast and walked to the church, bells chiming as they arrived. The Reverend gave her a hug and told her how good the show was, with all three bands being great entertainment. Willow went up to the organ and played welcoming music. She relaxed as the church filled. She had to smile, as today’s sermon was about not honouring false icons, but to honour the one who stood above them. Reverend Russell finished by surprising her.

“In a conversation, the other day, I was advised that it is no good to make yourself an icon, but to help others to be icons themselves. To be seen as a person who helps others achieve their own level, without appearing to be one who thinks themselves as above them. I hope that you all look to me as just your spiritual guidance to the one that I follow. The one that we consider to be the icon above all.”

They sang the last hymn, and he came down to lead the short period of silent prayer. He looked up at Willow and gave her a wink as he turned to leave the church. As was becoming usual, by the time that Willow had turned off, tidied up, and left the church, most were over at the club. She walked in and there was a big cheer and applause. There, behind the bar, was the Gold Record, and in a frame beside it, the DVD with its distinctive cover. Under both was a properly printed sign that declared that the DVD had been filmed here, at the Stoneleigh Community Club.

She was hugged and kissed by a lot of smiling villagers. Make that smiling friends. Some had seen the show on Friday or Saturday, and there were many compliments for Summer Rose and the other bands. They ate lunch and sang songs with Willow on the old piano. This was the centre of her world. When she walked home with Wendy, there were tears in her eyes.

“They really like us, Mum. Not because I’m in the band, but because they just like us.”

“They do, love. If we had kept ourselves to ourselves, we may have been accepted in twenty years, or so. It’s been you able to play the church organ that brought this about so quickly. They know you, not the talented girl on stage. I suppose that they’re supporters, rather than fans.”

Willow relaxed for a while, and then went to get ready for the Sunday show. The outfit that she had been given was a simple sheath, adorned with small crystals that would sparkle in the spotlights. It was a deep blue, while Gina had a similar one in a very dark red. When she came downstairs, Wendy gasped.

“Darling, you look beautiful. Not only that, but it also makes you look older. Talk about being older, in three weeks you’ll be fourteen. Where do you want to go for a meal?”

“Gina has her birthday two days after mine. We were thinking of a joint party. Either the day in between or the Friday. We have a dinner dance in the club on the Saturday, so I was wondering if we could club together and take over the club, paying for it as a reception. We can get the Gees to entertain us and just have some fun. It might be hard to think of a list of two hundred and fifty guests, though.”

“Come on, my darling daughter! I’m certain that between you, you know at least that number. There’s the school friends, the orchestra, the choir. That’s not even taking in the ones outside school. The Village choir, Tom and Sally and her mother, the Bishop.”

“Hold it right there, Mum. What teenager who doesn’t have a father who preaches would invite a Bishop to a teenage party!”

“You could invite him, dear. He may think it too young for him, but, there again, he might be fun. He is a bit quirky. I’ll have a chat with Maisie and see what she thinks.”

Willow was picked up just after five. They went to the farm, Gina already being in the city and just finishing Evensong. Being alone in the vehicle, Willow and Jacob could cuddle on the way.

At the Belgrade, they had a lot of time before the others arrived and talked about the future direction of the band. Herb was all for moving into the rock scene, with occasional forays into softer music, and suggested that Willow should make the next Summer Rose easy-listening album as a Willow Rose (with Summer Rose) one, when she had enough material for one. Xavier came in and took some pictures while they were talking.

“Xavier. We haven’t seen much of you since the rehearsal.”

“We’ve concentrated on getting the audiences on film. It’s been great to take candid pictures and listen to the comments. It’s the pass around my neck that makes me invisible. We also took a lot of film of the concert, from the spectator point of view. Tonight, we’re getting back-stage shots now that you’re all relaxed about it. I’m hoping that you’ll let us into future performances. My Dad told me I should write a book about my experiences. He called it ‘The Sap Inside the Rose’. I’ve got all the raw material from your school concerts.”

“As long as you let us look at it first. If you hold off a while, you can add the shows with Blastmasters, that’ll be a bit different.”

“I’ll wait a few years until you’re international stars by that time. Although you would have probably forgotten me by then.”

Willow got up and went to hug him and kiss him on the cheek.

