Chapter 58
The bookshop is heaving. Blue and Prudence are handling payments, letting Alfie simply talk with customers.
Tilly’s job is to keep the customers and staff topped up with mulled wine and mince pies.
As she darts about the shop, she listens to the stories people share with Alfie.
He has gone from bewildered to emotional, his eyes brimming as people come up to him, again and again, to shake his hand or embrace him tightly.
People tell Alfie about their favourite books he or his father recommended over the years.
There’s much sniffing and handing round of tissues as parents and grandparents remember the first books they bought for their children and grandchildren.
Local authors come in to thank Alfie for his support, and other shopkeepers on the road pop by, saying how sorry they are to see the bookshop close.
And people buy books. Stacks of them. Blue and Prudence can hardly keep up, and there is a queue out the door all day. Tilly’s family stop by, along with Rachel.
‘Thanks again for all your help with my book,’ Rachel says as Tilly passes mince pies around. ‘Your feedback has given me a whole new perspective and made me excited to get to work again.’
‘I loved doing it. It was fascinating to hear about your grandparents’ story, and reading you finally writing as you … I feel like you’ve really found your voice, Rach. Reading it felt like hearing you in my head.’
Rachel’s eyes brim. She pulls Tilly into a sideways hug.
‘And this is why you’re going to be so great at your new job. You sure do know how to make a writer feel special.’
They share a hug and then Rachel pulls back, looking around wistfully.
‘This is such a lovely bookshop. It’s so sad that it’s closing.’
With everyone laughing and smiling and sharing stories of how much the bookshop means to them, it’s easy to forget why they’re all here. It really does feel so much like a celebration that it’s easy to forget it’s an ending.
Just as Tilly feels tears pricking her eyes, the door opens again and a voice makes her turn.
‘Bonjour! On est arrivés!’
Standing in the doorway are the Paris Grief Gang: Lola, John, Pierre, Fairooz, Cécile and Cécile’s girlfriend, Bertrice. Tilly lets out a squeal and rushes to greet them, finding herself wrapped up in a tangle of arms and kisses.
‘I’m so happy to see you all,’ Tilly says, once she’s hugged them all tightly. ‘I can’t believe you’re all here!’
‘Christmas is always a tough time of year,’ says John, dressed in his usual tweed but with a festive tartan bow tie. ‘We all agreed that spending it in London was a wonderful thing to do. I’ve hired a rather darling Airbnb not far from here.’
‘It’s huge,’ Lola mouths, wide-eyed.
‘We’re going to the pub for lunch tomorrow and are going to have a marvellous time,’ says John. ‘But first I need to have a good look around this utterly charming bookshop.’
‘Me too,’ says Fairooz, heading straight to the crime shelves.
Pierre is already browsing in the art and design section, while Lola heads straight for romance.
‘?a va? Are you OK?’ Cécile asks, once the others have wandered off to inspect the shelves.
Prudence and Blue are busy at the till, and Alfie is sat on the cushions in the children’s corner reading The Jolly Postman to a group of small children, complete with all the voices.
‘White Christmas’ plays on a wireless speaker of Joe’s that Tilly brought from home.
It all looks so beautifully, painfully lovely that it’s suddenly hard not to cry.
‘It’s so nice that everyone has come to show their support. But it makes it harder in a way too, knowing how much the shop means to everyone and how much it will be missed.’
‘I wonder how he is doing,’ Cécile says, looking towards the counter where Alfie has returned from reading to the children. ‘If Shakespeare and Company ever closed, I’d be broken. It’s my home, in a way. This must be hard for him.’
Alfie looks up then. He meets Tilly’s eye and they share a soft smile. She wants to cross the shop and reach for his hand. John approaches the counter, falling into conversation with Blue and Prudence. They stay like that for some time.
Tilly busies herself with passing around mince pies and helping customers, trying her best to soak up the last precious moments in the bookshop, holding on to every detail for when it’s all over.
The customers of Book Lane buy every last book on the shelves. By the end of the day the shop is completely empty, only dust and fairy lights left behind. The Paris Grief Gang are the last to leave.
‘I have no idea how I’m going to get all these back in my suitcase,’ says Lola, lifting her heavy bag of books, ‘but that’s a future me problem.’
As John pays for his books he reaches a hand across the counter to shake Alfie’s.
To Tilly’s surprise, Alfie is smiling. She admires his strength – she is pretty sure there are mascara trails running down her cheeks.
Prudence and Blue have been in tears throughout the day too, Prudence tucking tissues up her sleeves to the point that she’s starting to resemble an overstuffed scarecrow.
‘Well, we should be getting back to the Airbnb,’ declares John. ‘But first, perhaps the moment calls for a toast?’
He fishes a bottle of champagne out of his messenger bag.
‘I’ve been saving the bottle for tomorrow but I think we can probably all do with some now. Alfie, dear, do you happen to have any glasses?’
Alfie nods and returns with a stack of paper cups. When he passes Tilly hers, she tries to catch his eye but he has already moved on, handing a cup to Cécile and one to Bertrice. Once the champagne has been poured, John looks pointedly towards Alfie, the others turning to look at him too.
Alfie coughs, running a hand through his hair.
‘Thank you, everyone, for today. I can’t tell you how much this has all meant to me. I’ve always thought this bookshop was special, but mostly because it was my dad’s. I had no idea it meant so much to so many people. Thank you, all of you, for helping me feel so proud.’
He looks at Tilly then, and her heart dips and dives.
‘So I’d like to propose a toast to Book Lane,’ Alfie continues, raising his glass.
Tilly swallows hard, trying to stop the tears as they all raise their glasses too.
A smile spreads across Alfie’s face. ‘And to our next chapter.’
Blue spits out her champagne. ‘What?!’
‘Alfie, what’s going on?’ asks Tilly.
She is pretty certain she’s stopped breathing.
Alfie and John share a look.
‘Do you want to tell them, or shall I?’ says John.
‘Go ahead,’ Alfie says, glancing briefly at Tilly before looking back at John.
He adjusts his bow tie and addresses the group.
‘I’ve decided to sell the apartment in Paris and move to London.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now, given I’ve been spending more and more time here.
I got talking to Alfie earlier, and he told me about the apartment above this shop and the fact it is up for sale, along with the rest of the building.
I find this area quite charming, and I couldn’t think of anything better than living above a bookshop. So I’ve decided to buy the building.’
Tilly draws in a sharp breath. Prudence and Blue have both leapt on Alfie, throwing their arms around him.
‘John has kindly offered to let me keep renting the shop, at an affordable rate,’ Alfie says, once he’s managed to peel himself away from them.
‘On the basis that I can come down and use the shop as my own personal library on occasion,’ John says with a twinkly smile. ‘Since I’m not sure my entire book collection will quite fit into the flat …’
‘Of course,’ Alfie replies warmly. ‘And I’m going to use the money from the crowdfunder to do some renovations to the shop. It’s about time I put my own stamp on the place.’
Tilly feels as if she’s dreaming. The shop is saved. Alfie is smiling. The shop is saved!
‘You’re really leaving Paris?’ Lola asks John when some of the excitement has died down a little.
‘I am. I’ve decided to take a chance on love.’ At this John meets Tilly’s eye and winks.