Autumn at the Cornish Garden Café (The Cornish Garden Café #3)

1. Rosa Lake

1

ROSA LAKE

T aking a deep breath, Rosa Lake unlocked the door of The Book Nook and stood back. Her heart was racing, and her palms were clammy, but it was with excitement and not fear because the opening day of her bookshop in the Cornish village of Porthpenny had arrived. She had decided to open at 4 p.m. to allow people to browse around while enjoying some refreshments, asking any questions they may have and buying some books.

She turned towards the counter and leant against it, letting her gaze sweep over the space that had taken nearly three months of sweat and tears to transform. The shop hadn’t been in terrible shape when she’d bought it, but had needed some updates — new shelving, a fresh coat of paint and new light fittings. Thankfully, the wiring was sound, and both the customer toilets and small staff kitchen were in good condition. The flat above the shop had only needed a touch of paint to brighten it up. Now filled with Rosa’s things, it felt warm, lived-in — like home.

‘Don’t look so worried!’ Vinnie Russo shook his dark head as he walked towards her. ‘You’re as pale as a ghost and that will scare the customers away.’

‘I’m OK,’ Rosa said.

‘No, you’re not! You need some bubbly inside you.’ Vinnie reached for a bottle from the table near the door and popped the cork, shooting it up in the air. It dropped to the floor and bounced under a bookshelf. ‘We’ll find that one later.’ He shrugged, then poured the bubbly into a flute. ‘Here.’

He held the flute out, and Rosa eyed it warily.

‘I don’t know.’ She nibbled at her bottom lip. ‘I need to stay sober.’

‘Darling Rosa, half a glass of bubbly won’t hurt you. Besides’— he frowned at the bottle — ‘It’s Prosecco, not champagne, so you’ll be fine.’

‘There’s no difference, really,’ she said. ‘The alcohol percentage is the same.’

Vinnie kept his hand holding the glass extended, so Rosa gave in and accepted it.

‘There is a difference — according to my papa. But if he comes in here today, don’t get him started on that topic. Like a bulldog with a bone, he is, when you get him going on one of his favourite rants.’

‘Right. Thanks. I’ll bear that in mind.’ Rosa hadn’t been formally introduced to Vinnie’s papa but had heard some stories about him since she’d employed Vinnie. Mr Russo senior sounded intimidating, to say the least. He was a strong-minded patriarch who liked things done a certain way and that, apparently, was Enzo Russo’s way.

‘Get it down you.’ Vinnie made a swigging motion with his free hand, then he picked up another flute and filled it before setting the bottle back in the container of ice. ‘Mmmm. Not bad.’ He nodded after taking a long drink. ‘It’ll do the job, anyway.’

While Vinnie sipped his drink, Rosa wandered around the shop, checking everything looked exactly how she’d imagined. Rosa had arranged the shelves by genre and then alphabetically by the authors’ surnames. Tables showcased new releases and offers. A children’s section boasted beanbags and a book vending machine. Finally, there was a vintage section, stocked with pre-loved books Rosa had sourced from antique shops, car boot sales, and house clearances. She hated to think of any books going to landfill and so if they could be saved, and given a new life and a new home, then she intended to rescue them and sell them in her shop. She had set up a website, and listed the books on there too, so buyers from all around the world could order anything that appealed to them. Rosa had also had a drinks machine installed, offering tea, coffee, and hot chocolate for customers to enjoy as they browsed or settled into one of the armchairs she’d placed throughout the shop. She had pictured a bookshop that would be well stocked, comfortable and welcoming, and wanted it to be a haven where villagers could go to find their next read or to track down a favourite book from their childhood. After working at a library and a bookshop in Bath before moving here, her dream of owning her own bookshop had come true, and The Book Nook was everything she’d wanted it to be and more.

Fairy lights twinkled around the glass of the windows and door, as well as around the shelves and counter. Posters of bookish quotes adorned any free wall space, and the scents of coffee and books permeated the air — a delightfully comforting and uplifting smell that Rosa had always adored.

Taking a sip of her drink, Rosa lowered her shoulders. Vinnie had been right, and the alcohol was helping her to relax as it took the edge off her tension.

‘Look out!’ Vinnie waved at the window and Rosa looked over to see a man gazing through the glass. ‘Our first customer arrives!’ Vinnie blew a pretend trumpet, then slipped behind the counter. He plastered on his signature grin, flashing the pearly white teeth he was proud of, and that Rosa knew were — unusually these days — all natural.

The man pushed open the door and stepped inside, and Rosa held her breath as he walked towards the counter.

‘Hello,’ he said, smiling.

Rosa opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She felt a prodding in her back, and then Vinnie whispered, ‘Speak!’

‘Oh … Hello!’ She forced her lips into a smile. What was wrong with her? Surely being this nervous wasn’t good for business. ‘Sorry about that. I’m … so glad you joined us for our grand opening.’ She gestured around the shop with both hands like a member of cabin crew showing him where the exits were, then realised what she was doing and dropped them to her sides.

Vinnie went to the table of refreshments, filled a flute, then brought it over to the man. ‘Welcome to The Book Nook. I’m Vinnie and this nervous Nellie here is Rosa. She’s the owner.’

‘Hello Rosa and hello Vinnie.’ The man accepted the flute of Prosecco. ‘Thank you. I’m Henry Clay.’

