Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
Jenna came into the room first. She was wearing a silk shirtdress in her trademark pink, black tights, and a pair of black suede Mary-Janes.
Her softly highlighted hair was scraped back and fixed with a crocodile clip.
Jack followed close behind, sporting a smart wool jacket, blue shirt and mustard-coloured chinos.
Applause bounced around the room. Lark joined in, clapping her still-cold hands together, thrilled her dad was there to share the experience, knowing how much he’d enjoy it. She stole a look his way to see him smiling, his expression relaxed.
A sense of happiness shimmered through her. She had a feeling it was going to be a great night.
‘Now then, good people of Micklewick Bay, welcome to The Happy Hartes Bookshop, and on behalf of Jenna and myself, I’d like to thank you all for turning out on such a freezing cold winter’s evening.
I assume the expression you’re all wearing at the minute is down to the fact you were absolutely nithered out there and are still thawing out, and it has nowt at all to do with the fear of having to listen to me blatherin’ on in my usual tedious way for the next hour – at least, I hope that’s the case.
’ His deep chuckle was met with laughter from the audience.
Jack’s slightly craggy face and dour expression belied his self-deprecating sense of humour which was always well received by his legions of adoring fans.
He’d acknowledged publicly many times that blowing your own trumpet didn’t go down well with his fellow Yorkshire folk, and was a surefire way of getting yourself somewhat unceremoniously brought down a peg or two.
And he didn’t fancy risking that. Despite being a nationally revered author and poet, he was down to earth and unassuming and shared privately that he was prone to suffering from the dreaded imposter syndrome.
It was the same with Jenna. She hailed from Newcastle and was a successful romcom author whose books had been commissioned for television.
Both writers were hugely popular and their eagerness to take part in such events had boosted the bookshop’s fortunes, along with Florrie and Ed’s forward-thinking approach.
‘So, tonight we thought we’d try something a bit different,’ said Jenna in her sing-song Geordie accent. ‘Instead of us each reading a passage from one of our own books, we thought it would be a bit of a giggle if we read from my last book, with me taking the role of the heroine and Jack the hero.’
‘Always happy to be your hero, lass.’ Jack pressed his hand to his heart and feigned a sincere expression, making the audience hoot with laughter.
‘Honest to God.’ Jenna shook her head fondly. ‘Daft lad.’
Jack treated her to a cheesy grin.
Turning his attention to the paperback in his hand, he said, ‘So, without further ado, let’s get cracking.’
The couple made themselves comfortable in the leather seats, Jenna tilting the lamp next to her chair so it angled over the pages of her book.
For the next forty-five minutes, they had the audience in fits of laughter as they made their way through the book.
The couple occasionally had to pause in order to get their own giggles under control, particularly when Jack mistakenly read lines that were Jenna’s.
It only added to the entertainment factor.
Cries of ‘Encore!’ filled the room when the couple closed their books, drawing the reading to a close. They both looked on in humble disbelief as they were treated to a standing ovation.
‘That was fantastic!’ said Silas, vigorously clapping his hands together. ‘I had no idea what to expect, but that was amazing!’
‘It’s usually a really great night, but that was the best ever,’ said Lark, clapping as hard as her dad, a huge grin on her face, happy that he’d enjoyed himself so much.
He was right, the reading had been fantastic, though Lark had found herself distracted at times thanks to the feel of Nate’s leg pressed against hers, the touch of his skin as his hand had accidentally brushed against her fingers.
She felt sure he must’ve experienced the electricity just as she had.
Jack, looking more than a little embarrassed by the enthusiastic response, gestured for the applause to cease. ‘Haven’t you lot got homes to go to?’ he called out, a laugh in his voice.
‘Encore! Encore!’ came the reply from the audience.
Jack looked over to Jenna, his eyebrows raised in question. She replied with a nod.
‘Okay, okay! If we read you another chapter, will you stop clapping and get yourselves home?’ he said, still having to shout to be heard.
The response was a resounding yes.
‘Eee, I’ll tell you what, you lot aren’t half easy pleased,’ said Jenna.
She and Jack exchanged another glance, their eyes twinkling with hidden meaning.
‘Right then, before we do that, we’ve got some rather exciting news – well, when you hear what it is, you’ll agree that the prospect’s a heck of a lot more exciting for me than it is for Jenna.’ He chuckled as Jenna shook her head and jokingly rolled her eyes.
‘Come on, Jack, lad, spit it out!’ came a voice from the audience.
‘Aye, righto.’ He reached for Jenna’s hand. ‘So, earlier today, I got down on these creaking old knees of mine – no idea how I managed, it’s still a mystery – and asked Jenna to be my wife.’
A collective ‘Ahh’ ran around the room.
‘You can tell me later if that was an “ahh” for my knees, or an “ahh” for me proposing to Jen. Anyroad, I’m chuffed to bits to tell you she said yes.
Mind, she took that long to make her decision, my knees had locked and she had to help me up.
I was seriously worried we were going to have to call the fire brigade to winch me to my feet.
Thought she was going to regret saying yes when she realised what an old codger she was getting herself tied to. ’
‘Eee! You don’t half tell a good story, Jack Playforth, talk about gilding the bloomin’ lily,’ Jenna said, giving one of her throaty laughs, the room filling with yet more applause.
Lark’s gaze slid to where Jack’s mother, Jean, was standing by the door, her face wreathed in smiles. So that explains the glow! She was clearly thrilled by the anticipation of her son sharing his happy news. And Lark couldn’t blame her.
The spark between Jenna and Jack had been obvious when Jenna had first visited the town and the pair had been inseparable ever since.
She didn’t seem in the least bit bothered by the nine-year age gap between her and her future husband.
The observation made Lark pause. Though the age gap wasn’t the main reason Lark had resisted the temptation of starting a relationship with Nate, it was a factor, albeit a small one.
But, if nine years didn’t bother Jenna and Jack, why should the seven between her and Nate be a problem to her?
‘Someone excelled himself.’ Alex nodded towards Buddy who was sitting patiently at Nate’s feet.
‘Aye, he was a good lad,’ agreed Ed.
‘He was,’ said Nate. ‘Mind, I was a bit worried when he started snoring, just in case it was going to get loud. We had a Labrador when I was a kid, used to snore like a pig! Just about made the windows rattle. Luckily this one’s don’t seem to be too bad.
’ He gave Buddy a pat, triggering a bout of tail swishing.
They’d reconvened to the tearoom where an array of tasty nibbles had been laid out along with glasses of mulled wine and spiced cider, with non-alcoholic alternatives for those who preferred it or who were driving.
Jack and Jenna were mingling, people heaping congratulations and good wishes onto them.
Nate had been given the go ahead for Buddy to join them as a one-off which was an honour since Gerty wasn’t allowed to venture up there.
Lark was in conversation with Florrie and Stella when she felt a nudge on her arm. She turned to see Nate smiling down at her.
‘Have you seen this?’
Lark followed his gaze to see her father enjoying an animated conversation with Louisa. He looked relaxed and happy while Louisa was playing with her hair, smiling up at him.
She pressed her hand to her chest, her heart filling with love for her dad. This was huge!
She hadn’t had a chance to speak to Louisa immediately after the reading, but she’d spotted her heading up the stairs and decided to catch the curator at some point before she left, introduce her to her dad then.
But it would seem they didn’t need her involvement. And from what she could see, they were getting on like a house on fire.
Lark glanced back at Nate, a smile on her face. ‘I had a feeling they’d get along.’
‘Aye, watch this space.’ He waggled his eyebrows, making her giggle.