Chapter 16 #2
‘Seems fine now,’ said Archie, waggling the handle up and down. ‘Are you sure you two just didn’t want some alone time?’ he teased.
‘Don’t be daft,’ said Bea, her cheeks burning red.
Why was it suddenly so hot in here?
Putting the lock-in with Nathan out of her mind, Bea continued to welcome a steady stream of customers through the bookshop’s doors for the remainder of the day.
‘Are you okay there?’ she asked a lady who had been browsing the shelves for a while.
‘Oh, I’m just looking really… you’ve got such a marvellous collection, I don’t know where to start. Is that a vintage edition of Jane Eyre over there?’ she asked, her face obscured by a pair of huge sunglasses.
‘Yes. I’ve tried to mix the old and the new, so there’s something for everyone,’ said Bea.
‘I can see that. A mobile bookshop… such a wonderful idea! Do you mind if I take some photos?’
‘No, of course not. Go ahead. I’ll leave you to it, but do shout if you need my help with anything.’
‘Thank you. I’ll take the Jane Eyre, if you could put that aside for me?’
‘Sure, no problem,’ said Bea, with a smile.
‘Are you on social media at all?’ she asked.
‘Yes, we’re @beasbookwagon on Instagram.’
‘Perfect, I’ll look you up.’
‘Mum, Dad, you made it!’ said Bea, as Wordsworth made a beeline for her, tail wagging enthusiastically.
‘Of course we did, we wouldn’t miss your opening day,’ said Carol, giving her daughter a hug.
‘Bea, this looks incredible, I had no idea you could work such wonders with an old horsebox,’ said Gordon.
‘She’s very talented, aren’t you, darling? She takes after her mother,’ said Carol.
‘Hello!’ called Matt from the doorway.
‘Matt! I’m so glad you’re here!’ said Bea.
‘We wouldn’t miss it,’ said Matt, warmly. ‘Bea, this is my husband, Harry, I don’t think you’ve met?’
‘No, but I’ve heard all about you. Good to meet you, Harry,’ said Bea.
‘You too. Matt’s not stopped talking about this, you know? He’s been dying to see it finished and I can see why,’ said Harry, ‘it’s so cute!’
‘Thanks. I’m so glad you like it,’ said Bea.
‘It looks amazing, Bea,’ said Matt.
‘Thanks, Matt,’ said Bea.
‘Why don’t we leave Bea to it?’ said Carol, nodding towards a customer approaching the desk with a stack of books. ‘We can come back once it’s a bit quieter.’
‘Thanks for popping by,’ said Bea. ‘I’ll see you all later.’
‘I’ll take these,’ said the woman in the sunglasses, handing the pile of books to Bea.
‘Perfect. I’ll bag them up for you. You’ve got a great selection here,’ she said, glancing at the titles.
‘I must confess to having a bit of an addiction…’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Bea, whispering conspiratorially, ‘You’re in good company. You can’t move at my house for books. You read a lot then, I assume?’ Bea asked.
‘Read, write…’
‘Oh, you’re a writer?’
‘I try. Truth be told, I’m having a bit of a block at the moment, so I’m on a little mini break to try to recharge my batteries a bit.’
‘You’re staying in Blossom Heath?’
‘Nearby, yes,’ said the woman, tapping her card on the machine.
‘Are you here for long?’ asked Bea.
‘Not sure, really, it depends how things go.’
‘With the writing?’
‘Partly.’
‘Well, it’s lovely here. I’m Bea by the way,’ she said.
‘Nice to meet you, Bea. I’m Katerina,’ said the woman and, as she turned to leave, Bea couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d met before; something about her turn of phrase sounded familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on why.
‘I think that might be your last customer of the day,’ said Nathan, several hours and many purchases later.
‘Yeah, it looks like things are starting to wind down,’ said Bea, throwing herself into one of the deckchairs outside the wagon.
‘How do you think it’s gone?’ he asked, sitting down next to her.
‘Better than I expected, for sure. I mean, I’ve not totalled up the takings, but I’ve shifted a ton of stock, way more than I thought I would, so that’s got to be a good thing?’
‘Absolutely, and everyone’s raving about it, too. Seriously, Bea, it’s been a huge success. Shall I help you pack up, then you can take the trailer home and we can meet up at the pub later to celebrate?’
‘Ah,’ said Bea, checking her watch – it was nearly six, ‘I’m not sure. Lochlan was supposed to be coming, but I’ve not seen him all day.’ Bea pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked for messages.
Nothing.
She’d been so busy, she’d barely had time to notice that Lochlan hadn’t made an appearance, but now she wondered why he hadn’t shown up.
‘No worries, I’ll just help you pack up and then head off,’ said Nathan.
‘It’s fine, Nate, the pub sounds good.’
‘Okay, great. Archie’s already there,’ he said, ‘he’s meeting Jess there later.’
‘Is it me or have they been spending a lot of time together recently? I’m not missing something am I?’
‘Archie and Jess? Nah, I doubt it’ said Nathan, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. ‘Anyway, wouldn’t Jess have told you if something was going on?’
‘You’re right, he’s definitely not her type.’
‘Hey, I’ve just remembered, didn’t I promise you the best chicken enchiladas you’ll ever taste?’
‘Yes! You’d better be quick though, looks like Tony’s packing up…’
‘On it,’ said Nathan, striding over to the stall.
Bea picked up her phone and sent a WhatsApp message to Lochlan: Fête went well, sorry I didn’t see you. Let me know if you’re around later xx
She sighed, confused by his absence and disappointed not to have seen him.
When she looked up, she saw Nathan walking towards her holding two chicken enchiladas, with a bottle of beer tucked under each arm, and she couldn’t help but smile.
Here she was, sat in the late afternoon sun with one of her favourite people in the world. The first day had been a success, and she was about to enjoy a cold beer with what were allegedly the world’s best enchiladas. Did it really matter that Lochlan had let her down?