“Get it into your head, Xavier. I never forget friends, ever. There will always be a place for you, Frank and Dave. If we lose touch, never be afraid to call if you need anything.”

“Thank you for that, Willow. What are the plans for the rest of term?”

“There’s a sing-along at the club next Saturday, the concert in the Cathedral the weekend after, a dinner dance at the club and then the big charity do at the football club to finish the month. June has yet to fill up, but we’ll be having an assistant from the label to help us stay in the public eye.”

As the rest of the band arrived, the conversation turned to the money that they had earned. Jacob explained about the property syndicate and that it would be for commercial property only, with purchases being in full there would be no mortgage payments. By the time that the other two bands had finished their sets, Brent, Roy, Victor, and Herb had agreed to put in three hundred thousand each, with regular payments of a hundred thousand as they continued to be earning. All agreed that they needed to set up their own companies with their parents as co-directors.

Gina had changed into her stage outfit and the two girls looked like stars when they went on stage. The two girls in the wind section had also taken a lot of care with co-ordinated outfits. The compere did his last introduction and told the crowd that it had been a privilege to be here in Coventry. The show was good, the crowd were appreciative, and the encore produced its shock and awe. The other bands had stayed, so once the Summer Rose had bowed, they came out from either side of the stage and the whole show were applauded.

Gina picked up her bag with her Cathedral outfit and went home with Maisie after a group hug. Willow and Jacob went to their vehicle and went home. Ashley and Wendy were waiting for Willow when she arrived, and they sat with a hot chocolate before she went to bed.

“What now, my darling daughter?”

“The concert in two weeks. The fallout from these shows. It will be interesting to find out how much we ended up with. We didn’t go to the foyer so didn’t see what they had on sale.”

“There was a stand from the music store, one with pendants and posters, and one with your CD and DVD, now without the other CD packaged. There was another one taking advance orders for the G-Force and Hikers releases which had a line waiting when we looked.”

“That’s good, it’s well deserved. Before we went on stage, the other guys agreed to set up companies and put three hundred into the property syndicate. That will give us an immediate two point one to get it going. That should leave me with enough to help pay this house off.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s my home, Mum. It’s part of the property idea. I know that I’m not old enough to go on the deeds. It does give me somewhere that will be my rock. I’ll need a rock if this life gets any crazier.”

Next morning, she was picked up by the security men, hopeful that the week was going to be as normal as possible. Of course, all those students who had been to the show wanted to meet and greet, as well as the teachers. Normal lessons weren’t totally disrupted, but lunch was like another party. A lot of the girls throughout the school were wearing the rose pendants.

Back at home, with a whole evening ahead of her without anywhere to go, Willow caught up with her emails. There was one from Peter to all the bands, complimenting them on a great show. There was another from the estate agent with a copy of the building report and their invoice. Willow read the report, which only had minor items to be improved, mainly to bring the property up to current safety standards. She went into her own company account and paid the bill, seeing that she had been the one to ask for it. The agent had told her that the vendors were happy to sell if she upped the offer to four hundred and twenty, as long as the payment was in the next two weeks. She answered him to tell him that the payment would be made before the end of the week and to let the tenants know that the upgrades would be made, and to book contractors in when the property had changed hands. She asked him to now look around for larger premises, with a limit of one and a half million. The reply was sent, with the seven band members cc’ed to show the others that things were happening.

She emailed Peter to transfer three hundred thousand to the WR Holdings account, with Jacob and Gina cc’ed to let them know that the process was being started.

Next morning, Gina told her that she had asked Peter to transfer three hundred and fifty thousand to the business account that her mother already had. Jacob said that he had asked for the same amount to his new company account, and that Summer Love would be in existence by Thursday. They told Sebastian that the pickup would be later as they would be playing the entire concert for the performance in two weeks. At school, it was Gina playing the organ for chapel, then the day was a lot quieter.

At lunch, the other band members told them that the company paperwork was being created. Geoff came over and told them that they were on track to have the CD and DVD from Stoneleigh on the market in week, at the same time as the Hikers. He had been told that it would be a joint release, along with promotional displays with the Summer Rose albums, as a ‘Coventry Sound’ in conjunction with the Band Spot show.

