WEEKLY SOAP Riverside

Should Susan invest in Jenny’s new business?

MUM, would you like a slice of chocolate orange cake with your coffee?” Susan asked as Mary walked into the kitchen.

“That would be lovely, thanks,” she said. “Just a small piece, though. Did you make it yourself?” Susan shook her head. “It’s one of Mike’s. He keeps trying out new recipes for cakes and Dave and I are his guinea pigs.”

Mary watched as Susan filled a cafetiere then cut into the cake, laying two slices on plates.

“We’re going to need spoons with these or we’ll have chocolate all over the place,” Susan commented.

“Speaking of Mike, how are things these days?” Mary asked. “He’s not interfering too much, is he?”

“He has his moments.” Susan smiled. “We still see him a lot, but it’s to be expected really.”

Susan put her hand to her stomach.

“Mind you,” she went on, “I wonder if things will change when the baby comes.”

“Well, you know I’m here for you,” Mary told her. “Any time you need a babysitter, you know all you have to do is ask.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Susan replied. “Let’s go through to the living-room so I can get comfy on the sofa while we eat this cake.”

Mary followed her into the living-room with its floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, looking across the river. “Even on a day like today, it’s a lovely view.”

“You’ll never guess who came into the deli last week,” Susan said, and without waiting for an answer, she carried straight on. “Jenny. I hadn’t seen her for ages. Says she’s setting herself up in business making jewellery and crafts to sell at markets.”

“I didn’t know she was into crafts,” Mary said, taking a bite of her cake.

“She’s been collecting sea glass and shells from the beach for a while,” Susan explained. “She showed me some of the pictures she’s been making with frames made from driftwood and they’re really pretty. I think she could do well.”

“Oh, Susan, this cake is fantastic!” Mary exclaimed.

“Anyway, Eric’s asked me to go into business with Jenny,” Susan went on, ignoring her.

“Making things?” Mary asked, surprised. Susan shook her head. “Eric’s asked me and Dave to invest in Jenny’s business to help get it off the ground.”

A shiver ran down Mary’s back.

“Has Jenny said anything to you about the reason she and Eric moved to Ryemouth?” she asked.

“It’s only a few hundred pounds,” Susan continued. “Eric’s said we should see a return on our investment within a few months.”

“Susan, listen to me,” Mary tried again, laying her plate to one side. “I think you should tread carefully with Eric,” she warned.

Briefly she told her daughter all that Jenny had revealed to her after they’d moved to Ryemouth. She told Susan how Eric had been conned by a cybercriminal into revealing their bank details, and how their savings account had been wiped out.

“They lost all of it? Everything?” Susan asked in disbelief.

“I’m sorry, love,” Mary said. “None of it was Jenny’s fault, and I hope it won’t stop you being friends with her, but . . .” “But?” Susan prompted. “Well, I think there are other ways you can support her new business without taking a financial risk. I think you should be wary of anything Eric tells you about investments, too.”

Susan took a sip of her coffee.

“Maybe I could offer her space in the Old Engine Room,” she suggested. “A display unit for her crafts, that sort of thing?”

“Sounds perfect,” Mary replied, then a thought crossed her mind. “Does Jenny know Eric came to you and Dave for money?”

Before Susan could reply, Mary glanced at her watch.

“I have to dash!” she cried. “I’m supposed to be meeting Ruby downstairs.”

“She could have come up here with us,” Susan pointed out. “Why are you rushing to meet her?” Mary sighed.

“She’s meeting some fella from an internet dating site and she’s asked me to be there to keep a discreet eye on him in case he turns out to be a bit, you know.”

“You mean she’s asked you to spy on him?” Susan laughed.

“Something like that,” Mary replied. “She’s going to use a secret code during their date to signal how things are going.

“If she runs her hand through her hair, it means I have to rescue her. And if she rubs her nose with her right hand – or was it her left hand? Well, anyway, that means everything’s all right and I can leave them alone.”

“You two are crazy, you know that?” Susan smiled.

Mary kissed her goodbye and took the lift to the ground floor. She ran into the deli café next door just in time to see Ruby take a seat at a table by the window.

Mary raised a hand discreetly towards Ruby, who smiled with relief when she saw her friend had arrived.

Keeping Ruby firmly in her sights, Mary slid into a booth and hid behind a menu. Now all they had to do was wait for Ruby’s mystery man to arrive.

More next week.