Gavin lifted his mug. ‘How much are we talking about, mate?’ He took a sip of tea, his eyes inquisitorial over the rim.
‘I need . . . I need five thousand, seven hundred pounds.’
The splutter sent a spray of fluid right across Scott’s overalls. ‘How much?’
‘Five thousand, seven hundred.’
‘Jesus! I thought you were going to say a couple of hundred or something. How the hell did you end up owing that much?’
Scott shrugged. ‘Bad decisions, I suppose. Not being disciplined. Putting my head in the sand, hoping it would go away. That kind of thing. It happens.’
‘I know it does, but I never thought . . . well, I just didn’t think it would ever happen to you.’
‘What can I tell you? You never know what goes on in other people’s lives, right? I mean, I can’t tell you how embarrassing this is for me. But I can’t ignore it any longer. It’s only going to get worse. And that’s why I’m coming to you. As a good friend.’
Gavin’s pained expression wasn’t encouraging. ‘You know that the banks are a lot more sympathetic than they used to be, don’t you? They’re usually willing to come to some sort of an arrangement with—’
‘It’s not my bank that’s the problem.’
‘Credit cards, then. Same thing applies. They—’
‘Not a credit card company, either. I don’t have a great credit score, Gav. I had to go . . . elsewhere.’
Gavin stared. ‘You mean a loan shark?’
‘Not the description they use, but yeah. I thought it’d be okay, but it’s the interest. It’s crippling me. The debt has just gone up and up. I’ve already paid them all my savings, but . . .’
Gavin blew out a long stream of air. ‘Shit. I don’t know what to say, mate.’
‘I know. It’s my fault. Nobody else to blame. But I can fix it. If I can just pay these guys off, I can get back on track. Look, how long have I worked for you?’
‘Well . . . since you left school.’
‘Since I left school. Right. That’s a long time, isn’t it? And have I ever let you down?’
‘No.’
‘Haven’t I always done a good job?’
‘No question.’
‘And I’ll continue to do a good job. You can take the loan out of my wages. Or I can work extra hours to pay it off, whatever you prefer.’
Gavin sat back and pushed his fingers through his hair. ‘I don’t know, mate. That’s a lot of money.’
Scott raised his arms, indicating the expanse of the garage. ‘You have a good business here. Lots of customers. I don’t know what your books look like, but—’
‘Not as good as you might think. You’d be surprised. Parts, rates, taxes, overheads, employee costs – they all take big bites out of a small business like this.’
Scott didn’t like the way this was going. He particularly didn’t like the way Gavin had put emphasis on employee costs, as though he were more of a liability than an asset. As though he’d been doing Scott a favour by keeping him on all these years.
But he didn’t know what else to add. He wasn’t going to beg. Wasn’t about to humiliate himself. All he could do was stare pleadingly at his boss.
Gavin’s chair creaked as he shifted on it. He seemed incredibly uncomfortable. ‘Look,’ he said. ‘There’s no way I can hand over that much money. But you’re a good mate and a great worker and I’ve known you a long time, so here’s what I’ll do. I’ll lend you three grand.’
‘Three?’
‘Best I can do, mate. Sorry. If I could come up with more, I would. You know that.’
Scott knew nothing of the kind. He firmly believed that Gavin could easily afford a lot more.
But then why should he? Why would he take the risk with someone who has already confessed to being crap with money?
He let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief. ‘Thanks, Gav. That will really help. If I pay that off, I should be able to get the debt under control again.’
Gavin raised his eyebrows. ‘You don’t sound very sure.’
‘No. I’m sure.’ He put his hand out. ‘Thank you.’
Gavin shook hands. ‘No problem. I’m going to make you work for it, though, so be prepared.’
‘I am. Fully.’ He paused. ‘There’s . . . there’s just one other thing.’
‘What’s that?’
‘The money. I need it today.’
‘Today?’