That afternoon, the orchestra and combined choirs played the entire Cathedral show. Mister Bamborough told them that the Cathedral Concert will be on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, with all three performances close to sold out. They would be taken to the venue on Friday afternoon, for setting up and a complete performance, with the BBC getting set up and the sight lines. Because of that, the orchestra session for the next week would be cancelled.

Brent was taken home first, and then the three went to Stoneleigh. At Jacob’s home, Wilhelm came out and gave Gina and Willow copies of the paperwork that had been set up for the syndicate holding company, along with details of a bank account that he had seeded with some of Jacob’s money. Jacob said that he would forward the details to the other four. Wilhelm, now semi-retired, told them that he would be available to transport them if needed. He said that he might buy a minibus and bill the company for it.

That evening, Willow emailed her accountant’s details, the real estate agent’s details, and transferred three hundred thousand to the new syndicate account. She knew that she was putting the accounting into Wilhelm’s hands, but, as an adult with some time on his hands, she thought that he would be very committed to his son’s welfare, and, by association, the band.

On Thursday morning, Jacob reported that his father had checked the account, seeing that Gina had put her share in as well, so paid the four hundred and twenty thousand to the agent’s trust account, getting a receipt in return. They would need to meet at the property, to talk to the tenants, which was set up for Friday afternoon after school. They would meet his father and the agent there, and his father would bring them home. They told Sebastian where they needed to be and that they would be taken home on Friday. She told her parents that she would be late on Friday and would take them to the steakhouse after she got home.

On Friday morning, Jacob reported that he had negotiated with his parents to buy the barn where he would live and would be paying a peppercorn lease for the right to reside. He would also own the second unused barn, which he planned to make weatherproof and concreted as a garage for the minibus and any other vehicles that Rick and Racheal would need.

The music lesson that afternoon was another session with the mixing desks. This time, they had to remix an acapella vocal piece with six voices. Again, the majority were right, with just two who were slightly out. At the end of the lesson, Mister Jamieson told them that this had just been an introduction to mixing. If they wanted to take it further, the entire sixth year music studies were mixing and recording techniques. As the class were leaving, Willow went to see him.

“Excuse me, sir. I got both mixes wrong. I was wondering why?”

“It could be a lot of things, Willow. You have been involved with an orchestra for a long time. You may listen to headphones loudly, or it just may be blockage in the aural canal. I suggest that you get an appointment with a hearing specialist. Your settings were inside a couple of percent of the normal, so it can’t be anything serious. Good show on the weekend. If you play at the level of the last number, you will have to go and see the music store to get proper stage buds, which deaden the real sound but gives you the final mix in your ears.”

She caught up with the others and they were taken to the property, joined by the others in the band. Wilhelm was already there, talking to the agent and the owner of the tenant’s business. When the two people movers arrived and seven teenagers got out, the manager had an odd look on his face until Gina and Willow stepped down. Sebastian gave them a wave and drove off.

“Are you guys telling me that my new landlord is Summer Rose? We went to see you all on Sunday night!”

Willow went over and shook his hand.

“I’m Willow Rose, that’s Gina Summer, and the guys are Jacob, Roy, Herb. Brent and Victor. We’re pooling our earnings to buy property and ensure that we don’t end up on the street after the hype dies. This property is our first, and I looked at it before the release of our second album. Have you looked at the building report?”

“Yes, it was interesting.”

“If you engage a contractor to make the changes, we will pay the bill through the estate agent. Any problems, let us know. Lease payments remain as usual through the agent. We’ll stay out of your way.”

“All very good, Willow. I’m gratified that our new landlord is more prepared to handle the upgrades that I put to them a couple of years ago. Have you looked around?”

“A couple of us had a look before we made the offer, but it would be nice if the rest of the band could see what they’ve got involved with.”

Willow and Gina stood outside with the agent as the manager took the others on a guided tour. The agent put his hand in his briefcase and pulled out some papers.

“These are the papers for this property. When Mister Epstein comes out, he can sign as a director of Summer Love. I’ll get it all through the usual process and send a copy to him at the farm. When he signs, he will get a set of keys and security codes, in case of an emergency. Now, you asked about other properties. There is one in the range that you specified, but it’s in Leicester.”

“That would be all right. What’s it like?”

