Chapter 1 #2
‘What shall we have next? Bea asked, looking at the selection of bottles lined up on Jess’s kitchen counter. ‘Tequila or vodka?’
‘God, not more tequila, it’s disgusting,’ said Jess, pulling a face.
‘We should eat something,’ said Bea, pulling apart a family-sized bag of crisps and throwing them into a bowl. ‘Line our stomachs.’
‘I think it’s a bit late for that,’ said Jess, lying back on the sofa. ‘The damage is well and truly done.’
‘It can’t hurt,’ laughed Bea, setting the crisps on the coffee table and sitting down.
‘I’ve seen a TikTok that will change your life,’ she continued, opening a slab of Dairy Milk.
‘The trick is to eat it at the same time, like this,’ she said, shoving a couple of squares of chocolate into her mouth along with a handful of crisps.
‘It shouldn’t work, but it does,’ she said through a mouthful.
‘Here, let me,’ said Jess, doing the same. ‘Oh my god, that’s amazing,’ she said, closing her eyes. ‘How have we never done this before?’
‘I know, right?’ Bea nodded, taking another handful.
‘Who came up with this idea?’
‘Who knows? But it’s all over TikTok.’
‘Well, whoever it was, it’s delicious. Good spot, Bea, you’re a genius!’
‘I am, aren’t I? Far too good for the likes of Brendan!’ said Bea, puffing out her chest.
‘Exactly,’ said Jess, raising a glass.
‘You know, he reminded me a bit of Trunchbull…’
‘Trunchbull?’
‘Miss Trunchbull? From Matilda?’ said Bea, nudging her friend gently. ‘The awful headmistress, remember?’ Bea loved comparing people to characters from the stories she adored, especially the horrible ones.
‘Ah, yeah! God, he sounded awful!’ said Jess.
‘I know, I should have quit ages ago…’ said Bea, thinking about how much Jess reminded her of Amy March from Little Women: artistic and kind, sassy and fiercely loyal. Yes, Jess was definitely an Amy through and through.
‘Well, you’ve done it now, that’s the main thing.’
‘I have, haven’t I? It feels…’ Bea paused, trying to find the right word, ‘liberating.’
‘God, I wish I’d been there. I’d have loved to have seen the look on his face.’
‘It was priceless,’ said Bea, smiling. ‘He tried to fire me, but I’d already quit – in front of the whole office, too!’
‘That took guts, Bea, I’m proud of you,’ said Jess, pulling her into a hug. ‘You were too good for that job.’
‘I was.’ She slumped back into the sofa cushions and took another sip of her drink. ‘Although…’
‘What?’
‘What am I going to do now?’ she said, panic rising in her chest.
‘Well…’
‘Jess, what the hell am I going to do?’ Bea asked, bolting upright, clutching one of the cushions desperately. ‘Mum and Dad are going to be fuming. What am I going to say to them?’ Her breathing was speeding up, her alarm evident.
‘Bea,’ said Jess, taking her by the shoulders, ‘you’re panicking. Take some deep breaths,’ she said, modelling breathing in and out slowly. Bea followed suit.
‘Okay,’ she nodded, blowing out a long, deep breath.
‘There, that’s better,’ said Jess, encouragingly. ‘How are you feeling now?’
‘Better, thanks. Sorry, today’s been a lot.’
‘I get it. It’ll be fine though, Bea, I promise.’
‘Actually, I had an idea recently… you’ll think it’s silly, though…’ Bea said, shaking her head.
‘Course I won’t. Go on, tell me!’
‘Okay,’ said Bea, taking another deep breath, ‘I was thinking about setting up an online shop, selling books. A bricks-and-mortar bookshop would be my dream, but I guess I never thought it was… realistic, so publishing seemed the most obvious path to take,’ she shrugged.
‘I tried applying for bookshop jobs in London, too… Waterstones, Foyles, loads of independents, but even that was super competitive.’
‘Okay,’ said Jess, sitting up straight. ‘Well, you’ve always been book-obsessed, I can totally see you doing that.’
‘Can you?’ said Bea, hesitating. She hadn’t given the idea much serious thought, but perhaps she should? ‘So, I was thinking about having a stall at local fairs…’
‘And?’
‘Well, I was at the farmer’s market the other day and they had one of those coffee bars – a converted horsebox, I think it was – and I was wondering, well…’ She breathed in deeply. ‘What if I did the same, only with books?’
‘A mobile bookshop?’ asked Jess, setting down her glass.
‘Yeah, exactly.’
Jess stared back at her for a moment.
‘It’s a mad idea, isn’t it?’ said Bea, shaking her head.
‘Mad? Absolutely not!’ said Jess, seriously. ‘I think it’s bloody brilliant!’
‘You do?’
‘God, yes! It’s a great idea! You should totally do it!’
‘Really?’
‘Definitely! There’s nothing like that around here. It would have a real novelty-factor too—’
‘That’s what I was thinking,’ said Bea, animatedly. ‘I could travel to all the local villages – none of them have bookshops – and there’d be no rent to pay, not like with a high street shop. What’s the worst that could happen?’
‘Exactly! If it didn’t work, you’d just pack up and move on to the next place. What have you got to lose?
‘That’s what I thought,’ said Bea, buzzing with excitement. ‘I’ve got some savings – how much could a horsebox cost anyway?’
‘There’s only one way to find out,’ said Jess, grabbing her laptop, ‘eBay!’
‘I could get an old one and do it up,’ said Bea.
‘I’ll help. I could design your logo and paint it across the sides; give it a proper glow-up,’ said Jess, spreading her arms wide. ‘Whatever you like!’
‘Let’s have a look,’ said Bea, tapping away at the keyboard.
‘How much are they?’ Jess asked, peering across at the screen.
‘Hmmmm… more than I thought,’ said Bea, her face falling a little.
‘Yeah, but those have already been done up, look for the ones that haven’t.’
‘Cheaper… much cheaper,’ Bea said, scrolling down the page. ‘Hang on, this one looks good,’ she continued, tilting the laptop towards Jess. ‘It needs work, but it looks pretty sturdy.’
‘There you go! It says it’s perfect for a conversion, too. Can you afford it?’
‘Barely,’ said Bea, biting her lower lip.
‘It’ll wipe out most of my savings, but I’d have a bit left to give it a revamp and buy some stock.
Just think how cute it would look with a pretty, pastel paint-job and some fairy lights around the door!
I could have beanbags inside and macramé on the walls.
It would be dreamy,’ she swooned, lost in the picture she was creating in her mind.
‘You only live once!’
‘Exactly, and I am here for it!’ Bea said, her mouse hovering over the buy it now button.
She hesitated.
Was this complete madness? She’d given the idea no real thought, and here she was, about to sink every penny she had into buying a beaten-up horsebox. But she had to do something to get herself unstuck. She didn’t have a job right now, anyway, so what was there to lose?
She had to be brave.
She took a large swig of her drink. ‘I’m doing it!’ she said, decisively, clicking her mouse and completing the sale in an instant. ‘There! Done!’
‘This calls for a celebration,’ cheered Jess. ‘More tequila!’
‘Yes! I’ll put some tunes on!’
As they danced around the living room, ‘I Gotta Feeling’, by the Black Eyed Peas, blasting out at full volume, Bea relished the fact she was now the proud – if terribly drunk – owner of a pre-owned horsebox.