Page 10 of The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts

Amber relaxed, grateful to see him smile for the first time since they’d met earlier that day. At least he could take over dealing with the customer.

‘It makes you both a welcome sight having spent two hours on the bus getting to and from my hospital appointment this morning,’ said Stanley.

Josh put down his box and frowned. ‘Is everything OK?’ he asked.

Stanley nodded and continued to smile. ‘Just a check-up,’ he replied. ‘But thank you for your concern.’

‘Well, I thought something was amiss when you didn’t come in at half past nine for your newspaper.’

Amber watched as Stanley’s smile faltered slightly. ‘Yes, my routine was a little out of kilter today. Normal service resumes tomorrow.’

‘Glad to hear it,’ said Josh, riffling through the box and sighing. ‘Otherwise Amber will think that we have no customers at all.’

‘And how is your dear lady mother today?’ Stanley asked.

‘She’s fine,’ said Josh, looking around as if realising that she was missing. ‘Where is she?’

‘Upstairs,’ Amber told him.

‘Good,’ said Josh, looking relieved. Obviously, the worry with his mother’s health still weighed heavily on him, thought Amber.

‘And what brings you to Cranbridge?’ asked Stanley, turning to look at Amber once more. ‘Not that I’m complaining, of course.’

Amber blushed.

‘She’s my mother’s goddaughter,’ said Josh, after a lengthy silence. ‘Her best friend’s daughter.’

‘Indeed?’ Stanley’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Would that be Denise Spencer?’

Amber was amazed and nodded. ‘Yes. That’s my mum. How did you know?’

Stanley beamed. ‘I was the headmaster at the local school. I remember your mother and Cathy too. Two peas in a pod, they were, always getting told off for chatting and not concentrating on the task in hand. But how wonderful that you’re here and, might I say, looking just like her. How is she?’

‘She’s well,’ Amber told him. ‘She and dad have just emigrated to New Zealand.’

‘Gosh, how exciting.’ Stanley fixed her with his grey eyes. ‘Of course, that’s a long way from both you and Cathy.’

‘Not so far for me,’ said Amber. ‘I’m just passing through to see Cathy and then I’m flying on to start a new life with mum and dad.’ She didn’t admit that she had no idea what that life was going to entail. Everything was so up in the air at the moment and it was rattling her already shaky self-confidence.

‘Well, I shall look forward to seeing you in the meantime,’ said Stanley, handing over his change for the newspaper.

Stanley left the shop with a small wave and a jingle of the bell over the door.

‘Welcome to Cranbridge,’ said Josh, as he placed the coins inside the till. ‘I’m sure it’s a big change from the excitement of New York.’

He headed off to the other side of the shop, leaving Amber by the till counter.

He was wrong, of course, thought Amber. You could work in an amazing, famous shop in one of the biggest cities in the world and people expected it to be fun and life-changing. But in reality it could still be utterly lonely. Working on the windows of the shop, most of the time had been filled with short conversations regarding props and building the vast displays. Nothing personal. Sometimes she would spend the whole day by herself. And when she left work on a Friday afternoon, chances were that she wouldn’t speak to anyone until she was back there on Monday morning.

The problem with not really speaking to anyone on a daily basis was that you almost lose the habit, thought Amber. You don’t want to go out. You even refuse rare invitations, scared in case you’ve forgotten how to socialise. And yet, she was lonely. Utterly and completely lonely.

But a brief stay in Cranbridge wouldn’t cure that.

Amber checked her phone once more, which thankfully had survived its dunking in the river. And with no update arriving from the airline or landlord, she was stuck there for the time being.

5

It had been a long day, thought Josh, flipping the Open sign over to read Closed in the window of the front door. A day full of dunkings in the river, unspoken words following the argument with his mum that morning and awkward silences. The last thing he felt like doing was keeping anyone company and going out to dinner.