Page 52 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

‘I do.’

The silence stretched out once more as his brown eyes stared into hers.

‘Okay,’ he finally said. ‘What harm can it do?’

Katy’s mood immediately brightened. ‘Really?’ she said.

He nodded. ‘Really.’

‘Excellent!’ said his dad, sitting back down on his seat.

Ryan shook his head. ‘What about all this stuff that you’re so desperate to keep?’

‘Katy and I have it all figured out,’ said Bob, beaming. ‘Now, who mentioned coffee?’

Katy laughed and was delighted to see Ryan smile as well. Perhaps there was hope for the station after all.

27

Ryan was somewhat stunned at the speed at which Katy’s idea for a coffee shop began to grow. By the end of the morning, both his dad and grandad were searching through all the boxes and deciding what needed to be kept and what could actually be thrown out after all this time.

As they looked through the next box, he took Katy by the elbow and led her outside into the entrance hall.

‘It appears that you’ve found me a new job,’ he said in a soft tone, so that they weren’t overheard.

She sighed. ‘I know I should have checked with you first before we sent in the application, but don’t you think that it’s a good idea?’

He looked back at where his dad was sitting, seemingly more excited than he had seen him for a long time. ‘It’s certainly given Dad a new lease of life,’ he said.

‘And maybe the station too,’ she replied.

He looked into her blue eyes, searching them for any doubt, but he couldn’t see it.

‘You really are sure about this?’ he asked.

She nodded. ‘I think it brings something to the table. Sends a message to the bank that you’re serious about wanting to keep the place and maybe there’s a viable way to save it,’ she told him.

Katy was back into serious business mode after her days of illness. In a way, he was grateful as it meant that he had been able to confess how serious the financial uncertainty hanging over them really was.

He blew out a long sigh. In a way, he was impressed by the idea. It would certainly give him some purpose whilst he remained in Cranfield as his dad recovered. And at least it didn’t involve too much cooking if they just stuck to cakes and coffee on the menu.

They headed back into the waiting room to find his grandad beaming. He was holding what appeared to be a pair of scales.

‘This used to weigh the post,’ Eddie told them.

‘The station was a post office as well?’ asked Katy.

‘Oh yes,’ said Bob. ‘The mail would arrive on the early train, ready to distribute around the villages by the postmen. Those were the days.’ His voice trailed off into a wistful silence.

‘I wish I could have seen it back then,’ she said.

Bob looked up at her surprised.

Ryan watched as a blush filled her cheeks. ‘I’ve always loved history,’ she told him. ‘It was my favourite subject at school.’

‘Yet you’ve ended up working in hotels?’ asked Bob, studying her. ‘Wouldn’t you have preferred something in history instead?’

Katy pretended to look down at the box she had brought over. ‘I didn’t have that luxury, I’m afraid. I needed to earn a living so took the first job I could find, which was in a hotel.’