Chapter 8
Bea arrived at the Apple Tree on Saturday at seven on the dot. She spotted Lochlan at the bar and her shoulders relaxed a little. They hadn’t swapped numbers, and a tiny part of her thought he might not show up.
‘Hiya,’ said Lochlan, his face splitting into a grin. ‘What can I get you?’ he asked.
‘Let me get them,’ she said, quickly.
‘Don’t be daft, what do you fancy?’ he said, pulling his wallet out of his jeans pocket.
‘If you’re sure? A rum and coke, please,’ said Bea, slipping off her jacket and flicking her hair off her shoulders.
‘You turned up then,’ he said, tapping his card to pay.
‘Of course! Did you think I might stand you up?’ she asked, surprised.
‘I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind. I forgot to get your number.’
‘Yeah, I know,’ said Bea, ‘I thought the same.’
‘I’m glad it wasn’t just me,’ he said, clearly relieved.
‘It wasn’t,’ she smiled.
‘Shall we grab a table?’
‘Sure,’ said Bea, heading for a corner booth and sliding along the bench.
‘How’s your dog after his swim?’
‘Oh, he’s fine,’ she laughed. ‘I still can’t believe you did that…’
‘The water wasn’t deep. I’m just glad he’s okay.’
‘Thanks to you, he is,’ said Bea, smiling.
‘And I got to meet you, which was an added bonus,’ he said, flashing another perfect smile at her.
God he’s gorgeous.
‘So, what brings you to Blossom Heath? You said you’d just moved here?’
‘That’s right. I’ve moved in with my brother. He’s got a house on the Meadowgate Mead estate.’
‘And you like it there?’
‘Yeah. It’s got a cosy feel to it, even though it’s new; not like some of those other new builds you see. You know, kind of soulless?’ She noticed Lochlan’s smile widening. ‘What?’
‘It’s just that… well, I worked on that development.’
‘Gosh! Did you? Well, it’s lovely.’
‘Thanks. I’m pretty proud of it.’
‘So, you’re a builder then?’ she asked.
‘No, I’m a property developer,’ he said, taking a sip of his pint.
‘Wow. And what does that mean exactly?’
‘I look for parcels of land – old properties, sites that can be built on, redeveloped, that kind of thing – negotiate the deals, and help plan the developments. It’s pretty lucrative.’
‘I bet!’ said Bea, impressed.
‘What about you? What do you do?’ Lochlan asked.
‘Well,’ Bea hesitated, she wasn’t sure how Bea’s Book Wagon compared to Lochlan’s impressive resume. ‘I’m at a crossroads at the moment. I’ve just left my job to set up my own business.’
‘Doing what?’ he asked.
‘I’m converting an old horsebox, turning it into a mobile bookshop, well, trying to, at least. It’s early days,’ she said.
‘How brilliant!’ he said, enthusiastically. ‘So, you’re a bookseller then?’
‘Hoping to be, yes,’ she said, sipping her drink. ‘I’m going to be working at the Cosy Cat for a bit, too, just while I get the business up and running.’
‘I love that place!’ said Lochlan, ‘They do the best macchiatos.’
‘I haven’t started yet,’ said Bea quickly, ‘Monday’s my first day.’
‘I’ll try to pop by.’
‘Thanks,’ said Bea, ‘I’ve never worked as a barista before, I’m just hoping I don’t screw up.’
‘You’ll be fine.’
‘I hope so,’ said Bea, feeling a bubble of nerves in her stomach at the prospect of her first day. ‘So, what else do you get up to, when you’re not saving dogs or building houses?’
‘Ha! All the usual stuff, I guess: playing footie, eating out, catching up with my mates, dating.’
‘Dating?’ Bea wasn’t sure this counted as date. Perhaps Lochlan was just being friendly? She swallowed hard before asking, ‘So… is this a date?’
‘Erm, I hope so?’ he said, fixing his dark eyes on her.
God those eyes were intense.
‘In fact,’ he said, clearing his throat, ‘I was hoping you might agree to a second? How about Thursday? There’s somewhere I’d like to take you.’
‘Uh-huh,’ Bea nodded. All she could do right now was stare into his beautiful, big eyes.
