All That She Can See(15)

‘It sounds like seeing a bit of the world has done you good, though.’

‘The world? My Flour Power Tour hasn’t made it past the British border! This country is enough to keep me busy for now. Seeing the world is an ambitious idea. Maybe one day.’ Cherry twirled the black cord on her old-fashioned rotary dial phone.

‘Flour Power Tour?’ Miss Kightley chuckled. ‘Well, you sound happy. Now, I take it there’s a reason for this unexpected call? Anything I can do for you?’

‘Just need a bit of advice, really. I’ve just opened a new bakery in Plymouth but no one’s even coming in, let alone buying anything.’

‘Hmm. Why not hold a launch event? Start spreading the word that you’re open for business that way.’

‘Maybe,’ Cherry said. ‘But why would anyone come?’

‘Out of curiosity?’ Miss Kightley suggested. ‘You just need to get a few people there to kick things off. If you sent out the invite to your Facebook followers I’m sure a couple of people would show up, at least!’

‘F… Facebook?’

‘Oh, Cherry. Please tell me you’re on social media? Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? How have you had any business without it?’

‘I… well… I…’

‘The internet can be the making of a business. It’s a miracle you’ve survived this long in this day and age without it. I’ll create the pages and send you all the details in an email. Usernames, passwords, links, you name it, I’ll send it over. What’s your email address?’

Cherry was stunned. ‘Um…’

‘Oh, Cherry.’ Miss Kightley sighed, yet there was a trace of excitement in her voice. Miss Kightley thrived on this kind of thing. ‘Not to worry. I’ll take care of everything. Don’t you worry!’ And with a click, she was gone.

‘The internet,’ Cherry said to herself. She opened the drawer under the counter and rummaged around until she found her old Nokia 3310 that she’d bought when she was a teenager. She’d never bothered upgrading. She hadn’t used it all that much but it was still working, although after she charged it and clicked through various buttons and menus, she realised it didn’t come with in-built internet usage. Not like the fancy touch-screen phones she saw everyone glued to. ‘Really? The internet.’

Cherry didn’t even own a laptop. She’d never had the need for one and she thought they were for authors and editors, photographers and celebrities. She had never dreamed it would benefit her and her business in any way. Word of mouth had always been her biggest ally and that had been enough to get her bakeries going in the past. But that clearly wasn’t going to work this time. Her bakery had never been this hidden away before. Usually enough people wandered past so that at least two or three would have their interest piqued and would come in during the first few days of her being open. They would then tell their friends and their friends would tell their friends and soon her bakery would be full of customers every day. She hadn’t realised how quiet and out of the way Royal William Yard would be when she accepted the tenancy. She was worried, but she also trusted Miss Kightley, who was a successful businesswoman and managed everything online. She knew what she was talking about. Cherry just needed to listen to her. ‘I’ve ventured this far outside of my comfort zone…’ Cherry dropped her Nokia into the bin.

The following day, Cherry opened her bakery later than usual so she could go and purchase a laptop and mobile phone. She charged them for the recommended amount of time while tapping her feet impatiently and keeping an eye on the door, hoping someone would come in and save her the trouble of having to get to grips with all of this unfamiliar technology. But no one came. By the end of yet another completely unsuccessful day, Cherry grabbed a muffin from the display and took a bite out of the top. She wiped her hands on her pyjama bottoms, tentatively opened up the laptop and gingerly pressed the power button with the tip of her finger. The start-up noise made her jump and she closed the lid immediately. A hysterical laugh escaped her lips.

‘Come on, Cherry. You can do this.’ She opened up the laptop once more, this time much more determined and confident, and followed the on-screen instructions. Once that was done, Cherry rang Miss Kightley to ask for her email address and log-in details, and quickly logged into her brand new email account.

DING. The email from Miss Kightley containing all the information about her new social media profiles landed in her inbox. Cherry opened it, a thrill of excitement running through her. She was beginning to understand why people spent so much time online.

@FlourPowerTour

Password: SamuelWouldBeProud

Cherry’s throat squeezed shut for a moment. She gathered herself, took a deep breath and logged into Twitter. Miss Kightley had already sent out a few tweets on her behalf but the account only had one lone follower: Miss Kightley. When Cherry checked her Facebook page she saw that Miss Kightley had already sent out an event invitation for the bakery’s official opening on 13 January. That gave her only five days to prepare and she had a lot of work to do before then. She was determined to make this opening a success.

Her phone vibrated with a text from Miss Kightley. Pictures, it said. It vibrated again. People like pictures.

Cherry unhooked her phone and ran out the door. The January sun had started to set but it had turned the sky orange which looked lovely against the white of the bakery’s shopfront. Even though the shop had no sign, the towering cakes and trays of muffins and scones in the window made it clear this was a bakery. Cherry flipped the camera around and moved to stand in front of the window.