“It’s three separate buildings around a parking area. Two are warehouses and the third is a two-storey office block. Total site is nearly sixteen thousand square feet, or about eight times the footprint of this place. The asking price is one and a quarter million and there is a tenant at that one with two years into a five plus five lease. They are a distributor for one of the on-line sales companies, working twenty-four seven. It’s another agency that is handling the sale, but I would be happy to handle the tenancy details if you buy.”

“When can we see it?”

“Let me check.”

He pulled out his phone and rang the other agent, putting it on speaker. There was a conversation with the other agent asking when the customer wanted to see the property. Willow said, quietly, ‘Tomorrow morning’.

The appointment was made for ten the next morning. When the others came out, the manager locked up. The four guys left in the other people mover and the manager waited while Wilhelm signed the papers and received the bag with keys and codes. The four of them shook hands with the smiling manager and left in Wilhelm’s car.

On the way, Willow asked him if he was doing anything on Saturday morning.

“Not especially, Willow. Have you got something in mind?”

“We were just given details of a bigger property in Leicester. We have an appointment for ten tomorrow.”

“How big and how much?”

“Sixteen thousand and one point two-five.”

“Just the four of us?”

“For a first look, yes. I have to go to the Cathedral in the afternoon so it will be a preliminary visit. I have a picture and an address in The Saffron Way Industrial Estate. It’s currently a distribution centre and the rent is a hundred thousand a year.”

“That would be an impressive addition to your portfolio. I’ll pick up Gina at eight-thirty and you after. Leicester isn’t that far away, so we should be there in plenty of time.”

“I’ll send you an email with a scan of the paper tonight. Our agent said that he would be happy to handle the tenancy details.”

“Of course he would, adding his cut of the take without doing any work.”

“We all have to make a living, Mister Epstein.”

He dropped Willow at home, and she went inside.

“How was it, dear?”

“The group now own an industrial building and made the tenant happy that we’re prepared to do the upgrades required by law. Mister Epstein is picking me up tomorrow morning to look at a place in Leicester. It’s over a million but we’ll have enough in the syndicate to pay for it by the end of the week.”

“You have no idea how strange that sounds.”

“I know, but it will give the band some income and collateral later on.”

She went upstairs to change, scan the paper and attach it to an email to Jacob to give to his father. Then, nicely dressed, she joined her parents, and they went to the steakhouse where they were becoming favoured regulars. They were given a good table, and in view of most of the restaurant. Wendy mentioned that this was different.

“Look around, Mum. You’re sitting with someone who’s been in the papers. Over two and a half thousand people were at the Belgrade last weekend. What’s the odds that there are some here who saw the show. I have a pen and a texta in my bag in case anyone wants me to sign something.”

She was right, as a few teenagers came over to ask for an autograph. One girl had a nice top she wanted signed, so Willow picked up her texta and went over to her table, asking her parents if it was all right to sign the top. Her mother said that she would happily buy another one, so Willow signed the top and gave the girl a hug, before coming back to her own table. Before they left, the manager asked if she would stand for a picture that she could sign the next time she came.

The next morning, she had breakfast and dressed in a casual top and denim skirt, waiting outside to be picked up. The trip to Leicester didn’t take long, and they arrived at the site with fifteen minutes to spare. Wilhelm drove around the industrial estate so they could see what else was happening. When they got back, there was another car with a man standing next to it. Wilhelm parked beside it and they got out. The agent looked at them.

“Brought your family for a drive out, I see.”

“These are your clients, sir. I’m just the driver at the moment. Do you want to show us the property?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll introduce you to the duty manager, Mervyn Halcroft, and he can show you around.”

They went into the office and met the manager, who got them to wear hi-vis tops as the site was a working one, with electric fork-lifts operating. The agent went to sit in his car to wait. First, they were quickly shown the office building, where only the ground floor offices were used.

“We’re distributors. We get bulk deliveries, usually on pallets, and store them in the building across the other side. In the building at the back, we assemble shipments, and we have small trucks coming to take those away.”

“What about upstairs?”

“Mainly unused, young lady. Don’t I know you?”

“If you went to the Belgrade last weekend or have a record-buying child. We’re Summer Rose, or some of it.”

“We went as a family on Sunday night. Great show. What would you use the upstairs for?”

“I was thinking as a home base if we go further with the band. Somewhere where we could keep records, make plans. The label is sending us a liaison girl, and it may be a good place for her to set up.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025