Chapter 30
‘I know it’s my birthday, Jess, but I’m really not in the mood,’ sighed Bea, as she flicked through the TV guide.
‘Oh, come on,’ pleaded Jess, ‘It’ll do you good to get out.’
‘Jess is right,’ Archie said, switching off the TV. ‘You’ve been stuck in this house for a fortnight now and it’s not good for you.’
‘It’s fine,’ said Bea, shaking her head, ‘I’m fine. Anyway, Lochlan’s coming over in a bit.’
‘Well, that’s easily fixed,’ said Jess, pulling her phone out of her bag.
‘Lochlan, hi!’ she said, brightly when he answered.
‘Do you fancy meeting us at the pub tonight for Bea’s birthday?
’ She paused. ‘Excellent! See you there at seven? Perfect,’ she nodded.
‘See?’ she said, turning back to Bea. ‘All sorted.’
‘There’s no point in arguing, is there?’ Bea sighed, heaving herself up from the sofa.
‘Absolutely none,’ said Jess. ‘Come on, I’ll help you get ready.’
‘I’ll meet you there,’ said Archie, casting a sideways look at Jess. ‘I can get a couple in with the lads first.’
‘See you there, Arch,’ said Jess. ‘Come on,’ she continued, taking Bea’s hand and heading for the stairs. ‘Let’s get you birthday-ready!’
Bea couldn’t believe how packed the Apple Tree was. It was almost as though everyone from the village was there.
‘Happy birthday, love,’ said Beth, as Bea and Jess waited at the bar to get served.
‘Thanks,’ said Bea, smiling.
‘It’s good to see you out and about, dear’ said Jean, as Beth handed her a tray of sherries.
‘Thanks, Jean,’ said Bea, ‘I hope those aren’t all for you?’ she chuckled.
‘Oh no, dear. WI night out,’ Jean replied, her eyes glinting mischievously, ‘it’s been known to get a little messy.’
‘Jean’s a dark horse, isn’t she?’ Bea whispered, once she was out of earshot.
‘I know, right?’ Jess sniggered. ‘I hope I’m half as much fun when I’m eighty.’
‘Course you will be,’ said Bea. ‘I bet you’ll still be causing havoc at ninety.’
‘Let’s hope so,’ said Jess, as Beth handed her two large glasses of prosecco. ‘Cheers!’ she said, raising her drink in the air. ‘To the birthday girl.’
‘They’re on the house,’ said Beth, holding up a hand as Jess reached for her purse.
‘Aw, thanks, Beth, that’s really kind of you,’ said Bea.
‘Right, let’s go and find the others,’ said Jess, determinedly.
‘Good luck!’ said Bea, attempting to push her way through to the back of the pub. ‘It’s absolutely rammed in here tonight. It’s never this busy, even on a Friday—’
‘Course it is. You’re just not normally here on a Friday,’ Jess replied, casually, as she spotted Archie, Lochlan, Tori and Leo sitting at the large round table right at the back of the pub.
‘Bea!’ called Lochlan, standing up kiss her. ‘Happy birthday!’
‘Thanks,’ she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. ‘Thanks for coming out, everyone.’
‘How are you feeling?’ Tori asked, hugging her gently. Bea winced. ‘Oh, God, sorry,’ Tori apologized, her face flushing hot. ‘Ribs still sore?’
‘A bit, yeah,’ said Bea, ‘it’s fine though,’ she said, sitting down next to Lochlan.
‘We’re missing you at work,’ said Tori, sipping her negroni.
‘I’ll be back next week, I think,’ Bea replied quickly.
‘Oh God, that wasn’t a hint,’ said Tori, looking mortified. ‘Take as long as you need. Whenever you’re feeling up to it. Mum and I are coping just fine.’
‘Thanks, Tori,’ said Bea.
‘Well, you’re definitely looking better than the last time I saw you,’ said Leo. ‘You had us all pretty scared that night, you know.’
‘I’m just glad I got through it,’ said Bea, her voice sticking in her throat.
‘So are we,’ said Jess, patting her hand. ‘Anyway,’ she continued, keen to change the subject. ‘Shall we do presents?’
‘Presents? You didn’t have to—’ said Bea.
‘I’ll go first,’ Tori said, taking a pretty pink gift bag out from under the table.
‘Ooooh, what’s this?’ said Bea, pulling the tissue paper out. ‘Oh, wow! It’s gorgeous, I love it!’ she continued, unwrapping a silver bookmark engraved with the message: A new chapter. ‘It’s beautiful, Tori. Thank you!’ said Bea.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ said Tori.
‘I’m next,’ said Jess, pulling a gold-edged envelope from her bag. ‘Happy birthday, Bea.’
Bea carefully prised the envelope open and slid out an embossed gift voucher for a spa day at Rye’s most exclusive hotel.
‘Jess!’ Bea shrieked, grabbing her friend’s arm. ‘Bayview Sands! That place is super posh, I’ve always wanted to go!’
‘I know!’ Jess laughed, ‘I’m coming too,’ she said, pointing at the voucher. ‘You deserve a day of pampering after everything you’ve been through.’
‘It’s brilliant, Jess, thank you!’ said Bea, ‘I can’t wait!’
‘My turn…’ said Lochlan, reaching into his pocket. ‘I hope you like it.’