‘Pass me your phone,’ said Lochlan, reaching out his hand. ‘Let me give you my number.’
‘You came back!’ said Bea, beaming as Arthur made his way towards the enquiry desk at the library on Sunday.
‘Had to, my dear. I whizzed through the book you found me in no time. I’m here for another one,’ he said.
‘I’m pleased you enjoyed it,’ she beamed, placing The Killing Floor on the returns pile.
‘I loved it,’ said Arthur, his eyes sparkling. ‘That Lee Child fellow is a very talented writer.’
‘He really is,’ Bea agreed.
‘Much better than the television series, I think, but then again, I always prefer the book.’
‘Oh, me too. It’s always a bit of a let-down when they adapt something I love into a movie; it’s never as good. I’ll go grab you the next one in the series,’ she said, hurrying off to the crime section.
When Bea returned to the desk, Arthur was flicking through the library’s What’s On pamphlet.
‘See anything you fancy?’ she asked.
‘I was thinking about joining a book club. I don’t suppose you run one here?’
‘We don’t, I’m afraid,’ said Bea, shaking her head, ‘but I’ll ask around. I’m sure there must be one locally.’
‘I’ve got so much time on my hands these days,’ said Arthur, his voice cracking a little. ‘When you get to my age, the hours just seem to stretch out in front of you, and most of my friends… well, they’re no longer with us.’
‘Oh, Arthur, I’m so sorry to hear that,’ said Bea, kindly. ‘You’re welcome here any time, you know. If you just want to sit and read or have a browse. I’m here at the weekends and I’ll always stick the kettle on for you.’
‘Thank you, my dear. That’s very kind.’
‘I’ve brought you the next two books in the Reacher series, that should keep you busy for a while,’ said Bea, scanning them out, ‘and number three is an absolute corker, you’re going to love it!’
‘Excellent! Thank you,’ said Arthur, putting the books in his shopping bag and turning to leave.
‘Arthur?’ Bea called after him. ‘Fancy a cuppa before you go?’
‘Now? Aren’t you busy?’
‘Busy?’ said Bea, looking around her, ‘you’re the only other person here.’
‘In that case, my dear, I take milk and two sugars,’ he replied, his face breaking into a smile.
‘Wow, Nate, this looks amazing! I didn’t expect you to have made a start without me,’ said Bea, surveying the brand-new floor he’d installed in the horsebox. ‘I was going to start prepping this afternoon.’
‘I had some free time, so thought I may as well crack on. How was the library?’
‘Great. It was quiet, but there’s this lovely old man called Arthur who came in today. I made him some tea and we had a bit of a natter. I think he’s a bit lonely, to be honest.’
‘Well, I’m sure you lifted his spirits. That was good of you, Bea, to take the time. But that’s you all over…’
‘What is?’
‘You’re kind. It’s probably my favourite thing about you.’
‘Stop, you’re going to make me blush!’ said Bea, her cheeks turning rosy anyway.
‘Okay,’ said Nathan, suppressing his laughter. ‘Anyway, I can stick around, give you a hand?’
‘Only if you’ve got time?’
‘I have,’ he said, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal his tattoos.
Bea’s eyes rested on his forearms for a moment. Clearing her throat, she asked, ‘Shall I start washing everything first? Then we can both sand away the rust and grime and prep the surfaces for painting.’
‘Oh, so glamourous,’ sniggered Nathan.
‘I’ve bought buckets and rubber gloves, they’re by the door.’
‘And I brought these,’ said Nathan, throwing her a pair of ugly, brown overalls.
‘Really?’ said Bea, frowning. ‘I’m not sure brown’s my colour?’
‘Unless you want that sweatshirt ruined?’
‘I absolutely don’t,’ said Bea, shaking her head.
‘Overalls it is, then.’
‘Who knew you were so bossy?’ said Bea, almost toppling over as she stepped into her overalls.
‘Woah!’ said Nathan, grabbing her arm to steady her.
‘Thanks,’ she said, gripping him tightly. She could feel his biceps through his shirt.
Wow, he was… strong.
For reasons she didn’t want to acknowledge, she didn’t want to let go. ‘Right,’ she said, finally turning away. ‘Let’s make a start then, shall we?’