Chapter 13
‘Bloody hell, Sis!’ said Archie, surveying the pile of boxes stacked up in the garage. ‘You’ll never fit all these books in the horsebox.’
‘Not all at once, I know, but hopefully I’ll need lots of stock over the summer, so it made sense to bulk-order to see me through.’
‘Even so, I think you might have overdone it,’ said Archie, scratching his head.
‘Hmmmm…’ said Bea, looking around her, ‘I might have got a little carried away.’
‘A little?’
‘Okay, okay, a lot. Oh, God. I’m going to be stuck with this lot when the book wagon turns out to be an epic failure, aren’t I?’ said Bea, chewing her lower lip.
‘Hey, it’s not going to fail,’ said Archie, stepping towards her. ‘It’s going to be great, and it’s better to be prepared.’
‘God, I hope you’re right, Arch. Now the fête is getting closer, it all feels a bit…’
‘Stressful?’
‘Yep,’ said Bea, morosely.
‘There’s a fine line between excitement and fear,’ said Archie encouragingly. ‘That’s what they say, isn’t it? They’re basically the same emotion.’
‘Are they? Because I have to say, the fear thing feels a whole lot worse,’ Bea said, mustering a weak smile.
‘It’s going to be great; you’ve got nothing to worry about, okay?’
‘Okay,’ Bea nodded, opening up one of the boxes and breathing in that familiar bookish smell.
‘Are you sniffing them?’ Archie asked, perplexed.
‘Absolutely,’ Bea nodded, ‘I love the scent of new books,’ she said, holding one under his nose.
‘You’re weird,’ he laughed, batting her hand away. ‘Are you seeing Mum today?’
‘Yep. We’re going shopping. I need to grab a shower first, though, I still reek of paint,’ said Bea, holding out a strand of hair and sniffing it.
‘I can’t smell anything,’ said Archie.
‘I’m not sure you’re the best judge, to be fair. Seb’s room stank, and you couldn’t smell that either.’
‘Fair point,’ said Archie. ‘Have fun with Mum.’
Bea pulled up outside her parents’ house just as her dad was taking Wordsworth for a walk.
‘Bea!’ said Gordon, pulling her into a hug. ‘Your mum’s really looking forward to this shopping trip, you know.’
‘Me too,’ said Bea, reaching down to fuss Wordsworth, who was giddy with excitement at seeing her.
‘Have fun!’ Gordon laughed, striding off in the direction of the nature reserve, dragging a reluctant Wordsworth behind him.
‘Bea? Is that you?’ said Carol, appearing in the doorway.
‘Sure is, are you ready?’
‘Before we go, I’ve got something for you, darling.’
‘What is it?’ said Bea, stepping inside the door.
‘Just a little something for the wagon,’ she said, reaching inside her shopping bag.
‘Here,’ she said, handing Bea a small package wrapped up in pink tissue paper.
‘I hope you like it, I made it myself.’ Bea carefully unwrapped the package to reveal a string of intricate, hand-crafted bunting in pretty, pastel colours.
‘It’s beautiful, Mum!’ said Bea. ‘Thank you!’
‘Jess gave me the measurements,’ Carol said, ‘so you should have just the right amount to hang along the walls.’
‘Thanks, Mum. Honestly, I love it, it’ll look gorgeous.’
‘Good, I’m glad,’ said Carol, smiling at her brightly. ‘I can’t wait to see it all finished.’
‘Me too,’ Bea laughed. ‘That’s why today’s quite important, I really want to get the décor right.’
‘I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. It’s brought me so much joy to see how happy books make you,’ said Carol, her eyes misting with tears.
‘Hey,’ said Bea, taking her mum’s hand. ‘My love of literature comes from you, and I’m so grateful for that, Mum, I really am.’
‘Well, let’s go and spend some of your dad’s money, shall we? Whatever you want… cushions, lighting, throws, it’s on us, okay?’
‘But, Mum, I—’
‘No arguments,’ said Carol, holding up a hand.
‘Okay. And thanks, Mum, honestly, I really appreciate it,’ said Bea, nodding.
‘I know you do, darling. Now let’s put this bunting away before Wordsworth gets back and rips it apart, shall we?’
‘Good idea,’ said Bea, wrapping it carefully back up in the tissue paper.
‘Where do you fancy for lunch?’ said Carol, picking up her handbag.
‘Depends…’ said Bea, thoughtfully.
‘On what?’
‘On whether that’s on you, too?’
‘Okay, I think I’m ready now…’ said Bea, clutching her hands together tightly, as Nathan peered through a crack in the barn doors.
‘You said that twenty minutes ago.’
‘It’s a big moment, I want to everything to be perfect,’ said Bea, finally swinging the barn doors open.
‘It will be,’ said Nathan, grinning at her.
‘You’re the first person to see it finished, Nate. I want you to love it as much as I do.’
‘I’m sure I will,’ he nodded.
Bea had been shut away in the barn all day, sorting and filling the shelves of the wagon with books of every size, shape and colour.
New books, old books, books for every kind of reader imaginable.
Whatever you were looking for, Bea was sure you’d find a story to fall in love with somewhere on her shelves.
Once the bookcases had been arranged and organized, she’d carefully strung the bunting her mum had made alongside the fairy lights on the walls, plumped the beanbag and cushions in the tiny reading area, hung macramé planters filled with succulents from the ceiling and finally switched on the neon pink Bookworm lamp Nate had rigged up to a car battery.
This was it; she was finished. The wagon was finally ready, and it looked…
wonderful. It was everything she’d imagined it would be and more.
She’d put her heart and soul into this project.
She felt… proud, but also apprehensive. Would everyone else love it as much as she did, and, crucially, love it enough to buy some books?
‘So?’ she asked, cautiously, as Nathan stepped inside. ‘What do you think?’
‘Bea! This is…’
‘Good? Bad? Too much? What do you think?’ she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.
‘It’s bloody brilliant!’ he said, pulling her into a hug.
Without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck.
‘Seriously? You like it?’ she asked, tipping her head back to look up at him.
‘I do,’ he nodded. ‘You’re a genius, Bea.’
‘And you’re not just saying that because—’
‘Because we’ve known each other a long time and you think I feel obliged to be nice?’
‘Exactly,’ said Bea, seriously. ‘I’ll know if you’re lying, remember?’
‘I’m not lying though, Bea. You’ve done an amazing job, you know that, right?’
‘It wasn’t just me. You, Jess, Archie – you all helped. I couldn’t have done it without you lot.’
‘Also true.’
‘Thanks, Nate. For everything,’ she said, realizing her arms were still around his neck. Why hadn’t she let go?
‘You’d do the same for me.’
‘I would,’ she whispered. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, then, suddenly self-conscious, Bea let her arms slip from around his neck.
‘You know what we need to do next, though, don’t you?’ he said.
‘No, what?’
‘Get this little lady out on the road!’