Another knock at the door as people cheered.
‘That must be Mum,’ Noah said.
He went to get the door, but then Quinn heard the voices of Deb and June.
‘We love you!’
‘Is Noah there?’
‘We love him!’
‘Probably best they don’t see you yet,’ Quinn told him, a smile on his face. ‘They’ll rip your clothes off you before I can.’
Noah moved closer. ‘But I want June to touch me.’
‘Hey, I want June.’
They laughed, Quinn ushering Noah away from the door, and then he opened it in time for Hermione and Jerry to slip through.
‘You okay?’ Jerry asked his sister.
Hermione wore a dress that reminded Quinn of Diana’s revenge dress. She was dressed more for a book signing in Piccadilly than in Hay, and Quinn loved her for it.
But if she felt overwhelmed, scared, or nervous, like Jerry expected her to be, then she shook it off.
‘Therapy is helping. I just can’t believe all those people have come to see me.’
‘How big is the queue?’ Noah asked.
‘It looks like it goes to Lion Street,’ Jerry said.
‘I can’t believe they’re here for us,’ Hermione said.
‘They’re here for you, Hermione,’ Quinn said. ‘Now get settled at that table and I’ll start letting them in!’
‘Can I get you anything?’ Ivy asked Hermione. ‘A tea? Coffee?’
‘Latte?’
Ivy looked at Quinn.
‘We only have a kettle, milk, and coffee.’
‘I’ll have a regular coffee,’ Hermione said.
As Hermione settled at the table, holding her pen and practising her signature, Quinn took a moment to take it all in. He never thought he would stand in his shop again, with that familiar smell of earthy notes, leather, and books. With the creaky floorboard near the door, or the confessional booth that bore witness to so many stories. The pride flags, from transgender to non-binary, fluttered above their heads, across the counter, and outside the shop. It was like he’d never left, like it hadn’t been empty.
And what made it all the more perfect was Noah.
The door creaked open, and two men slipped in.
‘Daniel. You came.’
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ Daniel said, holding hands with the person next to him. ‘Quinn. This is my boyfriend, James.’
‘Nice to meet you, James,’ Quinn said, shaking the hand of the young man. ‘Not James Bond, is it?’
He meant it as a joke. Daniel Craig dating James Bond.