Bea recognized the robin’s-egg blue of the Tiffany bag instantly, and she let out a little gasp of delight.
When she’d lived in London, she’d pause outside the Old Bond Street store whenever she passed by, admiring the sparkling diamonds in all shapes and sizes, never daring to venture inside.
And now, there was a Tiffany that gorgeous book—’ said Bea.
‘Ah, but this isn’t just from me…’ said Nathan.
‘No, we all helped,’ said Archie, standing up.
‘What?’ asked Bea, shaking her head in puzzlement. ‘Helped with what? I don’t understand…’
‘Come outside and see for yourself?’ said Jess.
‘Do you know anything about this?’ Bea asked, turning to Lochlan.
‘Nope,’ Lochlan replied. ‘I’m as much in the dark as you are. Let’s go see what the mystery is, shall we?’ he suggested, taking her by the hand and leading her outside.
There, on the green, everyone who had been in the pub, together with her mum and dad, Arthur, and what looked like the whole WI, were gathered.
‘We’ve got a surprise for you, love,’ said Carol, beaming at her daughter as everyone stood aside to reveal the wagon, standing proudly in the middle of the green looking as good as new.
‘What on earth?’ said Bea, stunned, rushing towards it. ‘But I don’t understand,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘How?’ she stammered, resting her hand on the pastel blue paintwork.
‘It was Nathan’s idea,’ said Gordon, clapping him on the back. ‘He knew you’d need a helping hand getting the book wagon back on track.’
‘I didn’t want all your hard work to go to waste, Bea. I didn’t want you to lose it,’ said Nathan. ‘Not because of some stupid accident…’
‘None of us did, darling,’ said Carol, taking Bea’s hand and squeezing it gently.
Bea looked at Nathan, her eyes filling with tears, her heart fit to burst. He’d done all this, for her?
‘It wasn’t just me, though,’ Nathan explained. ‘It was a team effort.’
‘Once everyone knew what had happened, they wanted to help, Bea. All of us did,’ said Tori.
‘We couldn’t bear to see you give up,’ said Rose, nodding.
‘We all wanted to get Bea’s Book Wagon back on the road,’ said Violet, her eyes misty with tears. Jean passed her a tissue, to pat her cheeks dry.
‘I… I don’t know what to say? I just can’t believe it,’ said Bea, her hands shaking, her heart pounding. ‘You’ve done all this in just a couple of weeks?’
‘We have,’ said Jean, proudly. ‘We couldn’t all help with the building work, but us ladies from the WI made you some new bunting and patchwork cushions.’
‘And some matching reading quilts,’ added Clara.
‘I found you some lovely antique lamps,’ said Arthur. ‘Got them for a song, too,’ he chuckled.
‘And I ordered you some new fairy lights; we’ve got the same ones in the salon,’ said Claire. Bea noticed she was holding Josh’s hand.
‘Thank you! Thank you, all,’ said Bea, half-crying, half-laughing. ‘You’re all… amazing! I don’t know how to thank you!’
‘Come inside and take a look,’ said Jess. ‘Everything’s as good as new.’
‘We repaired what was salvageable,’ said Nathan, gently, ‘and anything that couldn’t be fixed, we’ve replaced.’
‘Oh. My. God,’ said Bea, breathlessly, as she walked inside.
The interior of the wagon looked just as good as its freshly painted exterior: the bookcases were back in place, painted in the same shade of cream she had originally chosen, the shelves were full of books, there were new beanbags, deckchairs and patchwork rugs, together with the cushions and bunting made by the ladies of the WI.
Her wall hangings were back in place, too, with new lamps, new artwork… new everything. It was perfect.
‘It’s incredible, it looks…’ said Bea, trailing off.
‘Okay?’ asked Nathan, nervously.
‘Okay?’ said Bea, throwing her arms around him, ignoring the pain in her ribs. ‘It’s spectacular!’
‘Good,’ said Jess, looking relieved, ‘because you’re off to Cherrydown fête tomorrow!’
‘Oh no, I cancelled that,’ said Bea.
‘Yeah, and I phoned them back a couple of days ago and rebooked your pitch,’ said Nathan, sheepishly.
‘You did?’ said Bea, eyes wide.
‘Yeah,’ Nathan nodded. ‘Once I knew the wagon was going to be ready in time. I hope that’s okay?’
‘Okay?’ Bea laughed, ‘it’s brilliant. Thank you!’ she said, hugging him again. When she looked up, she noticed Lochlan was watching her intently from his spot on the green, his arms folded, eyes narrowed.
‘Oh and there’s one more surprise,’ said Jess, pointing towards a corner of the green illuminated by a Victorian street lamp.
‘Oh my God! I don’t believe it! It that the little free library?’ asked Bea.
‘It is!’ Matt confirmed, ‘Harry and I finished it off for you. I hope you don’t mind?’
‘Of course I don’t mind, it looks amazing!’ said Bea.
‘Everyone donated a book too, so there’s enough to keep it going for a while, I think,’ said Harry.
‘That’s brilliant, thanks so much!’ said Bea, her heart fit to burst as she realized how much time and effort her friends and neighbours had put in to help get her back on her feet.
She knew she’d never be able to repay their kindness, but she hoped she’d find a way to thank them for making this the best birthday ever.