He pondered what she’d said. ‘You know it gets really cold in winter here, don’t you?’
‘I know.’ And she didn’t care. ‘I think it might be the right thing for me, at least for a while. I’m not sure whether it will be permanent, but I’ll go with the flow.’
‘Well, it will be nice to see a bit more of you.’
She wasn’t sure what to say to that as they went inside the bookshop.
‘Mum looks a bit frazzled,’ said Theo. ‘I’m just going to go and make sure she’s all right.’
Faye sat down in one of the little nooks and fussed over Midas until Theo came back over.
‘Is Iris okay?’ she asked him.
‘She’s stressing. She’s only had the bookshop open half the time it was operating when Howard was around. Bonnie insists it’s okay – she was on the phone to her just then – but Mum doesn’t want to let her down.’
‘I think she’s doing well to manage on her own.’
‘I’ll tell her you said so.’ He nudged her and the touch felt electric.
‘What’s in the bag?’ Faye asked him as he shrugged off a backpack.
‘A few things for Midas. I’m off to visit my sister for a couple of days and Mum is dog-sitting. Which I feel terrible about now.’ He looked over at Iris again and frowned.
‘You don’t want to take Midas with you?’
‘I could’ve done but felt bad as he’s needed here tomorrow. So it’s a bit of a catch-22 I suppose.’
He really was incredibly kind and thoughtful. It reminded her of the way he’d been at school especially the time he told her that her skirt was tucked into her knickers when she came out of the girls’ toilets. She almost emitted a giggle at something she’d forgotten about until now.
And as Theo handed over the bag to his mum and fussed over Midas as if he was going to be gone for a month rather than a couple of days, the second part of her master plan presented itself. This was perfect. And so before Theo left she took him aside and shared her idea with him. And then she told Iris.
All she had to do now was let Margot know and it would be all systems go.
Maybe, just maybe they could get Bonnie to go back inside Driftwick Bay Books, and if they did then she might see that even though Howard had gone his legacy hadn’t. The bookshop had become a part of him like the book club had become a part of Faye after her auntie died, and sometimes holding on to something so special ended up bringing more meaning to your life than you ever thought possible.
She kept everything crossed that this would work.
24
BONNIE
Faye and Margot were impressed with her painting when Bonnie showed them both. They’d been late to come over today, having taken advantage of the dry weather by doing a circular walk along Lulworth Cove beach and then up and around West Lulworth village. They’d stopped at an inn for lunch too, before heading back to their accommodations to read. Bonnie had almost wished she’d said yes to the invitation to join them on the walk or for lunch, but she’d made her excuses. She’d do it soon though, wouldn’t she? Howard would be so disappointed if she didn’t. And yet, her feet kept her inside her cottage, within the walls that held so much comfort. She might not have lived here all that long but it already felt like home and Howard’s presence was still around her with his books and his coats and shoes, and a couple of his flat caps.
‘It looks so real.’ Faye marvelled at the painting. ‘The hill looks as steep as it really is, the red telephone box library is there, and you’ve captured the bookshop perfectly. You’re a real artist, Bonnie.’
‘And you sound like you’re writing a review for the newspaper,’ said Bonnie.
‘She’s right,’ Margot said. ‘It’s brilliant. I wish I was so talented.’
Maybe it was better than she thought. And the bookshop really did look exactly like it was in real life. Which made her feel even worse for what she’d done a couple of hours ago.
That morning she’d finally made a call to the developer. She’d just taken another call from Iris who was still fretting over the smallest of decisions and Bonnie felt terrible at leaving her to manage it all on her own. And given she wasn’t going to work there herself to help Iris out, it seemed like the only option she had was to get going with a sale.
What she’d wanted, however, when she made the call was to merely check that the price the developer had offered Howard last time still stood. Then she was going to think about it some more. But they were persuasive; they’d steered the conversation so that before she knew it they were coming to the bookshop in the morning and would meet her or her assistant there and would certainly provide an up-to-date valuation.
That hadn’t been what Bonnie wanted at all.
But she’d made the call. So this was all her fault.
