Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Inside, I was hoping to find its owner, Aodhan Macduff.
When I stepped into the pub, my eyes adjusted to the dim light. The place was packed as I moved past the crowded bar, searching the tables for Aodhan’s familiar gray-bearded face.
There, by the fire, patting the head of his huge English mastiff, Shakespeare, Aodhan sat surrounded by three elderly locals.
I approached the table, reaching into my pocket for the dog treat I’d gotten from Tierney this morning when she’d come in for a coffee. She always had dog treats on her because she was now a dog mum to her boyfriend’s gorgeous Alaskan malamute, Akiva.
Shakespeare was a handsome beast who looked intimidating but would run away with a stranger for a treat. Aodhan liked anyone who liked Shakespeare.
“Hullo, handsome boy.” I approached Shakespeare first, lowering to my haunches to pet him and offer him the treat.
“Oh, he’s a spoiled one, isn’t he.” Aodhan grinned at me. “He loves attention from pretty lassies.”
Shakespeare snuffled my palm for more treats, and I tried to avoid the drool dripping from his jowls. “No more I’m afraid, handsome.” I smoothed a hand over his soft head and stood up to greet his owner. “How are you, Aodhan?” I nodded at his companions too who all murmured their greetings.
“Same. Arthritis is murder, but there’s nothing for it. You after something in particular, Taran?”
“May we speak in private?”
He quirked a bushy brow. “Sounds ominous.” He pushed up slowly from his seat. “Watch Shakespeare for me, lads.”
His friends nodded their agreement and Aodhan led me through the bar to a Staff Only door at the back. I followed him through it, then down a narrow hall to his office. Inside was an absolute mess and my fingers itched to tidy it. However, between the store and selling off Mum’s antiques—and my impending business proposal—I had no time to even consider offering to organize Aodhan’s office.
“Ignore the chaos.” He pushed some of it aside to lean on his desk. “All right, lass, spit it out.”
Since he was a community council member, landlord, and property owner, Aodhan was probably used to complaints and was expecting nothing less. “I heard the lifeboat service is in trouble.”
His expression tightened. “Aye, unfortunately.”
“And yet we’re renting out an entire building to an overseas charity while forgoing a charity that our community benefits from.”
“You mean I’m renting out that building?”
Hearing his defensiveness, I waved him off. “It’s not about the building. It’s about the lifeboat service. Do you know what I did in Glasgow?”
“You worked for a charity, right?”
“I was the operational director for the largest food charity in the country. Food4Everyone.”
“Impressive. Why do I need to know that?”
“Leth Sholas needs funds for the lifeboat service. And not just a temporary donation here and there. You’ve already laid a great foundation by registering it as a charity. However, to be frank, we as a community have relied heavily on one member to keep this thing afloat.”
“Everyone has chipped in to volunteer at night. And there’s more to it than Annie retiring. Funding has never been lower.”
“Aye, because Annie has been running the show for years, including obtaining funding. Now we need to be proactive or we’re going to lose it.”
“What do you suggest?”
“We could open a store dedicated to the lifeboat service where the majority of its earnings fund full-time station management and perhaps even a full-time service member.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
“Check your community council email.” I smiled. “I’ve sent over a business proposal.”
Aodhan considered me, seeming exhausted but also somewhat curious. “Give me the shorthand. I will read it, but give me the shorthand.”
“First of all, there are government grants we can apply for to help set up the store. I can apply to the emergency planning department in the Argyll & Bute Council for funding since it’s an emergency service we’re providing. There are government grant registers I can look into, not to mention nongovernment grants I know we’d be eligible for. As for the store itself, there is an empty lot of land right at the end of Main Street that I know you own, Aodhan. We put up a kit-built structure that’s quick to assemble, and voilà—we have the LSLS Charity Gift Shop for tourists right where they can’t miss it. Along with secondhand items donated by our own community, we also prevail upon all the islands’ craftspeople and businesses. We ask them to donate a tiny percentage of their products to the store every month. I’ve also suggested the option of a small monthly subscription donation we can market to all the islands and the mainland. Leth Sholas Lifeboat Service provides emergency rescue across the entire west coast, which means we’re in the position to ask those communities for help too.”
Aodhan had a gleam in his eyes I didn’t quite know how to read. “And who is organizing all this? Taran, you do know the Highland Games take place here in a matter of weeks. I’m run off my feet with it. That out there is the first break I’ve had in days, and you just interrupted it.”