Chapter 25
SEVEN MONTHS LATER
Faye
Faye didn’t mind finishing late at the salon now spring was here. The winter had been cold, long, and dark but spring in England, with its long days that promised to get even longer in the summer, was something else.
That day in October when Theo came to pick Midas up from the bookshop after his trip away, Faye had been so excited to tell him the plan to help Bonnie had worked.
They’d got her down to Driftwick Bay Books, they’d got her inside the shop, and more than that, she’d stayed a while and realised that it could be a comfort rather than something to push away now that Howard had gone.
She also told him about the developers and how Bonnie herself had been the one to face them the morning after they ate their takeaway in the shop.
‘This bookshop is not for sale now, or ever,’ Bonnie had said boldly to the developer, who was dressed in a pinstripe, slightly-too-tight suit.
‘Driftwick Bay Books is a part of this town and I’m afraid you’re just going to have to build your luxury condo or whatever it is, elsewhere.
’ And before the man could argue his case she added, ‘Now, please leave my bookshop.’
Margot and Faye had at least waited for the door to close behind him before they let out a big cheer.
And although Bonnie hadn’t been quite ready to face customers, Faye and Margot, along with Iris a couple of days later, had run the bookshop together, Bonnie out back listening to some of the banter, the sound of customers coming in and out, this shop Howard had saved and brought back to the community.
As Faye had talked to Theo that day he’d stayed quite quiet, his gaze drifting away from her now and again, settling on Midas instead.
He never usually had a problem making eye contact or chatting to her, but in that moment he was so unsure of himself she hadn’t been surprised when he asked her out on a date.
Of course she’d said yes. And she’d told him that she’d had a major crush on him when they were at school, which gave him a bit of confidence that perhaps she liked him a lot now too.
Faye’s dad had sold the business in Queensland and moved back to Dorset for the foreseeable future.
Faye had vacated her apartment after a brief trip over to Australia during which she’d put her belongings into storage.
She’d caught up with her mother and with Steph while she was there, but no longer did she find seeing either of them stressful because she’d stopped assuming responsibility for anyone’s behaviour other than her own.
Steph was still with Mark, but Faye hadn’t asked for any details.
In fact, the only thing Steph had said about him was that they were moving in together.
Faye had congratulated her. She hadn’t tried to advise or talk to her about what she was doing.
She didn’t ask about how Brad was taking it either.
Brad had done her a favour because without him running away and breaking off their engagement she’d never have met Theo.
Theo, the man she trusted more than any man she’d ever been with.
She got the feeling they would never hurt one another and these days he was very happy to let her cut his hair.
After her visit to Australia she came back to England and almost immediately started the job at a salon in Dorchester.
It was a full-time role covering a maternity leave.
She wasn’t sure whether it would lead to a job there eventually, but come summer when Theo had his long school holidays, she was taking him to Australia so he could see what all the fuss was about.
When they were there she’d sort through her belongings in storage, see what to keep, what to toss, and for the six weeks they were out there they had a house-sit.
By some sort of magic, a house-sit in Queensland near the water-sports business had come up.
They’d have to look after two dogs for the duration, but Theo said it would help him to not miss Midas quite so much.
And Midas would be busy anyway because Bonnie and Iris would look after him between them.
Faye was still running the Midnight Book Club each week and they’d had two new members join up: forty-year-old Zac and sixty-two-year-old Bridget.
Both from the Northern Hemisphere, they’d so far turned up every week and slowly Faye was getting to know them.
She couldn’t see herself ever stopping the book club, no matter where she was in the world.
She would always be a part of it. There had been some talk about reverting to calling it The Seaside Book Club again and perhaps changing the time but it hadn’t felt right to anyone.
Auntie Clare had founded the club, Howard had renamed it, and their lives had changed because of both of those things.
Besides, just as Howard said it did, it felt like an adventure taking part in the book club when the sky was dark, the world was quiet, and most other people were sound asleep.
Today, after she’d met Theo on a gloriously warm and sunny May evening for a long walk with Midas, he wanted to know whether she’d be patient enough to teach him how to paddleboard so that by the time they went to Australia he wouldn’t be totally inexperienced.
She’d assured him that she was very patient and not a bad teacher and she couldn’t wait for him to embrace a love of the water just like she did.
Following their walk, they made for Bonnie’s cottage and when Bonnie opened the door she rolled her eyes as Scout, her own dog, leapt out from behind her legs and jumped up at her visitors, no matter what she said.
‘He’ll learn,’ said Theo.
‘Early days,’ Faye agreed as she gave Bonnie a big hug.
Faye wondered whether Midas might think he was a role model for Scout as he trotted inside the cottage and Scout, a much smaller version of Midas, followed after him.