Epilogue
‘Everyone gather around,’ shouted Erin to her friends, who were wandering around the new space, marvelling at how well it had all come together.
The bookcases that spanned the whole of the back wall were magnificent.
The shelves were lit from above and Erin had interspersed the books with bright objects she’d found in Greenwich Market and at charity shops.
The multi-coloured glass vase sparkled in pride of place at the centre.
The polished wood floor shone, and the coffee-themed prints were supplemented by original pieces of art by local artists, all of which were for sale.
The leather armchairs had been returned to their original spot, and other, smaller armchairs sat around tables, replacing the upright chairs that had been there before.
Kiddies Corner had its own larger area, next to a sensory wall with things to push, pull, twist and hold built into a cushioned surface.
Erin was overjoyed with the raised performance area constructed at the far end of what had been the gift shop.
She stood on it now, surveying the scene with her hands clasped tight in front of her.
It was time to make her announcement. She’d agonised about whether to call her new venture The Bookmark, but after much discussion with Jack and Adam, had decided that, since she was embracing change, and creating her own legacy, a brand new name for the café wouldn’t be disloyal to her mother.
It would signify a bright new future, and she was sure that Mary would approve of the name she’d chosen.
A dust sheet shielding the bottom of the long unit in front of the entrance to the extended kitchen was held tight by Gavin and Adam, who both wore enormous grins.
The top of the unit was already piled high with cakes and pastries under glass domes, ready for the customers who would soon arrive.
Jack, who was visiting home from his new flat in Salford, where he now worked as a runner on BBC Breakfast, put his open laptop carefully down on a table.
Mercy’s face beamed from the screen. She was sitting on a low terrace next to a Venetian canal, wearing sunglasses and an enormous sun hat, and they all whooped as a gondola passed by on the water behind her.
The gondolier started at the noise, then laughed and waved as Mercy moved her phone so they could all get a better view.
‘Glad you could join us, Mercy,’ said Erin, as the boat disappeared from sight.
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ she said, her voice tinny but excited through the speakers. ‘I’m so proud of you.’
‘I’m proud of all of us,’ said Erin, taking in the assembled group, her insides swooping again as she allowed her eyes to rest on each lovely face in turn.
She gave Julia a warm smile. She’d slotted into the group seamlessly and it made Erin’s heart sing to see Joe regain some of the energy he’d lost after losing his beloved wife.
Erin was confident Nuala would have liked Julia just as much as she did.
‘So much has happened since we started to think about our next chapters,’ continued Erin.
She held her finger up. ‘Correction: we’ve made so much happen.
’ Jack, Adam and Joe had all told her that she was strong, and at last, she was beginning to believe it herself.
In the end, she hadn’t rolled over and allowed change to happen to her.
She’d taken charge and made it work for her instead.
She’d been courageous, and here they were, about to reap the rewards.
She unfolded a piece of paper which had wilted a little in the sweat of her palm, glancing down as Tybalt’s soft fur brushed her ankle as he appeared by her feet. ‘And with that in mind, please indulge me as I read out my long overdue last pages before the big reveal.’
‘About time,’ said Susan.
‘Better late than never,’ said Joe, chuckling.
‘It’s not too long, don’t worry.’ Erin’s hand trembled at first, along with her voice.
‘I am so glad you are all here to celebrate the opening of my new venture with me.’ She swallowed, trying to encourage moisture into her dry mouth.
‘I’ve always been a bit of an anxious soul, and I came to see my reluctance to try new things as a lack of courage.
I thought I was weak, a bit of a scaredy-cat, but recently a very wise man reminded me that being frightened and doing it anyway is maybe the bravest thing of all.
’ She looked up to see Joe’s eyes glitter with tears.
Julia put an arm around his shoulder, as Erin put her hand to her heart.
‘I didn’t truly believe that for a long time.
As you all know, the word new used to fill me with dread.
I believed everything either had to stay the same, or have a quantifiable, predictable outcome, otherwise it automatically signalled danger.
I had my reasons, but I know now that those reasons are part of my past, and I want to harness my newfound courage, to live in the present and look towards the future.
’ She scanned the group in front of her and gratitude swelled in her chest. ‘Over the last few months, you have all taught me that change doesn’t have to be synonymous with loss.
Quite the opposite. It can signify endless possibilities.
It can mean hope and the promise of better things to come. ’
She glanced up and basked in the love reflected back at her.
Her hands and her voice calmed. ‘And you’ve shown me change, like courage, can come in many guises.
It can be a tweak to the norm.’ She caught Hafsa’s eye and smiled.
‘It can be the addition, or extension of something positive to your life.’ She looked first at Susan, then Riley and Joe.
‘It can be moving into unknown territory.’ She waved at Mercy’s image on the screen, and she waved back, then Erin blew a kiss to Jack.
‘And it can even be staying in one place.’ Adam grinned at her, saturating her heart with love.
‘With your encouragement, love and support, I am heading into this new chapter of my life with confidence and positivity. I feel brave and hopeful and I couldn’t have made this leap of faith without you by my side.
’ Tybalt chose that moment to mewl loudly.
Erin laughed and bent to stroke his head.
‘Yes, that includes you,’ she said, before straightening and turning back to the glowing faces in front of her.
‘We started out as a book group and ended up as family.’ She took a breath.
‘In that book group, you all indulged me by always reading the last page first. That’s what led us to writing our own last pages, and that is what eventually led us here, to this wonderful space, and this bright, new, hopeful beginning.
’ She turned and gave the nod to Gavin and Adam.
They let the sheet fall to reveal three words painted in forest green against a rich cream background.
‘And in tribute to the chapters we wrote and shared, and the brave changes we’ve supported each other to make, it is my greatest pleasure,’ said Erin, her heart full to bursting, ‘to welcome you, my friends, my family, to The Last Page Café.’