Chapter 32
Arthur was brimming with enthusiasm and advice when Bea shared her idea for the bookshop, and he’d patiently talked her through some of the pros and cons of running a physical shop; what pitfalls to look out for and what the benefits could be.
And, despite feeling awkward, the following morning Bea decided Arthur was right, so she took a deep breath and set off to the Pink Ribbon.
‘Hiya!’ called Bea, feeling a little nervous as she walked through the door. She knew how sad Anya was to be closing the shop, and the last thing Bea wanted was to upset her and Simon before they’d even had a chance to pack up.
‘Hi, Bea!’ said Simon from behind the counter, knee-deep in boxes.
‘Oh, you know,’ said Anya, with a deep sigh. ‘Just getting on with it, really.’
‘The sale’s going well, though,’ said Simon. ‘We’ve shifted quite a bit of stock already.’
‘That’s great news,’ said Bea, brightly. ‘I could do with some new candles actually.’
‘Help yourself, there’s still loads left over there,’ said Anya, pointing to a shelf in the corner.
‘I also wanted to give you this,’ said Bea, getting a copy of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility out of her bag. ‘This book has given me some comfort in the past, and I thought it might do the same for you.’
‘Thanks, Bea,’ said Anya. ‘That’s really thoughtful of you.’
‘Actually,’ Bea continued, feeling even more nervous than before. ‘I wanted to talk to you both about something, if you’ve got time?’
‘Course!’ said Simon. ‘I could do with a break from all this, to be honest,’ he said, gesturing at the pile of boxes next to the counter.
‘Well…’ Bea said, hesitantly, her jaw muscles tightening.
‘I really hope you don’t think I’m being insensitive, but Tori and I were talking about what might happen to the shop once you’ve left – what kind of business might take over – and, well, erm,’ Bea continued, ‘I was wondering if perhaps… if I could… maybe… look into opening a bookshop,’ she finally blurted.
‘Oh, wow!’ said Anya, clearly shocked.
‘I feel awful even asking, given everything you’re going through, but my friend Arthur thought I should pick your brains, seeing that you’ve been here for years,’ Bea said, her face flushing hot.
‘Well, for what it’s worth, I think a bookshop here would be great. Someone has to take it over, and I’d much rather it be you than a stranger. I know you’d look after the place,’ said Anya, looking around the shop fondly.
‘Really?’ said Bea, relief flooding through her.
‘I agree,’ said Simon, nodding. ‘But what will you do with the wagon? You worked so hard doing it up,’ he continued.
‘I’d still use it for events and fêtes, that kind of thing, and I’d need it for my school visits, too, now they’ve become a regular thing,’ Bea explained.
‘Ah, well it’s great that you can still make use of it. Do you want us to go through some of our costs? So you know what to expect?’ Anya suggested.
‘If you don’t mind, that would be really helpful,’ said Bea, relived. ‘I don’t have a clue what to expect, to be honest.’
‘Why don’t you come up to the flat?’ said Anya. ‘Simon can manage here for a bit. I’ll run through everything with you and give you the landlord’s details so you can get in touch with him direct. We’ve been really lucky, actually; Mr Pritchard’s a nice guy,’ said Anya.
‘Thanks so much,’ said Bea. ‘Even some rough figures will be a good starting point. It might all come to nothing, but I feel like I’ve got to—’
‘Try?’ said Anya.
‘Exactly,’ said Bea.
‘Come on, let’s go,’ said Anya, heading towards a door at the back of the shop.
‘Can I just pay for these, please, Simon?’ Bea asked, on her way past the till, handing two huge vanilla-scented jar candles to him.
‘Of course,’ said Simon, ‘I’ll wrap them up for you.’
As Bea followed Anya up the stairs to the flat above the shop, she felt as though every step was taking her one inch closer to making her dream of opening a bookshop a reality.
Bea was excited when she picked up the phone to call Lochlan that evening.
Actually, excited didn’t even cover it. She was ecstatic.
Going through the figures with Anya had been a revelation.
Yes, it would be a stretch, but if she managed to secure a small business loan, maybe, just maybe, she could make it work.
‘Hey, babe,’ he said, picking up on the first ring. ‘How’s things?’
‘Good! Great, in fact,’ said Bea, struggling to contain the excitement in her voice. ‘How’s London?’
‘Yeah, it’s going good. Clients are happy, boss is happy,’ he said. ‘I can’t wait to show you the site; the building work is right on schedule, and believe me that never happens. The views from the penthouse flat are something else. You can see right across London. You’ll love it.’
‘Wow, sounds brilliant,’ said Bea, imagining herself wandering around the development in a hard hat and fluorescent tabard.
‘How’s your day been?’ he asked.
‘Pretty exciting, actually,’ she paused, nervous all of a sudden. Would Lochlan think she was crazy to take on a shop?’
‘Oh yeah, what’s happened?’
‘Well, you know the Pink Ribbon, the gift shop on the green?’
‘Erm, not really, but carry on.’
‘Well, the owners, Simon and Anya, are moving away, so the shop and the flat above are going to be vacant, and…’ she trailed off. ‘I’m not sure yet, but I’m hoping I might be able to take over the lease and open a bookshop!’
‘Wow! Open an actual shop?’ said Lochlan, and she could hear the surprise in his voice.
‘Yes! I know it’s a big step, but, well, it seems like too good an opportunity to miss.’
‘No, I get that. Sounds, erm… interesting,’ he paused.
‘It is. Imagine what I could do there? Author talks, signings, poetry readings, children’s events! The sky would be the limit,’ said Bea, her mind fizzing with ideas.
‘Sure, so it’s the shop and one flat, yeah?’ he asked.
‘No, there are two flats: Anya’s and the one on the top floor. Anya said the lease is coming up for renewal on that one too. Why?’ she asked, confused at Lochlan’s sudden interest in the building.
‘So the whole building’s potentially empty?’ he asked.
‘Well, maybe, but I’m only interested in the shop, obviously.’
‘Yeah, sure. Makes sense. What do you need two flats for?’
‘Well, exactly. Like I said, I’m not sure if I can make it work, but I’m going to try,’ said Bea, hoping for his support. ‘What do you think?’
He paused before answering.
‘I think you should go for it!’
‘Really?’ said Bea, relief flooding through her. She realized that his opinion mattered to her.
‘Absolutely. This time next year you could have shops all over the country!’
‘I’ll settle for just one in Blossom Heath,’ Bea laughed. ‘You don’t think I’m crazy then?’
‘No way! You’re ambitious, Bea, it’s an attractive quality,’ he said, huskily. ‘God, I can’t wait to see you,’ he groaned. ‘Remind me when your trip is?’
‘In three weeks, but you’re back before then, right?’
‘Yes, the weekend after next and then I’m driving you back to London with me, yes?’
‘Yes, and I promise I won’t cancel this time,’ Bea laughed.
‘I should think not,’ he teased, but Bea detected a harsh edge to his tone.
‘Okay, well, I’ll speak to you soon, take care,’ she replied, feeling a little unsettled by his words.
‘You too,’ he muttered, before hanging up.
Bea couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but something about their conversation hadn’t felt right, somehow. Lochlan had seemed more interested in the building being vacant than her idea of opening a bookshop, and she couldn’t help but feel that Nathan would have reacted differently.
But there was no point comparing the two. Lochlan was the man she was seeing and Nathan was just a friend, wasn’t he?