‘Hello Henry Clay.’ Vinnie was staring hard at Rosa, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Henry. She hadn’t seen him around the village in the three months she’d been here, so perhaps he was a tourist or just passing through. He could be a holiday homeowner or here in the village on business. ‘Rosa!’ Vinnie dragged her attention back to the room.

‘Henry. It’s so good to meet you. And you are our first customer, which is very exciting. Feel free to browse around and let us know if you have any questions or if there’s anything you’d like us to order in.’ Rosa flashed another shaky smile, then walked around the counter and pretended to straighten some bookmarks.

‘Enjoy the drink and help yourself to another when you’re ready,’ Vinnie said. ‘Also, help yourself to the food.’

‘Thank you. That’s very kind,’ Henry replied.

Vinnie came to Rosa’s side and leant close. ‘What is wrong with you?’

She glanced up at him, expecting to see annoyance, but he was frowning quizzically while a smile played on his lips.

‘Nothing,’ she squeaked. ‘I just got stage fright.’

‘Stage fright be damned!’ Vinnie shook his head. ‘If that’s how you treat customers, we need to get you some customer service training, girl!’

‘It’s not that.’ Rosa looked around for her glass, spotted it, and took a swig. ‘I’m just jittery.’

Vinnie’s frown faded, and then he cupped his chin with his right hand as his eyes widened. ‘It’s because he’s hot, isn’t it?’

‘What?’

‘You fancy Henry Clay.’

‘I do not.’

‘You so do.’ He clapped his hands together and Rosa winced. ‘But darling, I’m sorry to tell you this … that man is far too good-looking to be straight.’

‘I don’t care if he’s straight or not because I don’t fancy him!’ Rosa realised she’d shouted the words and looked over at Henry to see him glance away from the counter. ‘Vinnie, I am thirty-five and I recently moved to this gorgeous little village to escape all that nonsense. I just want to run my bookshop, read books, walk on the beach and catch up on all the sleep I missed over the past few years. I’m exhausted and just want some time to be me and to relax.’

‘OK, honey, I get that.’ Vinnie rubbed her arm. ‘And you deserve to relax and read and enjoy your life again. I don’t know all the details of what happened to you back in Bath, but you have told me you went through the mill. Please know that I’m here for you, whatever you need. And don’t worry about Mr Clay because, as I said, he’s more into men, I’m sure of it.’

‘Good.’ Rosa nodded. ‘Now … It looks like we have more customers so I’m going to greet them while you check on Mr Clay.’

‘It’ll be my pleasure.’ Vinnie patted his hair, then winked at Rosa before sashaying over to where Henry was browsing the biography section. Rosa watched as Vinnie charmed their first customer, then she turned her attention to the new arrivals.

The afternoon and evening flew past, and before Rosa knew it, the customers had eaten all the refreshments, and she’d made several pleasing sales. She’d recognised some customers as people from around the village, but while she knew some of them by name, others were familiar because she’d seen them in passing. Her friend Sita, who she’d known since her childhood holidays in the village, had come in with her family and that had been lovely. Since she’d bought the shop in Porthpenny, she’d worked hard to get it right before opening. She hadn’t really integrated into the community yet — she’d been too busy and, she now realised, simply trying to find her feet. Moving from Bath to Cornwall had been a big step and a scary one, but she’d got to a point in her life where she’d felt that she had to change something. Moving was that change, along with another one that still made her heart ache at times, and at others made her hackles rise. That was the thing with being hurt by someone you loved. It took time to get past that and she was, she knew, grieving. Didn’t they say that there were different stages of grief that a person had to work through? Rosa was certain that she was working through those stages even ten months on from deciding to move and start over.

‘And that’s a wrap!’ Vinnie said as he locked the door and turned to face Rosa. ‘Well done, darling.’

‘Thank you.’ Rosa walked over to him and peered out through the glass. The streetlights illuminated the scene, and the moon shone above the harbor, casting its silvery light across the water and the anchored boats. ‘I couldn’t have asked for a better view than this.’

‘It’s really something, right?’

‘It really is.’

Vinnie wrapped an arm around her shoulders. ‘You did brilliantly. The shop will be a roaring success and you’ll have people visiting from far and wide to purchase your special editions or to sit and read for a while as they watch the world go by.’

‘I hope so. I like your vision.’ Rosa smiled up at him. ‘Do you know what?’

‘What?’

‘I have a bottle of the good stuff upstairs in my fridge that I was keeping for today to celebrate. Do you fancy a glass?’

‘I’m up for more Prosecco!’ Vinnie grinned.

‘Actually, it’s champagne that I bought for us to share. I wanted to say thank you for all your hard work while we set the shop up. You’ve been awesome and I couldn’t have done it without you.’

Vinnie pursed his lips. ‘You probably could have, but it wouldn’t have been as much fun.’

‘Definitely not as much fun.’

She gave Vinnie a quick hug, then walked through the shop, her shop, and opened the door that led to the staffroom and another doorway that led to the flat upstairs. She loved Vinnie’s prediction for the shop and hoped that, with him at her side, she could make it a roaring success. Her life to date hadn’t been a roaring success but she was crossing everything that from this point on, things were about to change for the better.

Her aunt had always said Home isn’t a place. It’s where you find the hearts that hold you when you fall.

Rosa hoped with all her heart that she was finally home.